My Favorite Things, Baby Edition – by Brooke

Last week Jenny shared her top 5 favorite things for children. It inspired me to put together a list of my top 5 must have baby items. These are items that I wish someone would have told me about sooner and that I couldn’t live without once I tried them, well once baby M tried them. 🙂 I was not approached by any of these companies to promote or review these items. These are my honest opinions.

1) Cloth Diapers

We have saved so much money using cloth diapers! These are not the cloth diapers that your Grandma used. The modern cloth diaper is cute, easy to use, and economical. There are no pins, plastic pants, or toilet dunking involved. They go on just like a regular diaper. Some even have snaps which make them harder for little hands to remove the diaper. On the type that we use, the absorbent material is tucked into a pocket of the diaper. The material against baby’s bum wicks away the moisture. The outer layer is made from a water proof material and often comes in an adorable print. Our favorite brand is bumGenius. These go for about $17 each. But, we also have other great brands such as Sunbaby that I got for less than $5 each. You can spend anywhere between 2-3k on disposables from birth to potty training, where an entire stash of cloth diapers from birth to potty training can cost between $200-$500 depending on what type of diapers and accessories you get. Not to mention, it is a pretty nice feeling knowing that I am helping the environment.

2) Dr. Brown’s Bottles

These bottles are amazing! Baby M had feeding issues from the start. Without going into the long boring details, I was only able to breast feed for 3 months. I then tried the pumping game, and still couldn’t get her to eat much. I tried almost every bottle on the market – and then I found them! Dr. Brown’s bottles were a God send. Baby M’s reflux instantly improved. She began drinking more ounces and gaining more weight. They are designed with an internal vent system that keeps out the air and reduces feeding problems.

3) Pouch Baby Food

My mom wishes that these were invented when I was a kid! The basic idea is that the baby food comes in a pouch with a spout at the end that can either have a spoon attached (certain brands offer this) or it can go directly into baby’s mouth. The food is then squeezed out and either fed with the spoon (it helps because you don’t have to keep dipping into the jar and you can just take the spoon off and refrigerate the rest) or sucked down. For a baby like M who has feeding problems, this makes it much less of a fight to get those fruits and vegetables down. It seems more like she is drinking juice than eating a meal, but she is getting the nutrients that she needs. M likes the brand Ella’s kitchen the most, and so do I. It incorporates a vegetable into most of the mixtures. It is a good way to sneak in a vegetable and she will just think it is fruit.

4) Sophie the Giraffe

Best teething toy EVER! Sophie has been around for generations, but I never heard of her until M was a few months old. She is great to chew on, easy to hold and makes a fun squeaky noise that is easy for the baby to do. Now that I know about Sophie, I see her everywhere – and I know why! Every baby has to have one!

5) Teething Bling

The basic idea here is a teething ring that goes around mommy’s neck and looks like jewelry! I don’t know about you, but my baby LOVES to play with my necklaces. Now, she can do it and I don’t need to have a care in the world about it. It looks like a beautiful stone around your neck, but feels like a teether on baby’s teeth.

I hope that a new or expecting mom finds these tips helpful!