With two kids and a lot of pregnant friends, I’m constantly getting asked what are the best baby products. What do I use all the time? What do I wish I skipped? Having the right products makes parenting easier, and short of getting more sleep, it’s the only thing other people can actually give you.

Here are the essential baby products that I love and use everyday.

 

1. Earth Best wipes – I love these soft and stretchy wipes, which we switched to after using the Seventh Generation wipes, which are too stiff and almost rough in comparison. I also like that the Earth’s Best wipes have enough cleanser on them to leave a baby bum pristine!
2. Bottle scrubber – I read plenty of reviews before buying this one, and it paid off. This bottle scrubber gets the bottom AND sides of each bottle, large or small, clean. It’s also lasted more than 2 years and is still going strong. We occasionally toss it in the upper rack of our dishwasher to give it a good cleaning. And twice I’ve soaked it in 1 c water 1 c vinegar solution to remove gunk buildup.
3. Nipple brush – Do you really need a nipple brush? If you are nursing your baby, yes. You won’t believe how fatty and oily breast milk is! I’m not sure about formula. The big bottle scrubber can’t get into the nipple, which gets greasy from breast milk and whole milk and even 1%!
4. Seventh Generation diapers – I love that they are unscented, incredibly absorbent, and rarely have blowouts. We use cloth during the daytime, and use Seventh Generation diapers at night. Our kiddos never wake up due to a wet diaper!
5. Old fashioned cloth diapers – These are especially useful in the fist year when there are many spit-ups and messes to clean. For diaper rash on babies before they are moving too much, they are useful, too. Just loosely swaddle their bum in these old fashioned cloth diapers, then swap for dry ones as soon as they pee. In the summer, we use them to for open diaper time. So many messes to clean up!
6. Little Giraffe special blanket – My sister gave us this baby blanket and it was so soft and luxurious that I couldn’t believe it was for the baby! She loves cuddling it and it has become a must have item to sleep. The blanket goes through the wash dry cycle, no problem!
7. SwaddleMe blankets. ESSENTIAL for the “fourth trimester,” aka the first three months of your baby’s life when they crave the tight, cuddly feeling of the womb. With strategically placed velcro, these swaddle blankets keep babies swaddled tight, helping them calm down and sleep. Make sure to buy the cotton version in summer and the fleece version for winter.
8. Sophie the Giraffe – For chewing, playing, and chasing. Both our girls loved – still love! – chewing and squeaking our Sophie the Giraffe. No idea why. But the $20 or so bucks you’ll fork over for her will be worth it. Note, do NOT bring Sophie into the tub or submerge her in water. She will lose her squeak!
9. Neutrogena sunscreen – It has wide spectrum coverage so I don’t have to worry about my babies in the sun. Need to pick up another tube of this Neutrogena baby sunscreen for the summer. Note, check with your pediatrician for when you can start putting sunscreen on a baby’s skin. For really little ones, it’s better to keep them out of the harsh summer sun altogether.
10. Pink bunny – You would not believe how much my daughter loves this soft and fuzzy pink bunny from the North American Bear Company. She brings it with her everywhere and when she meets a new person, pink bunny must be greeted as well. When I’m sad, she goes and finds punk bunny and shoves him in my face. He is a cure all.

What baby and toddler products do you swear by?