Baby Products: The Good, the bad, and the never even used…
As many of you know, I had a baby in May 2018 and as a first time mom and long time thorough researcher, I looked into reviews, other mom’s opinions, and pricing of just about every baby product on the market… Like EVERY product. Thanks to the Babylist, where I also had my baby registry, I could find a lot of this info in one location. I wanted to share with you what I use, and what I got but never used, and what has been a life saver!
Nursing / Feeding:
Boppy– I used this every day, still! It’s a life saver for resting arms while feeding and holding a sleeping baby for hours.
Tommy Tippee Bottles – Desi couldn’t figure out the Doc Brown bottles with the longer, narrow spout and only liked the ones with the larger / wider tops. Plus they are anti-colic and have a temperature changing strip in the center to let me know if the formula / milk was too hot.
Pump: I got the Spectra2 with my insurance for FREE (through Aeroflow) and used it often, but not exclusively. I wish I had gotten the Medela because the storage kit I got was from Medela and bottles didn’t fit the pump and I had to get converters, and believe me, the less parts, the better…
I also got a few nursing bras, (like sports bras you can wear to bed), some Bamboobies (leak protectors), and a nursing sweater that has a slit in the middle that lifts for easy feeds. Otherwise it can be hard to nurse in normal shirts, be ready to wear 2 shirts. One you can leave down and one you can pull up. I didn’t mess with nursing covers since I have a TON of lightweight scarves.
Travel:
Car seats and Strollers and Carriers, oh my!
This carrier (above) by Infantino was by FAR the best buy we made. It was only $29 on Amazon and we used it all the time! It’s easy to use and baby can face in or out. At 9 months he’s just about outgrown it and we will move onto this one:
Lillebaby All in One Carrier this will work great when he gets bigger, he didn’t like it when he was really small since he kind of got lost in it. I got it on clearance for just $80! It’s originally $125. AND he can be in it till he’s a toddler.
He did NOT like: the Boba Wrap. Nothing against the Boba Wrap, he just hated being constricted. Every baby is different though!
Chicco Bravo KeyFit 30 Stroller and Car Seat: This car seat / Stroller combo was the best travel system for the price, and got amazing reviews. It’s easy to use, lightweight, and I found it easy to clean when Dad spilled coffee on it at the farmer’s market… The tray for the babe with a cup holder didn’t come with it, I had to get it separate.
Cozy Cover: We didn’t use this as much as we thought, a blanket did just fine to keep him warm in the car seat in the winter.
Diaper Bag: We tried a tote style from Skip Bop but ended up switching to a backpack style from Swishbaby ($40) since I needed to be hands free.
Also: Mirror for the car and window cling for sun protection from Target, and a jingly stroller toy for distractions from Skip Bop.
Sleeping:
Noise machine! I got this one on a lightning deal and it’s awesome because it doesn’t have a timer. You just let ‘er rip all night long.
Nightlight: I used a salt lamp for the first few months then I got this fun Star projector night light when Desi got a little bigger and it was a total win. He loves to watch the spinning stars on the ceiling, and there’s a timer so don’t have to run it all night if you don’t want to.
Rock N Play Sleeper– We got this the second night after we brought Desi home since he didn’t want to sleep laying flat and it was a LIFE SAVER. Folks. He slept in this till he was almost 5 months old. No he didn’t get a flat spot on his head. He napped in it, we took it everywhere when we traveled. We always made sure to buckle him in even after late night feeds so he didn’t slide down in the sleeper. The motor started to get loud after a while but the babe didn’t care. We retired it once he could sit up on his own.
DISCLAIMER ON ROCK N PLAY: I know there’s a recall on this item (as of April 2019), but I was SUPER careful and always buckled him in so he didn’t slide down and slump over, and was in the same room with him when in use. Once he could sit up (around 4-5 months old), we didn’t use it anymore.
Pack n’ Play– Desi didn’t really use this for sleeping when he was little, we kept it in the living room and used the changing station on it and he occasionally napped in it, and now that he’s 9 months old, he naps in it a lot and we bring it with us to family functions for a safe play space since he’s crawling.
Rocking Chair from Walmart: For the price, ($240) this was really the best chair. It rocks, swivels and it’s a recliner. It’s hard for me to push the foot rest back in since you have to do it with your feet but for the price, totally worth it.
We got the Baby Merlin Magic Sleep Suit ($39) when he got bigger (around 5 months) and he only used it till he outgrew it at 8 months but it helped him sleep since it almost created a big hug feeling for him. I also tried sleep sacks and he just didn’t like his feet stuck constricted.
Toys:
Sleep Sheep from Pottery Barn. This soft and cozy sheep can velcro onto the crib and has a white noise maker in it. It’s on a timer though so babe might wake when it shuts off.
Lovevery Play Gym: Desi loves this playmat! It comes with flashcards with black and white shapes, and pictures of other baby faces and a tent and sensory activities on every corner of the mat. It’s a total win.
First Year Stack Cups are a total win! He loves to put things in them, and when I build a stack, he loves to knock them over.
And of course, a bunch of other things like the Sophie Giraffe, Oball, Skip Hop Xylophone, my old Glow Worm from when I was a kid, other random things from family members, rattles, buckets, and many, many books.
Docking Stations: Because sometimes you just need somewhere to put the baby.
Bumbo: We used this from when he was 3 months (he could hold his head up) till he was 9 months (crawling on his own) and it’s been great! We used it when we cooked in the kitchen, while I ran to the bathroom quick and needed some place to set him, or to family functions before we got a high chair. You have to be careful if you put it on a kitchen counter if your baby can kick the counter but all in all, it’s been great.
COLORTREE Activity Center: (above) Desi loves this SO much and it’s something he can grow into! It goes from an activity center where he can stand and play, and chew on the soft toys and push the light up keyboard, to a place where he can safely pull himself to stand, and will convert to a table when we are done using it for a docking station for the baby. I love things he can grow into!
Jumper for a Door: We got one, and returned it after one use since the only door it fit on was the closet in the bathroom, the 1900’s trim in the rest of the house was too tall for the jumper to attach onto, otherwise I think he would have really enjoyed this toy.
Other:
We registered for and got this Divinci 4 in 1 Crib so Desi can grow into it. I bought the matching dresser afterwards.
Bathtub: We tried the Puj tub for a while but it never really fit in our sink and he slid around a lot… so then we got the Skip Bop Whale tub from Target and we love it! He’s 11 months old and we still use it, I wish we had gotten it from the beginning.
We subscribe to the Honest Company Diaper and wipe package every month. For just $79 a month you get all you need! The Honest Company is one of the ONLY if not THE only company with a wipe that is made from plant based materials and not polyesters and plastic blends. If I’m going to use disposable diapers, this is the brand to use!
We got a wipe warmer for the nursery, but it’s not really necessary. I just felt bad putting a cold wipe on a little tush.
I got this changing mat from Target from Skip Hop. You can wipe it down which was the main selling feature! No putting it in the wash every time he pees into the air, and trust me, it’s a lot. It also fits on the dresser we got for him. I still put something soft under his head though like a burp towel because the mat feels rubbery and I don’t know if it pulls at his hair at all.
SOOOO this seems like a LOT of stuff for a baby but a baby needs a LOT of stuff in the first year and we didn’t have another baby have hand me downs, nor did we know anyone that gave us hand me downs. I also didn’t know what Desi would like so we tried a lot of different things like bottles and places to sleep. So everything we got was given to us at the baby shower by family and friends, or we bought it with money I saved from my job before I quit to stay at home with the baby. But hey, now WE have the base for another baby, or hand me downs for family when they start having babies!