I love love LOVE the woombie! Due to Asher’s over active arms he had to be swaddled to sleep and the woombie made it effortless. The woombie is so amazing that I wrote a full review for it, which can be found here. Get at least two and don’t look back.
Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer
This thing was a life saver the first few months. The vibrations lulled my boy to sleep and kept him that way for a good while. Asher also had reflux in a BIG way and keeping him more up right helped reduce the amount of spit ups and projectile vomits. Some nights I would even drag the snugabunny into our room and have him sleep in that the whole night. Worked like a charm.
Graco Pack ‘N Play Playard with Reversible Napper & Changer:
Having a pack n’ play in our room the first few months was great! It allowed us to keep Asher close at hand when he was itty bitty and this particular one even had a napper attachment that cradled him in a safe way. Since we’ve moved Asher into is own room and crib we have still used the pack n’ play a TON. We take it on road trips, use it as a barricade in a pinch and create a portable play pen (just to name a few of the many ways we’ve used it). It’s great and I’m glad we have it.
I can not rave about the Baby K’tan enough!! This soft baby carrier is awesome. SO simple to use and QUICK! It’s amazing to travel with and wonderful to use, especially when the baby is little. When the baby isn’t in it, you can either wear it as a scarf or toss it in a diaper bag. It’s amazing. This is another product that stands out and got it’s own full review, which can be found here.
The Beco Gemini is simply amazing!! It is my go to structured carrier. It does everything the Ergo can do AND more!! Namely it allows for a front facing out baby wearing position. It can also be used for a newborn WITHOUT needing a newborn insert. This carrier offers amazing back support, which is KEY for when the baby gets to be on the heavier side. I’m obsessed, and this really deserves it’s own full review, which I hope to get around to eventually.
Shi Shu Baby Handwoven Baby Blanket
Being a winter baby Asher was gifted with tons of snuggly fleece blankets, which while soft, I didn’t love that they were all synthetics and Asher would sweat a lot in them. I wanted something made of natural fibers that would breathe and yet would still be soft and warm. Well the Shi Shu Baby blanket has surpassed all expectations I could have for a blanket. It’s cotton bamboo mix leaves it incredibly soft, while totally breathable. It’s just the right size for carting about and has traveled the globe with us. It has a great woven texture and silky sides! Asher won’t sleep with anything else.
Shi Shu Baby Handwoven Snuggle Blanket
When Asher began protesting separation from his beloved Shi Shu baby blanket I realized that we needed to get another, so we could rotate them for laundry day and to just generally never be without one. I opted for the snuggle size and I’m SO glad I did. Asher carries this one around the house with him, often chewing on it or cuddling with it, and due to it’s tiny size he doesn’t trip over it. Yet, when the bigger one is dirty, I’ve found that I can put this snuggle sized one in his crib with him and he sleeps soundly. They’re AMAZING!
Baby Jogger City Mini GT Single Stroller
When I was pregnant with Asher I watched COUNTLESS YouTube videos about this stroller. I was obsessed. I never thought I would be excited about a stroller let alone bouncing off the walls! Baby Jogger is a great brand in general, and I think that several of the strollers that they offer are awesome. I opted to go for the City Mini GT because I liked that it had a heavier weight limit, which meant that it would last us a looong time, the forever air tires are great, it has a full recline, you can maneuver it with ONE finger, it has a super smooth ride, the sun shade is EPIC, and it has a one handed fold (just to name a few of it’s features). I’ve even taken it jogging (even though it’s not technically a jogging stroller). I HIGHLY recommend this stroller.
Chicco Key Fit 30 Infant Car Seat and Base
I spent HOURS researching infant car seats and in the end I went with the Chicco Key Fit 30, because it is extremely well made, very safe and a breeze to install. It even clicked right into my City Mini GT stroller (with an adapter). For a while I debated getting a Maxi Cosi car seat but in the end I’m really happy that I stuck with the Key Fit 30. Despite having an upper weight limit of 30 lbs my super long baby out grew the length limit (29 inches) by around 6 or 7 months, but until that happened, I loved the ease of this infant car seat.
Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
The Chicco Key Fit 30 was great but the Chicco Next Fit is spectacular! It is self ratcheting and so easy to install that the baby could almost do it himself (well not exactly, but close). I actually took Asher to the store and put him in 3 different car seats (Maxi Cosi Pria, Britax Marathon, and Chicco Net Fit). Chicco won by a land slide, he just looked way more comfortable in it. At the time this car seat was new to the market so there weren’t many reviews out there, but I trusted the brand and the store trial run really hit it home. This car seat is loaded with safety features and can even be reclined while it’s installed when it’s in the forward facing position. I love it!
*UPDATE*
Chicco recently came with the Nextfit Zip Convertible Car Seat, which has all the benefits of the original Nextfit, but with a few added features that take this already incredible car seat to a whole new level.
Inglesina 2013 Fast Table Chair
This travel high chair is so compact and easy to use that I even packed in my CARRY ON bag and took it to Ireland with us. It was a LIFESAVER. The flat we were renting didn’t come equipped with a high chair and having the Fast Table Chair with us allowed me to be hands free and gave Asher the freedom to munch his meals comfortably. There are a few others like it out there on the market, but again I took Asher to the store and put him in a few and he just looked SO much for comfortable in this one.
Ikea Antilop High Chair with Safety Belt
Right away I knew that I wanted a super simple high chair with NO fabric on it anywhere. I wanted something, compact, easy to clean, functional and light. Well the Antilop wins in all those categories PLUS it’s only around $30 for the chair, tray and support cushion. The legs pop off so you can throw it in the car and take it with you when you’re going to visit someone that doesn’t have a high chair (read: almost everyone). If you don’t feel like using the tray, just pop it off and slide the high chair right up to the table. It’s versatile, simple, efficient and pretty.
Chicco Dance Walker Activity Center
We didn’t get too much use out of this, because even before Asher walked (at 9 months) he was pulling to standing and cruising around and had decided that he didn’t want to be contained. BUT when we did use this, he LOVED it. I could put him in here and run to the bathroom or set him in it while I cooked and I could rest assured that he was contained and not trying to peel a cover off of an electrical socket with his tongue. It’s collapses to be totally flat, makes lots of fun sounds and is totally interactive. If you get tired of all the sounds it makes you can plug your ipod into it and play songs you like better. The toy console also pops off and you have yourself a handy tray. Plus it’s super cute to watch your baby zoom around in.
Okkatots Baby Depot Diaper Bag Backpack
This backpack is the KING of travel diaper bags. We’ve taken this one on several international flights as our one and only carry on item. One carry for all of my stuff, Raf’s stuff and Asher’s stuff. Seriously, it fit everything we could ever want and then some, while keeping it all organized and easily accessible.
Baby noses are tiny and sometimes they get crusty with boogers and these boogie wipes making cleaning that situation up painless and SO easy.
Nosefrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator
The Snotsucker is a lifesaver! I never thought that sucking snot out of my infant’s nose with a tube that ends in my mouth would sounds appealing, and well okay, it still doesn’t BUT this thing is a miracle worker. It’s gets rid of the snot river that tends to run from Asher’s nose straight into his mouth and helps him breathe easier when he’s sick. Plus there is a filter so the snot doesn’t get anywhere near your mouth. The Snotsucker is WAY better than those stupid bulb syringes, it gets out 3 times the snot in a fraction of the time and since I’ve never met a baby that likes having their nose messed with, that’s really priceless.
