Fab Find Friday: The Baby Edition

Baby Products: The Best and The Worst

(AKA: The longest post of my life)

This Fab Find Friday is a special edition! This post has taken me forever to write... there are SO many things I wish I knew before registering for what I thought our baby would need... and so many things I wish I had put on there (like, um a highchair) that I didn't because it was "down the road..."

Granted, every baby and parenting style is different so these products may not apply to everyone... I might love and live by something another parent deemed useless and vice versa. But these are the things that we personally couldn't live without or wish we had never even bothered with... stuff that Ky LOVES and stuff that hopefully his little sister will love as well! I wasn't asked to review any of these products... again, this is just my opinion. Also all the links go to Amazon.com because that's where we were registered.

**Sidenote for Soon-to-be first time Mommies: I definitely recommend registering at Amazon because they have EVERYTHING... shipping is usually fairly cheap... anyone can easily access it... and they even let you add links to other websites! Its great.

So, in no particular order...

1. Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets

This list isn't in order by greatness, but if it was, these babies would be numbers 1, 2 and 3. Ky has been using these blankies literally since the day he was born. My friend Melissa put these in the care package she brought me in the hospital after I had gave birth. They are the softest, sweetest, biggest blankets out there and my baby is OBSESSED with them. To this day.. 7.5 months old and he won't fall asleep with any other blankie. I've had to stock up on a bunch and I'll def be getting more around Bunny's arrival. We never even bothered with SwaddleMe's.... I found them annoying, to be honest. I swaddled him exclusively in these blankets until he could roll over and now he just snuggles with them to sleep. I have one in my car, one in our bedroom, one in his diaper bag.....

And if you need proof as to how much my child loves these blankies...

2. Sleep Sheep

We have 2 of these cute guys. One large one which stays in the nursery and a small one for travel. Ky loves the soothing sounds and I find that especially when we're away from home, the soft, familiar sounds help him fall asleep in unfamiliar areas. I definitely recommend this or some other sound/white noise machine... He doesn't "need" it to fall asleep, but it definitely helps.

3. Fisher Price "My Little Snugabunny" Collection: Bouncer and Swing

When Ky was a teensy little nug, the My Little Snugabunny Bouncer was a god-send. He loved that thing. He would sit in it, chill out, sleep, relax... he loved the vibrations, the music, the chirping birdies, and its SO soft and cozy. We used that thing until he literally couldn't fit into it anymore.

Once he grew out of the bouncer, the Snugabunny Swing took it's place. He's almost at the weight limit for the swing, and I will probably cry the day he officially outgrows it because that, too keeps him calm and relaxed for hours on end. When he had a cold a month or so ago, we brought the swing up to our room and he slept SO peacefully in it at night since his head/chest was elevated and that helped with the congestion. This swing is an automatic narcotic... I just hope Bunny loves these items as much!

4. Avent Pacifiers

At exactly 5 months old, Ky decided that pacifiers were for suckers (haha... I made a funny). He just up and stopped liking them randomly the week of his 5month birthday. Up until that point, these were the ONLY pacifiers he would take... and I tried tons. I have about 100 of these in every size and every color imaginable. They're great because they come with caps, fit all paci clips, and they don't have to go in baby's mouth a certain way. Talk about a narcotic... two seconds with these things and he was the Mayor of Naptown. He LOVED them.. that is, until he hated them.

5. Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumparoo

This is one of the things I never registered for that I wish I had... Honestly, I thought it was too bright and gaudy and took up too much space. THEN we went to California to visit Hubs' sister and Ky tried out his cousin Aiden's jumperoo... We had to pry him out of that thing. He stayed in it... for HOURS. I'm not even kidding. He cried when we'd take him out. My in-laws sent us one promptly once we returned home and he still loves it. He'll jump around in it anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour at a time which makes this momma's chores go a lot more smoothly.

6. Baby Bijorn "Babysitter Balance"

I never registered for this either and had never even heard of it until it was given to me at my shower. But man oh man, this thing is amaze-balls. The best thing about this bouncer is it's portability. I take this with me EVERYWHERE... to friend's houses for dinner, when we travel out of town, when we go for a picnic... it folds up to almost nothing and its great for Ky to sit or sleep in anytime. Since it's so lightweight, it's great to scoop up with one hand while you're toting baby with the other. I used it a ton when he was immobile for when I was showering, putting on makeup, etc... and little man can just sit in our room and play with a toy while he rocks away. It also came in handy before we got a highchair and I used it to feed him his solids for the first two months. It's pricey... but worth it.

7. Monitors

We have two: The Angel Care and the Summer Video Monitor...

I love both these monitors and I don't think I could live without either of them. Before Ky was even born, I KNEW I would be the neurotic parent who would wake up and check on baby every 15 minutes to make sure they would still be breathing... isn't that every parent's biggest fear?? This monitor has given me SO much peace of mind. It tells you the temperature of the room, too which is also nice... but most importantly, the thing goes berserk if it doesn't sense breathing or movement for more than 20 seconds. We've had a few random scares (if he's in a really deep sleep or something) and I don't think Hubs or I have ever flown across our house to his room so quickly with our hearts beating out of our chests. Thankfully, nothing was wrong... but it's nice to know that the monitor is doing its job.

