Rock n Play Sleepers by Fischer Price: These have been a lifesaver for us! Since our triplets were preemies, two of them spent the first six weeks of their lives in the NICU and one spent two months in the NICU. Besides the times that they were being fed or held (when we visited), they were in their beds (isolettes at first and then bassinets). The Rock n Play Sleepers are in some ways similar to the hospital bassinets to which they were accustomed, so they probably helped with the transition home. They are portable which means you can keep your baby nearby. Since all of our babies had/ have reflux to some extent, these were the perfect solution to keep their heads elevated when sleeping. For the first few weeks the babies were home, they slept in the Rock n Plays in our bedroom which was perfect since our bedroom is small but these actually fit! Last week we even disassembled them, packed them in a backpack, hiked into a climbing area, and set them up so the babes were cozy while we climbed!
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| I'm holding Faith while Jack and Alexis are sleeping in their Rock n Plays at the crag |
Kiinde Kozii bottle warmer: We were given an Avent bottle warmer that our friends were no longer using, and I wasn't really sure if I would use it since I know many people just heat up water in the microwave and use that to heat up the bottle. We realized pretty quickly, though, that we needed something that was consistent that would stop warming the bottle on its own. The Avent warmer was okay, but you had to be right there to pull the bottle out when it was done heating so that the milk did not overheat, and this was not convenient as we had multiple babies to tend to. After doing some research, Micah found the perfect solution: the Kiinde Kozii. The water is kept in a reservoir beneath the warming area and when you set the timer the water rises up to heat the bottle. When the timer runs out, the water lowers back into the reservoir so that the bottle does not overheat. When the babies first got home from the hospital we could only feed one at a time since we had to feed them in the side lying position, so we would heat one bottle while changing the first baby's diaper, heat the second while feeding the first, and heat the third while feeding the second. This was great and worth every penny we spent on it. We are now using a combination of the Avent warmer (which takes half the time) and the Kiinde Kozii as we can then get all of the bottles heated at the same time since we often do dual feeds these days.
Dr. Brown's formula mixing pitcher: When you're making formula for multiple babies, it is most efficient to make a large quantity at a time since it involves careful measuring and a lot of mixing. Dr. Brown's mixing pitcher has been great for us and I would highly recommend this to anyone with multiples, or even a person with a single baby who eats formula.
Kitchen scale: This is one of those things that I'm kicking myself for not buying as soon as the babies were home. Baby formula must be carefully measured and it is a time consuming process (there is a warning on the canister that if you are not careful in your measurements, it could result in severe harm to your baby). Since we make a pitcher of formula at a time, we need 15 scoops of formula in every pitcher which takes time and it is easy to lose count of the scoops. At first we were counting the scoops every time we made a pitcher, but then it occurred to me that we could pre-scoop into quart sized bags so it wasn't so stressful when we needed another batch of formula. Then when Katie was here she figured out that 15 scoops is about equal to 1.5 cups, so I started using that method but I knew it wasn't perfect even though it saved time. Months ago I stumbled across something on Enfamil's website saying the most accurate way to measure formula is by weight and on Monday I finally decided to buy a kitchen scale on Amazon for $15. Why didn't I do this sooner?!? It now takes a minute to scoop the formula and I know it is 99% accurate! Please do yourself a favor and buy one if you are making large batches of formula.
Pack n Play: We have a small house and we have had many family and friends come by to help with the babies. We also have a cat. I knew I wanted a safe place for the babies to be able to lay down to sleep or play that would be in a central location but keep them off of the floor so that they were not in danger of being stepped on (I know, I'm a little paranoid) or being bit or scratched by the cat. The Pack n Play was the perfect solution for us! As the babies get bigger it's harder to put all three in there at once for safety reasons, but we sure have gotten a lot of use out of the Pack n Play so far and I'm sure we will continue to use it as the babies get bigger for play time and for traveling (we actually have two Pack n Plays).
Video monitor (aka Grandma cam): Micah and his dad picked out our "baby" monitor, which is actually a home security monitor by Logitech and not a regular baby monitor. Although it has taken some time to get it set up so that it worked correctly, it is now great! We have two cameras in the baby room, one on the girls' side of the room and one on Jack's side, so that we can see perfectly into their cribs. It is a color monitor, and it has great night vision in the dark. And of course, my mom's favorite feature is that you can log in remotely from a phone or iPad and check on the babies, so she takes advantage of this multiple times a day since she lives in Michigan and we're in New Mexico. It will be nice for us to be able to check on the babies too when we leave them home with sitters (hopefully that doesn't deter anyone from wanting to babysit for us though!).
Baby scale: One of my mom's co-workers gave us her baby scale, and I would say this is a necessity for anyone with a preemie since there is so much concern about their weight gain. We don't go crazy weighing the babies all of the time as we know that their weights can fluctuate from day to day, but we do weigh them twice a week to make sure they are gaining. The girls have lost a few ounces here and there, and this has helped us focus on their bottles more to make sure they are getting enough to eat.
Baby carriers: We have two different carries - the Baby Bjorn and the Ergo Baby. Both are good for different reasons. The Bjorn is great for Jack as he loves to look around and the Ergo (with the infant insert) is great for Lexi as she loves to snuggle in. Although you are restricted as to what you can do with a carrier on (no emptying the bottom rack of the dishwasher or other tasks that you need to bend over for), it is good to have around in case you really need to get something done and a baby is fussy. It also makes it possible to wear one baby and carry another (this has happened with our triplets, although luckily they are all pretty easy and don't need to be held all of the time). I'm sure we will use carriers even more as the babies grow so that we can get out and hike.
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| Ready to hike in to the climbing area! We're also borrowing a Boba wrap, which Micah is wearing with Faith in this pic. Our friend Dave carried Jack in the Bjorn and I carried Lexi in the Ergo. |
Double Snap n Go by Baby Trend: This double stroller has been perfect for us so far as it fitts through store doors, is great for keeping two babies in at restaurants, and it's so easy to use. I just wish they made a triple, but that would not be as convenient since it would be bigger. I expect to use this for awhile since our babies are on the small side and they will be able to stay in their infant car seats for awhile. Another plus, this is pretty inexpensive as far as strollers go.
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| The girls in the stroller in Santa Fe |
Mountain Buggy Urban triple stroller: I actually don't think this is made anymore, but we were fortunate to find one on Craig's List that was being sold in Santa Fe. It is a very pricey stroller, but we got a deal since we bought it used and I believe it will be worth every penny. Although I have only used it three times so far since we just got it this week, I'm in love. It is so easy to push even though it's pretty big, and I anticipate being able to run with it as the babies get a little bigger. The major downside is that it's huge so it won't fit through store doors, it's too big for some sidewalks, and it doesn't fit through the opening in the fence to get on the bike path by our house, but we didn't buy it for those things since we already have the Double Snap n Go. It's going to be awesome for long walks when I just need to get out of the house with the babies during this winter sick season, and I'm sure I'll find a way to get on the bike path even if it means taking the long way around.
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| Our triple stroller! |
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