Annie’s Favorite Things: 3-Month-Old Must-Haves

I’d like to think that no one on this planet knows Annie better than I do. I spent 39 weeks with her before she even entered this world, and I was the only one who got to feel every little kick, every movement, every turn, every flutter. I loved it. It felt so special. Sacred, even. (I don’t think I’ve ever used the word sacred before!)

So imagine my surprise when Annie came bursting into our lives, and suddenly it felt like I didn’t know her at all. I didn’t understand her cries. I wasn’t sure when she was hungry. I was never really sure whether she was sleepy or just needed to burp.

But it’s been three months now, and I’m back to feeling like I’m the one who knows Annie best. I know her cries now. I can tell if she’s overtired or overstimulated, if she’s had enough tummy time for the day, or if she’s gassy. (Most of the time, the answer is gassy.)

It has been so cool watching Annie grow and change over the past three months. She has an amazing personality, and I admire the way she wakes up smiling every single day. I’m trying to be more like her in so many ways. She still loves to snuggle — something I demand she love until she’s at least 33 — and she finally fits into her size 0–3-month clothes. (I packed up and stored all her preemie and newborn stuff! Tear! And by “stored” I mean it’s all in a bin and Mom, when you visit later this month, can you take it all and keep it at your house forever? Thanks!)

Do I have it all figured out? HAHAHAHAHA no. And I’m sure that I still won’t when Annie is 33. But day by day, we’re all getting the hang of things.

At three months old, here are some things I’m loving and Annie seems to be loving, too.

The Fisher Price Rock N Play swing: When I was pregnant, I asked parents on Instagram what their one newborn must-have was, and the Rock N Play swept the comments section. Unsurprisingly, Annie loves hers. She hangs out in it, she naps in it, and one night we got her to sleep seven hours by letting her sleep in it. (No, it’s not approved for sleep. Yes, we were desperate.) I’m trying to mix things up — to have her nap in her crib and not always default to the swing — so she doesn’t get too used to being in motion to fall asleep. But yes, I agree, this is a must-have.

Baby Fish & Baby Giraffe Books: Annie got these books for Christmas — Baby Fish from Brian’s sister and Baby Giraffe from my brother and sister-in-law! Funny! Great siblings think alike? Annie is mesmerized by these finger puppet books. So is Ellie.

Bath towels: What’s cuter than a clean baby in a hooded animal towel? We wrap Annie up in these after her bath every night. (We use this tub in the sink.)

This baby monitor: Brian was in charge of picking out the baby monitor, so I can’t say I did my research here, nor do I know why he picked this one. But I use it, now that Annie naps in her crib!

Bonds Wondersuits: The best footie onesies! I love these! Hence why Annie has a whole bunch. There are so many fun patterns and prints to choose from! (And they zipper from the top and bottom — great for diaper changes!)

This cozy swaddle: Annie was busting out of the SwaddleMe swaddles, even though it says they are good for babies up to 14 pounds and she’s nowhere near that… So I picked this one up at Target, and it’s soft like a blanket but still has the easy velcro swaddle feature. Plus, it converts into an arms-free swaddle, which we’ll get to eventually.

Rattle socks: Now that Annie is more aware of her surroundings and is developing some coordination, she is loving these socks, which have little puffball rattles at the end. She just sits there and shakes her feet and laughs at herself.

This portable white noise machine: The other day, I took Annie for a walk during her naptime. But she wouldn’t fall asleep. I busted out the white noise machine, turned it on, and bam! Sleeping baby!

This black and white book: Dwayne Wade showed his baby a black and white book, so I went out and bought a black and white book. Babies are into high-contrast things, apparently, and Annie just stares at this book. Sometimes she laughs at the butterfly. I don’t know why. I guess they have an inside joke together or something.

This play gym: There are so many really ugly play mats and play gyms out there. I get that they’re not supposed to be pretty and are designed to be fun and interactive for the baby. But I like this one because it’s kinda pretty and interactive! After Annie wakes up and gets a diaper change, I put her on her play mat and we listen to the Moana soundtrack and she laughs and smiles. It’s my favorite time of the day.

This mobile: Pregnant Ali was very excited to get a cute mobile to hang over the crib. New-mom Ali learned that you actually shouldn’t hang stuff over the crib because 1. OMG what if it falls on the baby? And 2. It’s stimulating, and the goal of crib time is to be asleep. Not stimulated. So I take the giraffes down when it’s naptime or bedtime, but during happy time, Annie is transfixed by these giraffes. She follows them as they move and it’s pretty fun to watch.

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