Baby Favourites 6 to 12 months

This post is so overdue. I meant to do a 6-9 month post but we ended up rather spontaneously deciding to move to Portland...so I sort of forgot about blogging in the moving chaos. But, now that things have slowed down again, I thought I should catch up and at least try to finish up the year.

 A year.... I can't believe that my baby is going to be a year old in a week.

Toys
Theo is just not really that into toys, he plays with them, but they tend to only occupy a fraction of his day, and, once he figures a toy out he never wants to play with it again. I have tried rotating his toys in and out of storage, but even after three months he still remembers them and doesn't find them interesting. The few toys that hold his attention in the long term have been those that are unpredictable or a bit beyond his age range and ability. The toys that have ended up being a worthwhile investment and consistently been used beyond the first 20 minutes are:

Left-Right Car
Andrew and I picked this toy out for Theo during our babymoon in Japan so we are thrilled that he loves it so much. We gave it to him when he was five months old even though it's recommended for a toddler aged child and he figured out how to push it along in just a few weeks and make a "Vrmmmm" sound. Six months later he still loves it and plays with it constantly.

Plan Dog Rattle

A friend sent this to Theo and it has been his favourite small toy. He is obsessed with dogs right now, talks about them non-stop, and he loves wriggling the ears and saying woof as he shakes it. 

Plan Block Sorter
I got this toy for Theo a good bit before he was able to sort blocks because I wanted him to be able to grow into it. He loves carrying things about and so the cylindrical blocks have been a huge hit since he can fit them neatly into his hands even if he's crawling around. We supplemented it with the Plan Activity Blocks since they fit into the square hole, and he likes shaking the blocks with bells inside. But if I were to do it again I would consider getting the Manhattan Toy Co. Shape Shorter instead, since it has an open top, because when Theo does block sorting he always wants to take the lid off after putting each block through to look inside.

Nuby Bath Cups
We got these for Theo back around Christmas time because he loves his bath. I really don't like buying plastic things, so I still cringe every time I see them, but they are BPA free, and I haven't found any better alternatives. However, if anyone can recommend a good non-plastic boat that actually works I'd be thrilled. But, my reservations aside, these cups are pretty great, Theo initially loved them just for splashing and watching the water pour from the holes, but now that he's older he's able to both stack them into a tower and nest them which can occupy him for a nice long bath.

Indestructible Books 
My sister-in-law gave me two of these books and Theo loves them. He's really into animal sounds and so we read the Jungle Rumble and Plip Plop Pond together quite often and I personally love the art. They also sit very nicely at the very bottom of my bag, so I can carry one around without it taking up too much space.

Wobble Around Bead Toy
Theo really got into playing with bead toys, especially a large table one at my favourite consignment baby clothes store, but because of our limited space we really didn't want to buy something so large and limited in its uses. My sister-in-law introduced me to a little one by Manhattan Toy Co and it's been a big hit with Theo, it's a newer toy, so I'm not sure if it will hold his interest in the long term, but it's still going strong after a month.

Hohner Glockenspiel 
Theo's Grandmama (who is a music teacher) bought this little glockenspiel for him and in recent weeks he has gotten quite fond of it. It took him a little while to figure out how to get it to make sounds but now that he's getting the hang of it he likes taking the little mallet and hitting everything to see if his other toys make noise too. Sometimes he tries to sing when he plays it, which might be one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my life.

Baby Care
Theo's bedtime remains basically identical to the routine we have used since he was six weeks old. We don't use a sleepsack any more because it's been too hot lately, and since his first teeth arrived we started using a toothbrush which we give to him to chew on during bedtime stories and then again in the morning when I brush my teeth too. I really like Green Sprouts Toothbrush since it's soft everywhere and large enough that he can maneuver it.

OXO Bib
This bib is easily one of the best baby products I have found. I had always heard that the Bjorn bib was the best, but having used both now I hands down prefer OXO. A huge part of the appeal is its portability; it can go everywhere because it rolls up neatly into itself. I also love that it's super bendy and flexible; Theo is small, the Bjorn bib is literally too wide for him to wear comfortably because it blocks his arms from crossing his body and limits his ability to feed himself (and I literally never figured out a good place to stash it at home since it didn't fit anywhere), the OXO bib fits against his body and bends with him, and I can throw it in the laundry if I want to. My only criticism is that the "catch" for keeping it rolled up doesn't always hold and so occasionally it becomes unrolled in my bag, but it's only a minor critique since other bibs don't roll up at all.