The video monitor is also something I adore. I hadn't registered for this, either... I forgot about a monitor... oops! It's great because my baby especially sometimes has bad dreams or stirrs in his sleep and will cry out for a few seconds... I just glance over at the monitor and I can see if he's really awake and upset or if it's just a passing cry. (No joke... this literally JUST happened as I was writing this post... ha!) It also helps for when his head is too far in the crib bars, if his face is covered by a blankie, etc. AND, you can link multiple cameras to one handset so I only need to buy another camera for Bunny's room! I don't think I could ever use a sound-only monitor after having this!

8. iBabyFeed iPhone App

Not everyone has an iPhone, but for those that do, this App helped me tremendously while breastfeeding. I think it was a couple bucks but seriously worth EVERY penny. It records every feed, how long, which side, and even how many ounces when you pump. Then, it gives you a daily, weekly, and monthly summary about the average amount your baby is eating and how much you're pumping, etc... It was a great tool for me to track his feedings in the very beginning when he was eating around the clock and also during growth spurts. It even lets you set a custom timer to remind you when to feed baby. Genius.

9. Boppy Pillow

You had to know this infamous pillow would make the list. Not only was this great for nursing, but Hubs even used it, too (shh!) when he'd give Ky a bottle when he was really small. After I stopped nursing it, the Boppy went into his closet but I've brought it out again recently for when Ky was first starting to sit up on his own... it was the perfect support pillow to go around his little tush and catch him when he tipped over :)

10. Sugarbooger Diaper Bag Organizing Pouches

These things are great! I love knowing which clothes are clean and which are dirty without having to sift through a ziploc or grocery bag. Even Hubs can pack Ky's bag and not have to ask me, "where do the clean clothes go" or, "which shirt is dirty?" when he needs a change. And the little pouches are great for packing socks and toiletries when you travel and I'm sure will come in handy once Ky starts snacking!

11. The First Years Night & Day Bottle Warmer

This bottle warmer is awesome. When I was breast-feeding, I was over-producing a ton... so I was pumping constantly. That turned into us giving Ky pumped bottles during his night feedings so that Hubs and I could take turns feeding him and since in the middle of the night it took him 30 - 45 minutes to nurse but only 15 - 20 mins to take a bottle

This warmer was great because it comes with an icepack to keep breastmilk bottles cool and then ready to warm when you want to use them. Our kitchen is on a lower floor and since I was recovering from the C-Section, it wasn't easy for me to run downstairs and hit the fridge up for a bottle of milk when baby was screaming his face off. This thing saved us many trips downstairs and it heats the bottle SO quickly... by the time his diaper was changed, it was warm and ready.

12. Activity Mat

Any mat will do, but this is the one we have. Ky has loved this from the very beginning... he rolled over for the first time on this mat. Sat up for the first time on this mat. and Still loves looking in the mirror and playing with that monkey. It's a great thing to put down anywhere and it's soft and keeps little ones entertained forever.

So there you have my fave baby-must haves! I hope that for all you moms and moms-to-be this was helpful! Again, I'm sure all babies are different... this is just what worked for us!

There are also a few items that didn't work for us... not many, but a few. I'll mention them here and give my opinions as to why we/Ky didn't like them...

1. SwaddleMe Wraps

Like I mentioned above, these didn't really work for us. I registered for and bought a ton of them in the beginning but Ky just didn't like them and I didn't have fun trying to fit a squirmy baby into the little Swaddle pocket. The Aden & Anais blankies are huge and perfect for swaddling... I had no issues swaddling him in a regular blanket... in fact, I preferred it. It's so easy if you just ask the nurses to teach you in the hospital or if you take a baby class, they usually cover it.

2. Itzbeen Timer

When I first saw this thing I was so excited and it was one of the first things on my registry. I think I used it for about, um... 5 minutes before deeming it useless. I like the idea of the timer... in theory. But when the baby has a wet diaper and needs to be changed immediately or if he's hungry and needs to be fed, the last thing you think of is finding a timer and pushing a button. I found the iPhone app way more helpful because I always had my phone on me and knew where it was.

3. Sleeping Gowns

Ky didn't care for these... he didn't like his legs exposed and I always felt like he was cold in them. We tried a few different brands because all in all they DID make diaper changes easier... but now we try and just use zipper footie pajamas and he prefers those much more.

4. Bumbo Seat

I still think this is adorable and I really wished he liked it. I've mentioned he isn't much of a fussy baby so when he would cry and cry when he was in this thing, I knew it had to be the seat and not him. I think we used it twice... he just didn't like it. Plus he is Super Pudgers and his chunky thighs wouldn't fit in it all the way, haha :)

5. The PUJ Tub

My SIL swore by this thing so I added to my registry. It was useful a couple of times when we were out of town because it's much more portable than the baby bathtubs... but I found it flimsy and it didn't fit in our bathroom sink so we had to use it in the kitchen. The bottom is pointed so if the sink is deep, it doesn't sit up and you have to hold it with one hand which makes bath time almost impossible. I don't think we used it more than a handful of times... I found the newborn sling in the tub much more user-friendly.