There are a million different items that are advertised to you as baby products that you must buy before having a baby. Below is a listing of my most used baby products, and some of the least used for me.
Bob Revolution Stroller - This is definitely my most used item. My preferred exercise routine is a run, so I wanted a jogging stroller. If you don't run or go on trails, I wouldn't suggest the Bob because of its weight and size. The Bob has larger all terrain tires and so it doesn't fold down as small as some other strollers. If you are a runner or like going on trail walks though then I think this is the best stroller you can get and would highly encourage anyone to buy this one. Either way, I think a stroller is a definite must have, whether you decide to go with the Bob or a different one. I especially recommend one that has an adapter to clip the infant carseat in for when they are little, and that can be removed and used as a normal stroller as they get bigger.
Ergo Carrier - this is another item that I used right from the start and can last you a long time. There is an infant insert for the ergo carrier so you can use it right from the beginning and then it can grow with you. The ergo is easy to put on (I can put the baby in and clip it by myself), and supports your back well to distribute the weight evenly. I usually have the ergo tucked into the bottom of my stroller in case baby is getting fussy and wants to be held, but I also used the carrier around the house when I wanted to get things done and baby didn't want to be set down. Being hands free is a game changer.
Playmat - you can start tummy time from day one so baby learns to hold head up strong. We still use the play mat daily for him to kick, roll and reach for different toys. It provides a cushion and soft, clean surface for horizontal play. I don't think it matters what playmat you use as long as it is one that you can hang toys down from to encourage rolling and reaching.
Angel Care Baby Bath - this was our favorite baby bath tub. It has holes so the water goes through it, and is sturdy enough that he was easily propped up but could still kick his legs and feel the water if he wanted to, plus it was very lightweight so you could pull it in and out of a closet easily if we were having guests.
Ikea Highchair - This was cheap, easily portable since the legs come off and its lightweight, plus it is easy to wipe down. There is an insert you can buy for when baby is smaller and then remove as baby grows. In my opinion there is no reason to buy an expensive high chair because this one works just as well and is way lower price.
Boppy Lounger - We used this a lot before baby could roll to let him nap where we could see him. We could also lay it on the table so he could look at us while we ate dinner and we could easily bring it around the house for a cozy spot for him to lay if we needed to set him down. We still used it once he could roll but made especially sure that we were right next to him so we were ready to help out if needed. Note - we were always close by even before he could roll in case something happened, we just paid extra attention after.
Graco Pack n Play - This was easy for travel but we could also set up in our room if we wanted somewhere for baby to sleep or play while we were in our room instead of his. We bought a basic one on black friday for $50 and it came with the bassinet and changing table attachments. He didn't need anything additional and if there are too many parts than it defeats the purpose of the easy set up and take down in my opinion, so I would skip the really expensive ones and get a cheap version that is easily portable. It can also double as a safe place for baby to play when older if you put some toys in while you get ready or get something down that you needed to. You should still always have it in the same room as you so you can keep an eye on baby if playing, but this way they are contained.
Items that we had that we didn't use that much:
Bassinet - We had a bassinet that was very deep and so I still had to climb in and out of bed when we used it. Due to this, we decided to transition baby to crib much earlier than we thought, and I slept in a bed in his room until we were comfortable using the monitor only. I figured if I had to get out of bed anyway, we might as well get him used to his crib early.
4Moms Mamaroo - we had this as a hand me down, and did use it sometimes but not nearly as much as we thought we would. He just didn't last long in it and it wasn't portable enough for us to be bringing into different rooms around the house. I would say borrow this if you can, but skip the expense if you can't because you just don't know if your baby will like it. This was the product we had, but personally I would say the same goes for all big swings, bouncers, etc. because you just don't know whether your baby will like it or hate it, and they are expensive and take up a lot of space in your house if baby doesn't like them.
Dock-a-tot - we also received this as a hand me down and while we heard rave reviews about it, our baby just didn't like it as much. It's the same idea as the boppy lounger, so for a quarter of the price I would go with the boppy lounger or see if you can borrow one of these again.
Boba Wrap - The single piece of fabric wraps are more stylish in my opinion, but were always too complicated to use. I never quite figured out how to tie it all and get my baby in easily enough to use, plus it didn't seem as sturdy as the ergo so we didn't end up using this.
Wipe Warmer - This was unnecessary in my opinion and dried out the wipes. We would usually just end up using wipes from the package instead because they seemed fresher and didn't have to be plugged in.
Bottle Warmer - This started to get a funky smell and also seemed unnecessary to me. We could run the bottle under warm water if we wanted it warm, or we just started getting him used to colder bottles. Being able to take a cold bottle helped when we were out and about anyway because I could just
pull one from the cooler bag and it was ready to go so we figured this was the way to go.
Every baby is different so take this with a grain of salt, but this was what worked and didn't work for us based on our little man's preferences and our actual experiences. Either way, figure out what works for you and go from there. As always, hold yourself a little higher, give a shout out to all the other mamas out there doing their thing, and carry on with your multi-tasking, kick-ass attitude, because that's all there is left to do and we're all in this together!
Comments