What I Wish I Had... Take II
After another 6 months, I decided I needed an update to my What I Wish I Had blog. What I wish I had done differently, known, or bought (or not bought) with Riley.
Done -
Known -
Bought -
Stroller or carrier - the only thing we spent money on. I bought the Bugaboo Buffalo which I still love: good stroller, smooth riding, easy to fold up, light weight, not too big to fit on public transport, and able to take everything off and wash it. Although I pretty much exclusively used the Moby Wrap for the first 4 months in the winter (its really warm and you have a lot of body heat too) and then the Baby Bjorn (mesh version in light color) for the summer and as he gets older (it has multiple positions which is great for long hikes and days out). Definitely spring for the winter sleeping bags in the stroller and baby bjorn cover. They are so much easier than bundling up baby in winter coats and snow suits and having to unbundle them everytime you go inside (especially if they are sleeping). I also finally gave in and bought a travel stroller which turned out to be essential as Riley is now 1 year old and needs to go to bed by 8pm but can no longer sleep in the carrier. I love my BabyZen Yoyo. It folds up and unfolds with just one button and fits in the overhead cabin on the plane so you never have to check or gate check it.
Baby bath - not necessary if you have a large sink but it is nice, especially if your baby likes the water. It only lasts for maybe six months until they are too big. Then you can give it away.
Toys - My favourite toys were: Lamaze toys (They are designed to meet the development needs of a wide range of babies and is the one toy that will grow with your baby), a stuffed animal lovey (don't mess with Riley's monkey), books (especially touch and feel, pop up, or lift the flap books and books on animals), and stacking cups.
Floor Mat and Mobile - A must for small babies but they only use it for 2-3 months so borrow one and then change out the toys you dangle from the mobile often.
Play Mat - I never used one, I used a blanket when he was small but Riley got used to the wood floors and carpet when he started crawling.
Baby seats, bouncers, walkers, etc - I never used them. Riley had the good old fashioned floor to sit on. Maybe wait on these to see if you really need one and then borrow one and try it out before making a purchase.
Done -
- Again, not much here. Its a lot of Trial and Error, following your instincts or looking things up as they come up but it is all part of the process. We went through mama attachment, sickness, teething, and many developmental leap phases. Riley is like night and day when he is and isn't going through a phase. Just stick through it.
Known -
- Sleep is a continual battle - nightmares, growth spurts, sickness, teething, etc. It seemed like my happy little sleeper was gone. But he got through it and so did we. And now he is back to being my happy little sleeper. I am sure he will go through many more sleep regressions. Just decide what kind of parent you want to be and how you are going to handle it for the next ten years. Jared and I decided our bed was always open and I couldn't be happier with the decision.
- Solids - Its not that I needed to know about solids before we started them. I never really thought about it but it seems everyone is in a hurry to get their baby on solids. Solids can be complicated. Not in terms of what to feed. But in terms of what the baby will eat (one day he likes it, the next he doesn't), how much (two bites can be really frustrating when you bothered to get him that banana) and when (he is not always hungry when dinner is ready). I felt like it was the first real parenting exercise as everything up to this point is quite natural. I, personally, used a half baby led weaning approach. I did a bit of purees for about a month (more like banana, avocado or whatever was on hand mashed with a fork) to transition him to solids, allow him to learn to eat from a spoon and minimize gagging. And then went as quickly as possible to finger foods. They are so much easier as he can eat whatever is on my plate - no needing to have something specific for him or carrying around extra food when we go out. But I did feed him myself as most days I didn't have time for him to feed himself and make such a mess. But when I was at home I would strip him down and let him have a go at it. I also chose not to feed Riley solids on his schedule and make him adapt to our schedule. Riley sits at the table with us at dinner (more so he learns to sit in his highchair and behave so he does it when we go out) and even if he is not hungry he usually has a few bites of our food out of curiosity. Now Riley eats nearly everything. I really struggled with breakfast and lunch though as I don't usually eat during the day unless we go out. But I have adapted as well. I now sit down for fruit and yogurt for breakfast and toast with avocado or something for lunch if we are home. Its not really that hard. So wait as long as possible, do your research on introducing sippy cups and water and keep it as simple as possible (unless you are Martha Stewart, then please by all means) but most of all don't take it too seriously.
Bought -
- Toys - as they get older they need a lot more toys. and as they develop they need different types of toys which also means they only use the toys for a couple of months. Its fun every few months to go pick out new toys. We don't have a big place and I hate stuff so I let Riley have one small basket of toys and that is it. If it doesn't fit, then we don't get it. When he is a bit older we cant fight that battle but for now we like to keep his stuff to a minimum. He gets one type of each toy (one activity center, one ball, one shape sorter, one train, etc). No one needs multiples. And the big stuff we try and borrow and then give back. I rotate toys and bring different toys out of the basket daily to keep him entertained. And when we buy new toys, we rotate them in slowly as well.
- Here are the top things to buy and what I thought:
Stroller or carrier - the only thing we spent money on. I bought the Bugaboo Buffalo which I still love: good stroller, smooth riding, easy to fold up, light weight, not too big to fit on public transport, and able to take everything off and wash it. Although I pretty much exclusively used the Moby Wrap for the first 4 months in the winter (its really warm and you have a lot of body heat too) and then the Baby Bjorn (mesh version in light color) for the summer and as he gets older (it has multiple positions which is great for long hikes and days out). Definitely spring for the winter sleeping bags in the stroller and baby bjorn cover. They are so much easier than bundling up baby in winter coats and snow suits and having to unbundle them everytime you go inside (especially if they are sleeping). I also finally gave in and bought a travel stroller which turned out to be essential as Riley is now 1 year old and needs to go to bed by 8pm but can no longer sleep in the carrier. I love my BabyZen Yoyo. It folds up and unfolds with just one button and fits in the overhead cabin on the plane so you never have to check or gate check it.
Baby bath - not necessary if you have a large sink but it is nice, especially if your baby likes the water. It only lasts for maybe six months until they are too big. Then you can give it away.
Toys - My favourite toys were: Lamaze toys (They are designed to meet the development needs of a wide range of babies and is the one toy that will grow with your baby), a stuffed animal lovey (don't mess with Riley's monkey), books (especially touch and feel, pop up, or lift the flap books and books on animals), and stacking cups.
Floor Mat and Mobile - A must for small babies but they only use it for 2-3 months so borrow one and then change out the toys you dangle from the mobile often.
Play Mat - I never used one, I used a blanket when he was small but Riley got used to the wood floors and carpet when he started crawling.
Baby seats, bouncers, walkers, etc - I never used them. Riley had the good old fashioned floor to sit on. Maybe wait on these to see if you really need one and then borrow one and try it out before making a purchase.
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