I’m excited to share with you our top 13 baby products we’ve used so far. Obviously this post is not painting related, but as I’ve been saying to my Instagram and Facebook followers in the past few days I’ve decided to start sharing things I think might be helpful while I’m figuring out how to get back to painting – hopefully in the near future.
If you’re new here, to catch you up, my husband and I welcomed our first baby recently and I’m so anxious to get back to painting. However, so far it’s been really difficult to find time with a teeny tiny boy who isn’t a great napper yet. Lol
I’ve been sharing a few Instagram accounts that I’ve found helpful with my followers there and just being honest in saying baby stuff is my life right now. And there are things we have really found to be game-changing in our journey as first-time parents. I want to share those with anyone who can benefit from them. So if that’s you, then here you go! (And if you follow me for painting, please stay tuned and hang with me. I promise more painting stuff is coming at some point!)
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1. Rolling Bassinet
This was a gift to us and has seriously made life with an infant SO easy to do things around the house (when he doesn’t want to be held of course.) I just put him in here and roll him from room to room while I’m doing laundry or dishes or any other tasks around the house. He also slept in this next to our bed for several weeks. Now he’s gotten too big to sleep in it, but we still use it to keep him close by when we need to. So much easier to relocate than the bouncy seat (which we also love.)
This was a gift to us and has seriously made life with an infant SO easy to do things around the house (when he doesn’t want to be held of course.) I just put him in here and roll him from room to room while I’m doing laundry or dishes or any other tasks around the house. He also slept in this next to our bed for several weeks. Now he’s gotten too big to sleep in it, but we still use it to keep him close by when we need to. So much easier to relocate than the bouncy seat (which we also love.)
2. BabyBrezza Formula Pro
This thing! Y’all. If you have to use formula in any amount (we just supplement feedings with it a couple ounces at a time) this will make your busy life SO much easier. It’s not cheap, but I promise you it’s worth it. It’s like having a Keurig for formula. In about 2 seconds (literally) it will make a 2oz bottle that is warm with minimal bubbles with just the press of a button. No mess of dry formula that missed the bottle opening (am I the only one that can’t seem to line up that little formula scoop perfectly with the bottle opening?) No taking time to warm the bottle. Less worrying about air in baby’s tummy from bubbles created by shaking it to mix it up. Not to mention the fact that sometimes when you’re making a bottle your baby wants it five minutes ago and is screaming for it (holding a screaming baby and trying to do all the above is no easy task.) I’m telling you, this is magic.
This thing! Y’all. If you have to use formula in any amount (we just supplement feedings with it a couple ounces at a time) this will make your busy life SO much easier. It’s not cheap, but I promise you it’s worth it. It’s like having a Keurig for formula. In about 2 seconds (literally) it will make a 2oz bottle that is warm with minimal bubbles with just the press of a button. No mess of dry formula that missed the bottle opening (am I the only one that can’t seem to line up that little formula scoop perfectly with the bottle opening?) No taking time to warm the bottle. Less worrying about air in baby’s tummy from bubbles created by shaking it to mix it up. Not to mention the fact that sometimes when you’re making a bottle your baby wants it five minutes ago and is screaming for it (holding a screaming baby and trying to do all the above is no easy task.) I’m telling you, this is magic.
3. Rohm Portable Sound Machine
I mentioned above that I’ve been sharing with my Instagram followers a couple of accounts I found helpful. One of those is Taking Cara Babies and one of the things she recommends for naps and nighttime sleep is a good sound machine. This is the portable one she recommends and we take this thing EVERYWHERE. It is so helpful to let little man take a nap on the go in his car seat. We have the Hatch baby sound machine in the room where he’s sleeping right now, but we use this one anytime he naps or sleeps outside his crib.
I mentioned above that I’ve been sharing with my Instagram followers a couple of accounts I found helpful. One of those is Taking Cara Babies and one of the things she recommends for naps and nighttime sleep is a good sound machine. This is the portable one she recommends and we take this thing EVERYWHERE. It is so helpful to let little man take a nap on the go in his car seat. We have the Hatch baby sound machine in the room where he’s sleeping right now, but we use this one anytime he naps or sleeps outside his crib.
