(Part 2) Top products from r/Mommit

That's fantastic! Good for you! :-D

We co-slept until our son was about 2, but by then he was just too big for the bed (3 people in a double bed = no blankets for mama :-/ ) and we moved his toddler bed into our room. The transition took a month or so to really smooth out, but we got good advice from the No-Cry Sleep Solution and now he happily sleeps in his own space.

When he was an infant, I would nurse him in the bed and then transfer him to his sleeper, but when he hit four months, it's like he figured out that this was BS. He could be floppy-asleep, but you laid him down on the mattress and it was instant, furious tantrum that lasted FOREVER and thoroughly woke him up. >.< We started co-sleeping because it was the only way any of us got enough sleep to function the next day, and it was a very positive experience. Made extended breast-feeding much easier and my husband loved the snuggly bonding time.

Considering how much of the world engages in it as a standard practice, I think it's always good to try to normalize safe co-sleeping in the US, and also show that it's not a permanent condition. ;-) Thanks for sharing your success!

You're entering teething and solid food territory.

I recommend this as a teether. My twins love it. They never really took to the expensive Sophie Giraffe, but they fight over this funny looking thing. I bought it because of the glowing amazon reviews, and I'm so glad I did.

I also like this masher/bowl

These feeders are awesome. They make similar ones with mesh bags that are okay, but these silicone ones rock. I'll put frozen breastmilk in them and make "Popsicles" to help with the teething. They are very easy to clean unlike the mesh bags.

I also have a Baby Bullet, I use it a lot and I like it, but I'm not sure it's worth the expense, a regular blender works just as well, especially a regular Bullet. But it's just so damn cute.

Honestly buying most things second hand is the way to go even if you have disposable income.

While some don't fit your criteria, I'm a fan of many of the items from Fat Brain Toys. My daughter has the following from there:

• Tobbles Neo - She loves this thing!
  
  
• pipSquigz
  
  Her other basic, non-musical, not-very-themepark-ish toys are (and some you mention you have, but still...):
  
  
• Oball - These are extremely easy for babies of all ages to hold. Everything from Oball is fantastic.
  
  
• Wood Hammer Set
  
  
• Classic stacking rings
  
  
• Classic stacking cups
  
  
• A crap ton of wood puzzles
  
  
• Classic wood shape-sorter
  
  
• Counting Caterpillar
  
  But, honestly, my daughter grows out of things pretty quickly. She has fallen in and out of love with her toys repeatedly. She also loves music, so as much as I wish she would just like the silent, simple toys... she thrives most and has the most fun with things that are loud and musical. I hate everything Vtech, but she could dance for days if given the opportunity... so as a parent, sometimes I suck it up and realize that despite whatever toys I wish or think she should have, she finds other things more enjoyable (especially as she became a toddler had had true opinions on things).

I also highly recommend It's not the Stork. It is a basic into to sex book that explains everything at a 3-6 year old level.

It includes basic anatomy, proper names for parts, how babies are made, and safety. It talks about how families come in all shapes and sizes, and much more.

I also recommend the other books, It's So Amazing for 7 year olds to puberty and "It's Perfectly Normal" for puberty age kids.

My daughter loves the book and it still catches me a bit off guard when she picks it for bedtime stories (we'll just do a chapter or two). Oh great, impromptu sex talk tonight I see. I do my best to make it no big deal.

Thank you for your comments! You must be exhausted!
Sleep is actually my expertise and I hope to talk a lot about pediatric sleep in my blog.

Just to offer some suggestions, if your child is struggling with falling asleep there are a few options that you can try.

1. Have you ever considered a pediatric sleep specialist? They can help you identify why your little one is struggling to fall asleep at night. If you wanted, I would be more than happy to talk to you about your local options. There can be a TON of reasons as to why little ones do not fall asleep at night, and they are easily fixed with the help of a specialist.
   
2. As your kiddo gets older I would recommend an OK To Wake Clock. What we find is that children struggle with the concept of time. The OK to Wake light changes color to let them know that it's okay to get up and get Mommy in the morning. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/Mirari-Wake-Alarm-Clock-Night-Light/dp/B00EAHSBV4/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1551046787&sr=1-4&keywords=time+to+wake+up+clock+for+kids
   
   Hopefully these options can increase your sleep time!

