This blog is me usually spouting some nonsense about something I probably know nothing about and pretending like I am God's gift to whoever needs the "information" I'm giving out. Today I am God's gift to parents (and those who would be buying them gifts) who are shopping for a new baby. And yes, I do realize that my timing is amazing because most of my friends have already had their showers and/or their kids. Oh yeah, you should check out my friend David's list, because he brings up some good things that I don't here, and because he actually really is a parent and not someone who pretends to be one on occasion when she needs the money.
Boppy:
A breastfeeding pillow that can be used for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, laying young babies down on the floor (gives them stability and holds their head above their feet), and even propping up the book you're enjoying while the baby is asleep (which helps you keep good posture). Honestly, I've heard mixed reviews of these because some people feel like they just get in the way. I personally cannot live without them when I work in infant 1.
Bumbo Seat: A seat that makes it so even very young babies can sit up. This is great for babies of all ages. It gives the little ones, time sitting up and looking at the world around them, and as they get older, they can do fun things like sit up and feed themselves (once they learn how to hold the bottle).
Bouncy Seat:These things are lovely for calming babies down, getting them to sleep, entertaining young babies, and keeping them contained for a while.
It Swings Both Ways DUDE! Okay, lame jokes aside, this is a great baby swing. You can switch it to swing both side to side and front to back, and this model has a cute little spinning mobile with music. The music on this one is actually kind of cool compared with other mobiles, and even if it drives you nuts, babies seem to dig the midi file quality music you get from mobiles and such.
I know fuck all about bottles. And anyways, each baby had their own distinct style and way of feeding, and it really seemed to be more up to the need/style of the kid and the parents. Pacifiers are the same way.
Sippy Cups: There are a few that i like, so here are the ones I dig the most after having worked with them. I dig them because they're easier for the munchkins to hold, they're durable, and they have a good valve/lid system. In my opinion, the valve/lid system is essential to a good sippy cup because it helps prevent spills if the kid decides to shake the cup or something. If it doesn't have a valve, it needs to have a lid design that would make it difficult to throw milk everywhere.
Nuby;
handles, no valve, good lid design
Nuby; handles, no valve, good lid design
Playtex; No handles, valve and good lid design
Playtex; Handles, valve and good lid design
Bibs:
for younger ones, a soft terry cloth bib of any kind will work just fine, because the bib will pretty much be acting as a burp cloth that's always attached to the baby. You don't want anything too fancy because it will just get ruined anyways.
For older infants and Toddlers, the best thing since sliced bread are bibs with BIG pockets.
I personally prefer the kind that have snap pockets that are nice and deep. Of course, I can't locate my favorite kind on the web, but these look nice l and are a product of a smaller business (instead of wal-mart, like the kind I'm used to). These are also good and easy to wash off, but the fastener on these is actually a little loose and don't stay together as well as snaps
Music:
let me say that I personally find a lot of children's music fucking annoying, so I'll try to only make recommendations of albums that will get on your nerves the 500th time instead of the 3rd.
They might be Giants, a long time favorite of both me and my husband, have put out four children's albums now. We both think they're good, musically viable albums, but they also happened to be geared towards children (the 123's is the only one I haven't heard)
Laurie Berkner. I have only heard her album "Buzz, Buzz", but if her other albums are half as good, then you should buy every last one. I would honestly put Buzz, Buzz on my mp3 player if it wouldn't get me a lot of strange looks. Her style reminds me a lot of Indigo Girls, but it's very child appropriate. I am still mourning the loss of our classroom copy of this CD, which broke a few months ago.
Catch the moon by Lisa Loeb. This is a soft playtime or naptime CD of classic children's songs as done by the lovely ms. Lisa Loeb. I have always been a fan of Lisa's style, and this has a nice, soothing sound, without being dull or lethargic (as sleepytime children's CD's often can be).
Chickens on vacation by Rick Charette. I found this one at the public library when I was teaching aerobics to preschoolers. This CD definitely has a more "kid oriented" sound, but it is very much still musically viable, and a lot groovier than most kids CDs.
Yummy Yummy by the Wiggles. This is by far the classroom favorite and has been for at least two classes now. It is more kid oriented and less musically complicated than the other Cd's I listed here, but it's fun, it's not annoying until at least the 200th time, it's got some good lessons in it, and the kids go fucking nuts over it.
Oh, I should explain what I mean by "musically viable". Well, I think that good music has certain elements, such as originality, variety, catchiness, style, etc. I believe that these albums have those elements and I'm not just saying they're "good" because the kiddos/teachers like them.
So um this um... yeah, this is all :)
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