Kleen Kanteen 
Theo was a bit tricky to convince to drink water, like me *blush* he didn't like the taste of water and so he would only drink green tea for about four months. But especially as temperatures have soared in Portland I worked really hard to encourage him to drink water and had to go through a couple of different cups to figure out one that worked well for us. A friend bought a Kleen Kanteen for him one day and it's become the new go-to method of getting water into him.

Misting Spray Bottle
It has been oppressively hot in Portland lately and so I have started carrying a little mist sprayer in my bag to mist Theo (and myself) to keep cool. Theo loves getting spritzed and thinks it is the funniest thing. It's a little thing and takes of minimal space in my bag, but has saved the day a couple of times already.

Transport
Moving to Portland, Andrew and I decided to try going carless, we had been talking about it for a while and barely used the car we had in DC so upon our move we decided to give it a try. We had been talking about getting bikes for a while and really our timing ended up being perfect because at 9 months Theo was right at the age where we could start riding around with him.

Yepp Mini
The Yepp Mini was recommended to us by a couple bike shops and after doing some of my own research I concurred the advice. It's made by a Dutch bike company and is made out of a foam croc-like material that makes it comfy and also doesn't get too hot from sitting in the sun. It sits at the front of the bike, which is safer, and allows Theo to have a great view while I am close enough to be able to easily see and interact with him as needed. Theo just loves riding around and we're able to get all over Portland really easily. And I am getting so stinkin' fit, from going up all the hills in Portland.

Linus SAC Bike Bag
I've used tote bags as my diaper bag since Theo was born but my casual tote was dying a slow and terrible death after enduring six years of my abuse (first college books and then a baby, poor thing) so I decided it was time for an upgrade. I ended up getting a bike pannier bag as my diaper bag and it has been fantastic. The style that I chose is deeper than your typical bag and the top folds over (which conceals the hooks used to latch onto the bike) so that I'm not walking around with an open topped bag begging people to snatch my phone or wallet off the top. It's made of waxed canvas so I don't have to worry about the contents getting wet, and on the occasions when I really need more space, the top "fold over" section can stand up and I could easily fit a baguette inside. I actually got a second one, so that I have a place to stick groceries, picnics and picnic blankets, baby carrier, or anything else that won't fit into my main bag and it doesn't hurt that it gives my bike a nice balance look.

Favourite Links From The Week

Happy weekend. I'm hoping to make it down to DC to visit a few art galleries; Andrew and I haven't visited any together since Theo was born. Of course that assumes we don't just decide to sleep all of Saturday like a pair of slobs. The only thing I know I'll be doing is giving Theo's fat little Buddha belly 10,000 kisses.  Here are a few of the most interesting links I found this week.

A compilation of cooking cheat-sheet diagrams

A mum's amazing Instagram account. Her babies are my new inspiration when dressing Theo.

I need a one of these for my bedroom window.

This artist makes some of the most incredible pieces. She's doing an art installation in Davos right now with teabags, utilizing the colour gradient produced by steeping them. Teabags! 

My life doesn't need to look like a lifestyle magazine.

I want to have my next baby in Germany.

This sounds like parenting advice my husband would write.

 Plant power plants!

It melts my heart that this exists.

I want to read all of these books. 

Baby Favourites 2-6 months

Theo has changed so much during the past four months, I kept meaning to write another post about my favourite baby products but I  didn't want to write a gazillion of them, so I kept putting it off. But, since I loved stalking bloggers to see what products they recommend, I thought that it was only fair to share what we use too. This list is a bit long but includes almost everything we use.

Toys
Theo was slow to take an interest in toys. Even at 6 months he's often more interested in looking at things than he is in playing. But at this point we've accumulated a handful of things that I like a lot and cycle through for him to play with.

