I have to say I think this is my favorite stage so far. She is so fun right now. She can walk which has been so entertaining, she can communicate a lot better now. She knows a few words in sign language but she can mostly tell me what she needs by talking and showing me. She sleeps great, naps great and is just a fun baby to be around. So here is all of our current favorite things for her.
1. B. LucKeys: Claire is really into keys right now. Anytime we are going in the car, which seems like a lot lately, she always try's to grab for my keys. She can say keys and points at them and goes keys keys keys until we give her some. These baby keys are perfect! They have the metal end so she can chew on them, they aren't pointy at the end so if she falls with them in her mouth they wont stab her. The main key makes sounds when you press the buttons which is a lot of fun. They are awesome and I highly recommend purchasing them.
2. Baby Einsteins Learning Piano. This piano is awesome. I love music and want Claire to learn to the play the piano. She'll take lessons in a few years but until then I can teach her the basics at home. For now this is a great introductory toy to the piano. It helps them learn numbers, animal sounds and instrument sounds with the different settings that's on the piano. Then it plays classical music from Beethovan, Vilvaldi, etc. It plays 20 different musical melodies so I don't get sick of the same song being played over and over which is good.
3. Vtech touch and play phone. We got this toy to try and divert her from grabbing our phones. Of course she still would rather have our phones but she likes this one for a few minutes. It's nice because it has sound, the apps do different things when you touch them and you can call people. Claire is so smart so when I answer my phone she'll pick up this play phone if she is near it and say hi, just like I do.
4. Carter's baby onesies. I love onesies. I know some mom's it's not their favorite thing but I love it. Especially during the summer because most of the time she would just wear a onesie. I am still picking her up and holding her quite a bit so they work better for me because then her shirt doesn't get all bunched up from me holding her. I love the five pack ones you can get for $13.00 or so because I feel like that is the best deal.
5. Walmart Pajamas. All of her pajamas right now are from walmart. They are great. So inexpensive, they have the zip up footie pajamas I love as well as sets like this one. Claire loves anything Mickey and Minnie right now so this is a perfect set for her. She will be getting a lot of pajamas for Christmas this year.
6. Yogurt Melts. Claire is only on solids now. She has a bottle occasionally but its only about 3 times a day. One in the morning, one at nap time and one before she goes to bed. The rest of the time she eats regular food. For breakfast we do anything from eggs to waffles. For lunch we do chicken nuggets, ravioli, cheese quesadillas, vegetables, fruit smoothie, sandwiches, etc. Then for dinner she just eats whatever we eat. She needs some snacks in between meals and usually I go for cheerios, fruit, applesauce, but these yogurt melts are awesome. She loves them and they are already the perfect size for her so I don't have to cut them down or anything. Highly recommend them if you are looking for a snack.
7. Paw Patrol. Claire is really into show's right now. Paw patrol comes on in the mornings on the nickelodeon channel and she loves it. Of course because it has puppies. I usually try and limit her TV time to only about an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. This show keeps her occupied while I do laundry, and get other chores done around the house.
8. 101 Dalmations. Anything to do with puppies Claire is all over right now. So this show I watch at least once a day. Usually it's right when she gets up from her afternoon nap, she is still kind of groggy, and takes time to get her energy up to play. It isn't a very long movie so it's good for that time frame right when she wakes up from her nap.
9. Fisher Price backpack. Last but not least is I got a new diaper bag. I know I've gone through 4 already. I really needed a good sturdy backpack for a diaper bag. I don't use it every time we go out but when we are at my parents or in laws for family dinner, or she has to go to daycare for 30 minutes at the gym, or we are going to church we need a diaper bag. It's easiest to have the backpack because then we have both arms free and we can chase her around. Since she is walking this is what we spend most of our time doing. This bag is great because it has pockets for so many things and can fit everything we need in it plus more.
There you have it our current favorites for this past month. Thanks for reading and I hope you got some great ideas. Please share some things you have found helpful as I am always looking for new products.
XO
Caitlin