4. Evenflo Stroller System
This stroller system is similar to one that was recommended to me by several friends – the UPPABaby Vista. I really loved all the features of the UPPABaby, but ultimately I just did not feel right about paying the price tag. I found this stroller at Target and it seemed to have some similar features for less than 1/4 of the price. I love the bassinet attachment and baby boy loves it too when we go for walks. Also the infant car seat that comes with it is easy to snap on to the stroller when you’re on the go. The bassinet attachment converts into a toddler seat when you’re ready for it. We obviously haven’t used that feature yet. I love the storage basket on the bottom because I can easily fit the diaper bag and other small items in it. And it comes with a cup holder attachment for mom so you can take a drink along for your stroll.
This stroller system is similar to one that was recommended to me by several friends – the UPPABaby Vista. I really loved all the features of the UPPABaby, but ultimately I just did not feel right about paying the price tag. I found this stroller at Target and it seemed to have some similar features for less than 1/4 of the price. I love the bassinet attachment and baby boy loves it too when we go for walks. Also the infant car seat that comes with it is easy to snap on to the stroller when you’re on the go. The bassinet attachment converts into a toddler seat when you’re ready for it. We obviously haven’t used that feature yet. I love the storage basket on the bottom because I can easily fit the diaper bag and other small items in it. And it comes with a cup holder attachment for mom so you can take a drink along for your stroll.
5. Noggle
This is another product I found through Taking Cara Babies. It’s a hose that you can attach to your rear air vent in your car to get air directly to your baby’s car seat. Our vehicle does not have overhead air vents so when I saw this I knew it was a no brainer. Car seats just don’t allow much air to get to them otherwise and this was the perfect solution to keep him nice and cool.
This is another product I found through Taking Cara Babies. It’s a hose that you can attach to your rear air vent in your car to get air directly to your baby’s car seat. Our vehicle does not have overhead air vents so when I saw this I knew it was a no brainer. Car seats just don’t allow much air to get to them otherwise and this was the perfect solution to keep him nice and cool.
6. Baby Banz
The music at our church on Sunday mornings always wakes him if he’s napping (we haven’t started leaving him in the nursery just yet.) So I found these on Amazon and they work like a charm. He doesn’t mind wearing them at all and he looks adorable in them too. 🙂 AND they came in super handy on my first day back to CrossFit. I took little man with me and he slept in his stroller, but the sound of the weights dropping on the floor would for sure have kept him awake. We popped these little headphones on and he slept like a champ through my entire workout!
The music at our church on Sunday mornings always wakes him if he’s napping (we haven’t started leaving him in the nursery just yet.) So I found these on Amazon and they work like a charm. He doesn’t mind wearing them at all and he looks adorable in them too. 🙂 AND they came in super handy on my first day back to CrossFit. I took little man with me and he slept in his stroller, but the sound of the weights dropping on the floor would for sure have kept him awake. We popped these little headphones on and he slept like a champ through my entire workout!
7. Dr Browns Bottles
These bottles were recommended to us by lots of our friends and they’re really the only bottles we’ve used, with the exception of Medela bottles in the beginning and some Gerber bottles I tried a couple times. But he really prefers these bottles and we don’t have much trouble with tummy gas.
These bottles were recommended to us by lots of our friends and they’re really the only bottles we’ve used, with the exception of Medela bottles in the beginning and some Gerber bottles I tried a couple times. But he really prefers these bottles and we don’t have much trouble with tummy gas.
8. Noggin Stick
This little toy is so great! It is intended to help babies with their skill development from the time they are newborns. Baby boy loves this toy!
This little toy is so great! It is intended to help babies with their skill development from the time they are newborns. Baby boy loves this toy!
9. Wubbanub Pacifier
Honestly, I originally wanted this because it looked so cute. I mean who doesn’t love a pacifier attached to an adorable stuffed animal? But I found that little stuffed animal to be very much a handy tool as well when I discovered I could prop it up next to baby boy to help hold that pacifier in his mouth as he was trying to go to sleep! AND even though he’s still learning how to hold onto things he can wrap his little arms around the stuffed animal and help keep his pacifier in his mouth too.