After reading Simplicity Parenting Andrew and I felt it would be best to limit our number of toys and get simple ones that allow for open ended play. Of course Theo is too young for open ended play at this point, but we've tried to find toys that can engage him both now and in the future. He's quite fond of stuffed animals and we have six creatures of various sizes and species that we rotate through, and then these toys:

Kathe Kruse Doll This was the first toy that Theo took to. It's almost like a little blanket with hands, feet, and a head attached. Theo could grab it easily and he loved gumming on it. From 2-4 months it was really the only toy he liked and we took it everywhere with us.

Wooden Teething Ring My mother-in-law got this for Theo and it's easily his favourite toy; when he first saw it he burst out laughing and grabbed it. The beaded section is strung on a very sturdy cord and bends so that it can be manipulated and the two rings make it much more interesting to Theo. Even when offered more colourful toys, he prefers his wooden teether over everything else. (The one down side is that it can be a tiny bit noisy, so when we're somewhere requires a quieter toy that won't clatter if dropped, we use these silicon teething rings .)

Sofie the Giraffe I know a lot of people dislike Sofie or consider her overpriced, but I ended up getting her for Theo because his favourite thing to chew were my fingers and Sofie's legs were the closest thing I could find as an alternative. We also use her as the go-to toy when we're at the table, since she can be easily wiped down if she gets pureed food on her.

Squish This is our latest addition to Theo's toy collection, it was one of my family's favourites and offers long term versatility that I like a lot. Theo likes the sound it makes when he shakes it and will play with it for a long time exploring the way it stretches and moves.

Wubbanub Although I know some people that use wubbanub pacifiers from the beginning, our use was delayed until Theo was around 4 months. It's our morning and outing pacifier, since it's easy to keep track of and does double duty as a toy. Theo still hasn't mastered consistently getting a traditional pacifier into his mouth, but he can put his wubbanub in by himself; it's great when he wakes up earlier than usual, I'll give him the wubbanub and he'll play with it for a while and then, when he's sleepy, put it into his mouth and fall back to sleep.

Bedtime
Theo started sleeping in his crib at around 6 weeks and we've been following our bedtime routine quite religiously since then. Most nights Theo heads to bed at around 9-ish. First he and I take a bath together (although if we've stayed out late we skip the bath), which is relaxing for both of us (when he was younger he'd sometimes fall asleep in the water). Then we put him into his pajamas and sleep-sack and then Andrew will come in and read him a bedtime story. Then I nurse him, sing him a song, put him in his crib, give him his pacifier, and he goes to sleep.

California Baby Bubble Bath: This bubble bath is the best ever. It makes so many bubbles and smells delightful. Theo loves trying to eat them and smacking the water to pop them.

Pamper's Extra Protection: Theo will happily sleep up to 14 hours at night, and is miserable if he wakes up before he's slept for at least 12, but he'd get so wet that he'd have trouble staying asleep during the second half of the night and occasionally soaked his pajamas. I started using Pamper's extra-protection and he's slept better ever since. They're scented, which I dislike, but it hasn't bothered his skin and gives him a better night sleep, so I suck up my objections and use them anyway.

Aden and Anais Sleep Sack This sleep sack was a gift that I would never have thought to get on my own but completely love.  It's super cozy and thick and when Theo had to transition out of his swaddles it was fantastic to be able to segue into a sleepsack that was the same soft muslin fabric. We have a Halo sleepsack for backup, but Theo likes his A&A sack the best and gets a bit cold at night otherwise.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear Theo has no patience for passive narrative bedtime stories like Goodnight Moon or The Big Red Barn, he loves extremely dramatic stories with lots of emotions and drama. The Little Mouse is the story of a mouse trying to save his strawberry from a bear that the narrator has convinced him is coming. Theo loves this book more than any other, Andrew or I read it to him every night.

Eating
Theo started eating solids between 4 and 5 months at the recommendation of his pediatrician. It's largely exploratory at this point, on any given day he'll eat anywhere from a teaspoon to half a cup without any rhyme or reason. We do lots of veggies since he hasn't been particularly keen on fruit or rice or oatmeal.

Inglesina Fast Table Chair So far we've just used this chair that clips onto the table as Theo's high chair. Our apartment lacks any practical place to keep an actual high-chair. I think it's important for Theo to feel like meals are a time when we're all together and this puts him right at the table with us. We used to pull his bouncy seat next to the table and he'd sit between us ever since he was newborn, so he expects to be with us during dinner.