My son is only 19 months but I've been following the principles of Jim Fay's book Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood.

The basic principles involve giving empathy and love along with discipline instead of anger and threats, letting kids make mistakes and learning from the consequences, and creating a strong sense of self for your kids. I highly recommend it!

(PS you can buy used off amazon for much cheaper than the price for a new one :))

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1930429002/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1373401788&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

I hung toys we already had from the arch on our pack and play to approximate a play mat like that. These rings are inexpensive and endlessly useful and entertaining. My son is 14 months old and still loves to chew on them, try to pull them apart and wave them around.

At this age, you just need to sit him down at set times for long enough to sing the ABCs. Get rid of the diapers and the rewards. The reward for using the potty is not being covered in poop or pee. [Oh Crap! Potty Training] (https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Crap-Potty-Training-Everything/dp/1501122983) worked really well for my 5 year old. Even now, she still needs to sat down periodically sometimes if we're doing something exciting, like going to the zoo.

Have you tried something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Award-winning-Kidsme-Feeder-Small/dp/B005KWL0OI/

We did those when starting solids with my son and he loved them. Soon we moved on to handing him soft solids without the feeder, but it let him be safely in control of his eating while he was just learning. :)

My daughter has SPD. She's considered "sensory seeking." This means she doesn't stop moving. Ever. So much so that she wasn't taking the time to learn to talk. When she was 24 mo she tested like a 15-18 mo in her communication skills and a 30 mo in gross/fine motor.

If you haven't yet read "Out of Sync Child", I highly recommend it. In the book she goes into detail about the different types of SPD. There are kids that are extremely sensitive to sounds and touch, which may be your son.

The problem with SPD is that it's very difficult to test for. A lot of times if there isn't a specific issue with communication or motor skills, EI will not approve therapy. It won't hurt to call them and get him evaluated by an Occupational Therapist. You may end up having to pay for private therapy. Some insurance will cover this, some not so much. Even just having him evaluated the OT will help you. It will give you a chance to pepper the OT with questions and they should be open to giving you a few tips till you're able to get him other therapy.

Feel free to ask as many question as you want. I'll answer what I can.

edit: a word

There is an American Girl book called Taking Care of You. You can find it on Amazon, at Books a Million, or Barnes and Noble.

The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls, Revised Edition (Ame... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609580834/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_4UgDCbSPQ8EEP

http://www.mimijumi.com/collections/bottles?gclid=CjwKEAiAs4qzBRD4l-2w7qOoqEMSJABauikX0N1CYC21Qo2P2wdJ4UDkvuq-g4zZobQlOiE-_Fi_axoCxIrw_wcB

I haven't personally tried these, but they look like they would work great for nursing babies. I hate pumping and washing bottles so I've always just fed from the tap haha. Another thing you can do is my husband and I will go to a matinee of a movie and use baby banz. That way baby isn't bothered by noise, it's usually emptyish during early showings, and tickets are cheaper so if I have to leave if baby starts fussing I don't get too upset on wasted ticket money. :)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007BEHSDU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1449342940&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=baby+banz&dpPl=1&dpID=41FrtCKLOxL&ref=plSrch

Yeah, a simple microwave sterilizer like this is cheap and convenient: https://www.amazon.com/Philips-AVENT-Microwave-Steam-Sterilizer/dp/B007VBXKG2

You sterilize everything. You can see all the different pieces in the linked product. I mean, you can probably skip sterilizing the caps since they don't touch either the milk or the baby's mouth, but it's really easier to keep everything together. I basically used my sterilizer as a storage device for all the ready-to-use bottles after sterilizing. Take one set and leave the rest in there, covered up and clean.

As for the brands, Philips is Dutch, Nuk and Tommee Tippee are British, and Tomy (Boon Nursh) is originally from Japan.

