Five Things No Mommy Can Live Without......

As a first time Mommy, I can remember agonizing about my registry.  What's important?  What's a waste of money?  What will I use, and what will sit in it's box collecting dust?  Well now that my little one is quickly approaching 2 years old (God even as I write that I find it hard to believe...April 26th will be here before I can blink my eyes!), I look back at that Sunday in January when Sean and I went to Babies R Us and registered for anything and everything we thought a little girl might need.  I shake my head in disbelief at how many things we needed that we didn't register for, how many things we did that we didn't need, and how many things we never even knew existed, and proved to be our most useful gifts/purchases.  As a new blogger, I thought maybe I would share these must-haves with the world. 

Summer Infant Day & Night Handheld Color Video Monitor

When we were registering for our baby shower, Sean was pretty adamant on not needing a monitor at all.  Fast forward to the arrival of our beautiful bundle of joy, and we were both neurotic.  We were both losing ridiculous amounts of sleep waking up to check her to make sure she was still alive.  I know, it's crazy, but we're first time parents, and had serious detachment issues.  I still do.  Enter this wonderful invention.  Even next to us in her bassinet, Sean rigged this monitor up and we were able to check her without waking each other, or her.  Sleep became easier to come by, although Sean would still check her breathing, and if he couldn't physically see her breathing, he would put his hand on her chest to make sure, which would wake her up...then we'd all know she was alive and well!

Angel Care Baby Movement and Sound Monitor Deluxe

In relation to my previous gadget, this one stems from Sean's serious anxiety about her breathing.  We searched on Amazon for something, and this is what we found.  It monitors motion, temperature, and has a nightlight (which we don't use because our little one likes it dark when she sleeps).  The only difference between the one we ordered and this one is that there are two sensor pads, which I don't understand because the baby would only be in one place at a time, but perhaps it is for babies that move around a lot when the sleep or something.  I chose this link because it's the same price as the link with only one sensor pad, so even if you're only going to use one, keep the other as a backup.  Anyway, I digress.  We have been using this since Paige was about 2 months old, and to this day, it is a Godsend.  We've had a couple scares, when she's moved so far up to the top of her crib she's been out of range, but adjusting the sensitivity of the motion detector has solved that problem.  I plan on using this for years to come, because I'll know if she gets out of her "big girl bed" once she's transitioned.  If the unit does not detect motion for 20 seconds, it will start to beep both in the baby's room and in the room that the monitor units are, in our case-the living room and our bedroom.  It also helps to know the temperature in the baby's room, so you can adjust the heat or air conditioning accordingly.  We normally keep Paige's room at about 65 all year round. 

Homedics Sound Spa Relaxation Machine

When we transitioned Paige into her room, it was a definite challenge for all of us.  While the above mentioned devices were helpful in our relaxation, Paige needed something to help her.  Enter this wonderful machine.  We received it as a gift from Sean's grandmother, and while I thought it was very neat, I never saw myself actually putting it to everyday use.  Well, I couldn't have been more wrong.  This machine has three natural sounds (heartbeat, rain, and ocean) and three lullabies (Brahms, Twinkle Twinkle, and Rock-a-bye Baby) to choose from, and timer settings for running length.  It also comes with three disks of different scenes that are projected onto the baby's ceiling.  We use it every night for Paige, it runs though the night on the ocean setting.  It's a nice white noise, and with the volume adjustment levels, we make it a calming environment that allows her to drift off to sleep.  It also aids in blocking out any outside sounds, from out her window, or just Sean and I walking around the house.  She loves it, and this is another thing I can see myself using for years to come.  My brother-in-law still needs "white noise" to sleep, he uses a fan, so I think Paige will enjoy this even as she gets older.  It's not too loud, and just enough to help her to sleep. 

Evenflo Baby Go Highchair

This is another one of those must-haves I didn't know existed, didn't register for, and stumbled upon.  Sean's family lives in Syracuse, my family loves to camp, we have HUGE Sunday dinners every week, and do a lot of traveling/eating out.  This high chair is perfect for anyone who plans on going anywhere with their child for the first three years of his/her life.  My step-mom mentioned seeing this in Burlington Coat Factory sometime before Paige's first Thanksgiving holiday....which we travel every year to Syracuse to celebrate with our family there.  I mentioned it to Sean, who shrugged me off, saying we didn't really need something like that.  Being the understanding wife that I am, I went and purchased it anyway :).  When I brought it home, he still laughed thinking we'd never get good use out of it, and that it'd probably end up being a dust collector in our closet.  I packed it up and off we went to Syracuse.  Not only did it serve it's purpose, Sean told everyone how brilliant I was for getting it!  We use it to go camping so Paige has somewhere to sit, at Sunday dinners so we don't have to take up a chair for a booster seat, and even on Mother's Day, when the restaurant we were having brunch at asked that anyone who had a booster seat or highchair please bring their own to ensure enough for all its patrons.  She still fits in it (although I don't buckle her in anymore) and we still bring it everywhere we go.  It is a huge time saver, easily assembled and folds up nicely for storage at Paige's Meme's house. 

Cleanwater Tub With Thermometer

This is the ONE thing on this list of must-haves that I actually registered for.  Sean and I were looking at reviews, and decided that this one not only kept the water clean by constantly flowing,into the basin and then into the tub, it also monitored the temperature.  As a hot water LOVER I always have a hard time determining if the water is too hot or too cold for anyone else.  It's never too hot for me.  So we used this, which fits in a standard sized sink, or in the tub until Paige was too big for it.  Once she began to sit up independently and could hold herself up for an extended period of time, we graduated to a water thermometer (similar to this) which is digital and shows if the temperature is too hot by a blinking red light (the one in the above link-the turtle- is an audible alarm rather than a blinking light).  We still use the duck to monitor the temperature, and it has become one of Paige's favorite bathtime toys. 

I hope this list has helped any Moms or Moms-to-be in deciding what they need.  There are many, many, items you will need...too many to list.  These are just a few that I've come to depend on day-to-day.  They're things that I never thought I would need, and now, I can't live without.