Kidsme Food Feeder I bought this for Theo mostly on a whim but it's ended up being invaluable. He didn't really take to solids until we tried it and it's great since it allows him to have more control over his intake and explore new tastes and textures as he's comfortable. Oftentimes when we introduce him to a new food we'll start with it in the Kidsme and let him decide what he thinks of it. Once he's decided he likes the a new food he prefers how quickly he can eat with a spoon, but he prefers starting with the Kidsme.

Outings
I try to get Theo outside as much as possible, we generally go on a walk every day, usually to the grocery store or along a bike path near our apartment. Theo loves going on outings and gets super excited when a gust of wind hits him. We still use our Armadillo stroller, and it's been fantastic, the only weakness I've found so far is snow, which most compact urban strollers don't handle very well (you'd need something with rubber tires, like a jogging stroller). 

Slouch Headwear Hat Theo tends to be pretty warm, so unless the temp is below 40 we usually just use a light weight beanie as his outing hat. I really like Slouch's beanies since they're great quality and look super cute. Their size range is also a lot better than the other beanies that I looked at, which want you size up constantly.

Robeez boots These were basically Theo's only shoes until very recently. They stay on his feet (unlike every other pair we tried) and like his Slouch hat you don't have to buy the next size up every couple months. Theo has been wearing his for the past three months and they still have some room for growth, so they might make it through the entire autumn and winter. They're super soft and warm. 

7am Enfant Baby Shield I originally got the JJ Cole Bundle Me in the infant size, but Theo has such long legs that he ended up outgrowing it at 3 months. I decided to do more research and see if there was a better option since I hadn't been particularly impressed with the Bundle Me's performance. I had heard that that 7am Enfant's products were great but pricy, which is part of why I was so pleased when I discovered the versatile baby shield. The Baby Shield comes with two different cover weights, so it can be use from autumn through spring, unlike some of the heavy weight buntings that are only useful during extremely cold weather. It's been perfect for us, the heavy weight cover is so toasty warm that we can put Theo into it without any other bundling even when it's very cold.

Beco Gemini Carrier Now that Theo has gotten a bit bigger we've transitioned from the K'tan carrier to the structured Gemini carrier. I like the versatility of it and I've found it very comfortable to wear. Some days Theo just wants to be carried constantly and so being able to put him on my back while I wash the dishes or make myself lunch has been very handy.

Reading

Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science by Tracy Cutchlow

I discovered this book through Science of Mom and loved it. The information is extremely helpful and I found the author much less divisive than many parenting writers. She lays out the information in a helpful but relaxed way that I found much more approachable. Here is Science of Mom's review which prompted me to buy the book. 

Mama OT
I found this blog while researching Bumbo seats. Theo really liked sitting and I was questioning my minimalist decision to limit my baby gear, but a quick google search led me to Mama OT who discourages Bumbo's and explained better alternatives. Mama OT has become my go to website whenever I'm thinking of adding a new toy or product to Theo's collection or when I'm trying to figure out the best ways to encourage him in his physical development. While there is a lot of information available now about good and bad baby toys there's a lot less about baby gear; which is surprising, since gear can have a much greater impact on what a baby does during the day that a particular toy. I highly recommend this blog.

Newborn Favourites

It's hard to believe that Theo is almost two months old. I thought that being a new mom would be overwhelmingly crazy but Theo is an incredibly chill baby and the newborn days are flying by. I just wish he would stay this way forever (but maybe able to go for a couple more hours between feedings in the night).

I thought I'd share some of my favourite baby items thus far in the journey. I really enjoyed reading about what worked for other moms when I was putting together my registry and I thought maybe there are those out there who might be interested in what I've liked.

Our apartment is spacious but limited when it comes to storage, so for me a driving factor was trying to determine what we really needed and how we'd store it. Clutter stresses me but, unfortunately, so does inefficiency, so it was important to try to strike the proper balance. I didn't want to get so much that it started piling up but I also didn't want to get so preoccupied with being minimalistic that I ended up inconveniencing myself. There was a bit of trial and error in the first few days, but here is pretty much everything I use.

