First Year Favorites

Well, I made it back from my trip, and I'm still recovering. I went to bed at 8:30 last night! I'm going to get some pictures up on here soon, but long story short, I lost all my pictures that I took with my camera :( I'm going to get some from my cousin, and then I'll get them posted!

I wanted to write today about some of our first year favorites for Harper. I know a lot of people will do favorites by month or every couple of months, but I just decided that I would post some of the essentials that we couldn't have lived without!

I definitely didn't breastfeed for the whole 12 months, but I did love the Medela pump that I used while I did. I borrowed an older model/style from a relative but for the next baby, I'm going to purchase this one:

I would suggest any of the Medela brand pumps for anyone that is having a baby and wants to breastfeed/pump. 

We also love our Diaper Genie Elite and are still using it. The refills are a little pricey, but I think it's worth it to keep the stink away!

We followed the suggestion of many people and went with the Chicco KeyFit 30 Travel System in the Limonata color. I thought that we could use it for our next baby, whether it be a boy or girl. I don't know that they sell this color anymore, but any of the styles would be great! Harper can actually still fit in this seat, although we don't still use it exclusively.

We used the Pampers Swaddlers and Huggies Little Snugglers diapers until she grew out of Newborn and size 1. Once we got to size 2, we started using Luvs. We liked the Pampers and Huggies when she was little because they would show you if she was wet or dirty. Once we got to size 2, the Luvs have worked great ever since and are more cost friendly. I would suggest to anyone having a baby to have a diaper and wipes shower. I had one at work, and we didn't have to buy diapers or wipes for what seems like months and months!

We also got one of the Aden + Anais blankies as a shower gift, and Harper LOVES it! They are very thin and she has already wore one to shreds, but we bought a pack of two to replace it. She sleeps with it every night.

Another must have would be the Boon drying rack (make sure you get the biggest one!).

Knowing that Harper would outgrow her first car seat pretty soon, we purchased the new Chicco NextFit a couple of months ago. We really like it because it seems very heavy duty. It has lots of padding and is very heavy, so I feel like it's really safe.

Once Harper started eating "snacks" I saw these Itzy Ritzy snack bags that I thought were so cute. You can get them in different sizes and patterns and can put them in the dishwasher! These are great for younger or older kids.

Harper has TONS of toys and has a lot of favorites, but I thought I would list two of her favorite larger items. I bought this Fisher Price Laugh and Learn house from a co-worker a couple of months ago, and I'm so glad I did! It keeps her busy a lot of the time.

She got this Radio Flyer wagon for her birthday, and it is definitely a favorite. We go on lots of walks around the neighborhood.

Her favorite thing to play with outside of everything else though is a book. She has TONS of books and loves to take them out of their bin, look through them and have us read them to her over and over. I always try to pick up a new book when I'm out and about and other family members do as well, so she has quite a collection. 

We are getting some cooler weather here in Arkansas finally, so I hope you all have a great first week of Fall!