I have 2 boys as well as working in child development. For a high chair I would recommend one that you can strap into a regular chair and also has a removable tray, for example. You don't need the straps (they get super dirty). I cut the straps off my space saver high chair and threw them away. For toys I would recommend the basics and stay away from plastic and things with small removable parts. Get wooden blocks, a cloth ball, a simple [doll](https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Brilliant-Basics-Babys-First/dp/B0015KTV2C0, stacking cups, ring stack. Babies also like to rummage through things and bang on things, so clear out a floor level kitchen cabinet of all the things she can't have (cleaning materials, food, etc) and fill it back up with pots/pans/large spoons. Let her go to town pulling everything out and banging it together. Obviously, when she's gotten to the stage where she can open and go through a cabinet on her own - then it's time to baby proof ALL the things.

A friend who's a pediatrician recommended Your Baby's First Year, which may be a little too light for your tastes, but I found it easily digestible and a good book to reference quickly when I was wondering if/when the kid was expected to do something.

I know how you feel! I don't usually have to take my little guy out alone with me very often, daddy comes along for grocery trips and he's usually having fun in his stroller, but when I do have to take him out by myself I have him in a baby carrier on my chest that he just loves because he's close to me and can watch what's going on...if he gets upset I'll either hurry up or just change him but I think because of the carrier he doesn't get upset that often....do you have one of those? I know your son is only 2 months and might not have full control of his wobbly head just yet but I think a carrier that faces both ways ...like this one will maybe work out for you...people always chuckle at me because I'm a little girl with a big boy strapped to my chest, but it's better than someone tell me I'm being a mom wrong!

Don't ever lie. If he's mature enough to ask the question, he's mature enough for some sort of honest answer. What bad would possibly happen if you said, "Dad's piece, the sperm, got into my body through a special kind of very close hug during which his penis went into my vagina"? A version of that is the statement made in this very excellent book, which also gives honest and non-judging discussions of anatomy in general.

(Also, I understand why you said your egg was empty, but it wasn't! You're not a garden plot in which your husband's child grows. You contributed 50% of the genetic material!)

You might consider trying a HALO SleepSack. That one is cotton and allows you to swaddle their arms in, or one can leave the arms out and just wrap the "wings" around his belly. For a lighter cover, you can consider a muslin sleep sack like this one. To be clear, I'm not advocating for HALO; I really like the Aden and Anais muslin sleep sack, and there are several other brands available via Amazon, Jet, Google, etc.
As for camping, it's the same as anywhere else (unless he's under 8lbs - if I recall that weight correctly). Dress him as you'd dress yourself. If you need an extra layer to stay warm, so does baby. I'm not sure that's what you were asking, though; did I address your concerns?

We have this one, which is nice and snuggly like a wrap, but easy to put on. We also have this one, which my husband likes because a monkey could put it on, it's so simple.

I know everyone is going to freak out on me, but don't bother with a Moby. They're expensive, difficult to master, and they're really just a huge piece of fabric. There are just so many other (better) carriers out there!

You may want to look into SPD: http://spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html

Right now, autism is the "diagnosis du jour" but I think as SPD awareness increases many more children will be labeled as having SPD instead of autism or ADHD. Some kids just have different sensory needs.

That said, a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder would be helpful in getting him services/support... since SPD isn't very recognized by the medical community right now. SPD can be treated with a lot of the same supports - OT, PT, behavioral therapy, etc. But you're more likely to have insurance cover treatments for autism.

EDIT: Also, this book might be helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Out---Sync-Child-Carol-Kranowitz/dp/0399531653/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415557626&sr=1-1&keywords=the+out+of+sync+child

I highly recommend this backpack diaper bag. Oddly, it's made by JEEP.

It has a million pockets which makes small things easier to find. The wipes are on the side, easily accessible. And you can carry it on a plane, put it under the seat in front of you, and nothing falls out.

I really liked Your Baby's First Year Week By Week, it's (mostly) not scary, includes games and activities for development, and is easy to read.

