I actually really enjoy mom blogs, and have a book called "I Just Want to Pee Alone" that is a collection of hilarious mom blog posts, but my brain just goes in too many different directions to narrow my rantings down to one topic alone. Since I did leave my job to be a stay at home mom for a bit, though, be prepared to read a good many mom posts on here. Or skip 'em. It's totally your call.
Anyway, as I sit here with two sleeping cherubs, (three, if you include my primadonna rag doll cat) and a husband sitting through delectable meetings in his office, my house is as quiet as it's likely going to be all day, and I have some time to write.
This post, like many, has been rolling around in the back of my mind for awhile now, and was prompted by inadvertently receiving baby shower gifts for my firstborn that I didn't necessarily ask for, but in hindsight really, really love. I know not everyone likes spontaneous gifts, especially when a baby is on the way, as people have personal tastes, themes, colors, and certain ideologies that often prohibit (even subconsciously) people from buying gifts not on the registry. Here I am to share with you my top 10 baby products (in no particular order) that I never in a million years would have picked out for myself, but am really glad they were given/suggested to me by my much wiser mom friends. Enjoy!
(BTW these are all honest to God suggestions and are not promotional. Honestly, out of the 73 people that read this blog, we all know Munchkin and Pamper's reps aren't accounted for, but I thought I'd add the disclaimer anyway.)
10) Johnson's Hand & Face Wipes
Every mom likely has a plethora of wipes for baby's diaper needs, but anyone who's tried to use said wipes on other places has probably found them to be, well, not as effective. Sure, they kind of get the job done, but when my eyes were opened to these bad boys via a random conversation with a friend, the competition was over. I am by no means a brand snob (unlike my husband) which you can see from the various brands and non-brands on this list, but the Target version of these just didn't have the same subtle, yet amazing scent these had. I'm all for the knock off brand, but when it comes to hand and face wipes, I go the extra mile.
9) Arm & Hammer Scented Diaper Bags
Never have I ever dropped off my child at a sitter's without these small, but mighty beasts in the diaper bag. A similar version of these was bestowed upon me at my firstborn's shower, and upon not being able to find that brand, I resorted to Arm & Hammer, and ended up loving them. They can get unruly in the diaper bag if they are not restrained, so I used one of the hundred billion baby hair ties I have in the house to secure them, and sometimes reinforce security by putting them in a ziplock bag.
8) Ingenuity 3-in-1 High Chair
I can actually take credit for this one, as this exact high chair was on my registry. ANYTHING convertible or multi-in-one is a win for me (unless it's a bra. Those are hella confusing and make me feel like I am going to suffocate whilst trying to assemble unnecessarily difficult neglige), and we get SO much use out of this. I'm sure any brand would be great, this is just the one we happened to stumble upon.
7) Tommee Tippee Bibs
One of my wise mom friends swears by these, and I see why. They're rubbery/silicone-y, so there's no need to put them in the washer and wait for them to dry; just throw that sucker in the sink and it's ready to go in seconds. It's hard to see from the photo, but there's a pocket for picking up ramen noodles and cereal. Or anything your child may inadvertently dispense from his or her mouth.
6) Newborn Mittens
This find was a happy accident on my behalf. Who knew, even when you trimmed baby's nails, that she would consistently try to gouge out her corneas? At least wait until ice-breaker day at your college orientation before you try to attempt that. Anyway, these are manageable, efficient, and as cute or as simple as you want them to be. (FYI-frugal me tried to just use socks. They stayed on her hands about as well as they stay on her feet...which is not well) I would say to get at least three pair, as we found these got in the way of many a spit up, and had to be washed a lot.
5) My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow
For my first child I ended up receiving two Boppy nursing pillows, which I loved and one of which I still occasionally use. I often struggled with the things I assume most Boppy users probably struggle with (or maybe I just struggle more than the average human):
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| Boppy Pillow, for reference |
- I have it around me, now time to get the baby. Shit, the Boppy fell off of me. I probably shouldn't drop the baby to pick it up. How does one DO THIS?
