I was inspired today by this post, which brought me back to this post from eight and half months ago. At the time, Henry was just shy of a month old–his preferences, newborn and tiny. Not so these days, as our crawling, cruising, chatty little man makes his opinions clear and well known in this neck of the woods. He is bolder by the day, and we love him for it. Henry’s new list is 80% revised and comes with nine times the experience. He’d never admit it, but he’s quite the seasoned reviewer by now 😉

In no particular order, the list:

1) Sophie the Giraffe. Where he goes, she goes. Sophie is Henry’s lovey to date, if he has one. We never leave home without her, and although her spots have faded, Henry lights up at first glance every time. Perhaps its her cultured and well-traveled background he’s so drawn to…now 50 years in the making, Sophie is still traditionally produced in Rumilly, in the Haute-Savoie Region of France, and made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea Tree. Comment magnifique!

2) Baby Einstein’s Take Along Tunes. A favorite even before he could change the songs himself, Henry has an affinity for his Take Along Tunes. This toy (I should say, these, because we deemed it worthy of a backup) has bought us countless hours of peace and quiet while traveling. The songs themselves are relatively catchy and manageable to the parental ear, and the flashing (disco-like) lights seem to engage young minds in a way I’m far less able to tolerate at the old age of 29. The batteries on our first unit are just now wearing out, and the second is still going strong. Thank you, Baby Einstein, for a most perfect diversion. Henry loves you, and so do we.

3) Puffs!!! As Henry will be the first to attest, puffs are amazing. They’re the perfect snack for any time of day, great on the go, and easy to clean up. Not to mention the fact that they’re excellent practice when little ones are first rehearsing manual dexterity. Gotta love that pincher grasp! I still get a kick out of watching HD eat them, even months after their introduction. Such pudgy little fingers…such a guiltless way to buy time with a hungry boy. These Happy Baby Organic Puffs are our absolute favorite. There’s always a canister or two somewhere in the house.

4) The Ergo. I had no idea how particular a baby could be about a baby carrier. I had grandiose visions of swaddling Henry and wearing his cute little self everywhere we went when he was small, but he was on an entirely different plan. No Moby, no K’Tan, no slings, no Infantino. I liked them all and wanted so badly for one to work, but alas. That is, until we picked up the Ergo. This baby carrier redeemed the glimmering hope I’d once had of hands-free baby-wearing bliss. Henry protested a bit at first, but with a little determination and a number of trips up and down the block to experiment close to home, he finally made peace with the Ergo. We love it, how well it wears, how supportive it is for both mom (short!) and dad (not short!), how it looks, feels, adjusts. You get the idea. The Ergo Baby Infant Insert was also helpful when H was small, and we still sometimes use the cushion without the shell to boost him up for comfort. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

5) Sassy Seat Doorway Jumper. A household favorite indeed. Henry jumps his little heart out and our hands are free. We’ve found it especially useful on nights when the tired in our boy just won’t make an appearance, when we’re still eating dinner and he’s ready for action, and when it’s too close to bedtime for a nap and not quite close enough to call it a day. Somehow, its bouncy, springy, bright, and buggy self does the trick in all three scenarios, and for this, we’re grateful. Very definitely worth looking at in the doorway of our living room on a daily basis. Trade offs, you know?

6) Bugaboo Frog Stroller. Making its second appearance on just as many lists, the Bugaboo was a Craigslist dream come true pre-baby, and it’s still going strong. It jockeyed with a B.O.B.for a bit (which almost stole the title for its running stroller capabilities), but we have to admit that the Bugaboo has fought hard and strong for spot numero uno in our book. Could be the cozy and oh-so-warm foot muff at this time of year, or the fact that we’re all a bit too sentimental to pick another favorite since it’s been with us from the start. Regardless, Henry gives it two adorable thumbs up. He’s snug as a bug in his Bugaboo, and we love that.

7) That’s Not My Bunny (and other similar titles). Henry wants to read this book daily. He will find it anywhere in the nursery and turn the pages over and over. We’ve since procured That’s Not My Dinosaur and have several others in the queue. (That’s Not My Puppy will have to make an appearance here shortly.) Could be the touchy-feely aspect, with great tactile variety page after page, or it could just be Usborne. There’s not a single Usborne book we’ve encountered to date that we don’t all absolutely love. “It’s ears are SO soft!…”

8) The Boppy(s). A tried and true friend to both mom and baby, Henry and I have spent many-an-hour enjoying all that it has to offer. Since Henry’s first top ten debuted, we’ve borrowed a second Boppy from a friend to eliminate the need to transport said Boppy from one floor to the other and back again with every feeding. Genius, I tell you. I’m not a proponent of excess with the exception of a handful of areas in life, and this would be one of them. At some point, we’ll bite the bullet and just purchase a second one of our own. With more babies (hopefully) on the way someday, it just plain makes sense.

9) Pediped shoes. We couldn’t help but love these for Henry, so he’s been in them over the past few months even though he hasn’t grown his sea legs in their entirety just yet. They are just too darn cute on his little feet, they’re easy to clean, and they’re perfect as Hank transitions from crawling to standing to walking. They go with nearly everything in his wardrobe, which makes his mama happy, and best of all according to Henry, they’re a delight to chew on. Yuck. You can’t win them all as a parent, we suppose. At least they’re adorable…

10) California Baby Calendula Cream and Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Nourishing Lotion (in Calming). Ok, so we’re cheating a little here and grouping skincare as one item on the list, but I’ve had a number of moms ask me what we use for Henry’s skin, and the above is our favorite combination to date. The Calendula Cream is a little bit pricey (most affordable at your local Target:), but lasts forever and works like a charm. We use it on Henry’s cheeks when they get chapped and on any tiny eczema patches when we see them. Applied consistently, it heals spots right up with all natural ingredients (and it has the yummiest smell to boot!). As an alternative to oft-recommended steroidal creams for baby eczema, I was thrilled to discover this option worked for our bug. As a daily body lotion, we love the above-mentioned Burt’s Bees Nourishing Lotion. 99.9% natural, it packs a moisturizing punch, smells sweetly, and comes in at nearly half the price of comparable all natural baby lotions (still flying under the radar with a very minimal number of synthetic and/or processed ingredients). I don’t feel guilty spending a little more to feel comfortable with what we’re applying daily to the munchkin’s skin. And since we added these two  to our regimen, Henry is nearly eczema free and rarely dry. What’s not to love?

We’ve come a long way from the newborn napper and bouncer that once held coveted spots on Henry’s top ten list. Instead, we’re now embracing noisier toys, books, and finger foods, just as a nine month old should. Undoubtedly, the list will morph again quickly as we approach a first birthday, the Summer months, learning to walk and run and liven things up even more. There are other items, too, that didn’t make the cut but could have–so many products we appreciate as parents that make the task of raising a little one oh-so-much more manageable on a daily basis. While it can be overwhelming to make choices when you want the absolute best for your child “no matter what,” we’ve learned that the very best item for our babe can sometimes be the free one we were handed down, an item we borrowed, something we made, or the exact opposite of what we thought would be absolutely perfect before we tried it. Regardless, Henry is happy and healthy, changing and learning at a wonderful, steady pace. Top ten or no top ten, we are lucky, lucky, lucky and growing ever more so by the day.

from our little reviewer to yours,

mm (& co.)