Honestly, I originally wanted this because it looked so cute. I mean who doesn’t love a pacifier attached to an adorable stuffed animal? But I found that little stuffed animal to be very much a handy tool as well when I discovered I could prop it up next to baby boy to help hold that pacifier in his mouth as he was trying to go to sleep! AND even though he’s still learning how to hold onto things he can wrap his little arms around the stuffed animal and help keep his pacifier in his mouth too.
10. Paper Blackout Blinds
Another recommendation from Taking Cara Babies. 🙂 We are room sharing with baby boy currently and have a couple windows for which I haven’t yet decided on a covering other than blinds (it’s only been like four years since we finished our renovation. lol) The sunlight was enough to wake him up every morning much earlier than we wanted him to be awake and these have been so great to keep it dark so he will sleep longer. We just put them up over our existing blinds since they’re easy to take down when we are ready to move him to his nursery. Highly recommend especially if you need a temporary solution. They are so affordable and come in a set of six. You can cut them down to size easily with scissors if needed.
Another recommendation from Taking Cara Babies. 🙂 We are room sharing with baby boy currently and have a couple windows for which I haven’t yet decided on a covering other than blinds (it’s only been like four years since we finished our renovation. lol) The sunlight was enough to wake him up every morning much earlier than we wanted him to be awake and these have been so great to keep it dark so he will sleep longer. We just put them up over our existing blinds since they’re easy to take down when we are ready to move him to his nursery. Highly recommend especially if you need a temporary solution. They are so affordable and come in a set of six. You can cut them down to size easily with scissors if needed.
11. Diaper Genie
All the praise hands for the diaper genie! Without this his nursery would not have a pleasant odor. And that’s all we need to say about that. Just do yourself a favor and get one.
All the praise hands for the diaper genie! Without this his nursery would not have a pleasant odor. And that’s all we need to say about that. Just do yourself a favor and get one.
12. MamaRoo
Ok I will be honest and say that I thought this had turned out to be the biggest waste of money even though I bought ours used on FB marketplace. HOWEVER, as I type this baby boy is napping peacefully when I would normally have needed to bounce him to sleep while he cried until he just couldn’t keep his eyes open. Yes, unfortunately, we have sleep fighter. Mostly just for naps. But at this point he takes about five naps per day so it feels sometimes like he’s crying all day even though when he’s awake he’s totally happy. Anywho, this MamaRoo just saved this mama at least one crying sesh and I will TAKE IT! Plus it’s allowing me to finish this blog post for you. 😉
Ok I will be honest and say that I thought this had turned out to be the biggest waste of money even though I bought ours used on FB marketplace. HOWEVER, as I type this baby boy is napping peacefully when I would normally have needed to bounce him to sleep while he cried until he just couldn’t keep his eyes open. Yes, unfortunately, we have sleep fighter. Mostly just for naps. But at this point he takes about five naps per day so it feels sometimes like he’s crying all day even though when he’s awake he’s totally happy. Anywho, this MamaRoo just saved this mama at least one crying sesh and I will TAKE IT! Plus it’s allowing me to finish this blog post for you. 😉
13. Stroller Fan
With the heat and humidity it’s been tough to find days cool enough to go out for a stroll, even in the morning or evening when it’s cooled off a little. This fan has been so great to keep little man cool when we do go out for a stroll and it’s a little on the warm side. I love that you can wrap the grips around whatever part of your stroller that works best and it will stay put and you can point it in the direction you want it to blow. It has three speeds too which is nice.
With the heat and humidity it’s been tough to find days cool enough to go out for a stroll, even in the morning or evening when it’s cooled off a little. This fan has been so great to keep little man cool when we do go out for a stroll and it’s a little on the warm side. I love that you can wrap the grips around whatever part of your stroller that works best and it will stay put and you can point it in the direction you want it to blow. It has three speeds too which is nice.
Ok, I think that’s about it for now. We are entering a new phase of baby life at this point so I’m sure there will be other products we’ll pull out of the closet that we haven’t needed yet and will find new favorites for the different stages.
Anything you are curious about or want a recommendation for? Drop it below in the comments and if there’s enough interest maybe I’ll do another post in a couple months with updated products.
Thanks for reading and I hope you find this helpful!