Mommy Mondays: New favorites

What do you really need for a baby?

Seems like a simple question, but the answer is always - how old is the baby?  Things change so much from month to month, and the things that are necessary for a 3 month old have been completely retired by 8 or 9 months.

So here are the things that have made life easier over the past few months (I'll do a WHOLE separate posts for toys a little later):

Grobags

For the first 15ish months of Thatbaby's life we were a Halo Sleepsack Family.  Loved Halo Sleepsacks.  And in truth, I still love them, but right now we love Grobags even more.  The weight and the length are just perfect.  The regular weight is heavier than the cotton Halos, but not as heavy as the fleece.  And even though Thatboy is quickly outgrowing his 18 month clothing, the 18 month Grobag is still plenty long.  It zips from the bottom, which was important to me, but also the top - which might be preferable to others.


Munchkin bowls

A lot of our current favorites revolve around food, since that plays a much bigger part in Thatbaby's daily life than it did last year at this time.  I use these bowls for just about everything.  In the morning they hold yogurt for breakfast.  And if he gets a morning snack at daycare, they hold a pancake, a muffin, a sausage patty.  They're great for soup and applesauce, being leak proof and microwaveable.  And his dinner is almost always served in these, because it's so much easier to eat from a bowl than a plate.


Munchkin spoons

Thatbaby is pretty fantastic with a spoon.  He's even gotten to the point where he scrapes his face with it to get those stray yogurt splotches that inevitably end up all around his mouth.  He can (and does) use a regular spoon, but these are easy to throw in my bag or his daycare bag.  The thick handle makes them easy to hold, and the small bowl means I can make sure he doesn't stick too much in his mouth at once.


Gerber Forks

Thatbaby has stabbed himself in the face with a regular fork, so for now we stick with these.  Thatbaby loves eating with a fork.  He loves stabbing thing and eating just like mom and dad.  These forks seem to make it a bit safer for everyone.

Disposable placemats

We eat out a fair amount with Thatbaby.  He's generally pretty good at restaurants, as long as we don't tarry too long over our food.  Because when he's "all done" he wants to go.  When we eat at restaurants, we don't worry about bringing bowls or plates, we just throw down one of these placemats and he eats right off the table.  They stick to the table, so he can't pull it up and/or throw it.  I like it because it keeps the tables cleaner where we dine, and at the end of the meal, I can just peel it up and it contains whatever he didn't like, easy peasy - clean floor for all (or as clean as you can expect with a 1 year old)



Hanna Anderson

I love Hanna Anderson clothing.  I discovered the brand on a trip up to see Thatmom late last summer and picked up a pair of pajamas and a shirt.  The quality is fabulous - they've both held up so well.  And the company does a lifetime guarantee.  I haven't had to use it, but knowing that I could if things started unraveling gives me some added security in my purchases.  And of course, most importantly, the stuff is freaking cute as all get-out.


And things we still love:
Stroller

Carriers

Video Monitor

Space Saver High Chair 

Kickeepants