Baby is getting longer and ...well... bored I guess..? He wants to sit up most of the time and whines in the dock-a-tot. So where to put baby? I didn't think about this when I made my registry, but what comes after the dock-a-tot? I explored a couple of options for infant floor seats. 

My first thought for an infant floor seat was ideally keeping him on the couch, but safely. I wanted something that would support him in an upright position, but still allow him to be on the couch. I found something that matched that basic description with the Hugaboo. It was basically a pillow with feet holes! Yessss! This is what I NEEDED!  I say that a lot now. There are so many things I never thought I needed! 
So! I get the Hugaboo and immediately it just doesn't work. Now perhaps I didn't give it a fair chance. Perhaps my baby was a little too small yet. But it says must be able to support own head, and he can. But really, he just flopped forward. I wasn't comfortable at all with it! I felt like the second I walked away he would flop forward and fall off the couch. Back to the store it went. 

Then there is the Fisher Price Sit Me Up. Now this was something that seemed great! I ended up getting it second hand on Facebook Marketplace for $10! What a steal! Normally $40. The downside is that this model doesn't come with a tray.  There's a few great options actually. Fisher price has the plain one that I got, one with a tray, one with a canopy for outside, and then skip hop makes a similar product that also has a tray and can double as an activity seat. Lots of great options! Can I put baby on the couch? No, but it's a safe option for the floor and he is moderately entertained there. Hopefully more so as he grows older. I would have been annoyed if I spent $60 on it and he was just meh about it, but for $10 it's great. Do I feel the need to bring it outside? Not really, so the canopy one would not have been much use to us. It's not that I wouldn't want it outside, but it just didn't seem like an 'outdoor' type of chair to me. Baby loves sitting in here and when occupied, can sit for probably 15-20 minutes before getting ancy. 

People keep recommending these MONSTROSITY type things to me.... 

I was actually able to test this Jumparoo out at a friend's house before buying. Thank goodness because it saved me $100. It was cool and all, but it's pretty big and as I predicted I don't really have a great spot for it in my house. As far as baby? He liked it, but after awhile tired of it and basically just tried to put everything in his mouth. 

These were not contraindicated for development though, so if you have the room, this may be a great option for you! 

I am writing this post because my bassinet just saved my sanity. When you're out of hands and options, it's nice for the bassinet to have your back. Have you been there? You changed their diaper, they are fed, gas expelled, but they're still unhappy? This was the situation I was finding myself in a few hours ago. I happened to buy two bassinets. Why? Good question. 

I had decided on the Halo for a few reasons...none of them good.

1. Reason number one, and here's where I made my mistake, I found a good deal on a used one sold by a local resident. 
2. I liked that it swiveled
3. It was popular

So here is how it went with an actual baby.. I put baby in and 3 minutes later there was crying. I then used the swiveling action to try to 'rock baby' but the swivel was not natural and was sort of jolty and made baby cry harder. Baby was quiet in my arms basically until I put him in the bassinet. Now, just because that is MY experience, does not mean it will be yours! There are countless good reviews about the Halo-- because I read them! 

In comes the Snoo. After week 2 of this nightly routine of crying, rocking, then into bed with me, I knew I couldn't go on like this for long. PLUS I was FREAKING OUT because of all the scariness of people saying that you can't sleep with baby in bed with you and they will die.
​

​So around 1 AM, I look up the Snoo. It's on sale for 30% off. Now 30% is substantial when then original price tag is like $1200 something dollars. Could I buy it second hand? I check Facebook Marketplace and the best I could find is like $700 and I would have to drive into Manhattan to get it during a Pandemic with a newborn baby. So not happening.  I decided to order it. They PROMISED to give me free return if I hated it. To be honest, I was hoping that would be the case because I wanted him to just use the stupid bassinet I already had! 
​
This is what I weighed in my head...

Obviously I ended up with the Snoo. While I was frightened at what my husband would say about buying another bassinet, he was sort of relieved that I was going to be trying something because he too was losing it. 

