What Cant You Live Without?

I have a 3 year old and a three month old.
1) my all time can't live w/o, the swing.
2) the lay under activity jym
3) the binky
4) I travel frequently with both kids so the DVD player in the car
5) my husband

Here are 5 things that make my day easier for my infant:
1. baby swing - the kind that goes back and forth and side to side
2. baby bouncer
3. lay under baby gym
4. the exersaucer
5. a high chair with wheels (so I can roll it into the kitchen while I cook)
*I feel like all I do is rotate my 4 month old from one toy to the next all day long!

5 things for my toddler:
1. double sided easel
2. activity workbooks
3. crayons and coloring books
4. the internet - to find crafts and activities for him to do
5. a Blue's Clues movie - because some days I need a 30 minute break!

5 things that help me personally get through the day:
1) knowing my husband will be home at 6
2) a bathtub to escape to at night
3) a good book to read in the bathtub
4) a dishwasher
5) a Mom's Night Out once a month with my close friends to vent

What a great idea!!

I guess the first things I thought about were actually not material things but rather things that make a difference in your child's life:

1. The dishes can wait until tomorrow. . .meaning the time with your baby is precious and slips by so fast so don't worry that there are dirty dishes in the sink or the beds aren't made. . spend that time soaking up your precious little one!

2. Intuition. . .a doctor can always tell you what they think accoring to a book. . BUT, MOM KNOWS BEST! If you ever feel that you disagree, than you are probably right. . .a Mom knows her child best!!

3. Hugs, Kisses and "I Love You's". . .what more can you give your child. . .the love you show your child is the most imortant thing!!

4. Husband. . .you can't live without him, so don't forget about him. Once the baby arrives it is easy to put the baby first (which puts the husband second). . .but, remember, without him. . .there would be no baby. Teach the baby how important your husband is to you by loving him unconditionally!!

5.God. . .without Him, nothing is possible! Teach your child how important it is to have a relationship with the one person that made everything possible!

Okay, and of course I can't stop at #5:). .. so the last one is:

6. ME. . .there has to be some "me time". . .without it you can't function. At first it is always hard to leave the baby (because let's face it. . .no one takes care of baby like Mom does:). . .but it has to be done. You have to rejuvenate yourself so you can be the best Mom that you can be to your child!

Hope this helps! Again, what a wonderful gift to give to someone!

I know you already know my answers but I had to respond so here goes:

1. Jumperoo when she was little....Walker now that she older

2. CLOTH DIAPERS I feel like I am doing something good for her and for the environment everytime I put one on her or when I have to wash them and not throw them away

3. My sling because all babies need to be close to their Mommys as much as possible

4. Of course my boobs because she is a total booby baby and how else is she supposed to eat????!!!!

5. Babylegs-they are just soooo cute

6. The Bumbo chair....what a life saver for a parent who has an independent child and wants to sit up at 3 and 4 months old but cant do it on their own yet.

Things I can't live without
1) prepacked diaper bag. As soon as I get home, I refill my diaper bag. It's always ready to go when I am. I learned that after being stranded at a store with no diapers!

2) Playtex Nurser bottles. They've made my life so much easier!

3) A good stroller with drink holders for mommy and daddy.

4) The pack and play. My dd slept in it till she was almost 6 mos old and I still use it for keeping her contained so mommy can take a shower.

5) Playtex sippy cups. They don't leak and are extremely durable.

6) My husband. He's a wonderful father too. Without his support and love I'd have gone crazy a long time ago.

7) A nice bottle of wine. Sometimes you just need a drink to unwind after a rough day!

My choices are real basic, but they mattered and made life easier!
1. disposable diapers...don't think I could deal with washing out the soiled cloth ones---have a hard enough time with my 3yr old's undies.
2. baby monitor....a need to always hear what's going on!
3. instant formula....was never a breastfeeding mom!
4. Rocking Chair...Both my kids love to be rocked, a regular chair wouldn't do the trick.
5. mommy's night out...A chance to just shop, or drive somewhere and clear your head for an evening. I am able to cope with the demands of motherhood if I had can get even just an hour to myself outside of the house.
Hope this helps!!

