We – that uncluttered, minimalistic, neat couple – now live in Baby Palooza Land.  I am, officially, THAT Mom.  The one whose home looks like a daycare center.  Who seems to own every possible item for their baby.

Downstairs alone, there is the Jumperoo, the Exersaucer, the playmat, the Bumbo, the swing, the playpen, the bouncer, the basket of diapers and wipes and, of course, an assortment of odds and ends like blankets, stuffies, board books, boppy pillows, burp rags, hats, slippers…..

But I promise, there were a lot of things that I didn’t buy!!!

But Ida uses or has used everything she owns a LOT.  Every day.  The girl likes to play, to move, to explore.  The tummy mat and the bouncer seat need to be packed away as she’s moved beyond then, but everything else is in daily rotation.  But she does have favorites, and I’d like to share with you Baby Ida’s Top Six Baby Items.

First off, we have the Aden + Anais Burpy Bib.

This girl is messy.  Very messy.  Always has been.  These large muslin burp rags are awesome because they actually cover your whole shoulder for spit up, and they can snap around baby’s neck to serve as a nice, absorbent bib during meal time that encircles their entire shoulder and back.  This was also useful during nursing as Ida tended to let excess milk drain out of her mouth and end up with soaked shoulders.

Next, there’s the Bumbo seat.

This girl likes to be vertical.  The seat may have seemed like a silly item but she has adored it since she turned two months.  She’s a good sitter and she likes to be up and look around.  It’s also useful for spoon feeding, with the play tray attached.

Item #3 is the Moby Knot Hat.

Ida practically lives in this hat.  The 6-12 month size is still a tad large, so I just flip up the edge.  It is a nice, thick knit and it’s also tall.  So it’s warm (but not too warm for indoors) and doesn’t slide off her head like the smaller, more fitted hats do.  (Oh, yes, I love my matching Moby Wrap too, but I haven’t got a picture of it!)  I’m looking for it in stores as I want like five of these when she gets bigger.

Next is the Skip Hop Treetop Stroller Owl toy.

You hear those mothers say that if their baby fusses, just give them that favorite toy and they’ll cheer up.  I always thought that was silly, till Ida and her adored Mr. Owl came along.  I have spent 30+ minutes on road trips just rattling this owl till I thought my mind would go crazy because as long as he rattled and danced, she smiled – and the second he stopped, she screamed.  This is her number one favorite item.  Mr. Owl lives on her carseat but frequently travels throughout the house.

Item #5 is the Boppy Pillow.

Ida and I could not function without the boppy pillow.  Even now when her long legs are dangling off of it we can’t nurse without it.  We’re both more comfortable and Ida nurses longer and better.

Item #6 is the Miracle Blanket. I don’t have a photo of Ida in it (although she is hilarious) but this item saved me and Andy’s sanity.  Ida did not want to nap or sleep in her crib and she twitched herself awake all night long.  We had tried swaddling but she screamed and broke out of anything we tried.  Once the Miracle Blanket entered our lives (she was two months old) she couldn’t get out of it no matter how much she tried – and she began to sleep soundly through the night and even to take naps.  She’s now a champion sleeper but she must be swaddled up nice.  I don’t know how or when she’ll have to stop swaddling, but I could cry just thinking about it…

And there you have it!  Six favorite baby items, Ida approved.  We’ll share more some other time!