Hind-sight is 20/20; and with that, I bring you a list of things I wish I'd had.
0-3 Months
1) A co-sleeper. Unfortunately for us, that would have translated to my husband sleeping downstairs in the guest bedroom due to a loudly sleeping baby, and me sleeping in my child's vomit. But hey, I would have been sleeping....
2) The bebePod. We received one of these after MLO was already sitting. It's great for hitting up restaurants or any time you need a safe, easily portable place to strap your kid. The thing I really loved about this product was that it is supposed to help babies learn how to sit by positioning them correctly. MLO was holding his head up early, and at three months I could have used this to sit-train him, so to speak.
3) A bona fide white noise machine. We have been using a dead channel on the radio, which is the free way to provide white noise. Unfortunately, we get random strange high pitched beeps that blare or it unexpectedly picks up some sort of communications traffic from the airport. Both of these interruptions are loud and surprising, resulting in a suddenly awake and frightened baby. Considering how cheap these white noise machines can be, we should have sprung for the real deal.
4-12 Months
1) The ExcerSaucer. This would have been a life saver when MLO was sitting up but not yet trying to walk. I struggled to find a safe, entertaining place I could put MLO while I showered, cooked or did anything else that required he be confined. We never had much luck with the play yard idea: MLO would just stand at the walls wailing for me, but when I put him in our friend's ExerSaucer he was totally entertained and I could walk away without his fussing.
2) A backpack carrier. MLO and I love to hike. He gets a kick out of all the sites and I relish some time out of the house in a scenic environment while getting great exercise. Unfortunately, carrying an 18 lb baby on my smallish frame (5' 3" and 110 lbs) leads to major back pain after a 2 hr hike. The next day is rough, too. I thought the Ergo Baby worn on the back would mitigate this, but it doesn't by much. Besides, MLO gets all squirmy, enough to instill fear in me that he might wiggle out of the carrier. I bet my bottom dollar that being able to see in front of him from the vantage point of my shoulders would put a stop to that.
3) A video baby monitor. Consumer Reports totally talked me out of registering for this. When MLO was tiny I was glad I hadn't invested in one (or asked someone else to). Now that he's close to walking and interested in climbing, I definitely yearn for one. I have also been tricked by a long silence into thinking he was asleep, only to find as I slipped into his room to get some laundry that he was awake. After catching me there is no chance of a nap. I wish I had the capability to spy on him and know when it was safe to enter!
