I was obsessive about researching baby gear while I was pregnant. Our registries were practically a work of art. I maniacally cross-referenced reviews in Baby Bargains and on Amazon to make sure we were getting tried-and-true products that would offer the best bang for our buck. I’m proud to say the obsessing paid off, with mostly hits and just a few misses.
Obviously, lifestyle plays a lot into gear choices, but here’s a rundown of the stuff that has made our lives a little bit easier as new parents – and you can’t put a price tag on that.
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- 1) Fisher Price Rock ‘n’ Play – Baby Y slept in this beside our bed for the first few months. The angle is great, it’s easy to set up and move, and it folds flat for travel. Best of all – it’s cheap!
- 2) Baby Bjorn Comfort Carrier – A lot of people criticize Bjorns for causing backaches once the baby is a bit heavier. This one distributes weight a lot more evenly because of the hip belt, but still allows the baby to face out, unlike other popular carriers. I even wear Baby Y in it around the house some days if he’s fussy.
- 3) Chicco KeyFit 30 – The MVP of our first 6 months. It took me all of five minutes to install the bases in both of our cars at nine months pregnant. (In fact, had I known how easy it would be to install, I may have stuck with one base.) It comes with an infant insert for newborns that is often an extra purchase for other seats, and while Baby Y has had many a diaper explosion in this, the fabric has never stained. It’s also a lot less obnoxious looking than a lot of seats. We just switched him to a convertible seat, which is perfectly nice, but I miss the Chicco.
- 4) Nuk pacifiers – We probably have about 12 of these floating around. Baby Y never liked Soothies, but these have saved our lives many a time.
- 5) Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle ‘n’ Swing – Baby Y napped in this plush swing until about 4 months old. It swings in three directions, has two recline settings, and is neutral enough so that it doesn’t look like Gymboree vomited all over the living room. Oh, and it plugs in, saving a small fortune on batteries.
- 6) Maclaren Easy Traveler – We used this stroller frame for the KeyFit. It’s lightweight, folds practically flat, and has a roomy basket – great for travel. Chicco now makes its own frame, though, so that’s worth checking out of you go with the KeyFit and want just a frame instead of a bulkier travel system.
- 7) Simplisse Gia Nursing Pillow – I wish I’d had this from the get-go. The Boppy never worked well for me – I’m on the taller side and had to hunch over it, and Baby Y was always rolling into me, or worse, off the pillow. The Gia puts the baby a lot higher (no hunching) and is flatter and wider (no rolling). It also has an incline, which aids digestion – a nice touch for reflux babies.
- 8) Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light – A definite splurge, but one that’s worth it for frequent travelers. We bought this when we figured out how cumbersome pack ‘n’ plays can actually be. It’s lightweight and sets up in 30 seconds. Win.
- 9) BabySmart Cooshee Changer – This makes so much more sense than a traditional changing pad. The first time I wiped poop off this with a baby wipe, I fell in love. Anything that cuts down on laundry is genius.
- 10) Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddle Wraps – I talked about these in my swaddle post, but I’ll sing their praises again here: Skip the receiving blankets (useless except as burp cloths) and just get a pack of these. I’ve used them so many ways – swaddle, sun shade, burp cloth, play area, light summer blanket — that there’s no question of whether they were worth the extra money.
Two of our greatest hits: the Gia and an Aden + Anais blanket
There you have it – our greatest hits. What’s your favorite go-to baby gear?
Hellobee Series: Mrs. Yoyo’s Visual Gear Guides part 1 of 6
1. Baby Gear: My Top 10 by Mrs. Yoyo2. Toys to Grow With by Mrs. Yoyo
3. Baby Y's Favorite Books by Mrs. Yoyo
4. Mrs. Yoyo's Diaper Bag by Mrs. Yoyo
5. Cool gifts for the wheel-obsessed toddler by Mrs. Yoyo
6. Yo-Yo's Dream Nursery by Mrs. Yoyo
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
Totally agree with the A+A!
I will have to look at the Gia, I am 5’10” and agree, I always feel hunched over on the boppy. I have an extra pillow I always have to put underneath it to get her up high enough.
grape / 90 posts
I have the Baby Bjorn travel crib too. How early were you able to start using it?
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
I love, love love love, lists of must-have’s. They’re so helpful to the new Mom who has no clue what she is doing!
Are you comfortable with just four swaddle blankets or do you feel like you need double that? We received a set as a gift and are wondering if we should register for another set of 4.
