Hellobee

It’s easy to take the everyday things for granted and forgot how much you appreciate them. It’s amazing the things they come up with these days – from technology to mom-made gear. We’re pretty lucky to be living in this day and age.

There are definitely items I’ve used since Petit Macaron was born, and some that have phased out as he’s grown older. Here’s a list of things we use daily with our 13-month old son:

1) ZoLi BOT Straw Sippy Cup

You may recall an earlier post where I shared how I got my baby to start using the sippy cup. I mentioned two sippy cups, but we ended up using the ZoLi BOT Straw Sippy Cup most often. It just seemed to be the one Petit Macaron preferred. As you can guess, we use this many times in the day since I give him something to drink with each meal and in-between meals as well. Got to keep hydrated!

2) Zippadee

We stopped swaddling Petit Macaron around four months old, and we transitioned him to the zippadee. It was a seamless transition for which I am incredibly grateful. The zippadee has been great ever since that transition. I am starting to think of trying out an arm free sleep bag since Petit Macaron tends to get his arm (or arms) out of it as well as his PJs in the morning if I don’t get him immediately. It’s funny and frustrating to see him standing up in the crib half naked. That said, the zippadee has been a great product for us and I would definitely recommend it. And of course, we use it for naps and bedtime.

3) Fisher Price Booster Chair

When I was pregnant, I had several moms tell me to not get a high chair as it just takes up room and they tend to be expensive. I took their advice and landed with the Fisher Price booster chair. It’s been working great for us – it’s easy to clean and doesn’t take up much space. Although, it does mean we’re one chair down at the table so during holidays or when we have guests over. All in all, it’s been good way to feed the little guy.

4) ChooMee Snackn Reusable Pouches

I decided to purchase these about a month ago and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been using them mostly for yogurt and applesauce. I buy a big container of yogurt and put it into the pouches. This is much cheaper than buying the pouch or baby yogurts at the grocery store. I know what you’re wondering, and they are easy to clean and seal tightly so nothing comes out.

Also, I bought these pouch toppers, but Petit Macaron loves to play with them and didn’t quite figure them out. Maybe I didn’t give them a fair enough chance because I’ve heard other moms having great success with them.

5) Munchkin Inflatable Duck Tub

A bath before bed is part of our nightly routine for Petit Macaron. I only wash his hair every other day, or if it desperately needs it. It’s just a nice way to slow him down and relax before bedtime. For his baths, we use this duck tub and we love it.

I bought the tub when he was about seven months old. I was a bit concerned that Petit Macaron would grow out of it quickly. However, he’s 13 months and still taking baths in it. Although, I should note that he’s a fairly small guy (he was 17 pounds at his one year check-up).

It’s worked great – it’s easy to clean, easy to store (we store it on a suction cup hook in the shower), uses less water, and it’s adorable.

6) Milo Gilder Chair

I love, love, love this chair. But, and this is a big but, it was expensive. It’s one of the most expensive pieces of furniture we own. That said, it was my husband’s gift to me for our first baby and I use it practically every time I nurse, everyday. It is so comfy and rocks so smoothly – just perfect. I’m so glad we splurged and got this chair! Plus, it’s super stylish to boot!

7) Skip Hop Moonlight Nightlight

Every night I turn on the little owl for white noise to lull our little guy to sleep. Honestly, I haven’t used the nightlight feature, but I think it will come in handy as he gets older. It has some other great feature I think will also work well down the line as well like different noises and fun stars to light up the ceiling. I’m sure you can find a cheaper noise machine, but this one is cute and we’ve been very happy with it.

8) UppaBaby Cruz Stroller

My parents gave this as a baby shower gift, and we love it. The stroller is a nice cross between street and off-roading. It’s not going to go out on major hikes, but it’s definitely gone on dirt and gravel without a problem. It’s pretty light, easy to fold, and worked well with the car seat for when Petit Macaron was smaller. It’s the only stroller we own and it’s worked out wonderfully for us.

9) Sprout

You might remember I shared my inability to stop tracking last year with the Sprout app. And yup, I’m still tracking things albeit I’ve cut back quite a bit on what I track. I mainly just use it now to track his sleep, poopy diapers, and the few nursing sessions (I don’t track the solids). I’m sure I’ll stop the diapers and nursing soon, but for now it is comforting for me to be able to look back and see what and when something happened. It’s been a great tool since his birth and would recommend this, or at least something similar, for any new mom.

10) Dekor Diaper Pail

I’m going to be straight with you here – this pail does get a little stinky at times, but nothing an hour opened and outside won’t fix. We also moved it downstairs, out of the nursery, and into the laundry room since it was starting to give off a funk in the nursery as he grew older and started solids. All that said, it has worked well and been a good pail. The hands-free foot peddle works great and refilling the pail is quick and easy. I also like the style of it. This has been a solid diaper pail and has endured some stink for over a year now.

11) Architec Cutting Board

This may seem like a strange item, but it has come in very handy. I’ve owned this little cutting board for years and years – so you know it holds up very well. It works great for the sandwiches or fruit I need to prepare for little guy’s meals and snacks. I often make the sandwich and then bring it over to the table with me for feeding him his meal. So handy!