Mykenzi's Favorites

So, I've been wanting to do a "favorites" or "must-haves" post for a while now.  I was going to do a newborn one but while I was busy trying to survive the newborn stage, time slipped away and I no longer have a newborn on my hands.

Most of these things have been in Mykenzi's life since she was a newborn but they have remained favorites as she's grown and continues to grow.  The newborn stage is a lot of trial and error while figuring out what your baby likes and dislikes.  These worked for us and maybe they could work for you too!

Cozy Coos - Often my baby finds are when I'm in the baby department shopping for something specific and I run across something else that maybe I don't need but want to give it a go.  That was exactly the case with these Cozy Coos.  Mykenzi was born flailing those arms of hers around and they haven't stopped since.  When I came across the Cozy Coo's I thought it may be a good distraction for her hands and maybe juuuust maybe she might slow down enough to sleep.  We bought the yellow giraffe with the pink pacifier attached, which we so appropriately renamed "Pinky the Binky" and an instant friendship was born.  Mykenzi took to Pinky like a duck to water and thankfully enough, it did slow her hands down enough to where she could relax enough to sleep.  Now that she's almost 4 months old and has discovered how her hands work, Pinky has peaked her interest even more.  The best part about these Cozy Coos are that they resemble the ever so popular Wubanub but are half the price.  Don't get me wrong, I'd spend whatever it takes to keep a happy baby, but its nice to save a few dollars wherever you can.  We found our Cozy Coo at our local Walmart.  They have several different animals and pacifier colors for both boys and girls.

Aquaphor - I've always loved Aquaphor for myself but I love it even more for baby.  I was always told Boudreaux's Butt Paste was the way to go in diaper rash prevention, so I stocked up on tubes of butt paste in preparation for Mykenzi's arrival.  Mykenzi was born a champion pooper ... I'm talking at least 6-7 poopy diapers a day.  This was a recipe for diaper rash and Boudreaux just wasn't cutting it.  Mykenzi started getting a small rash so I sent my husband out to find a different remedy.  I wasn't exactly sure what I was sending him out get but surely there was a better remedy than butt paste.  He came home with Aquaphor and I may or may not have had a new mom, that isn't going to work, freak out moment.  What was that going to do? I used aquaphor for chapped lips and softening the heels of my feet ... how was it going to fix diaper rash?!  He argued his point and said the label indicated it would help and at this point, what did we have to lose?  So, we tried it and I haven't looked back since.  Not only did it clear the rash up by the next morning, she hasn't had diaper rash since.  It's amazing stuff and my husband never lets me forget freaking out on him about the thing that saved our baby's butt. Literally.  #dadpoints

Summer Infant Sparkle N' Splash Tub - Mykenzi has always been a bath lover and I think this tub has aided in that.  It's a 3-in-1 tub that grows with your baby.  It has a netting for the newborn stage, then a back rest and rump hump as I call it, for when they are sitting up better, and then you flip it for a full on tub portion when they are able to sit on their own.  The netting was so amazing during the newborn stage because it allowed you to have both hands free to wash your baby and not have to constantly have a hand on them.  Mykenzi was able to move and kick freely while having a bath which she loved.  This last month we have graduated to step two with the back rest and rump hump.  I call it a rump hump because its a mold in the bottom of the tub that raises up just enough so their butt doesn't slip and slide down into the tub.  Mykenzi is loving being more submerged in the water with this stage.  Not only do I love how much Mykenzi loves this tub, but I love that its made bath time an easy event for Momma too.

Dr. Brown's Bottles - Oy! Bottles!  I think we went through about 5 different bottle types before trying Dr. Browns.  I always heard good things but didn't register for them because I thought it was gimicky and too many parts for a bottle.  After a few nights of inconsolable crying due to gas, I hit the internet to find any possible solution.  I found a lot of moms who had similar stories and contributed the gas to their bottles and that said gas had subsided after the use with Dr. Browns bottles.  After analyzing Mykenzi eating habits we did find that she was getting a lot of air from the other bottle types we were trying.  We decided to give Dr. Browns a try and noticed a huge difference after the first feeding using Dr. Browns.  To my surprise all those annoying little pieces had pretty important rolls.  The middle tubing filtered the air out of the bottle as the baby ate, thus, significantly reducing the amount of air she was ingesting.  We haven't had many gas problems since ... unless Mommy eats something she isn't supposed to! Oops! It's amazing the things you eat that give baby gas through your milk, but that's a whole other ball game that no bottle can tame. 

Fisher Price Kick N' Play Piano - I've seen a lot other Momma's interested in this for their littles, and all I have to say is yes, yes, yes!  Mykenzi loves her Kick N' Play Piano!  We use this daily!  What I love most about this is that is also grows with your baby as they grow.  We've been using as a play mat with the toys hanging over since Mykenzi was born.  She quickly learned that kicking the piano meant noise!  She has recently started grabbing the toys and swatting at them and its amazing to see her brain working and learning.  This past week we have taken down the arch and placed the toys on the loops on the mat for tummy time which has opened so many other learning doors for Mykenzi.  When your baby starts sitting up on their own the piano turns so they can learn to play it with their hands.  It's amazing that one little mat can inspire so much learning for baby ... I highly recommend this if you are contemplating what to get babe for Christmas.

My Tiny Hands Sign - Okay, so this may not be Mykenzi's favorite but she'll thank me later.  This sign is great to have on your car seat or stroller because strangers love babies and strangers love touching babies even more.  I hate that random people feel so comfortable touching a child that they do not know especially when they have no idea what type of germs they are carrying.  I am by no means a germ-a-phobe but I was changing Mykenzi in a store bathroom once and a lady proceeded to walk out of the stall without washing her hands and straight to Mykenzi ooohing and aweing at her.  I get it, she's cute but if you touch my child with your gross public bathroom hands you may not have to worry about hands to wash ever again.  So gross! That is one thing I like about this sign.  It allows people to get close to look at the baby and then they see the sign.  The funny part is once they see the sign you see people clasp their hands together, place them behind their back, or put them in pockets to keep them out of baby's bubble.  I love it!  For me it's like a polite way of saying "Don't you dare touch my baby!" which is blessing with flu season wreaking havoc.

Baby Einstein's Sea Dreams Mobile - I think I've mentioned this in previous posts.  A fellow blogger raved about the Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother helping entertain the baby so she could get stuff done.  One of the biggest struggles with Motherhood is having two seconds to yourself to take a bathroom break, get ready, make dinner, or pick up around the house a little.  Our babies are close in age so I thought it would be the perfect thing to help me out too because if I'm being honest, the house was a wreck the first couple of months of Mykenzi's life.  I trotted off to Target with full intentions of purchasing said soother that was recommended.  I played with it in the store and Mykenzi was entranced but then we saw the Sea Dreams Mobile.  If you've been keeping up with Mykenzi you know that her first love is the ceiling fan.  She talks to it every morning, gives it all her smiles, and looks for it anytime she is laid on her back.  Since she is so in love with the ceiling fan we opted for the mobile.  This mobile was the best $40 I've ever spent.  I can take a completely wailing, screaming baby and place her under the mobile and she instantly turns screaming into smiling.  She loves cooing and reaching for the animals as they go round.  It plays music, beach waves, or running stream water but we mostly listen to the music.  My productivity level has sky-rocketed since installing this on her crib.  I can actually get dressed and pick up around the house so it doesn't look like we've been hit by a tornado.  The best part is I don't have to worry about a fussy baby because she is completely happy hanging out with her sea friends.

So those are the favorites in the Brown House ... Do you guys have some must-have favorites that I'm missing?  I'd love to hear about them!

Happy Weekend!