Favorite Things Friday

Now that the bees are getting older, we are starting to use some new stuff with them.  Here are a few of my favorite things that we use on a regular basis:

NoseFrida - I had read on other blogs how great the SnotSucker is, but honestly the thought of it grossed me out.  Still does kind of.  But OMG!  The amount of snot I get out of the bees' nose is unbelievable.  Chunky Bee had his first cold a few weeks ago and the NoseFrida was my last-ditch effort before going to the pedi.  After a few days of saline and sucking, all better.  I even asked Honey Bee if he thought I could use it on myself when I caught Chunky Bee's cold.  ::Insert blank stare::

Sleep Sacks - Chunky Bee has been unswaddled for a while now.  The thought of SIDS scares the crap out of me, so I didn't want to use a blanket in his crib.  The sleep sack is a wearable blanket.  It keeps baby warm, but doesn't pose a suffocation hazard.  We have 2 right now, but need to purchase a few more because we're breaking Itty Bitty of the swaddle in the next week or so.

Gerber Puffs & Lil Crunchy Veggie Sticks - Chunky Bee is doing great with solids.  Itty Bitty Bee is only slightly interested, but is getting better.  I've been offering Chunky some puffs to help with his fine motor skills.  The puffs dissolve in baby's mouth and stick to slobbering hands well.  Recently, I tried him with Gerber Veggie Sticks.  The kid was smacking because he liked the taste so much.  He even started crying when he was out of them on his tray.  Of course being the great mom that I am, I have sampled both of these.  I mean if they taste badly, how can I expect him to eat them?  Both varieties are quite tasty.  (Sidenote - We've tried the Peach Yogurt Melts and neither of us are a fan.)

Sound Machine - This sound machine is SO soothing.  The bees' received it as a gift after they were born.  Initially I thought "We'll never use this.  They have mobiles on their cribs" I was wrong.  While Itty Bitty was still in the NICU, I took it in an placed it in his bed.  He was in a private room and I felt like he was alone so much that it would be nice for him to have music.  A bonus of this machine is that it also has image discs that display scenes on the wall or ceiling.  Each day when I arrived, Itty Bitty was either asleep with the machine on or wide awake watching the fish or sheep.

Now that both bees are at home, we have the machine in the nursery.  It plays 3 different lullabies and it has 3 nature sound setting.  The thing that makes this better than their mobile is that it has a timer.  We can "set it and forget it".  We put the bees down drowsy, but not asleep.  The soothing music in combination with the dark room is the perfect sleep scenario for the bees.


What are some of your favorite things?