Baby Essentials: Two Months

Time really flies. I can't believe Billy will be two months on Sunday! He was officially 8 weeks yesterday.

He was pretty colicky for these first two months, but not in a "I'm gassy and hate life" way, more in a "I'm awake, I'd prefer to just be inconsolable right now" type way so my "essentials" for him may not be the same as everyone else's! Things are MUCH better now and as I like to say a majority of our days are spent "Happy, not crappy"  :) Thank goodness, we've turned the corner!!

1. Aden + Anais Swaddles

From reading The Happiest Baby on the Block, the "5 S's" became our best friend. Those steps actually helped relax our little guy and soothe him 9 times out of 10. These swaddles are the perfect weight for our hot little summer baby who loved to wind himself up into hysteria if not soothed quickly (within 2 nanoseconds of the first whine, sometimes). He still sleeps swaddled tightly in one of these little numbers and is consistently sleeping 7.5-9 hours per night. HALLELUJAH!

2. Baby K'Tan Breeze

As described in THBOTB, many other cultures don't have fussy babies because they wear them all day and night. Baby K'Tan has saved my sanity because I don't like a dirty house OR a fussy baby. Wearing Billy always soothed him and either put him to sleep or kept him happy, but I had to move while I did it so I was always vacuuming, doing dishes, folding laundry, etc. The lightweight fabric on the "Breeze" version of this carrier is PERFECT for his hot little body!

3. 3-Wheeled Stroller

We have a Graco Trekko and call it "The Escalade" because it is beautifully smooth and sleek. Call it whatever you want, owning a 3-wheeled stroller has saved me many-a-headache. I don't struggle to maneuver through any doorways or elevator doors! I can squeeze into the most awkward spaces because it navigates so easily. This second month I feel more like myself and try to go for walks every week day and the large, rugged tires give Billy a smooth ride and keep all jarring at bay! If you're in the market, this travel system is the bees knees.

4.  One-Size Cloth Diapers/Covers

Little Billy was born not so little (8lb 9oz), but he had skinny little chicken legs. Prefolds and covers proved to be the best option for him, but he did wear his NB AIOs for a few weeks. He is still wearing size 1 prefold, but XS diaper covers are too small and he wets through the prefolds at night so I'm really glad I had a 'One Size' (OS) stash to step into. With two microfiber inserts or a size 1 prefold tri-folded as an insert, BumGenius 4.0's is Billy's nighttime diaper. Since some of our size 1 prefolds are in the pocket "nighttime" diapers now, I'm REALLY glad we have size 2 to put on him in the meantime, with OS covers.

5. Play Gym

The first few weeks I didn't see the benefit to the play yard, every time I set it up and put him down for tummy time on it he would last about 5 seconds and want to move on. Plus, he didn't have the capacity to see the dangly animals so when he was on his back he just stared up, glassy eyed. Now Billy has reached the developmental milestone of seeing and batting at objects, so I hang any of the soft/noisemaking toys we have around from the loops and he LOVES to bat them and listen to the jingles. He giggles and smiles at them – and we haven't even put batteries in it yet! When it starts lighting up and playing music I know his mind will be blown.

What items were your favorite or your baby's favorite the first few months?