What a fun idea!
I love:
1. Baby wipes. I have them in almost every room in the house. I can clean up practically anything with a babywipe. I carry them in my purse and use them myself when using the restroom -- love em!

2. Doorway jumper. My kids never really liked the swing, but they all loved jumping around around in the jumper. it was a great way to contain them when I needed to get something done.

3. Disposable diapers. I have to agree with the other moms, I also love the convenience. I do so much laundry already, I can't imagine adding dirty diapers to the pile.

4. Plastic toy links. I loved these things, I attached them to the stroller, high chair, jumper, shopping cart... they kept me from having to constantly pick up toys, and kept the toys from constantly hitting the dirty floor in public places.

5. My double stroller. Once babies number two and three graced our family I came to truly appreciate my sturdy old Graco two seater :-)

Now my special awards for (in my opinion) the biggest wastes of money on your baby:
1. Diaper pails -- all of them end up stinking. Why keep it around anyways? Just wrap it in a plastic bag and get rid of it.
2. Wipes warmer -- talk about being spoiled, does Baby really need a prewarmed wipe?
3. Fancy baby bathtubs -- Baby is small enough at first to fit right in the sink, and then what's wrong with the regular bathtub? Place a folded towel in the bottom, add a few inches of water, you're done. No extra junk to clean and store.

I couldn't live one day without the books my son has loved sooo much even in infancy but most of all the smiles, hugs and I love you's that come up out of the blue (they make EVERY rough moment worth it!)
Other can't live withouts:
Exersaucer! Swing, and the floor of toys to play with all day long. (Seriously, where would we be if we didn't have a toy we didn't see and steped on it only to jump to high heaven!)

I couldn't live without the following things, but rather than them being material, I am choosing to write about the top 5 things I couldn't live without doing to add to the wellbeing of my kids.
1. Reading to my kids every single day
2. Telling my kids that I'm so lucky to be their mother and how proud I am of them
3. Cooking my kids well balanced meals
4. Having "me time", even if it just includes reading a book I love or taking a relaxing bath
5. Teaching my kids about love by expressing my feelings and affection towards my husband

How fun to be writing a book! Hmmm...let me think!

1.Bassinet, saved me from running up and down the stairs!

2. Pink Salve for diaper rash

3. Swing, all 3 of my kids loved the swing

4. Vibrating bouncy seat, again, all 3 loved it! Stayed in it till their little feet hung over the end.

5. non spill sippy cups are always life savers!

6. The bumbo seat, loved that too!

Oh, you only wanted 5 hehe! Ok you got 6!

S.

1. A happy Husband (If he always comes first, you will too!)
2. Swing
3. jumper
4. square blankets (1 1/4 yard 45 inch wide fabric)
5. Pat The Bunny (book)

M.

I have 2 girls one is 8 and 1 is 2 1/2 so I will list 2 for each girl and 1 for me!

8 year old:

1. Barbie & 2. Activity workbooks / coloring books

2 year old:

1. Magnetic Doodler (the doodler with the magnetic pen attached) she loves that thing! & 2. her cabbage patch baby

For me: a good book for sanity!

Good luck moms!

When my daughter was an infant I would say No. 1, by far, her swing! She even slept in it for the first few months!

2. Aquaphor for diaper rash. In my opinion, it works better than anything out there.

3. My baby bjorn carrier.

4. Wine/beer! - Completely kidding!!!

My daughter is now two and the thing that she cannot live without is her blanket. It goes everywhere with us!
Great idea for your friend. I'm sure your book will come in very handy for her and for others who read the responses you receive from posting this! :)

I absolutely need to have my baby wrap. It's similar to a sling, but it wraps over both shoulders and supports the child. My youngest is 2 year old, so we've been using it less and less since birth. But now I have another one on the way though and will once again be a babywearing mama full time.

