Baby Accessories We Have

As Eric and I are both first time parents, we have been asking plenty of friends and family for advice. They have all been open and wonderful answering our questions and giving us suggestions that work for them. Of course, every baby is different, but it's nice to hear everyone's point of view. Since I have this blog anyway, I thought I would do posts on baby needs and accessories that we already have and are still looking at getting. This way we can keep track of what we still need to get for him and others can see what we already have if they want to buy the Niesling something. I might still do a registry, but I think this will work out just as well.

We have already started receiving gifts for the Niesling, especially since we just had Christmas. Since we found out it's a boy, a majority of the clothes we have received have been specifically for that gender. These include some cute sporty slogans and lots of blue! We also received a beautiful Winnie-the-Pooh fleece blanket from some friends. Eric's brother Jared and his wife also sent some wonderful Christian baby books. We also got a sippy cup from Eric's aunt and uncle that his cousin Cole used. This cup was made by another of Eric's aunt and uncles. The family hopes to start a new tradition of passing it to each new baby!

Thanks to my sweet mother-in-law and her love of garage sales, we also have bigger baby pieces. These she got right after we found out I was pregnant and they have been sitting in our shed since late August/early September. The funny thing is Eric and I recently decided that we wanted to do animals (jungle/African) for our nursery and when I went to check to see exactly what his mom had bought, nearly all of it was animals! It is safe to say that will be what we go with since we already have some pieces and it's gender neutral for our next baby.

The Niesling already has:

1. Evenflo Embrace Car Seat and Base: I pulled it out today to make sure that it is a current model as apparently car seats have expiration dates (which I did not know before). It is the kind that has a base you leave in the car and you can snap and unsnap the carrier. The fabric is adorable with zebras, elephants, alligators, hippos, giraffes, and turtles.

Athena testing out the car seat for the Niesling

2. Instep Jogging Stroller: I wasn't sure about this at first, but I'm looking forward to using it now. Not that I was ever a jogger or runner, but it looks like a good quality stroller that we will be able to use for a long time.

3. Fold Up Stroller: This is a nice little extra stroller that folds up easier and faster than the jogging one. I'm guessing this will be used for Wal-Mart and other store trips when the Niesling gets a little older.

4. Exersaucer: Everyone I've talked to and all the blogs I've read have said they could not live without this. Kris found one that has a circus theme, so it has the animals we are looking at incorporating into the nursery. I'm so glad to have this!

5. High Chair: I'm not sure when most babies start sitting in a high chair, but we have it whenever he's ready! It has adjustable heights not only for the tray, but also for the legs.

6. Bouncy Seat: Another favorite of many moms, I'm hoping our baby loves it as much as others do. Plus it's got cute little animals on it too as well as a removable activity bar with hanging animals.

7. Swing: Another must have. The one Kris found is basic, but what more do you need?

8. Fisher Price Rainforest Mobile: This is so adorable we couldn't resist taking it out and trying it the first time we saw it. Unfortunately, the buttons are marked wrong. Pressing the button for Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart plays the incorrect music. (Not that I would have ever noticed, but Eric the classical music man could tell.) I'm sure we will relabel them so they are correct.

We are so thankful for the amazing friends and family that are giving us gifts for the Niesling. We greatly appreciate it and hope they know how much we love them!