I remember the day it arrived. We set it up right before bedtime. Well, it was love at first sight. The rest is history as they say. The other bassinet sits in the corner of our room waiting for a new home. 

I remember the first week or so thinking... is this really that great? I voiced this aloud to my husband who said.. and I quote, "Don't you dare send that thing back." Why was I hesitant? Well, see it didn't work instantly. In my mind, $1200 means the baby stops crying immediately. Not the case. I had to learn to be patient and give it time to work its magic. So if baby was whiny at all I would say it's not working and pick him up. I learned to back away and give it time. If baby was wailing or minutes had passed and he was not showing signs of the whining winding down, or the opposite was happening it was ramping up, then I intervened. 

But that's really just the part about having a baby that I was learning. They are going to cry when they need something. I just wasn't good at figuring out what that was yet. What saved me was that the Snoo was able to rock him to sleep when he was drowsy. I would hear him stir and grab my phone, bump up the rocking and he would settle down and return to sleep. 

I have to say in the end, I felt like I wasn't really resting with the Halo. I was always checking him. Is he safe? Is the swaddle coming undone?  Is he breathing? Did he turn over somehow? From the moment we used the Snoo. felt a sense of peace. I knew as long as he was in there he was okay. Perhaps that is just really great advertising on their part, but it helped me sleep at night. 

UPDATE!!: 
The 4 month sleep regression hit us hard. Baby wasn't a fan of sleeping in the bassinet at night. I had hoped it would get us through the sleep regression unscathed but it did not. He did manage to spend 20 minutes napping in it a couple times a day, but it was hard to keep him sleeping there. Coming out of the regression I am happy to say we are back in the bassinet, but we are no longer swaddling.

​I'm having an issue because you need the swaddle with the clips to use the Snoo. I've read people cut the sack so that they can use the Snoo without the swaddle. I wish they would just make that feature for when the child is older. He can get out of the swaddle seemingly easily now that he is much stronger! 

Just something to think about since it is an expensive purchase!!

Now I don't know if it's just my baby, but gas is the enemy in my house. Gas pains sound like some is inflicting serious pain. As a mom, it's my job to make it go away fast so everyone is happy! I set out to find as many things as I could to help my poor little screaming babe! I tried the bicycle legs, rubbing the belly and baby massage. I haven't found those to be particularly helpful. I get a little toot every once in awhile, but until then, screaming ensues! Usually it continues after I even get a little toot! 

My favorite actual product has been the Windi by Frida Mom. It is quite possible the grossest yet most satisfying thing you can have in your arsenal in my opinion. I find that it really works to calm baby down quickly and there are results you can really see...(like a pile of poop that comes out) along with some gas that maybe was blocking its exit! 

I'll spare you the graphic photos, but I can't tell you how happy I am when I hear the air escape and see the poop come out, because that is the end to the crying!! Happy dance!! 

I used it wrong for almost the whole first box before I got the hang of it! Here's how it works:

1. Lube up the end of the Windi using an oil of your choice (baby safe oil of course). I used coconut or grapeseed oil. 
2. Insert into baby's butt (gross I know, but it doesn't hurt them).
3. Massage belly until you hear a whistling sound come out. Here's where I went wrong the first time.... IF you DO NOT hear a sound, don't stop! Keep rubbing the belly and re-insert the Windi. If you hear a sound, you're on the right track! If poop does not come out at first, it means there is probably more gas trapped in there. I did 10 seconds in, 10 seconds rubbing the belly. Even after poop comes out, there is sometimes more in there! 
4. Clean up poop and throw out Windi
5. Baby is happy and quiet! 

So I like most new parents over purchased and bought things I really didn't need. I couldn't decide if I wanted the Dock-A-Tot or the Snuggle Me- so I got both! Now after using both, I realize that there's really only one that I use daily. 