1) Aden and Anais Bamboo Swaddles Theo and I both love these; they're so soft and light. Part of our evening ritual is swaddling him in one before bedtime. He's quite wriggly and can escape any swaddle or sleepsack if he wants to, but he enjoys being wrapped in these so much that he'll normally stay put for a least half the night. We also use this, especially after a bath, because it's extra snuggly, and he's willing to stay swaddled in it as well.

2) Baby K'Tan This is has been wonderful. I have always liked the concept of the Moby wrap but I wasn't a fan of the amount of fabric or how many I've seen looking quite dirty. The K'tan allows for similar style carrying without all the extra bulk and it's very easy to put on. Theo typically falls asleep within minutes of my putting him in and he'll sleep for hours which allows me to cook, clean, or whatever else I need to do that involves two hands. I don't know how much of a longer term carrier it will be, but it has definitely been worthwhile for the newborn days.

3) JJ Cole Changing Clutch I use this as a my diaper bag and just slip it into whichever purse or bag I'm carrying, along with an extra outfit, and my nursing cover. I initially intended to get Skip Hop's changing clutch but it has a less compact footprint when folded. JJ Cole's doesn't come with a wipes case so I use these, I like that they come in a set of two, so I can have one that I carry and another ready to go.

4) Baby Bjorn Bouncer I really wanted this bouncer but kept hesitating due to the price. I loved the concept of it being bounced by the baby's own movement rather than offering a form of passive entertainment, that it could fold up flat (important when you don't have much storage space), and that it has a streamlined aesthetic. In the end we got it 40% off at Zulily and I'm so glad we did; Theo loves it and it didn't take him long to figure out how to bounce himself, he'll sit in it for hours.

5) Mamas & Papas Armadillo Stroller I researched strollers quite obsessively because I had a lot of requirements and I only wanted to buy one. Andrew and I walk and metro a lot, so we needed a sturdy, versatile stroller that didn't weigh too much and offered a compact one handed fold. The Armadillo is a new stroller (released Fall 2013) so there were limited reviews available but they were overwhelmingly positive so I decided to take a leap of faith and get it; it's been great. After one metro trip, multiple grocery runs, and many miles of walking I have absolutely no complaints, and it fits neatly into our coat closet, even when unfolded.

6) Waxelene (Petroleum Alternative) I use this on Theo's bum, I didn't discover it for the first couple weeks but since I started using it we've had no diaper rash. I don't really like using too many products on Theo (especially not petroleum based ones), but I use waxelene for his bum and coconut oil for baby massages. I had initially intended to just use coconut oil, but Theo's skin is a bit sensitive and needed something thicker to act as a barrier cream. We use Mustela during bath time and have had no cradle cap.

7) Gumdrop Pacifiers We tried soothies initially but they got knocked out too easily. The gumdrop pacis have the same shape but are contoured to fit against the face rather than knocking against the nose. I also like that they come in individual packaging so I only have to open them as I use them.

8) Baby Ddrops When the pediatrician recommended vitamin D drops I initially just went and picked up the brand carried at CVS which was Enfamil D-Vi-Sol which Theo refused to swallow and just ended up all over his clothes. I'm actually quite glad that he disliked it so strongly because then I did some research and found Baby Ddrops which only require a single drop rather than a dropperful and don't contain a multitude of unnecessary ingredients (why would a vitamin D supplement require caramel colouring or artificial flavouring?).

9) Seventh Generation Wipes I use these wipes which I like because they're natural and soft. And we use these diapers, which are unscented, hypoallergenic and work quite well.

10) Tommee Tippee Bottles Theo gets a bottle every day or so, he took to these without batting an eye. We haven't needed to bottle feed but it's been nice since Andrew can feed him in the morning before heading to work or in the evening while I'm making dinner.

Favourite Resources

Books
1) Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman. Andrew and I read this book together when we first found out I was expecting; it helped prompt a lot of conversations about how we wanted to parent and was much more enjoyable to read through aloud than a normal parenting book since it's also a sort of memoir.

2) Parenting Without Borders by Christine Gross-Loh. Another really great parenting book, I really enjoyed the way the author offered multi-cultural perspective to parenting, looking at the history that has led to differing parenting philosophies around the world.

