12 of Our Favorite Baby Products

I've gotten many requests for this post - thanks for your patience! You can also check out our newborn edition written by my husband. I'm not sure how a swing and sound machine didn't make that list, however, because those were lifesavers. Moving on!

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things @ 8 Months

• Hyland's Teething Tablets: These have been a lifesaver for us. We melt two or three under Roo's tongue when she is fussy due to teething, and they seem to do the trick!

• Dr. Brown's bottles: We just love these bottles. You know, as much as you can actually love a bottle. They have five pieces each so they are complex, but Roo has done great with them. We have a few 4 oz. bottles and twelve 8 oz. bottles. We send a few to day care, but that is definitely plenty of the larger ones. You could get by with less.

• Ugly Deer: Roo has just recently started to play with this. Of course it makes us happy because it was the first thing we ever bought for her (on sale at Hautelook).

• Boon Squirt Spoon: These help keep Roo cleaner while eating, and she doesn't grab at the spoon as much when we use it. The Munchkin ones at Target are a dollar cheaper and work just as well (we have them both) - but I like the look of this one better, and there are more color choices.

• Halo Sleep Sack: She wears this for all naps and at night. It keeps her warm and signals to her that it's time for bed. (Question for parents: when did you stop using a sleep sack?)

• Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site: This is such a cute book! It's our favorite one to read.

• Boogie Wipes: We're on our fourth pack! These saline wipes are essential for grabbing those stuck-on boogies.

• Minnetonka velcro booties: We got these as a gift and they are adorable! We also love the Ministar shoes from Target.

• Graco Door Jumper: We've had a blast watching Roo bounce in this thing! There is a short span, though, on when it can be used. Shorter kiddos might get more use out of it I suppose. Roo is tall so from the time she could hold her head up well enough to use it, she was growing out of it lengthwise - unless you have high doorways. (We have both this and an exersaucer. If you have to choose, get an exersaucer. It's not quite as fun, but it doesn't block doorways, is always set up, and is easier to get them in and out of.)

• MAM pacifiers: Oh, how I delight in the person who invented the pacifier. Rooney loves hers to help her fall asleep.

• Baby Einstein Crib Toy: We have a love-hate relationship with this thing. Well, I love it and Eric doesn't as much. But it has really come in handy in the middle of the night to distract her from her teething pains and to get her to lay still enough to fall asleep. The only downside is that Rooney has learned how to turn it on and play when she doesn't want to sleep.

• Graco Playard: We use this when traveling, and every week at Life Group. Ours is an older model and looks like the one in the photo, but I couldn't find it for sale online so I'm linking to a cute, new one. It also comes with a bassinet and changing table.

Wish We Had

• Video monitor: We're actually considering buying one, we want it so bad.

• Glider (our rocking chair from IKEA does not rock very easily)

Verdict Is Still Out

• Teething necklace: Eric's mom got Roo an amber teething necklace that we put on her last week. The verdict is still out on that one.

• Breathable bumper: We have one...and I love that she can breathe through it (especially because she loves to sleep right up against the sides of her crib). But it doesn't protect her head from hitting the crib bars, or prevent her from getting her hands and feet caught in the bars. I personally don't know if there is a perfect crib bumper out there.

• Everyone keeps saying we'll cave and buy a lightweight umbrella stroller, but we haven't found a need for it yet.

• Boon Swig Sippy Cup: This is the first sippy cup we've tried (c/o Boon), but we really love the design and functionality, and Rooney seems to as well. We'll see how she does with it as we use it more in the coming months.

P.S. I say skip the Bumbo seat. I was told the same thing (but didn't really believe it). I am glad we got ours secondhand and didn't pay full price. We only used it a couple times before she was able to sit up on her own. Also, our chiropractor said they really are not great for babies with developing spines.

P.P.S. For clothes, we love Target and Old Navy. The prices are great. My friend Gwen also gave me a great tip on buying hair bows for babies - Forever 21! You get a couple for $1.80, and they're not baby-ish. Genius.