We did BLW with our twins and loved it. I agree with doing long matchstick like cuts and also found that dusting things like chunks of avocado in coconut flour made them not only super yummy, but easier to pick up. We also used these silicone feeders extensively, and I cannot recommend them more highly:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005KWLEVW/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1397161946&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

They make backpack diaper bags (this is the one I got). It's really nice because you can put it under the seat on a flight and nothing falls out. And it's comfortable to wear.

We've so far gotten nearly 11 weeks of interest out of the Ikea wooden gym. I've been able to keep it interesting by moving the order of the toys around and hanging other toys from it (such as this Firefly), her Taggie Elephant, and these colorful links full of textures. Lately, our DD has taken to sucking on and throwing around an elephant lovey too, which I imagine will grow with her.

The Care & Keeping of You might be a good book for her.

I bought these pads from amazon initially to put a pad in my car in case my water would break in the car, ended up ordering a big pack of them for changing the baby out in public. They are not that expensive and will absorb the leaks perfectly:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FGN4ZC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Puppy pads are usually scented. The ones that come from a medical supply are much better. We bought a ton of these when we had our LO. They ended up being useful in more ways than one.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FGN4ZC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DK4eAbETKR8JV

Hey there, these ones work great. We've tried them on a 6 month old and she didn't try to pull them off or anything.
http://www.amazon.ca/Baby-Banz-Baby-Boys-Newborn-Protection/dp/B007BEHSDU/ref=pd_sim_ba_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0N61QC531QJPJHE4RG0B#productDetails

Door Monkey

Once my son was two he could get past all of our child proofing gizmos but these. Still work at 3 1/2 though thankfully we hardly need them anymore.

Try this lock, high up on her door. I've never used one but it seems like it might work.

Door Monkey Door Lock and Pinch Guard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ECJWK4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-LBGzbAG3JJ1

Those things are absolutely impossible to clean well. They make a silicone version that works much better. I know, the price is ridiculous but you'll only need one. http://www.amazon.com/Award-Winning-Kidsme-Feeder-Large/dp/B005KWLEVW

Have you tried the No-Cry Sleep Solution? I read through this book and decided that at 12 months (now 17) I wasn't ready to night wean. However, this process did help me get my LO to sleep without being ALWAYS attached to my boob.

edit: Hit post before I meant to.

Mirari OK to Wake! Alarm Clock & Night-Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAHSBV4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_p2YRDbFYAHM9F

The itzbeen is one of my number 1 go to baby gifts, along with this banana toothbrush teether and the Nose frida which has been an absolute life saver for us. I thought I would be able to remember the last time my baby ate or had a diaper change but sleep depervation + feeding every 2-3 hours.. seems to make everything blur together. The moment my daughter realized she was hungry she needed fed RIGHT THEN. The itzbeen allowed up to learn her schedule and anticpate moving toward the family room or her nursery and find my pillows or diapers..etc

I'm using this one and it's one of the most convenient baby products I own https://www.amazon.de/Philips-AVENT-Microwave-Steam-Steriliser/dp/B007VBXKG2

It's early, but some kids can do it at that age. I recommend the book Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki.

The Halo sleep sacks work for many babies, but they are not necessarily safe. If you look at the one star Amazon reviews, you can see that many parents have seen a dangerous condition of the sack bunching up near the face when baby tries to break out: http://www.amazon.com/SleepSack-Cotton-Swaddle-Cream-Small/dp/B003E6OBMA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

This happened with our baby (luckily, while I was awake and I noticed right away) and we immediately discontinued use of the Halo.

Eh. It may sound awful, but I let my kid bang her head. She's given herself black eyes and all kinds of mess but nothing serious. It's their way of dealing with frustration that they can't process, so I let her deal with it. She's almost 3 and still does it if we shut her bedroom door when she's being difficult at bedtime.

I would recommend reading Love and Logic. It really helped me survive those days and the days I'm in now. Tantrums WILL be a part of your life for a while, but you have to learn constructive ways to ignore and cope with them. Your reactions and actions 100% decide how the child responds to them.

http://smile.amazon.com/Love-Logic-Magic-Early-Childhood/dp/1930429002/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1409712768&sr=8-3&keywords=parenting+with+love+and+logic