...1st Year, Day 5

Bear with me I am writing this from the dentist office, so it may not be very coherent;)

Many stores will give you lists of what you need to buy for the first year with your baby.  These lists make sure that you have the necessities (and an over abundance of blankets in my opinion).  I wanted this series to cover what you really need to make it through the day:) 

The last on my list for year 1 is the Little Playzone with Lights and Sound Play Yard. This is a recent edition in our house.  It took us a while to find a solution that kept our son safe, but in a fun way.  Our house is baby proofed and has gates up, but when they first start moving you need to keep them more confined.  We looked at plain gates, but thought it would be fun to have one that was bright and had activities built in.  We have named our play yard "The Bear Fort".  The walls have bear cutouts (perfect for us) on them, and the back wall of the yard has a bunch of activities for our son to do.  There is a phone (he still likes my cellphone better), spinners, a window that open and closes, a mirror (one of his favorites), and the light up buttons that each play a different song.  There is a gate that locks, or you can lift them over the wall.  I can't recommend this yard enough.  I can now go to the bathroom, without worrying about where my son has gone.  He really likes hanging out in it, and it has helped him tremendously with his standing and walking.  The walls are sturdy enough for him to hold on to, and low enough for him to pull up on.  It is a bit of an investment, but it is so worth it:)