mismikado down the sidewalk: Our Favorite Two Month Gear

I have a 3-month-old now. Insane! O_O This past month has been so fun as Minion has defined more and more of his personality and really started to engage with the world around him. Plus he's become a total chunk and I just can't get enough of him. I've been really wanting to write more detailed day-to-day updates on here but just haven't had the time. So, for the time being, I'll share the quick hits with the gear we've been loving over the past month.

ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES

1. This is one of the best baby inventions I have come across. We were using regular baby storage containers for packing servings of formula on the go but every time we went to pour it in the bottle, we'd lose some in the transfer. This dispenser has a built-in funnel that means no formula loss plus it holds 4 bottle servings in 1 compact container.

2. We have started to practice EC (elimination communication) part-time now and the Little Potty is perfect for this. The size is just right for Minion that he has no discomfort sitting on it. Plus it's low enough that his feet firmly touch the ground (or toilet lid since that's where we place it for potty time) which was a recommendation from his pediatrician. I don't know why these EC potties got discontinued but I'm so happy I was able to snag one on eBay.

3. This was one of my absolute favorite projects for Minion. I took my favorite childhood stories from My Book of Bible Stories and made abridged versions for a padded baby book version. Spoonflower did an amazing job printing it out and Minion just loves staring at all the bright illustrations. It's a great way to keep him quiet and engaged during meetings.

4. I think Minion is entering the early teething stage because he constantly is drooling or blowing spit bubbles. Needless to say, he ends up as one slobbery mess so cloth bibs have been crucial to keeping his clothes dry.

5. Our Bumbo was actually my very first baby purchase long before Minion was ever in the works. A mommy friend had raved about it to me, so when I spotted one (with the tray) at Goodwill for only $2.99, I had to snatch it up. It has been so great for helping Minion sit up on his own.

6. Minion rarely sleeps in his sleeper but it's a convenient place to lay him down when we need to get some housework done.

7. Our collapsible stool has been perfect in the bathroom as a sitting place for holding Minion on the potty and when giving him a bath. Plus it will be great for him when he starts being able to go on his own.

8. I can't believe I haven't talked about his bath before! Since we don't have a tub, his ducky bath has been great for bath times in our shower. He's really gotten into splashing in it here lately :)

GLAD WE BOUGHT/WERE GIVEN

1. Last month I talked about my new found love for Mrs. Meyers soap for bottle washing and I still LOVE it but hate the price tag. Fortunately, I discovered Seventh Generation dish soap and almost love it just as much and a bit more so because I can get it even cheaper than Dawn with coupons, sales, and Cartwheel at Target.

2. I'm pretty sure this is Minion's favorite book. We keep it in the truck and every time we read it to him he cries at the end until we start reading it again.

3. Minion easily gets overheated and then starts to get rashy. After our 3rd Sunday meeting in a row without AC, I decided that we needed a portable battery fan to keep in the diaper bag. The very first day it came in, we experienced a 7-hour power outage and it immediately proved its worth.

4. Flushable wipes have been perfect for ECing. They make the process so easy since we just dump everything in the potty down the toilet and move on with life.

5. I highly underestimated the need for these in Texas. Minion was squinting everywhere before we finally picked him up a pair.

HAVE, BUT HAVEN'T USED/NEEDED