Third time is a charm: Baby Basics

Since it has been 4 years since I've had an infant in my home, I thought I'd do a little rundown on all the "newfangled" baby gear that I find so wonderful this time around.

• Safety First Snuggler Tub or Puj Tub:  I really really love this tub.  With Porter we bought one of the plastic baby tubs and it was always in the way in our tiny house on Annetta.  With Hudson I ditched the baby tub and we bathed him in the kitchen sink.  I found the Puj tub when I was pregnant with Amelia and LOVED that it could lay flat and be hung on the back of a door when not in use.  I balked at the price, but then found the Safety First Snuggler Tub and decided to give it a try for $20.  I LOVE IT.  It folds so that it creates a little "tub" inside the kitchen sink.  It is soft and foamy.  It is flexible.  When we're done with bathtime, we hang it in the shower to dry and then it hangs from a hook behind the bathroom door.
  
• Aden + Anais Swaddlers:  Another "should I spend the money" item... I'm glad I did!  I had heard a lot of great things about the A+A swaddlers and since Hudson LOVED being swaddled I figured- why not?  Well, Amelia did not like being swaddled, but she does love her A+A blankets.  She sleeps with one at all times and we take one with us everywhere.  They're huge- 44" square, but thin and lightweight so they don't take up a ton of room.  We used them to wipe up spit up, to cover her carseat when she's in the sun, and most often, for her to snuggle up with. She loves to sleep with a blanket on her face (ack!) but I don't feel too awful about the A+A blankets because they're thin and somewhat breathable through.
  
• Indestructible Books: I found these books at a bookstore in Mackinaw City and thought they were brilliant!  It gives babies that "paper sensory feeling" yet they don't rip.  Score in my book!
  
• Sophie the Giraffe: Sophie was on my "wish list" for awhile, and Aunt Lori bought her for Amelia when she was just a few weeks old.  Amelia now is grabbing at things and chewing on things and she LOVES to chew on Sophie.  Not sure what it is about this little giraffe....
  
  *note!!! I would not recommend purchasing from Amazon. Our Sophie began to lose her paint and the color was fading so I checked out Amazon reviews and it turns out "fake" Sophies have been sold from Amazon vendors.  I could care less about real/fake but..... my daughter is chewing on this and who knows where it was made and what materials it is made out of (and if the paint is non-toxic??).  I did contact Amazon and they are refunding me with a gift card and I will be purchasing another Sophie from an authorized retailer.
  
• Baltic Amber teething necklace   A friend I met through Facebook has a little girl who just turned one.  I noticed her wearing a necklace, and I asked about it (thinking it was just something "pretty").  She told me it was a teething necklace, and told me a little about it.  If you haven't heard about them, they are made of baltic amber (it HAS to be Baltic) and this contains succinic acid which is a natural pain reliever.  The amber gets warm from your body heat and releases small amounts of the succinic acid that is absorbed through your skin.  I did a bit of research and decided I'd try one with Amelia.  It may just be hype, but if it works at least a little bit it'll be worth it.  And besides, it is kind of cute on her!  :)  I ordered Amelia's necklace from AmberArtisians.com but found the necklace was kind of long for her.  I did a little finagling and was able to shorten it (11-12 inches is the best... mine was 13 inches).   

Have you had a baby recently?  Have you found some new, great baby (or kid!) product you want to shout to the world?  Let me know!  Leave me a comment!