With so many baby items on the market, it's hard to know what's worth the money spent. Some things you can get away with a) not buying at all or b) buying the cheapest version, and some things are just worth every dime spent. I've compiled a list of my cant-live-withouts, and reasons why I love them.
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| Petunia Pickle Bottom swaddling blankets |
I received a PPB layette set, and there was a blanket within the set like the ones pictured above. They are super soft, organic cotton and the perfect size for swaddling. They have a little stretch to them which makes it easy to crank it tight and keep those houdini arms in check.
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| Munchkin refillable diaper disposal bags |
I have this little refillable disposal bag dispenser in my diaper bag. It's filled with a roll of bags for quick disposal of those nasty blowouts. I like how compact it is. Refillable bags are available in 3 packs. I got ours at Target for under $4.
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Lap Pads
My sister in law made me some lap pads to place on top of my changing pad cover. After doing a handful of changes, I quickly understood just how useful they were. They are much easier to pull off after your child turns into a fire hose on the table. Yank it off, and put a new one on..Voila, you're ready for the next change. I ended up making a bunch more since we go through them so fast. |
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| Dr. Browns Bottles with Airflow regulator |
I was gifted these magical bottles and we love them. Very little excess air is taken in, making for a less gassy feeding and a happier baby. There are many parts to this bottle, but luckily, it doesn't take an engineer to figure out how to assemble one..pretty straight forward. We've got the 4 oz. bottles and are about to move up to the 12 oz size as soon as Sal makes the move to 5 oz feedings in the next month or so. We tried Avent and Gerber, and we're not as pleased with them because he took on so much air.
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| Hair Dryer |
Call me crazy ( or mother of the year) for this one, but my hair dryer now lives on Sal's changing table. It started out in there to dry his little leg creases and bum during a case of diaper rash, and has taken on a new identity as the baby shhhhhshhher. Nick noticed that whenever he'd turn it on during diaper changes, that Sal would stop fussing. We now use it when he's fussing while trying to get to sleep. I swear, he is out within 1-2 minutes of running it in the room. For that, I can deal with having to share my blow dryer with an infant. I may even get him is very own-but for now, it works for me to blow dry in his room since it works double duty. I get my hair dry, and he sleeps. Winning.
We have the Chico key fit carseat, and the snap in stroller base. It's lightweight, and easy to open and close with one hand. I have mastered the whole baby from the car to the stroller circus in 30 seconds. Yes, I timed myself. I'm a dork, I know.
We fumbled with pacifiers for a few weeks, and he just was not having it. I tried the gumdrops, the nuks and the Avent ones, and they all came out quicker than they went in. As a last ditch effort,I opened a pack of MAM pacifiers he received as a gift. With a little prodding ( thanks dr Karp and happiest baby on the block video), he started sucking on his pacifier. He still isn't a huge fan ( he prefers his hands), but if he is going to take one, this is the only kind he likes. They are a bit smaller than the other brands we tried, so I'm guessing it's just more of a fit thing, than anything else.
Okay, confession time...I live in these tanks. I've got three of them I rotate through. They are great because they have a pocket for leakpads, and the straps are not only adjustable, but they are convertible. It's a breath of fresh air from the super honkin wide straps on nursing bras. I think there is a serious need for cute nursing bras..the wide straps just don't float my boat..the straps on these tanks are narrower and can be worn crisscrossed, halter or traditional, and the clip doesn't show as obvious as other nursing tanks do. They're snug enough to wear under normal shirts and I like that they sorta help squeeze my leftovers in like lightweight Spanx.
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Graco Pack & Play with Newborn Napper
www.graco.com
The newborn napper rocks. It's soft and cuddly and vibrates gently. He's been in it since his first night home. There's also a nightlight on the console which I've used so that I can obsessively check on him in the middle of the night without turning on the overhead lights in the room.
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Pottery barn sells a sleep sheep. One of my friends sent this to Sal, saying that it worked for her 2 kids--and it is my new BFF. I don't know what we'd do without the sheep. It plays 4 white noise sounds ( rain, heartbeat, ocean waves and a creepy whales under water noise). Its also got a timers and volume control. We've got it cranked on maximum volume and upside down next to Sal. It's his bedtime buddy.
Love.love.love his kicky pants sleepers. They're made of bamboo so they are seriously almost as soft as a baby's bottom. I want some for myself! I also like that they're cut a bit bigger in the booty, so the Gpant diapers I use fit in them a bit easier than with his other pjs. Too bad they're like $30 each! Worth it though.
If I could, I would dress him in these footless one piece rompers every day. They are easy in and outs, and I don't have to mess with a onesie over his head, and pants to match. I'm excited to find some short sleeve and shorts ones for summer.
There's probably a ton that I missed, and if I think of them, I'll edit and add later. What are your can't live withouts?
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