CONGRATULATIONS MEREDITH A.
for winning last weeks giveaway (selected by random.org). Check your email and get back with me within 24 hours to claim your prize.
This week I'm focusing on sleeping essentials. And before anyone points out the obvious - yes I've left off a few "essentials" from this list: crib, mattress and sheets. I'm not brand/model specific when it comes to these items. I bought a crib from Pottery Barn Kids when I worked there and I love it and we'll have it for a long while. Is it better than any other crib out there? Probably not - there are enough regulations on cribs and mattresses that they all provide similar value in my opinion. So, I'm going to touch on the other essentials for your sleeping baby.
1. Woombie: I can not stress how much I love this product. We became big on swaddling with our first child, who we would wrap as tight as we physically could. (It was the only way she was slightly content, little did we know she was suffering from a disease of the colon!) We would go in half way through the night and reswaddle to make sure it was tight as could be for the rest of the night. At the time we just used blankets. We learned with our second child that there were products specifically for swaddling and we bought several and they worked just fine, but nothing that I could recommend to a friend. With our third child we were introduced to the Woombie and I have raved about it ever since. It is made of a stretchy cotton shaped like an hourglass with a zipper to keep them snug as a bug. We only put him in it when it was time to sleep and you better believe he became conditioned and as we zipped it up his eyes got droopy. By the time he started rolling, he was happy to sleep without it. Check out their website for more details and to see the wide variety of options www.woombie.com or find it here.
2. Homedics sound machine: This sound machine has been with us since the beginning (we now own two of them) and it's the best. It has several different settings and you can set it to a timer if you prefer. What I love about white noise is it drowns out all the chaotic sounds of a house with kids while the little one is sleeping. It has the option to run on battery which has allowed us to take it everywhere. Of course, we've forgotten it a time or two but our iphones have come in handy with a free white noise app! Find it here
3. Baby monitor: this wasn't necessary in our first tiny apartment - but as soon as we lived in a house with two levels a monitor came in handy. We don't use anything extremely fancy - just the basics and it works well for us. The baby sleeps close to our room so we don't even use it during the night. Once again, with a loud chaotic house, it's nice to have the monitor so we don't confuse the cries of a two year old being teased by his brother with the cries of a newborn how wants his next meal. Find it here
4. Pack and Play crib: I like multi-purpose baby gear which is why I convinced Steve on the first child to buy a pack and play porta-crib. I know that bassinets are a popular product but within 3 months, they grow out of them and then what do you do with it? Instead we purchased a pack n' play that had a bassinet option. We used it as a bassinet for the first little while and then after that we had a crib we could take anywhere - grandparent's house, vacation, camping, anywhere and everywhere. If we go to a friend's house and plan on staying later, we take the crib so we don't have to worry about the baby staying up late. It is so useful and several kids later its in near perfect condition. Find it here
5. Gap bundlers: Hands down, bundlers are the best nightgown for the first two months. There's no snaps which makes it a piece of cake to change a diaper in the middle of the night. I know that every baby clothing brand makes a bundler, but Gap's bundler is my favorite. The cotton is so soft and the fit seems to be so much better than others out there. It also has the option covers for the hands for the first few weeks when it seems like every baby tries to claw their eyes out! Find it here
6. Happiest Baby on the Block: There are hundreds of books on helping babies sleep and I've read many of them. They each follow a different philosophy and present different methods, this book worked the best for us. Find it here
Now for the fun part - you have the chance to try out one of my favorite products by entering a giveaway for a Woombie Air (your choice of color and size). Open to US residents only.
1. Woombie: I can not stress how much I love this product. We became big on swaddling with our first child, who we would wrap as tight as we physically could. (It was the only way she was slightly content, little did we know she was suffering from a disease of the colon!) We would go in half way through the night and reswaddle to make sure it was tight as could be for the rest of the night. At the time we just used blankets. We learned with our second child that there were products specifically for swaddling and we bought several and they worked just fine, but nothing that I could recommend to a friend. With our third child we were introduced to the Woombie and I have raved about it ever since. It is made of a stretchy cotton shaped like an hourglass with a zipper to keep them snug as a bug. We only put him in it when it was time to sleep and you better believe he became conditioned and as we zipped it up his eyes got droopy. By the time he started rolling, he was happy to sleep without it. Check out their website for more details and to see the wide variety of options www.woombie.com or find it here.
2. Homedics sound machine: This sound machine has been with us since the beginning (we now own two of them) and it's the best. It has several different settings and you can set it to a timer if you prefer. What I love about white noise is it drowns out all the chaotic sounds of a house with kids while the little one is sleeping. It has the option to run on battery which has allowed us to take it everywhere. Of course, we've forgotten it a time or two but our iphones have come in handy with a free white noise app! Find it here
3. Baby monitor: this wasn't necessary in our first tiny apartment - but as soon as we lived in a house with two levels a monitor came in handy. We don't use anything extremely fancy - just the basics and it works well for us. The baby sleeps close to our room so we don't even use it during the night. Once again, with a loud chaotic house, it's nice to have the monitor so we don't confuse the cries of a two year old being teased by his brother with the cries of a newborn how wants his next meal. Find it here
4. Pack and Play crib: I like multi-purpose baby gear which is why I convinced Steve on the first child to buy a pack and play porta-crib. I know that bassinets are a popular product but within 3 months, they grow out of them and then what do you do with it? Instead we purchased a pack n' play that had a bassinet option. We used it as a bassinet for the first little while and then after that we had a crib we could take anywhere - grandparent's house, vacation, camping, anywhere and everywhere. If we go to a friend's house and plan on staying later, we take the crib so we don't have to worry about the baby staying up late. It is so useful and several kids later its in near perfect condition. Find it here
5. Gap bundlers: Hands down, bundlers are the best nightgown for the first two months. There's no snaps which makes it a piece of cake to change a diaper in the middle of the night. I know that every baby clothing brand makes a bundler, but Gap's bundler is my favorite. The cotton is so soft and the fit seems to be so much better than others out there. It also has the option covers for the hands for the first few weeks when it seems like every baby tries to claw their eyes out! Find it here
6. Happiest Baby on the Block: There are hundreds of books on helping babies sleep and I've read many of them. They each follow a different philosophy and present different methods, this book worked the best for us. Find it here
Now for the fun part - you have the chance to try out one of my favorite products by entering a giveaway for a Woombie Air (your choice of color and size). Open to US residents only.
You are so sweet for doing this! I have no idea how you are doing a giveaway and posting so much with three young kids and heavily pregnant with the fourth! Good for you :) I love woombies too!
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