Winter Must Haves for Baby

Each month I have an ongoing list in my phone for Colson's monthly favorites & I just add to it all month as I discover & obsess over new things! Today I looked at my list and realized that although we are loving these items at six months, it is pretty much all seasonal & would be great for any age. So I thought I would share with you since some of these things have been serious lifesavers this winter and I do not want to forget for next kid! (And others were things I wish I would have known about & had on hand... ya know, to decrease the amount of midnight walgreens runs!)

1. Humidifier: This isn't the exact humidifier we have but I am obsessed with the cuteness of this one! This has proven to be very helpful to help for stuffy noses & dry skin!

2. Elderberry Syrup: I discovered this stuff when I got the flu this year & I was super worried about C getting sick. I am still nursing, so there was really no way for me to stay away from him {he doesn't take a bottle anymore! boo}. He started to get a cough one day & I sent my hubby to find this stuff. I gave him a dose and his cough was gone the next day. I also started taking it around day 5 of being sick & I immediately started getting better. My mom & Travis had the same experience, since we all got sick together at Christmas time! It is hard when they're so little to help them when they're sick because there's not much to give them... but this is just a berry extract and perfectly safe for them! There are some cheaper recipes to make your own, but please note that most of them use honey, which should not be given to your little babe under a year! 

4. Little Noses Saline Spray: Colson still hasn't gotten sick, but his nose does get dry & crusty and I've used this to keep it moisturized. It's also nice to have on hand if he would get a really stuffed up nose. I did try the q-tip kind before this, because I didn't want to squirt something up his nose, but they were really hard to use with a wiggly boy! 

5. Hylands Tiny Cold Tablets: This is the first thing I am putting on one of these lists that I haven't actually tried, but I have heard SO many moms sing their praises. I have used other Hylands products & love that they're safe and natural. Sick babies can make a mama nervous so it's nice to have an option to help them!

6. Heating Pad: Ok, this is kind of a weird one. But if you're like me and your baby gets rocked/nursed to sleep, you know it can be difficult to lay them down on a cold mattress without waking them up. On really cold nights, I heat up a hot pack & lay it on C's bed then I have my husband come remove it before I lay him down.. It takes me a bit to get him down so it's just warm by the time I lay him - but always check first if your hot pad gets too hot! 

7. JJCole Bundleme: I got this as a shower gift off my registry & it's become one of those "lifesaver" items! They have another version that lays under the baby & the buckles come through, but I read that there were safety issues so we chose this one that just fits over the carseat. It can be tricky to get baby in & out as they get taller, but we've mastered it and it's pretty easy now!

8. A good lotion - Renew & California Baby: I have mentioned both of these lotions in our 3-4 Month Baby Favorites & 5 Month Baby Favorites. They are total winter essentials! I still love them both, but for dry/wintery skin purposes I'd go with the Renew over the CA baby.

9. Sleep Sacks: We have a pretty energy efficient house, but we have also had a few -30 degree days lately... so these are great! I don't like to dress C in too many layers because I don't want him getting too hot. But we also don't give him a blanket in his crib yet, so these keep him really warm. I think it's something about his legs being free/touching and creating more body heat because I put him in a fleece sleeper a couple of days ago and his legs were so cold when I changed him! These keep him nice & warm but not too hot. 

10. Freezer Meals: I am a HUGE fan of a stocked freezer any season... but there have been a few days recently where there is no way I'm going outside with a baby, not even for food! On days where I need to grocery shop I am so thankful to have meals that are easy to pop in the oven.

Hope these helped some of you! I know not everyone lives in the arctic like me, but if you do, stocking up BEFORE the blizzard is super helpful. Trust me, I learned the hard way!