Hellobee

The tricky thing about buying baby products is that there are 50 million choices for everything.  There’s also something out there for almost every situation and problem that can (or should) help make life with a baby a bit easier. As a new mom (and still after having more kids), it’s easy to spend money on lots of random baby products that people swear by to be the most amazing thing ever. Unfortunately like most people, babies also have their own preferences for what they like and don’t like. Having said that, I still have my favorite baby products that I think is worth it for all new parents to get. I think I just contradicted myself but that’s okay because these products are truly awesome!

Here are my top 5 baby products for a baby’s first few months (and beyond)!

Solly Baby Wrap  |  LILLE baby Baby Carrier  |  Rock and Play  |  Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets  |  Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

1) Solly Baby Wrap – I used the Solly Baby Wrap with Baby Pizza the whole first month.  Baby Pizza always wanted to be held and Lil’ Pizza was wanting me to play, so the Solly Baby Wrap was truly a necessity. I tried different wraps with Lil’ Pizza when she was a newborn but gave up pretty quickly from using them because I felt like I couldn’t get her nice and snug. The Solly Baby Wrap was much easier to use. I like that the fabric is soft, thin and light-weight, so I don’t have to worry about getting hot. I loved using the Solly Baby Wrap at the beginning because Baby Pizza was so snug and close to my body, which she really liked.

Doesn’t she look so cozy and snug in the Solly Baby Wrap?

2) LILLE baby Baby Carrier – Once Baby Pizza got more alert, it was hard for her to fall asleep in the wrap since her head was exposed. When I had Lil’ Pizza more than two years ago, there weren’t many carriers that could carry a newborn safely. Now, there are lots of carriers out there that can safely hold a newborn. I got myself the LILLEbaby carrier which has six different options for carrying your growing baby.  It’s been working well for carrying Baby Pizza, but it’s hard to say that it’s THE best one out there since there are other choices that I didn’t get to try. I wish I had some more time to compare the the LILLEbaby carrier to the ERGObaby 360 carrier and the Boba 4G  carrier, but the day I got it I was desperate to find a good carrier quickly. I also still like the ERGObaby Original carrier which I bought when I had Lil’ Pizza because it is much easier to fold up and put in my bag (the recommended age to start using this carrier is when your baby is 4 months old).

 
Here I am with a mama friend holding our babies in our carriers at a wedding. We were perfecting the “baby bounce” dance move.

3) Rock and Play – There are so many excellent reviews on this product. Lots of people like to use this to sleep their newborn in the early months because it is inclined and the space is confined, yet comfortable. It is also portable, compact and light. If Baby Pizza wasn’t sleeping in it, I would often bring her near me in the Rock n’ Play when I was eating or doing the dishes. Like anything, be cautious of how you use it. At 4 months old, Baby Pizza pushes off in it so I am always watching her in it. Also, while most of the reviews rave about this product, if you read the negative reviews it will make you concerned about it possibly causing flat spots on their head. For us, we have loved using it for both our kids and would intentionally not sleep them in it every time, and transitioned them to the crib as soon as I thought they would do okay. I have to admit, the negative reviews scared me a little, so I did use the Boppy Noggin Nest Head Support, which according to the reviews can help with flat spots.

4) Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets – I love these blankets.  Right now, I have sixteen of these blankets!  The muslin material is so soft and it only gets softer the more you wash it.  It’s so versatile; I’ve used it as a swaddle blanket, a burp cloth, a stroller cover, a blanket for tummy time or anytime really.  It’s become Lil’ Pizza’s security blanket since she was 4 months old.  Now she refuses to sleep with less than eight of these blankets every night (which is why I have so many of these blankets!).

5) Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes – I tried to avoid buying toys that made noise as long as possible when I had Lil’ Pizza. I think this was the only musical toy that I had for a long time. It’s a very simple toy that plays classical music with lights, but it’s quite magical. I remember using it with Lil’ Pizza from when she was around 4 months old. Whenever she would start crying in the car, I would press the button for the music to play and she would stop crying. As soon as the music stopped, she would start crying again so I would just keep pressing the button throughout the car ride. This toy was also a staple for me when I worked with the babies at the hospital in pre-op before their surgery. It often calmed the crying babies who hadn’t eaten because of their upcoming surgery! I like that it is small, portable, pleasant sounding and most importantly, it has an off switch and two volume settings.

And one more…a smart phone…

With Halloween around the corner, I wanted to show you my iPhone costume years before I had smart phone.

6) Smart phone – Okay, so I guess this isn’t a “baby” product. It’s a somewhat sad reality, but sometimes I feel like my phone is an extension of my body. Aside from taking pictures and videos daily (this occurred much more when it was just Lil’ Pizza) and finding useful baby apps like ones that keep track of your baby’s feeding/sleep/wet diapers, I was also able to quickly look up answers to my endless questions as well as text my mama friends in the wee hours.  While I would feed, I would be typing questions with my free hand….like “why is my baby only sleeping 30 min?”, “why does my baby wake up as soon as I put her down?”, “is it ok that my baby poos during every feeding?” Looking back, I realize some of the questions were a bit silly, but thanks to Google, I never felt dumb asking these questions because there was always someone out there wondering the same thing.

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What baby products do you have that you couldn’t live without?