Now, I did get both, but second hand so I didn't pay full price for either. I ended up buying a second Dock-A-Tot cover because when one gets dirty- and it will- you need something else to put on! I was able to get one on Etsy that was slightly cheaper (around $65), but it didn't have the exact same snug fit that the original has. Completely and totally usable though!

I just found the Dock-A-Tot easier to use around the house. I put it on the kitchen table as I made dinner so many times. I didn't want to do that with the Snuggle Me because the bottom was soft and baby would be feeling a hard table instead of a cushion. I also found it was usable for longer because the bottom unclips and baby's legs can be free-- BUT, their feet are then on the table or whatever surface the lounger is on, so it's not realllyyyy usable much longer. 

My baby is 3.5 months right now, and has outgrown BOTH! He is just too long! A long baby will not be in these until they are 9 months old- NO WAY! He is 25" long right now and his feet are past the bottom padding on the Dock-A-Tot. 

Having said that, the Dock-A-Tot has been with us since day one and we use it for soooo much of the day! I use it for changing him, plopping him next to be as I shower on the floor, on the kitchen table while I cook, and outside (Using the Cabana cover- which I also love!) I can't imagine what I will do next as baby really can't be in here much longer!! 

For us, Dock-A-Tot was the winner, but Snuggle Me I wanted to love so much because of the organic materials. In the end, functionality over material won out.  

Below is an affiliate link where you can find more information and purchase the Dock-A-Tot

What do you use when baby outgrows these items?! The search is ON!

If you're not familiar with EWG, you should be! It stands for the Environmental Working Group and they can be found at www.EWG.org. They take products and list the toxicity of every ingredient! They then give them a rating and notes if they contain any ingredients known to be an allergen, known to cause cancer, etc. ​You can't possibly know about every ingredient listed on a label! This takes out the guesswork. 
* Photo below obtained from ewg.org

Not every product looks so... green shall we say. A lot of the uber popular brands may surprise you with ratings of D and F with red splattered everyone on their page instead of the lovely green you see in this photo. It's not always brand specific either! Babyganics has some products that are great and some that are not, so you can't just say I like this brand, you have to look up every single product unfortunately. 

Laundry Powder & Stain Remover
This was a tough one to pick! I felt there were not many great natural laundry detergent options that met the high standards that they have. Every product had at least a few ingredients that were rated a C, seemingly. Perhaps I just didn't look hard enough though! I ended up with Molly's Suds. I was already using their products, but this time I bought the unscented one. FYI, their whitening one is awesome! Highly recommend for a load of white towels! 

One more thing about laundry and babies. I never understood why people got special detergent and washed baby's clothes separately. Perhaps if cost is a real factor, but I can tell you there are reasonably priced and much safer than tide anyway. No, you probably don't have coupons, but still. Why do I say this? Because, baby is laying on YOU all day correct? So shouldn't your clothing also be clean of toxins? You're holding them in your arms close to your chest, which presumably has a shirt on it, so just use the same detergent! 

The opposite of this is the all popular Dreft detergent. I won't go into details, you can see for yourself how their newborn detergent faired. 
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/6112-DreftStage1NewbornDetergent

Diapers and Wipes
I went with the Honest Company for diapers and wipes. They are eco friendly, made with plants, and I've heard they hold up pretty well! That being said, I won't always be using these. I purchased cloth wipes and will be using cloth diapers once he is out of the newborn phase. I just couldn't tackle being a new mom and figuring out cloth diapering all in the same week, so I'm compromising. I also have a few packs of water wipes that are good too.  The overnight diapers are by far my favorite! It really does last 12 hours! 

I really love the Hatch Baby Rest +! I  have used it since day1! The monitor however is hard to hear and relies on a good wifi signal. It's good in a pinch though! I have some trouble when I go outside of my house in the back yard. The night light I keep on all night since were up multiple times per night. Right now it's in our bedroom because that's where baby and I are sleeping. It will move with him to his room in a few months! 

