Tuesday, May 13, 2014

McClain's favorites: 4-6 months


Favorite things have evolved as M's needs and interests have changed over the last few months. (Most involving teething, tummy time/rolling, and eating). These are the MVPs that have gotten the most use!

1) Love these bucket hats from city threads. The brim is wide enough that you can fold the sides and still get a lot of coverage from the sun. We have one in navy that says "Brooklyn" and it is especially meaningful as it was the first item that Sam bought after he found out I was pregnant. Aww!

2) My most thoughtful pal Cindi let us borrow her Infantino gym and it has been used almost every day since M was 2 months old. When he was 2 months he would bat at the hanging toys, and then grab at them, and now at six months he uses the toys and sides to help roll over/practice climbing/crawling. This one is great too because the top collapses so you can pack the whole thing flat!

3) Munchkin's fresh food grinder wasn't one I thought I'd use much when we received it as a gift, but I have ended up using it quite a bit, especially for traveling. It's also great on the go, you can throw it in the diaper bag and mash up a little of whatever food you have on hand.

4) These multi-functional toys from LaMaze are a big hit at our house. We have Captain Calamari, as well as Sir Prance-a-lot and Rusty the Robot. Love the clever names and creative way this company approaches toy making.

5) I discovered these glass bottles on Amazon after reading Dr. Brown's glass bottles had a tendency to shatter when heating. We had inherited all of our bottles which was great, but they were plastic and I wanted a couple of glass options. These bottles are so awesome--the glass is made in France from borosilicate glass which when I researched this material found out that it is "resistant to extreme temperatures." The silicone sleeves are great for protecting the bottle from breakage. Also a smart idea--you can get zippy cup lids to switch out as your babe grows, so the bottle stays useful for many years! The dome cover fits with all their lids. I have to say I am truly a fan of these and may have to get a water bottle for myself soon.

6) M has a variety of toy keys around the house but what makes these Bright starts keys unique is they are also teethers! You can freeze them and the gel filled keys are great for teething relief. Double the pleasure, double the fun. The chunkier size is nice, too, and M loves jangling these.

7) The other teether that M really liked was this Sassy teething watermelon. He seemed to prefer the terry cloth texture for the longest time over silicone, and liked it wet or dry. The think I liked about wetting and/or freezing this one is it never seemed to get very drippy. The thicker watermelon rind absorbed most of the moisture so there wasn't ever too much of a mess. I just discovered they make a grape shaped one as well which we may have to get!

8) We got a lot of bibs as gifts and I have to tell you, a lot of bibs out there are somewhat useless. We have a couple (that have never been used) that are tiny scraps of fabric not fit to be an adult napkin, let alone catch food from a human learning to eat. The Skip Hop Zoo bibs are definitely my favorite so far--lightweight, fold up into a pouch, you can rinse them off even if they are covered in goo and set them out to dry, unlike some bibs that you literally have to throw in the washing machine after every use.