Let’s be honest. We are living in the future when it comes to baby products, especially compared to what our parents had for us. With there being so much out there, it can overwhelming. There seems to be a product for just about everything. As a mom to a three month old and almost three year old, I’m here to tell you want you really need, what actually works and what can make those early months a heck of a lot easier.
1 // Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play
When someone asks for my number one baby product must-have, the Rock ‘n Play is always my answer. This is what we use in our bedroom as the baby’s bassinet for the first few months. It is super light weight and folds up to easily move from room to room. This one is even automated and will rock your baby for you! Hello, sleep for mama! My husband and I have also always been big fans of the Rock ‘n Play because of the shape, the baby can’t roll over in it which lets us rest easy! My oldest slept in this in our bedroom for about eight weeks before we transitioned her into the crib in her room. My second is going on twelve weeks in this thing and I’m still not sure when we will tranisition her. She sleeps great in this thing and I don’t want to rock the boat just yet!
The Boppy has become a very popular baby product and I’m hear to tell you- believe the hype, guys! This pillow can be used as a nursing positioner, perfect to lay the baby in to keep them propped up (especially for those reflux-prone babes out there), and even great to sit behind baby when they first learn to sit up but may still need a little cushion in case they fall back. This pillow really does it all and has a removable cover for easy washing. I have tossed the pillow itself in the washing machine quite a few times and it has held up great! This second around, I bought a second one just to be able to keep one upstairs and one downstairs- it’s that good!
Some people are pro-pacifier, some are not. Some people don’t want to get their baby started on one, just to have to take it away. To my husband and I, the couple days of our daughter whined for her paci when we took them away (about a month before her second birthday) were totally worth the almost two years of smoothing (and sleep for us) it provided. To each their own- you do you, mama! These are the only pacifiers we used. They are weighted so if the baby spits it out, they don’t go flying onto the floor. The larger size also made it easy for her to find on her own in the middle of the night. She could easily find it, pop it back in on her own and self-soothe. We also loved that with the larger size, they didn’t get easily lost. We originally started with [these] from the hospital and still used them on pacifier clips like [these] for on the go, in the car seat, etc. But while at home we literally only had two of these WubbaNub Pacifiers and never lost one. That also helped when the time did come to take them away, we didn’t have to worry about her finding old, lost ones.
4 // Graco Glider Elite 2-in-1 Baby Swing
Both of our babies have ended up being big bouncer fans. They love the bouncing motion and the sitting up. That is why I love this combo! I love that the bouncer comes right off, then back on again for easy storage, taking up minimum floor space. I like that the actual foot print of this swing is small too, compared to others. The bouncer reclines as well which is great to be able to sit them up more as they get bigger. It also has a built-in sounds machine that helps drown out any unwanted background noise. For the price, and getting two products in one, you cant beat this!
I absolutely love baby wearing and have found myself doing it even more this time around, simply because the kids have me outnumbered now, haha! Baby wearing is the best, hands free way to get around without a bulky stroller. The closeness and movement of me walking has always been very comforting to them and they end up always sleeping, WIN! This wrap is perfect for newborns and the first few months, depending on the size of the baby. It’s super soft and comfty, too!
6 // Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Carrier
Speaking of baby sizes … for those of you that don’t know, my second baby was huge! Still is! Ten pounds at birth and still growing like a weed. That being said, she grew out of the wrap carrier fairly quickly, versus my first on who used it for months. She now loves this carrier! It is much sturdier and lets her feel more secure and comfortable. She’s fifteen pounds now and I love this $30 carrier as much as I love the $100 ErgoBaby carrier. I bought this on on a whim because seriously I love baby wearing and it has been totally worth it! It is perfect for babies weighing 8 to 32 pounds and can convert into four different positions. I’m curious if I will continue to love it as much as she gets bigger -I’ll report back! But even for the few months I have gotten out of it so far, it’s been totally worth it!
7 // Graco Ready2Grow Click Connect Double Stroller
This has hands down been my favorite “new” baby product this time around. This stroller can be configured twelve different ways, including holding two Graco Click Connect infant carseats which makes it a great option for twin mamas as well. Nowadays we most frequently have it configured to hold our infant car seat plus the standing platform. My very demanding and independent toddler wants to walk every where. She fights sitting in shopping carts and our strollers these days but she loves the standing platform to ride sitting or even standing on. She definitely feels like a big girl! It can also easily be configured with two traditional stroller seats as well. The possibilities are (almost) limitless with this thing!
What have you found to be your favorite baby product? First, second or even third time around! What are the things you can’t live without and what things did you found to be overrated?
Coffee + Kisses 