I can't believe it's week 18! 2 weeks away from being halfway to meeting my little boy! He is able to hear my voice much clearer now and I can only imagine what he is starting to think! This week, his nerves are forming, which will help him to begin to make sense of what it is that i'm saying, start to recognize familiar vs. unfamiliar sounds, and things of that nature. 

I have been working hard on my registry to make sure I am getting the safest and best products out there, because there's a LOT of crap out there! As an SLP, I would try to steer parents towards good quality feeding and toy products, but was never able to discuss the products they had before they met me. I'm learning so much!

My next few posts will be about well researched baby products. 

I'll start with more of a category of things to look for, which is non-toxic furniture and bedding. babies sleep a lot, so that means they will be spending a lot of time in their crib and on their mattress and sheets.  I'm only looking at products that are Okeo-Tex certified (fabrics) and Green guard Gold certified (furniture). That means that they meet the highest safety standards for cleanliness. The cleanliness I speak of is in terms of chemicals used to make the products. You would think all baby products are safe from chemicals because, well duh, it's a baby, but the harmful chemicals are used even during the process of making cotton sheets and clothes! Even our clothes typically have chemicals and dyes in them that can rub against our skin.  Our skin is the largest organ in the body and absorbs those chemicals. 

So back to products. There are luckily so many brand these days that are aware of this fact and because it's what parents want these days, more people are making safer products and hopefully one day, we won't have to check because all products will be made without harmful chemicals! Until then, thank goodness we have Google! 

You don't need to spend a fortune to get a decent crib. I had a checklist that this crib had to meet.

1. Greenguard Gold certified
2. Made of solid wood
3. Had storage (KEY!)
4. Can convert to toddler bed
5. Non-toxic or low VOC paint (if any paint) This paint is usually water-based.
6. Get good reviews

I like buying things that serve more than one purpose. My house is small, so maximizing space is a necessity! 

Buy Buy Baby and Target seem to have quite a few cribs that checked off boxes 1 and 2 and 4! They sell Carter by Davinci is Greenguard and they have attractive looks, but upon close inspection of the reviews for some of these beds, people claim, that it is MDF wood, which in my opinion is flimsy. Many people had rave reviews though!  Without storage, it didn't meet the mark, but for less than $200 it is worth a serious look! 

Natart is another brand, but like the Cadillac of cribs! These are beautiful pieces of furniture that are not only safe, but made of solid wood, convert to full size beds, and of course get glowing reviews.  With a price range circling $1400, this seemed like a pipe dream, but if you can afford it, give these a good look because even though they lack storage, you can tell these are quality pieces that will probably last many many years and can serve multi purposes. 

​Babyletto is another Greenguard brand that seems good. the reviews are great and it hits many points on my list. Price point is around $400 in most stores that sell it. The only thing missing was storage! 

Oeuf is another brand I considered that looks just like Babyletto, but is a lot more expensive. Hovering closer to $800-900.

The only brand I found that seems to have storage is Pottery Barn. I ended up getting the West Elm x pbk Modern Convertible Storage Crib when it was on sale. It was advertised for $900, but ended up paying around $650 not including shipping and taxes. There was a cuter one I wanted, but it sold out! I nabbed this before the same could happen because I wasn't crazy about the looks of the other two storage cribs they had. I don't know why more brands are not doing storage cribs!?! There's so much baby gear that most people are in desperate need of that extra storage space!! 

This crib is fair trade certified, Greenguard Gold certified, uses water based paint, converts to a toddler bed, and is made of wood. 5/6 things on my list isn't bad! ​

UPDATE: The crib has arrived ahead of schedule! I posted a review so you can see for yourself the crib before you buy it. 

There's a great website if you want to explore some other non-toxic crib brands that really helped me in my quest! I'll post the link below.
​https://www.gentlenursery.com/natural-baby-registry-guide/non-toxic-baby-furniture/ ​