Fisher Prince My Little Lamb Swing. I love this thing. Seriously, it's the only thing that will keep Ellie sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time. Plus, I love fleecy, cushy seating because it keeps her nice and warm all night long. I do have two complaints, though. The first is that it does not come with a power cord, and batteries are EXPENSIVE. I know some swing models do have cords and I thought this was one of them, but I thought wrong. It's a great swing, though, and I love that the seat can be rotated to swing from three different angles, so it's worth paying out the nose for the batteries. My other complaint is that now my kid won't sleep in her cradle or crib for long periods of time...but that's my own fault and I think one we'll be working to correct in the very near future.
Pampers Swaddlers Diapers. This is what all the NICU babies wore. Pampers seem to be the only brand that routinely carries preemie size in the store and I have grown to love these diapers. We did experiment with Huggies for about a week, but our only blowout was in a Huggies diaper and they just seem a bit too complex. At least while she's not really mobile I think simpler is generally better. And they do their job well - breathable, keep the poop in, and I love the little wetness indicator line.
Wubbanub. This is just a great idea. It's a small plush toy sewn onto a Soothies pacifier. How great is that? It helps keep the binky near Ellie's mouth so I don't have to keep popping it in and gives her something to hold on to. Right now she's at the stage where she can (and will) pull the binky out, but can't get it back in and the Wubby allows her to play with/pull on the kitty without pulling the whole binky out.
Lovey Duds Wrap. Sure, it was a little pricey, but I just adore my wrap. Part of this is because I hate our Graco Snugride stroller. That thing is so huge and clunky and such a pain to open and close, especially since I now know just how easy opening and closing a stroller can be thanks to our Baby Jogger City Mini. But I digress. The best part of the wrap is that it keeps baby nice and close to you and encloses the baby in your personal space bubble. People don't give babies personal space at all when they are in strollers or infant carriers and won't think twice about touching, which is really gross if you ask me. So pop the baby in the wrap and it immediately becomes "Look, but don't touch" since most strangers will no better than to reach into something that's positioned right on your chest. Plus it's comfortable and totally hands-free, even when the baby is too little to have good neck control, because you can snug the baby's head into one of the side pieces of material.
SwaddleMe. Yep, it's great. It's such a pain to try and swaddle a baby with an actual blanket, this makes it nice and simple. Put the baby in, cross left side over, cross right side over, velcro. Done. Comes in a fleece version, too, so I usually put Ellie in either a fleece sleeper with the lighter SwaddleMe or in a cotton sleeper with the fleece SwaddleMe. We also got an Eddie Bauer version which is heavier, but not fleece, and has leg cut-outs. It's really great for putting her in her swing or bouncy chair and it has some elastic at the back which seems to make for a slightly better fit than the SwaddleMe.
Long-Sleeved Onesies. What can I say? They keep her warm, and buy a few pairs of pants and you have a million different mix-and-match cute outfits. I especially love the Carter's brand since they seem to run on the small side and fit Ellie best. She fits into newborn sizes better and better each day!
InfantSee.org. This program provides a free eye exam to babies between 6 months and one year of age. This is especially important for preemies, who are more likely to have eye issues.
Just heard from my boss and would like to add another thing I love - I'll be getting a memorandum of understanding instead of a layoff notice, so I'll be getting a full 5 weeks of pay! It's all official and I'll be going into the office on December 8 to collect my things. It's a little nerve-wracking, but I know things are very different there now and most of my tasks have not only been given to people to cover my maternity leave, but are just gone, absorbed into the new structure of human resources.
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