It is spring time, which naturally makes me think of babies! Cute, adorable, little tiny babies!!! Now that Caden is almost 10 months old I thought it could be helpful to new or future mama’s if I shared what products we really loved and would purchase or put on our registry again.

 

The big price tag items are first. If you have never looked at baby items before be prepared for sticker shock. Baby gear is expensive people.

We went with Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30 for 1 reason and that was because it attached safely and securely to both strollers we had purchased. Yes, you read that right. We have two strollers. Regardless of the reason why we bought the Peg Perego, I would highly recommend this carseat for little babies. Caden used this seat for almost 9 months and still uses it in when he rides in Josh’s truck.

The Britax Marathon is Caden’s new ride. This seat is so roomy, designed to be rear or front facing, and can transport your little tiny newborn until they reach a whopping 70 pounds. Our little guy will get a lot of use out of this seat.

The two strollers that we own are the BOB Ironman (our jogging stroller) and the Phil and Ted Explorer. We bought our jogging stroller used and it has been, possibly, my favorite purchase. If you run/jog/or are planning on it after having a baby invest in a stroller designed for jogging. The Phil and Ted Stroller we purchased brand new with gift cards and cash from family for a little under $500. I know. I know. So. Much. Money. The main reason we invested in this deluxe stroller was because it can be converted into a double for whenever baby number 2 arrives. And no, I am not trying to tell you that I am pregnant ;).

The Ergo Carrier is the most comfortable baby carrier ever! Doesn’t hurt my back and I feel secure wearing Caden and he loves it. I tried a few other carriers but they either were really uncomfortable or I couldn’t figure out how to use the product due to having to wrap the baby around me. I love using it at the grocery store, zoo, and hiking too. Plus it has a small storage pocket in the front where I can stash a disposable diaper, my iPhone, and car keys.

 

We didn’t buy a changing table, instead we bought the Summer Infant Changing Pad and placed it directly on Caden’s dresser. It can be overwhelming to walk into a baby store and see all the cute nursery mock ups with the crib, changing table, dressers, nightstands, rockers, and overpriced crib sheet sets. To save money we bought Caden furniture pieces that can grow with him.

Get yourself all stocked up and ready now for when your baby gets congested, runs a temp, or has the flu. The best thing you can do is be prepared. I would recommend the Crane Humidifier and 2 thermometers for your little love: a Vicks Thermometer and a Temporal Thermometer. This way you have the ability to check their temp every single way. Enough said about that.

The Twilight Turtle and the Sound Machine Giraffe are great! By pressing a button on the turtle stars are displayed across your nursery celling and the giraffe creates white noise to calm your fussy baby. I love both of these products and think Caden’s room is highly relaxing and conducive to sleep. Even when he hasn’t.

We chose not to invest in a video Baby Monitor. Our house is so tiny that it takes 15 steps to get from one end to the other and it seemed like a ton of technology to have in a little persons room. That being said I can totally see the benefit of having a video stream on your baby monitor. At almost 10 months of age we hardly use the monitor now but used it everyday for the first 6 months.

As new parents we had this idea that Caden wouldn’t use a pacifier and that he would be able to fall asleep by just laying him down gently in his crib, whispering I love you, and kissing him goodnight. That didn’t exactly happen. We use the Mam Pacifiers at nap time and bedtime now. Our baby was however, sleeping 12 hours through the night without waking up by 2 months. I really believe the reason for that was because we implemented a bunch of steps from a little book called On Becoming Baby Wise. There is quite a bit of controversy about this book on the internet and in mommy groups but we found so much helpful information by reading it.

Make sure to get your baby a few blankets, sleep sacks, and swaddles. When he was first home from the hospital we used the Halo SleepSack because it was super easy to swaddle his tiny arms and body. No tucking, wrapping, or folding required. It was the only swaddle that he couldn’t break out of.

I love the brand Aden + Anais! Their products are soft, breathable, and have adorable prints. The Aden + Anais Sleep Sack is perfect for 3+ months of age and allows the baby’s arms to be free, I love these things! I put him in a pair of jammies, zip him up in his blanket and he is good to go. Also check out the Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets and Aden + Anais Security Blankets.

Oh look, it is another product from my favorite baby company. The Aden + Anais Burp Bib is a burp cloth and a bib in one. Great idea, and even better for when your little one has large explosive baby burps after a feeding.

Nursing mama’s I had never heard of Lily Padz or Milkies until after having Caden so I want to make sure you know about them. Both are amazing products for avoiding leaks. And of course you will need a pump, I use the Medela Pump In Style Advanced. The Medela brand does go on sale periodically and when applied with those 20% off coupons from the baby store you can reduce the price by around $50.

If you have not read any of my other posts we live in a pretty small townhouse so to save space we asked for the Chicco 360 Swivel Hook On High Chair. I am so glad we did. Even if we lived in a larger home I would still purchase this item . It allows Caden to sit at the table with us and can easily be folded up to take to the Grandparents house or to a restaurant. The best part: it is easy to clean.

For all the bottles, sippy cups, and miscellaneous baby items I am cleaning I love my Grass Drying Rack! It is simple, cute, and actually makes me happy to clean and wash Caden’s items because I get to arrange them on the grass. I know. I am a little weird. But I do love this drying rack and would probably put 2 on registry instead of 1 because I use it every single day and bottles and cups take up the majority space.

I know this next section will not apply to everyone but if you are interested in Cloth diapering this will be a good list to get you started. There are so many brands and styles available that your best bet would be to find a local store that sells cloth and take a visit to see them all in person. If you are not sure what brand to try I would recommend the bumGenius All In Ones to start with. These are my favorite and easiest to clean. Snap closure will last longer but velcro is easier for when relatives are on diaper duty. I also like FuzziBunz and bumGenius pocket diapers.

Since we cloth diaper we use Cloth Wipes too. We either get the cloth wipe wet in warm water before a changing if we know it is going to be a messy diaper or we use Lotion Potion Bum Spray to clean up Caden. When you use cloth you can’t use Desitin because it will cause the diapers to loose their absorbency. So instead, we use Booty Love Ointment to prevent diaper rash and protect Caden’s skin.

Now on to cleaning. You will want to get a Wet Bag to store your dirty diapers in. The wet bag prevents smells from leaking and creeping into your house. We have about 18 diapers and do laundry every 2 days. For as long as your baby is breastfed you can put the diapers directly into the washer. Once you introduce formula or solids you will need to start removing any poo before washing. There are two ways to do this. You can buy a Diaper Sprayer or Diaper Liners. We use both. The liners are nice because you can just remove them and flush them. Lastly make sure you use a detergent that will not cause build up in your diapers, I like Rock in Green Detergent.

I never thought I would cloth diaper but I love it! If you are considering trying it you can find tons of used diapers on craigslist. I know that sounded completely gross, but it is a good way to see if cloth diapering will work for you and your family and what brands you like the best.

This was probably the most time consuming post ever written but hopefully it gives you some ideas of what to add to your registry or new products to try with your next baby. Special thanks to Jessica for inspiring this Registry post.

What baby items could you not live without? Let me know! I always love to hear about different products from other mama’s.

xoxo, Tamara