E is now almost 15 months old and live changes everyday. I remember before E came around thinking about all the things I thought I would need in order to care for the little guy. I added them to my registry and went along my way. Now that I look back at it, there are some definite winners and losers from the list and somethings that I didn't even think about. I should tell you I'm not getting paid in anyway for mentioning these products. This is from one mother to another.
Big Winner: B.O.B. Stroller
I have more miles on this thing than my bike at this point and it handles every mile like a champ. It's easy to push, easy to control and E seems to really like it. In fact, I think so many pictures of the stroller (and E of course).
Little hint...look on ebay and craigslist. These hold up really well and sometimes you find a deal.
Other Greats:
Medela In Style Breastpump
If you're a breastfeeding mom, I highly recommend Medela's In Style pump. I used it everyday for 9 months. It traveled with me on business trips, we were joined at the hip. I never had any issues with it. Very reliable.
Little hint...I borrowed a pump from my sister in law. I know they say you aren't necessarily supposed to but I wasn't sure if I was having more than one child so I didn't want to invest and she was willing to share (I just bought new pump parts, hoses, etc).
JJ Cole Car Seat Cover:
If you're having a baby in the winter months, this is a MUST. It saves you from having to try to put a coat on them, and get them strapped in. It also does shield them from the elements while keeping them warm and cozy. We loved it!
Arm and Hammer Diaper Pails
This kept E's room smelling odor free all the time. It has a little pocket of Baking Soda that drops down every time you put a diaper in it. Ours has a weird hang up with it closes. It makes a lot of noise and doesn't close smoothly. We even bought a different one and the smell was so bad we went back to this one and just deal with the weird, clunky close.
Boppy Bare Naked Pillow
Can you say awesome? This was so versatile. I used it when I was breastfeeding but also, I used it to allow E to sit up when he wanted to play on the ground or do tummy time with. I highly recommend having one.
E loved this thing. In fact, he still does. He walks up to it and plays around with it still. It's a little pricey but a great toy that can be used long beyond their first year.
Nest Diaper Bags Hudson
Let me preface this. I love my video monitor. I wish I had this one that was color but the one I have is great. I think a video monitor can be used for years. Especially as they grow out of their cribs. My plan is to keep E's setup so I can see what he's doing when he's just playing around or supposed to be taking naps.
Mine has this clamp on the bottom of it that is supposed to secure to the crib but it doesn't stay in the secured position so often times, I found myself looking at the wall. Here's a small clip of what mine can capture. I would love this one which has an eye that just sits on a shelf.Modified Bath Towel
So this isn't something you can buy at Amazon but it is great. My friend made them for me and I made them for my Sister in Law when she was pregnant. It's a regular bath towel (I picked the softest white towel I could find), with a strong grosgrain ribbon sewn creatively on to the middle of the towel in a loop big enough to put your head through. The reason...it makes it so easy to use both hands to pick up your wet baby and pull him close to you. Saves you from having to lay him down and try to wrap him up.
Nest Diaper Bags
Nothing makes me happier than buying a nice purse but when baby comes along my purses got retired for a while. My husband bought me this diaper bag and I LOVE it. It's huge and doesn't look like a diaper bag.
Buy yourself a nice diaper bag. It makes a mommy happy. Might I suggest the Nest Diaper bags? If I could, I'd own every one of them.
Hmm..wonder if they need a bloggy spokesperson. Doubt they need my help.
Not So Greats:
First Years Bottle Warmer
For us, this was a bust. I didn't think it worked fast enough. It just wasn't convenient. I ended up having more success running hot water in the sink and submersing the bottle. Now I will say, I did use the cooler on the back side of the warmer because it does fit bottle perfectly and now that we live in a 2 story house, I would take 2 bottles up just in case E woke up in the middle of the night. Saved me lots of trips up and down.
We noticed very early on that E was NOT a fan of swaddling. When I could get him to do it, I found that using one of our receiving blankets was easier for me. So these for us, were just not worth it.
Ok, so that's some of the big ticket items. I obviously have a ton of opinions on lots of products but I don't want to make this post a novel.
What are some of your best and worst baby products?





Emmie loved being swaddled so one of our big winners were the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddles ... amazing!
ReplyDeleteI also loved my Moby Wrap and Lillie Baby Everywear :)
I agree with all your bests ... we have many of those and that is the activity center I was planning on ordering!
I'm so glad she loved being swaddled. E just never took to it. I thought after watching Happiest Baby on the Block, it was going to be the miracle worker. Not so much. He didn't even want a pacifier.
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