Also, the Cooshee Changer – how long can you use that? Does the baby outgrow it before you feel you get a good amount of use out of it?
nectarine / 2458 posts
Wow, great list!
I’ll have to look into the Gia; I’m pushing 5’9 and definitely don’t want to have to hunch over while I’m breastfeeding!
nectarine / 2504 posts
We just received the same carseat this weekend at our baby shower. So glad to hear you’ve had such success with it! I’d love to see your miss list
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@milkteaandpolkadots: We started using it at 3.5 or 4 months, but you can absolutely use it with a newborn on up.
@mediagirl: We have 12, I think. Ha. But that many isn’t necessary. It kind of depends — if you’re going to use them strictly for swaddling, 4 is probably enough. If you’re going to use them for other purposes, I might get another pack. Target sells a slightly smaller, thinner version for cheaper.
@keiki_mama: Not many misses, but I would say we didn’t get much use out of the pack ‘n’ play. It was too bulky for us to haul around, though it did function as a diaper-changing station on the first floor. The Baby Bjorn bouncer didn’t do it for Baby Y. That was a pretty pricey misstep. And we could have done without a Bumbo. It was hard to shove his chubby legs in and aggravated his reflux, and by the time reflux wasn’t an issue, he preferred being free to move around.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
I also have those blankets and the cushee changer on our registry!
honeydew / 7968 posts
we have #3 and #10 on our registry. gotta add the nuk pacifiers.
the 1 negative thing i read about the gia nursing pillow is that the baby can roll off it when you lay them in the middle (like you can with the boppy) – have you had that issue? also, they say it’s not that inclined for smaller breasted/taller women. i’m shorter (5’4″) but got smaller boobs. think it would be a problem?
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Thanks for the list! We have the car seat, the swing and the Aden & Anais blankets!
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@tequiero21: I guess that could be an issue if you were using it just to prop a baby up instead of for nursing. I do think Boppy is better for tummy time/propping. Not sure if height/breast size would be a factor … maybe you would like Breast Friend the best, since it’s flat and you can use the belt to make sure it’s where you want it? I have a friend who adored hers.
cherry / 207 posts
For us, it’s a bassinet (used it for almost 5 months and great for wheeling around the house), bouncy chair (Fisher Price rainforest friends for anytime up until almost 1 year of age), infant car seat (Peg Perego Primo Viaggio used it for 20 months) and the Maclaren stroller frame (maneuvers great and used it for almost 20 months!).
guest
Maddy, what a great new site! I love all of your ideas, thanks for the inspiration **
guest
I used the rock and play and had some trouble transitioning my baby to her crib. Then I googled transition from rock and play to crib and found pages of people discussing the problems with the transition to the crib so that scared me and I got really serious about getting her out of it as soon as possible. We were ultimately successful but I don’t think I’ll use it again for my next baby for fear of a more difficult transition.
persimmon / 1329 posts
I was wondering whether you felt the baby got support enough support both in the FP rock n play and cooshee. My concern is that the FP because it isn’t flat and more sling style won’t be very supportive. Same thing for Cooshee, because there’s not padding that the baby won’t be comfy.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@sandy: I think that’s the risk you run no matter what their situation before transitioning to the crib. Swaddling helped him, though, since it still offered that cozy feeling. And it does get harder the longer you wait, regardless. We moved him around 11-12 weeks and it wasn’t bad. I wouldn’t wait much longer than that, though.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@Clementine: The padding on the FP felt fine to me. I do think they need more support beyond those first few months, though. The changer is foam like most changing pads. It still has some give, but not as much as a normal one. Baby Y has always seemed totally fine with it, and I have heard tales of babies snoozing on it!
guest
Hi Mrs. yoyo, I have the FP rock n play and but am concerned that it is way too deep for my one-week old, I am afraid it is not good for his back. When is the recommended age to use it?
kiwi / 718 posts
I’ve got both that car seat & the A+A blankets on our registry. I have a boppy {that I got for free} & a my brest friend pillow thing {man I hate that name} that I found for $12 at a JBF sale. I’ll have to keep this one in mind, too, if neither of those works out, though. I’d never heard of it.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@hokidoki: As far as I know, it’s perfectly fine for newborns on up. The fact that it’s deep helps keep them secure/feeling cradled. But maybe you’d be more comfortable with a more traditional bassinet?