More baby stuff! Favorite products #5-8 below. #1-4 here!
5.)Marpac Dohm Sound Conditioner
This is what most people would call a white-noise machine. The difference between this one, and alllll the others, is that this is not producing the canned, electronic version of white noise that most of us are familiar with through apps and other baby sound machines. It has an actual motor that runs inside the housing, producing a constant, soothing hum. And somehow it is just perfect.
It is loud enough to drown out SO much background noise, yet its not disturbing. I don't get it, but I am a believer. The first time I used it I thought it was pretty loud, and I had it on the lowest setting (it also only has two volumes, which is nice and simple.) But the instructions say to give yourself about three days to get used to it, so I did. And I love it. And my daughter loves it.
As I mentioned in the last post Adalyn is pretty sensitive to noise. And I'm not talking steady noise like a TV on, or cars outside, etc. Our house is a constant madhouse of dogs barking and dinosaurs roaring and a certain boy running and jumping and falling throughout the house. I would probably have a hard time sleeping through all of that too if I was napping during the day. Or maybe I wouldn't. But anyhow, we tried everything. And there are a handful of other sleep machines that I really do like, and use, that help her calm down and get ready to sleep. But nothing that drowns out noise like this. I actually waited a couple of months before buying this machine, because of the lack of bells and whistles. I thought it seemed like a bit of an under-achiever as far as sound machines go. And I could just kick myself.
A couple other things I love about it:
- It is easy to use. The on switch either gets flipped up for low volume or down for high volume)
- It doesn't take batteries.
- It doesn't shut off.
- It is adjustable, but not overwhelmingly so. You just turn the outer housing to adjust the tone of the hum
The elephant in the room is that it is not the cutest sound machine out there. But if you can find me a mom that cares more about that than her baby's sleep I'll give you $20.
6.) MyBaby Homedics Sound Spa on the Go
Yep, another sound machine. This is one of those I referred to above, that I love because it helps induce sleepiness. It is just one of those things she has come to expect during nap time, and though it is not a magic pill by any means, it does seem to calm her down (she's not an easy napper if you couldn't tell by now.) The main reason I love this is because it is portable, and it stays on. I totally get the need for automatic shut off, but for a baby that takes forever to fall asleep sometimes, the machine turning off is like an overhead light turning on. It totally messes up her mojo. This little thing has four settings, but her favorites are the heartbeat and the lullaby.
Kind of a weird baby fave, but kinda not. Also, I searched and searched but could not find a non-awkward picture of this product. Nonetheless, it is probably the best item of clothing I've owned these past few months. It's not the cheapest bra out there, but it's definitely not the most expensive, and for something you use all-day-every-day, it is worth it. My mom bought me two in the hospital, and when we got home I asked my husband to go buy me another one. It's not the prettiest thing around, but I love them.
8.) Noggin Stik
This was a toy that we registered for at the suggestion of our "registry helper" at one of the stores. She highly recommended it and said that customers loved it. I was, at that point, clueless about baby stuff. I became Ian's mom when he was 2, so this whole stage was brand new to me and I was so overwhelmed at the amount of choices to make. Now that I think of it, I am pretty sure I started crying during the store that day. Anyhow, I took several of her suggestions, and am so, SO glad I did. This one especially has been a life changer. Adalyn loves this thing. It has truly been our saving grace, because our sweet girl hated the carseat the first 3 months of her life, and going anywhere was so anxiety-inducing because we knew she would just get herself so worked up and upset. And it's never fun to see your baby like that. The only thing that ever calmed her down or got her attention was this silly looking toy. So we took (and still take) it everywhere. We will turn around after leaving to go back and get it if forgotten.
The Noggin Stik was created as a developmental tool, which is why we registered for it (but we love it regardless of what it does or does not do for her development!). The creator was an early intervention therapist who designed the toy to promote healthy brain development and bonding. There is a neat info graphic on their website, but here are a few key points they list:
- Captures a child's focus and increases attention
- Assists with the development of visual tracking-a critical pre-literacy skill
- Provides tactile interest to touch and visual interest to see
- Helps children auditorily locate sound
- Enhances grasping and holding skill
It is a bit expensive for a baby toy, but we only purchased one (one was a baby shower gift) and have EASILY gotten our money's worth. Adalyn has gotten a little better about being in the car, but still doesn't last very long without this rattle. She is old enough now to hold it on her own, and it makes me smile to hear her back there just shaking away.
This was taken at home, but you can at least see how much she likes it :)