- Okay, baby first, THEN Boppy. Got it. Baby is up, and grab the Boppy. How do I get it on me without dropping the baby? Maybe if I twist it this way...dammit. I probably shouldn't drop the baby to pick it up.
- Finally! Baby is nursing well and is so cozy, but what's with this gradual gap widening between me and the pillow? And now the pillow is on the floor. Again.
My Breast Friend was suggested to me by my wedding photographer when we were doing my firstborn's baby shoot. It not only has a ridiculously fun name, but fastens behind you like a badass Rambo nursing station. It's probably made out of the same stuff they make those crazy mattresses out of where people are jumping on it with wine glasses on the corner, but don't quote me on that. It has two bumps on it that help naturally lift baby's head AND IT HAS A POUCH. For a binky. Or a bottle. Or Cheetos for mom.
4) Munchkin Latch Baby Bottles
Self-proclaimed non-brand snob here to say I really do love this specific brand. I didn't try a ton of bottles, but once these were used it seemed to be a perfect fit. Literally. Target for the win, as there was a small 4 oz. bottle in the sample pack they gave me as a gift for being pregnant. (By the way, can we talk about how the young woman passing out gift bags to pregnant women at the front of the Target store needs a huge raise? How many times do you think she gave a non-pregnant woman a perk package and said "Congrats!" with a huge grin on her face? Hopefully never.) Interestingly enough, despite having initially received the sample from Target, they didn't have any replacement parts when I stopped by the other day to get some nipples (If I had a dollar for every time I typed that...). *shrug*
3) Cloth Diapers
Before you go congratulating me on being extraordinarily patient and eco-friendly, let me tell you that we don't use cloth diapers on our kids. One of my cousins gifted these to me and prefaced it with "they work really well as burp cloths...and also to wash your car!" Note: do not burp a baby with it and then wash your car. Other than the awesome hand-made burp cloths one of my friends sewed for me, these are the most efficient burp cloths EVER. I did receive lots of really cute matching burp cloths, which I love for aesthetic reasons, but in terms of efficiency, I feel like I could just as well burp my child with a Kleenex.
2) Munchkin Brica Car Mirror
This was an unexpected gift from a friend that saved me MANY an unhappy car ride back from Watertown. The remote clipped on my visor, and I can put it on daytime music, or sleepy music. The little bug lights up, as well as the mirror, and the tunes are actually pretty cute. I may or may not have named them all, and solfeged them all in my head. It's surprising how many of the melodies are not diatonic...I digress. I'm sure many brands have something similar, and while I love mine, perhaps try to find one with a power button on the remote. It will eventually go into "sleep mode", but I would often forget to turn it off when I was getting wee one out of the car, and let's just say we went through a lot of AAA batteries because of it.
1) Fitted Waterproof Crib Mattress Cover
As luck would have it, we haven't yet utilized the magic that is my sister-in-law's advice: place a fitted sheet over the crib mattress, and then top it with the waterproof mattress cover. Then, put ANOTHER fitted sheet on top. That way, after a blowout diaper or tsunam-pee, you can easily remove the nasty sheet, plus the cover, and not have to get a new sheet out in the middle of the night. We are fortunate enough to have never had diaper accidents in the middle of the night, and I swear it's because we are prepared for it. As soon as I take the mattress cover off, it will probably be shit central in my nursery, which is why I'll not likely remove it any time soon. (As a note, any brand is probably fine, and while the photo says Carter's, I can't honestly remember what mine is.)
Being a mom of any number of children is basically like the scene in Saw 2 where the girl has to jump into a pit of used hypodermic needles in order to find the key to save her life. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it can sometimes feel like that. Social media makes it all too easy to judge moms, and in addition to just providing helpful advice, I wanted to post this to give a shout out to all my mom friends out there who have helped pave the way for my maternal journey. It is so easy to criticize, but so much more healing to help, so I hope this post helped you in the same way all my mom friends helped me.
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