Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Favorite Baby Products: Newborn Edition (Part 1)

Posted by Tina / 8 comments » / Baby, Family, Personal, Product Reviews

When I first found out I was pregnant, I googled frantically looking for baby product recommendations. Some of my most favorite items, though, came from recommendations from my mommy friends. I mean, hello, mommy knows best right?! I decided to do a little post on MY personal favorite baby products thus far. I’ve titled it “Newborn Editions” as I know I will undoubtedly come across more products as little miss Peyton grows older.

So, without further ado, here are my favorite baby products for Newborns (in no particular order)…

1. Swaddles. We have 3 favorite types (all are great for different reasons):

• Summer Infant SwaddleMe Swaddles (found on Amazon): These are CLUTCH for the first few weeks… super easy to swaddle in the middle of the night & there is a little hole by the butt so you can see if they have a wet diaper without having to un-swaddle them and tick them off more 😉 (Note: If you get these… get the size small/medium – by the time they fit the large it’s usually time to stop swaddling)

• Aiden and Anais Muslin Swaddles (found on Target): These are a great lightweight material. Great for making a tight swaddle & just a great all-around blanket for the car seat (or even for draping over the car seat to block sun when walking). They were hard to get used to, but now that I know how to work them into an epic swaddle, I absolutely LOVE them!

• Woombie Houdini Swaddle: Great for when they start breaking free from other swaddles! Also, Peyton likes her hands up at her chest so we use this so she can have her arms up but secured close to her body (if that makes sense). When babies arm are free they wiggle and startle themselves which wakes them up from a sleep (which is no bueno).

2. Philips AVENT Soothie Pacifiers: These are just like the pacifier that the hospital gives you… Peyton LOVES them. I haven’t bothered with any others. These are also the same kind of paci attached to the Wubba Nubba’s (another great product that we LOVE!)! 

3. Gerber Side Snap Mitten Shirts: SAVED MY LIFE the first few (sleep deprived) weeks of Peyton’s life. We changed SOOOO many diapers (a ton of which were in the middle of the night)… between breast feeding and diapers, I had NO time for jammies in those first sleep deprived weeks! Peyton lived in these shirts, a pair of socks, and a Summer Infant Velcro swaddle (the ones where you can see the diaper wet line through the hole in the back).

4. Fisher Price My little Snugabunny Rock n’ Play: AWESOME product! Peyton slept in this for the first week home from the hospital. Since they tell you to lay baby on their back, I was TERRIFIED that Peyton would spit up and choke in the middle of the night (#firsttimemomproblems). I was able to rest assured knowing that she was at an incline and would be safe. Plus it’s totally cozy with it’s super soft material and cradle like contours! P still LOVES taking naps in this even at 6 weeks old! Also, it folds up and is totally portable which is great when going over to someone’s house and you need a place for baby to nap!

5. Fisher Price My little Snugabunny Swing: Gotta hand another one to the Fisher Price Snugabunny line! This is the Best. Swing. EVER. Peyton LOVES this thing. She actually (gasp) slept in it for weeks 2-5. We are currently transitioning her into her crib but this has been a life saver this first month and a half of her life! This will still get plenty of use for naps and awake time in our living room.

6. Diaper Dekor Plus: with the million and a half diaper cans out there, I did my research on this one. I wanted one with a foot pedal which limited my options. I came across this one and loved that it had an inner “trap door” which really helps keep the stink IN the garbage can and out of your room! I have been a HUGE fan of this product. It holds a ton of diapers while also keeping the diaper STANK out of the air. I also really liked the look of it with it’s sleek lines and now it comes in some really cute colors (unlike my boring white one)!

7. Britax B-Ready Stroller & Chaperone Infant Carseat: My friend Brittany recommended this stroller to me and I have to admit, I’m kind of obsessed with it! It is SO easy to fold up and turns on a dime! Now, it’s a full size stroller (unlike the smaller B-Agile version which I hear is great too), so it has some weight to it. However, I wanted a full size stroller and like that this one can hold an infant seat and also convert into a double stroller in case of future needs. I paired mine with the Britax Chaperone Car Seat and have been a fan of that as well! Would totally recommend this one!

8. Medela Pump In Style Advanced Double Breast Pump: I can’t say it enough… this is the best pump out there. After a frustrating experience with my Obamacare provided Ameda pump (that totally SUCKED), I ended up driving an hour to the nearest Babys R Us with a 4 day old (FOUR DAYS) baby to get this. It was totally worth it.  Engorgement issue solved. 😉 Do yourself a favor and stick with Medela… there is a reason people say it’s the best!

9. Soothies by Lansinoh: If you are breastfeeding, buy a couple pairs of these & stick them in the fridge… your Ta-Ta’s will thank me! Enough. Said.

10. Dr. Brown’s Standard Bottles: I LOVE these. I got some of the wide neck ones as well, but definitely prefer these original standard ones better (I prefer the longer length for resting on my chin when I need to quickly grab something with my hand without pulling the bottle out of baby’s mouth)! You can read all about them on their website, but these are awesome bottles that help reduce the amount of air swallowed by baby. I also LOVE the deluxe bottle warmer made by them!

11. Oxo dishwasher basket: LOVE this for easy cleaning of bottle nipples and small parts in the dishwasher. Hubs is a LOVES it as well. It’s no surprise though, as we have been huge fans of there kitchen products - their kids line is sure to be awesome too!

12. Munchkin Nursery Projector Sound Machine: Absolutely LOVE this sound machine. Has TONS of noise and music options (white noise, waves, Mozart, lullabies etc…). It projects a ton of sound (I never have to use it at full volume) and is super lightweight and small (excellent for travel). Cannot recommend this one enough. Plus it’s SUPER reasonably priced!

 

 

13. Skip Hop Tree Top Friends Activity Gym: it’s amazing how quickly you can use one of these. From tummy time using the pillow, to back time for stimulating the baby. Peyton LOVES to lay on this and stare up at the dangling animals. She kicks her little legs and grabs at them. It’s a great gender-neutral multi-purpose mat!

14. Beaba Stackable Formula Dispenser: When we started supplementing with formula, I picked up a standard formula dispenser for on the go use (the round ones with 3 compartments and a rotating top)… BIG mistake. Those things are a MESS. My sister in law has LOVED her Beaba Stackable dispenser so I took her advice and ordered one online. It came in the mail and I. LOVE. IT. It’s funnel shaped spout ensures that you get all of the powder out into your bottle with ease. Also the fact that it is individual compartments that you stack, you don’t have the issue of powder crossing into the neighboring compartment like you do with the standard kind. Obsessed with this product. I use it at home and on the go.

MISCELLANEOUS FAVORITES:

15. Diapers: Pampers Swaddlers

16. Diaper Wipes: Huggies Natural Care - some wipes are really oily (ehem Pampers)… these ones are perfect. And they tear in half easily which is great for the first month or so since the babies bottoms are so tiny!

17. Diaper Cream: Boudreaux’s All Natural Butt Paste - awesome consistency and works amazingly! I like it better than the “Original”.

18. Shampoo/Lotion: Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort - love the smell of this stuff so much!

 

And there you have it… my favorite  baby products for newborns! I will keep a list of other great discoveries as Peyton grows into each phase & will be sure to share with ya’ll! 🙂

Note: this is NOT a sponsored post. These are products that I ACTUALLY love and use with my baby!