Lifesavers

I wanted to share a little list of a few items that hubby and I have found to be rather indispensable over these past months. There are many, many items that we use on a daily basis. I mean c'mon, babies require a lot of stuff! But these items are particularly useful. At least for us!

1. Dreft Laundry Stain Remover. One of my very best friends (and Camden's Godmother!) gave me a bottle of this as part of my baby shower gifts. She told me that it's the best stain remover ever. And she was absolutely right! I discovered this for myself when I found a white onsie covered in bright yellow baby poo. I sprayed it down, let it sit a few minutes, then washed it and voila! It looked just like new. I'm not even kidding! I'll never buy a different stain remover again!

2. Palmer's Tummy Butter. This one comes from my pregnancy days but it's definitely worth a mention. I slathered this thick, somewhat waxy, tummy butter on my growing baby bump ever night. Every. Single. Night. And guess what? Not a single stretch mark! I know everyone says that stretch marks are genetic (if your momma had 'em, so will you) but I figured I would do everything I could to prevent them instead of leaving it to fate. Yet I wasn't about to spend an arm and a leg on the more expensive stretch mark creams. This one was affordable and worked like a charm!

3. Little Tummys Gas Drops. Since he was born, Camden has had a difficult time with gas. He'd get bubbles in his belly (even with lots of burping, changing my diet, and keeping him upright after feedings) and he would just scream and scream over them. It was reallllly rough. His pediatrician told us that it was because he was such a big eater. He'd get so much milk in his system that his little body would have a hard time processing it all. He recommended gas drops around the clock and it made a huuuuge difference! Camden has gotten much better with his gas and doesn't need the drops around the clock anymore but when we hear his gas bubbles cry we're quick to give him a dose of these to ease his pain. I think every momma should have these on hand just in case!

4. Brice Day & Night Light Musical Mirror. I'm the type who freaks out if I can't see my baby so a mirror for the backseat of the car was a "must have" for us. I particularly love this mirror because it has a little light and it plays a couple jingles. We found the light to be especially useful when we were on a little road trip when Camden was 6 weeks old. It was nice to be able to push a button, have the light come on, and make sure that Camden was okay. Admittedly, the mirror can be very distracting- who doesn't want to peek at their little cutie nonstop?! Haha. But I wouldn't want to do without it! Plus, the musical feature has come in handy when Camden gets fussy and the country radio station just isn't doing it for him ;]

5. Moby Wrap. If you have a baby who loves to be held and you ever plan on doing things around the house again, get a sling/wrap/carrier. I love the Moby because it's nice and snuggly and, once you get the hang of it, really easy to use. No buckling things behind your back or fumbling with rings. Camden seems to love being cozied up close to me while I get some chores done. And I love keeping him close to me instead of leaving him alone in his pack 'n play. 

6. JJ Cole Pacifier Pod. You know what stinks? Losing pacifiers. You know what's perfect for preventing that from happening? This little gadget. We have one snapped onto Camden's carseat with one binkie with a clip and one binkie without a clip inside. This way we are NEVER without a binkie when we're out of the house. And we always know where to find one! No searching through my diaper bag or wondering where to find one. They're always right there, not getting lost. It's such a simple thing but we really love it.

7. Disposable Multi Use Pads. As I've mentioned before, I'm somewhat of a germaphobe. I'm not about to put Camden on a public changing table without one of these. I don't care if the plastic is "anti-microbial", they gross me out. I keep some of these in my diaper bag and use them whenever I change him in a public space. I've heard other moms say that these are useful to put on your lap when holding baby to avoid being soaked in case of leakage. But who really does that? Haha. I use them strictly for diaper changes. I even put them on his changing pad at home sometimes (mostly to avoid having to wash his changing pad cover multiple times a day, haha). If you're overly concerned about hygiene like me, do yourself a favor and get a box or two or three of these.