3) The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp. We have been fortunate that Theo is a very even tempered baby, but I attribute that in part to reading this book ahead of time. I've heard quite a few different child development experts talk about the "fourth trimester" concept in relation to interacting and caring for a newborn and I think that Dr Karp does an excellent job of laying it out and offering advice, especially for parents who have a more sensitive baby.

4) Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. I haven't read this book in entirety yet, only up through the section on babies newborn to four months, but I have really appreciated the information. Understanding sleep in babies and how to encourage healthy sleep habits was really important to me going in and this book helped me to have clear expectations during the early months.

Websites
1) BabyGearLab.com I used this website exhaustively when researching for my baby registry, they do detailed comparative reviews of popular products which I found extremely helpful. I've recommended this website to quite a few people already.

2) ScienceOfMom.com My sister-in-law shared this website with me and I found it incredibly interesting and helpful. There has been a trend in parenting in the past for recommendations to be given without offering the science behind them, which makes it hard to make an informed decision and can often result in not really knowing what is important and what is preference. Science of Mom looks at and explains the research behind a lot of those questions but also offers the perspective of a parent who knows and understands that babies don't always go along with what might be scientifically optimal. She also dispels the misinformation distributed about "studies" that have gotten sensationalize and misinterpreted by media. If you're a research nerd like me you'll find this very helpful.

3) Baby Sleep Science Another website from my sister-in-la with an excellent resource blog.

iLike Food

It's freezing cold outside and I've run out of things to clean. So, I thought I do a post of all my current favourite food-related things.

Food

Simple Thai Broth
By my sister, Kimi, who has an amazing food blog. My sister, Shannon, has been recommending it to me since she drank it a few weeks ago to sooth her throat before singing at a Christmas Eve service. I decided to try the recipe last night. It was love at first taste. The recipe yields more than six cups and I drank all of it in less than twelve hours. It's warm, and soothing, and garlicky, and gingery, and amazing. If you're fighting any winter ills I'd especially recommend it. It's so good.

ShopHouse SouthEast Asian Kitchen
This is Chipotle's new Southeast Asian style restaurant chain and it is awesome. There are a couple of them in the DC and LA and a new one 15 minutes away from our house. Andrew and I were meeting up for lunch yesterday and decided to try it.

 The food is great; it reminds me a lot of a Vietnamese noodle bowl that I love getting at Pho Van. It's very flavourful and does a good job of really melding different flavours and textures. They're still ironing out some of the kinks in things, like portion sizes, but I imagine it will end up being a matter of knowing the best way to order so you can maximize the amount you get; much like at Chipotle. It's also gluten and dairy free. Tips: The sign says you can choose only one vegetable, sauce, topping, etc. but you can ask to go half and half. Also, the meatballs are amazing; Andrew hates meatballs but he loved ShopHouse's.

Kitchen

Utensil Pot Clip
I've never really been into little kitchen gadgets, probably because they tend to be over-hyped as solutions to all of life's problems and typically end up just being an extra thing to store 364 days out of the year. This utensil clip thingy, however, is my new best friend because it enables me to be lazier. I hate using spoon rests because if you use them once you have to wash them (otherwise they look vile) and washing dishes is one of my least favourite things in the world. This clip spares me the extra dish because it hangs the spoon over whatever you're cooking and contains the mess in the area that the mess already is. I am contemplating throwing away my spoon rest. Hooray.

The Griddler
Andrew and I dislike clutter a lot (you can probably attribute it to growing up in large families). It's lucky that we agreed to strive for minimalism in our home because our apartment is quite limited in storage space. I come from a house with a lot of cabinet space but my new kitchen is tiny, poorly designed spatially, and has a number of cabinets that require the use of a step ladder.

We had to be really be strategic about what was going to be realistic appliance-wise, which was hard for me because I love to cook and didn't want to have to say "well, I guess we'll just wait till we own a house to make waffles." That's why the griddler is awesome; we use it for grilling, making paninis, toasting bread, and as an extra two skillets. It also has a waffle plate attachment which makes some killer Belgian waffles. If you're short on space this is a really great option.