Other things I used often in the first year besides my breasts (for nursing LOL!) include a vibrating bouncy seat (like for when mom needs a shower alone), little potty (we did elimination communication), a stack of prefolds (even if you don't cloth diaper they are great for spit up, spills, etc), and that's all I can think of right now.

Now that my kids are 2, 4 1/2, and 7 1/2, I really like the Kolocraft folding version of The Learning Tower. The kids stand on it and help me cook. We also have lots of other tools for them to help, small brooms, a Vacuum cleaner with a handle that adjusts low enough for the kids to use, and rags and spray bottles they can help clean with. I don't make my kids clean all the time though. They get to play too! I think our trampoline with net was truly a best investment!

COULD NOT LIVE THROUGH WITHOUT HAVING TEETHING TABLETS ,THOSE WERE A LIFESAFER.
OR DISPOABLE DIAPERS OR POWERED FORMUAL ,
HOW DID OUR PARENT SAND GRANDPARENTS EVER DO IT lol WERE ARE SUCHA SPOIL GENERATION .

This was hard for me becuse when I really think about it I could probably live w/o most things.
1.Disposable diapers-i did use cloth for awhile on my first and did fine, but it's the convenience i guess

2.baby monitor-more so with my 2nd and 3rd bc I could take my oldest kids outside to play in the yard, but still hear the baby

3.swing-all my kids loved it

4.a good baby blanket!

5.a great breastpump like the medela- my son literally nursed every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. so w/o it i could never leave him for more than that amount of time.

6. my favorite thing now is the thermometer that you brush across the forehead. None of my kids like sitting still fo rthe underarm therm. and it allows me to check their temp w/o waking them. Truely a wonderful product and well worth the $30!

I could not live without my husband, he is AMAZING, puzzles for my 3 year old, a room for my boys (I have friends who share rooms with their chidlren) and my phone to call my husband when he's at work when I need an adult to talk to!

#1 Lanolin for sore b-feeding nipples
#2 boudreaux's butt paste
#3 homeopathic teething tablets
#4 every parenting book/magazine I can get my hands on~I
don't always agree with them, but they give others'
perspectives
#5 support (and faith that I know what I'm doing) from family
and friends
and most importantly,
#6 mother's intuition----I am a mother to 4, ages 10, 5, 4, and 1; the most important thing I have ever had as a parent is the ability to believe in myself, as their mother, you really DO know what's best for your children.

I would say I could not live with out Jesus. He is the one who helps me with my son. He gives me everything I need for my son. He provides everything that I need for him. He tells me how to take care of him. He gives me wisdom what to do when I feel like I do not know what to do. He speaks to my heart about what is right and what is wrong. He tells me ahead of time. He does not lie to me. He is always truthful. He will be truthful to you too if you put your trust in Jesus. Be blessed. :) MY HUSBAND AND SON WHO I LOVE DEARLY.......

Here are a few things I could not live without with having all 3 of my girls.

1. mother's intuition - like another mother said a mom knows her child best.

2. My husband "the best daddy ever"

3. plastic bowl in my kitchen. Why buy toys when they love to play with bowls and pots and pans. LOL

4. Books reading time is a calming time with the children.

5. A nice comfortable rocking chair to rock the sick children asleep.

6. A wonderful Mom and Dad that knows all the natural remedies that fixed all my hurts when I was a young child.

7. A camera to catch all the moments in life that we can look back on.

8. LOVE LOVE AND MORE LOVE

9. Knowing that i have family and friends around to help at any time.

10. a special stuffed animal or blanket

11. Most of all GOD with out him we have nothing at all.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Great idea!
1. A&D ointment. I swear we should have bought stock in it.
2. Leak-proof sippy cups. After trying nearly all of them, Playtex seem to be the best.
3. SWING! Ahhh, time well spent in the swing helping to calm colic.
4. Any and all books. I cannot stree enough the importance of reading to and with your child.
5. Boppy pillow. Not only for feeding, great for tummy time to work on neck muscles. Also great for sitting up and lounging on the floor as head rest watching Baby Einstein.