9 Month Faves

Again, way late on this one, so am trying my best to remember what goes with which month.

cups

Really, any cups will do. He prefers a Which Wich takeout cup, the fishy cup from the whale bathtub, a top from a baby bottle, and anything an adult might drink out of. He does NOT prefer anything a baby is supposed to drink out of.

Given that none of these is a real toy and can't really be purchased individually, allow me to suggest these (pics are links):

 

Green Sprouts stacking cups

  

Fisher-Price Stack & Roll Cups

Nose Frida 

(a/k/a the snot sucker)

Ok. This looks so gross. I will fully admit I gagged the first time I used it. Yes, it's exactly what it looks like. You put the tube end in baby's nostril and suck the boogers out using the red mouthpiece. WAIT KEEP READING here is why it's not as gross and terrible as you are thinking:

• There is a filter between the nose-going part and the mouth-going part, so boogers can't get through. Also, you would have to have sucking power akin to things I'm not going to make jokes about here to even get CLOSE to the filter, so it's just not possible. It's not going to happen. I promise. 

You're not convinced yet. That's ok.

• It is more effective than the blue bulb syringe from the hospital. I'm not quite sure why, but it just gets good stuff. It's also oddly satisfying to see it come out don't look at me like that like you've never been satisfied by popping a zit or something shut up

• Most important--babies tolerate it much, much better than they do the bulb syringe. I think this is because it doesn't go nearly as far up the nostril--you can't accidentally insert it too far, either--so they get all the payoff without the discomfort. Seriously, Mr C will lie reasonably still and let me use this but screams and turns away when he even sees the blue bulb in my hand. Worth it right there when you're really wrangling the snot monster, I'll tell you that. 

• Tube part can go in the dishwasher so can get really clean whereas I'm never really sure about that bulb. Comes with many replacement filters. 

If you're still not convinced, fine. I'll continue giving them as baby shower gifts and converting people one by one. 

Safety 1st 360 Humidifier

Also from the sick baby category...I've had several humidifiers over the years, but this one is a success so far. Honestly, I just got the cheapest one that seemed adequate, since I always seem to end up throwing humidifiers out after cold season. I don't know if I'm just not good enough at cleaning them, or they really do get gross beyond repair, but...anyway. I wanted something that did the job but I didn't want to pay for extras. This is a great nursery/bedroom option if you're in the market. It's easy to fill (huge bonus) and lasts more than all night. Doesn't seem gross yet. I (and Mr. C) especially like the two nozzles so you can direct mist over a wider area. He likes when I turn it to mist him while he's on the changing table.

                                                   Innobaby EZ Grip Massaging Teether

Another winner from our Citrus Lane box (though it was a few months back, I think). We have the green one. You can't see them, but there are little beads in the center of the flower that rattle around. It's really soft and flexible, so I like that he's not going to bonk himself in the head with it. He just likes to chew on it. Not much more to be said...it's a hit. 

Little Chirpers Sorting Eggs

Fun stuff. These have a lot going on, much of which he can't really get down with yet: matching colors, putting the shapes in the correct places (each egg has a shape on the bottom that corresponds to its spot in the container), matching the facial expressions, and so on. There are also a surprising number of parts that spread across the floor when this is dumped over, so I've taken to only removing one or two and leaving the rest in the box for us to shake. BUT...he really likes them. He almost always has either a chickie or an eggshell in his hand or play area. He also likes to bang them together, and they're hilarious when they chirp. They're good for gnawing on and he just digs 'em.