Parenting Essentials: Months 3-4

1. Truly Scrumptious Umbrella stroller:  we received this as a gift and love it.  It's so much easier to put Abby into this type of stroller for a quick walk around the block to the mailbox or to try to calm her down when she is just over doing anything else.  It's quick and easy and folds up amazingly too!  I know we will get a lot of use out of this over the next few months.
2. Moby wrap: I always knew that I wanted one of these but now I want everyone else to have one too.  We couldn't use our Moby wrap for a long time because Abby was so little when she was born (not advised for use under 8 lbs).  The first time she wasn't a big fan but I think it was more that I was awkward getting her in it but now, she loves it!  It gives me freedom to do some things around the house and she will usually nap in it because she loves being close.  I also love that I can roll it up into her diaper bag to take with us to family events, etc. this way I can generally eat and she can sleep!  I'm also very efficient at getting it on now and love that it is washable for when she spits up or a diaper leaks.
3. Summer Infant Pacifier Thermometer: now that Abby is getting her vaccinations, teething and is more susceptible to colds in general, we take her temperature a lot more.  We tried using a regular thermometer (kid sized of course) for under arm readings, etc. but she was having none of that!  She would wiggle so much that it was impossible to get an accurate reading.  This way, we call it her "special soo-soo" and she will happily suck on it long enough for us to know if a fever is the cause of any discomfort.  This particular brand is great because if she has a fever, it lights up red and beeps differently so I don't have to run and consult a chart or try to remember what that magic number was.  Highly recommend!
4. Baby Einstein Neptune Ocean Adventure Activity Mat: now that Abby is more interested in playtime, this activity mat is our go to item!  She loves the characters and how bright everything is.  A colourful light show and songs are an added bonus.  We change out the toys that hang every now and then to give her a change of scenery but it's a great place to put her down for some independent play.
5. Nuk Silicone Pacifiers:  Abby is extremely picky about her pacifiers (soo-soo's as we call them around these parts).  We could only find one brand that she would keep in.  I love these because they are one piece and therefore a cinch to keep clean, etc.
6. Tommee Tippee Travel Bottle Warmer: we have been a family on the go now that the nice weather is here.  This travel bottle warmer is the most amazing thing I own!  I simply just fill it with hot water and put it in the diaper bag.  There's enough water to warm an 8 oz bottle up and usually I can pour it back in to save in case we need a second bottle while we are out.  I am not kidding when I say that this warmer has kept water hot for me for 18 hours!
7. Tommee Tippee Bowls and Spoons:  Abby got to start on solid foods at 4 months.  I love these bowls because you can get every last bit of food out of them and they are big enough to hold both her cereal and fruit/veggie.  Abby loves these spoons too!  She can chew on them and they don't hurt her teeth.  Big thumbs up here!

We continue to use everything in my previous post but have repurposed a few items:

Abby has now moved up to actually using the exersaucer the way it was intended so we don't just have the butterflies on the floor anymore.  Still a very useful item!

Blooming Bath - Abby has graduated from her sink baths to using a baby bath but we continue to use the Blooming Bath as a floor mat.  It is a great place to put her down to get her undressed and then to get her dried off and it's much more comfortable for her.