Favorite Baby Products

Babies have so much gear. My neat-freak self can’t stand clutter, so I’ve tried really hard to keep the baby items to a minimum.  However, when you have a fussy baby, clutter doesn’t matter and you will try just about anything!  I love reading about other people’s favorite baby items, and here are a few of ours:

(this is not sponsored)

1. Rohm Sound Machine–  this is a game-changer.  It is a portable, chargeable sound machine that produces high-quality white noise.  It’s awesome for calming fussy babies and helping them nap on the go or around the house.  We are white noise/fan lovers at our house, so it only makes sense that Barrett would love this too.  Also, I’ve read that white noise is similar to what babies hear in the womb, so no wonder it lulls him to sleep!  This sound machine goes with us everywhere, and we are stopped by people in Target or Publix all the time asking about it.  It is AWESOME.

2. Hatch Baby Rest Night Light and Sound Machine – this is what we keep in Barrett’s room. As noted above, we are all about the white noise. This one can get really loud, which is helpful for baby sleep and blocking out big brother’s sounds.  Also, it is adjustable remotely so you can turn up the volume on your phone.  It also has a night-light with various colors. The brightness is also adjustable remotely. We love it!

3. Comotomo Bottles – Barrett is primarily breastfed.  We tried all different types of bottles to feed him pumped milk once/twice a day (including Dr. Brown’s, which I avoided for a while due to all the parts), but he kept choking on all the ones we tried.  Finally, I ordered these Comotomo bottles and he takes them well!  The nipples are extra slow flow and that seems to help him. I read lots of mixed reviews on these before I bought them. They have a weird shape, but they are awesome for breastfed babies!  Finally!

4. Bath-time Warming Towel – we got one of these as a gift for Easton, and he loved it.  Barrett does too. It helps keep babies warm in the bathtub.   Barrett hated baths until we put this on him and now baths are his favorite.  This is one of my go-to baby gifts.

5.  Taking Cara Babies Sleep Courses – ok, this is not a product, but I found Cara on Instagram. After following her for a bit and struggling with naps for Barrett I took her newborn class.   I was skeptical to purchase a class like this online, but I need him to sleep!  I read plenty of books before Easton was born with sleep tips, but many of them left me feeling like if I didn’t follow the author’s exact methodology/schedule then I was a doomed!  Cara’s advice seemed practical – teaching you how to help your newborn sleep better (and in their cribs), but also allowing them sleep where they can during the day, and where you need them to be – in their car seat, in a baby carrier, in grandma’s arms… I searched for negative reviews online and could not find any.   She is a pediatrician’s wife, mom of 4, and former neonatal nurse.    Her class includes a series of short videos (you can watch one/two at a time while feeding the baby), and come with material you can download and reference later.  The videos are awesome, and she demonstrates with real babies.  I learned a lot, and plan to take her ABCs of Sleep class when Barrett is 5 months old. She will teach you how to get your baby to sleep through the night in 14 days or less once they reach 5 months (sold!).   Even if you don’t purchase the course, follow her on Instagram or check our her blog.  This is where I found out about the Rohm sound machine too!

5. Dock-a-tot –  Easton slept in his Rock N Play until he was 6 months old (no judgement, please).  It was hard for us to transition him to a crib after that.  I really didn’t want to put Barrett in the Rock N Play because of this, but we broke down the FIRST NIGHT home from the hospital.  He slept in it for two months, and then I decided I wanted to go ahead and transition him to his crib.  In his crib, however, he falls asleep but doesn’t stay asleep. So, I thought I would try the dock-a-tot.  We’ve had one, but he hadn’t napped great in it so far. I put him down at night in it, though, and he slept great – the same as he did in the Rock N Play.  I feel like it is a good transition into sleeping in the crib alone, because it does have him flat on his back.  The day after I put him in the dock-a-tot for sleeping is the day before the Rock N Plays were all recalled!  So, we are thankful for the dock-a-tot and fingers crossed we will have a smoother transition to the crib (also, Taking Cara Babies blog has some great tips on this subject!)  I put him down to nap in it (in his room) once a day and he settles down faster than he did in the Rock N Play, so I will take it!

6.  Graco Slim Spaces Compact Baby Swing  – I love this swing, and it has saved naps at our house (and maybe my sanity).   It’s simple, not bulky, and does the trick.  It goes with us outside and around the house.  This plus the rohm sound machine = magic.

These are some of my favorites – for now anyway!  I would love to hear about yours as well.

 

(Featured header image by Rebecca Wise – Rebecca Wise Photography)