So, another night comes and I am headed to the bathroom to get the tub ready for my baby. I was so scared when I had to give him his first bath and now, I am bathing him religiously twice a day! Oh how things change!

As I am giving him his well deserved bath ( after a long day of drooling, playing on the floor, drooling, eating solids – which means more dirty diapers- and more drooling ) I think: hmm… I don’t know what would I do without this wonderful tub. I am telling you it’s a nice tub for baby! and then I saw a couple of more items I thought it would be nice to blog about. After all, I started this blog to spread the word of all the things I learn (and that includes the things I buy and try) while raising my baby. I am sure many mommies-to-be would find this blog post interesting
{so I hope ;)}.

My ten favorite things {as of today} are:

1. Fisher Price Whale of a Tub 

I have to admit, I put this tub on my baby shower registry just for the look of it. Anything “sea related” ? call me. But this tub turned out to be a good one. I like the ergonomic design, the padding for the baby’s back and it’s very roomy. My boy is 29.5″ and still fits perfect. here you’ll see that it comes with a toy bar! (mine is an older version and it doesn’t have it but it is still the same great design. I love that the drain is a little bit elevated in the air that way it drains easily. I like to start draining the water as I’m bathing baby to make room for more fresh water I add as I rinse him. *Beware*: some reviewer mentions mildew accumulation under the baby stopper. Well, I have NEVER had it. I stand the tub upside and inside down after each use, that way all the water drips and I let it air dry. If you leave the tub laying flat inside the big tub, obviously there’s gonna be some water that is not gonna drain so take my advice if you buy it or any other tub for that matter.

I am in LOVE with this baby wash. If you ever wanted to “bite your baby ’cause she’s so cute” you will definitely bite her (gently please) after giving her a bath with this nourishing and delicious wash. It is so creamy and makes a fair amount of foam, just enough to feel like you’re actually cleaning your baby’s skin. As all Johnson’s baby products it is made with the NO MORE TEARS formula. AWESOME! Baby loves it too. You’ll see. Oh, don’t forget to buy the lotion too. You need to keep the same scent after the bath!

What is it about Elmo that makes the littlest of babies smile? I don’t know, I never really “studied” Elmo and his behavior until I watched my first Sesame Street EVER when my baby was born ( I know, weird right? I just never watched it) and now I think he’s so sweet. This Elmo keeps my baby entertained and it is very useful. You definitely don’t want the bare sharp and hard faucet near your baby’s skin (or head) so this is a very nice addition to your baby needs list.

I can’t believe I didn’t have this rocker on my baby registry! Well, as a first time mommy I had to miss something right? It was so funny, I went to my girlfriend’s baby shower (two days before my due date!) and she got a “bouncer seat” and I asked: What is that? WHAT???? you don’t have one? You gotta have it, it’s the best thing ever! YOU NEED IT! So I got home that night and googled and found a couple of options but I opted for thisone. It’s a rocker, not a bouncer. It is awesome! Think about it, you can’t have your newborn baby laying flat all day inside the crib or the playpen! poor thing! It sounds so logic now but when you’re pregnant for the first time, there is so much to do, to learn and to think about, that some things can easily slip your mind. In my case, I didn’t find a blog that said that I HAD to HAVE this item. My baby is 6 months and still rocking away (now he rocks himself how cool is that?) and I take this thing up and down the stairs all day, everyday. My baby comes with me all the time (bathroom, bedroom, nursery, home office, family room, you name it). Ah! and for that price, I got a second one we keep at grandma’s. Cool!

Whoever came up with this idea, God Bless Him/Her! I first read about it on Parents Magazine when I was still pregnant. And finally the day came, my baby started teething and he would chew on anything in order to soothe his gums. None of the ordinary teething rings was good for him, his grip wasn’t that good when he started teething and he would just drop them. But this, YES! He doesn’t really suck on it (like a pacifier) ’cause -God bless him -he doesn’t like pacifiers, but he grabs it by the ring and chews on it for 20 minutes at a time. That’s enough time for me to fold all his laundry and put it away (while he’s sitting here).

I trust this cream “since day two”. Why not day one? because day one I used the other brand and it did not cure the first and only rash my newborn had. My husband picked up Balmex at the supermarket and came home saying: “Honey, I got this one. It says: Reduces redness in 1 diaper change”. I am like: all right, let’s see… MIRACLE! and that’s why I trust Balmex since day two. And I have not changed since then. No diaper rash AT ALL! No kidding. My baby’s bottom is as soft and clear as when he was just born, even now that he’s eating solids. If you haven’t tried it, you should!

My baby’s nursery is nautical themed, so this crib attachment seemed very appropriate! You’ll think that after 6 months listening to the same sounds and watching the same fishies he would be bored. Not at all, everyday he seems to discover something new. These soother is softly lit and it plays up to 18 minutes of classical music, lullabies or ocean sounds. It has big buttons that makes it easy for the baby to activate the sound. The crab plays peek-a-boo {adorable}, the whale hide and seek and the fish swims. The beautiful blue back light  fades away a little before the cycle of music ends. I was watching my baby on the monitor  (next item on this list) this morning and I saw him turn the soother on for the first time with his toes!! So cute! He seems very peaceful while watching it and now that he can sit for long periods, I can see how much he likes it. My favorite button is the Classical, even I enjoy the music myself. 

 

I didn’t buy it and I didn’t have it on my baby registry either. It was a gift from a very good friend on my baby shower. The reason I did not put a monitor on the registry was because when it comes to electronics I like my husband to make the decision. So I thought eventually I would go to the store with him and let him pick whatever he thought was good. Well, we didn’t have to. My girlfriend couldn’t believe I did not have a monitor on my list and she picked this one {she even included a one year service plan, how thoughtful! }.

I am very happy with it. The night vision is awesome, I still can’t understand how this little camera can show such a clear image in a dark room like if there was a bright light on. The reception is very good, but I can only talk about my case where the nursery is about 50 ft away from my room. There are so many of these monitors in the market and although it is a very personal decision I definitely recommend

this particular one. 

  

Of all the “chewable toys” that my baby has, “Cookie” is his favorite. I guess you can have a favorite toy when you are 4 months (that’s when his aunt gave it to him) and wherever we go, if possible I carry it with us. I love that I can clip it on the straps of the stroller/car seat and it is still big enough for the baby to reach for it and suck on it. I throw it in the washing machine EVERY time I do laundry (that’s like 7 times a week? ) and it has not faded neither developed any lint. That is huge! you definitely don’t want your baby to put lint on his mouth. I love all the items I have listed so far but this one is my favorite. Maybe because  I love the picture perfect image of my son falling asleep holding really tight his Cookie Monster.

Yes, I know. I AM the one that can’t live without the Ipad. However, I will give you three reasons why I put it on my list: