Well… we’re 8 and a half months into being parents. Plenty of money has been spent on baby gear, by our family and friends as well as by us. Some of that money has been wasted, some of it very well spent. What I want to do with this post is cover some of the stuff that has made our lives SO much easier or was well worth the money spent.
One thing we decided early on was that we would be buying (or asking for) quality baby gear that we could use for the next baby. It might cost a little more, but from a safety and long term cost perspective it’s worth it to spend a little more up front.
My biggest frustration with baby gear has been the fact that it’s constantly changing. Trying to compare items is next to impossible with what seems like a gazillion variations of each item.
On to the stuff we love…
Feeding
Avent BPA-free bottles
– Avent bottles and the associated accessories are examples of great design. They have a wide mouth making them easy to fill and clean. The wide nipples give provide for a good seal for the baby as well. The 9 ounce bottles are our most heavily used, don’t buy too many of the 4 ouncers, you won’t use them for too long.
Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair
– Great if you have limited space and very portable. The tray is dishwasher safe, which is great, babies aren’t the neatest eaters around.
Similac Advance EarlyShield Formula
– Breastfeeding is best, of course, but if you’re unable to breast feed, this is the stuff you want. Extremely convenient and fairly cost effective in the 34oz. plastic tubs. We always keep some of the large ready to feed bottles
and 8oz. ready to feed bottles
handy, just in case.
Gerber Foods
– Gerber knows babies and food. It’s hard to go wrong with anything that they have out there. The foods taste good (I taste everything we give Michael) and are labeled to make it easy for parents to determine what foods to give the baby at what stage in development. The plastic tub containers are lightweight, convenient and BPA-free.
Transport
Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Travel System
– Safe, easy to install and just great all around. The carrier is rated up to 30 pounds, which is quite a bit. The base makes life easy, locking the carrier into place is effortless. The stroller has tons of features and glides over just about any terrain. We got an extra base
for the other car and were good to go.
Maclaren Triumph Stroller
– For a lightweight traveling stroller it’s hard to go wrong with this one. Besides looking great, it’s put together well, is light and has some great features.
Britax Boulevard Convertible Car Seat
– This carseat is not the cheapest around, but is leaps and bounds above the other, mostly rebranded Cosco, carseats that we were going to buy. Not that there is anything wrong with those, but this seat is easy to install, comfortable, extremely well built and probably one of the safest ones out there.
Next Generation Ergo Baby Carrier
– The smaller, less known companies usually hit home runs with their products as they’re usually created from actual needs of parents verses marketing teams. This carrier is, in my opinion, one of the best out there. It’s extremely flexible, you can carry your child on your back, front or side with little effort. It is solidly put together as well, I’m sure it will outlast any of the children that we have.
RayShade UV Protective Stroller Shade
– The shade that comes on any stroller really doesn’t cut it as far as sun protection goes. This shade attaches to any stroller easily and adjusts to provide as much or as little shade as you want.
Playtime
Fisher-Price Precious Planet Jumperoo
– Need an easy way to tire out your baby? Then this is what you want. Our kid loves to bounce around.
Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Dreamy Motions Cradle Swing
– This little gem was indispensable in the early days, although if this swing
had been around, we probably would have gotten it instead.
Fisher-Price Rainforest Peek-A-Boo Waterfall Soother
– Michael loves this and it’s great for when we put him down to sleep at night.
Evenflo ExerSaucer
– This is almost as good as the Jumeroo, only downside came up when he gets really active, it’s a good bit louder than the Jumperoo when he’s really going to town bouncing.
Sassy Me in the Mirror
– These mirrors provide a lot of fascination for Michael, he loves looking at himself. We have one in his crib and one that we use for tummy time or other times we want to occupy him for a while.
Chicco Lullaby LX Playard
– This was another one of those items that was indispensable in our early days. It has a vibration feature that can be controlled with a remote. Michael spent his first month and a half at home (after a month in the hospital) sleeping in his play yard. Now that he’s older it provides a nice place for him to nap or play. The built in changing platform gives us a convenient place to change him and hangs out of the way when we don’t need it.
Sleeptime
Laser Stars Projector
– Pictures don’t do this justice, you have to see in person. Projects a constantly morphing star field and nebulous cloud on the ceiling or wall. We have one in Michael’s room and it puts him to sleep in no time.
Quick Zip Crib Sheets – The person that came up with this idea deserves some kind of award. Changing crib sheets is a huge pain, but not with these. Buy the set first and add extra sheets so you can just change out the sheet.
Supplies
Pampers Swaddlers Diapers – These were the diapers that we used for the first couple of months, great for newborns. The ones that the hospitals get are even better as they have strips on the front that change color when wet. If you can score a package or two of these from your hospital I recommend it, they’re great for new parents that haven’t quite gotten the hang of knowing when their baby is wet. Have not been able to find those particular type commercially though.
Pampers Cruisers Diapers – These are Michael’s standard diaper now. We use the regular during the day and super absorbent at night. Haven’t failed us yet.
There’s probably a few more things that belong on this list, so check back soon, I’m sure I’ll be adding more.
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