Baby Gear I’m Loving Lately

I’ve written a couple posts in the past about my favorite baby gear, but since I’ve had Luke, I’ve gotten to try a few new items out.

1. Rock n’ Play Sleeper. I love this thing! It is easy to move around the house and it is also easy to use while traveling (and takes up less packing room than a pack and play!). I also like the relined position, particularly since Luke has reflux. I like how easy it is to grab him out of this for the middle of the night feedings as well (I don’t have to get out of bed). I also liked that I could sleep/lay in bed and rock him back to sleep when he was smaller (now that he is bigger the rocking isn’t as effective).
2. Boon Grass Drying Rack. This thing may look crazy, but it is great! Many different baby items from medicine droppers, pump parts, bottle parts, and pacifiers stick on this drying rack without being easily knocked over.
3. My Baby Sound Spa On The Go. Luke loves white noise, and this conveniently hangs from his car seat. The only downside is that I didn’t get this until AFTER he was already used to the white noise on my phone which I can turn up louder than this. It also plays music and other sounds.
4. Vera Bradley Diaper Bag. I’ve gone through a few different diaper bags, and this one has been my favorite so far. It is a good size (not too big, not too small). I actually found the pockets (particularly on the outside) to be functional for my use. Bonus: I got a great deal on it at a Vera Bradley outlet!

My Favorite Baby Gear

As I’m trying to finish up the final preparations for the arrival of my baby boy, I thought I’d post a list of my favorite baby items. This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of everything you need for a baby (in fact, there are things on here you don’t “need”), but rather some of my favorite things. Here’s my list from after Ella was born.

1. Swing. Despite Troy not really loving the swing like Ella did, it is still one of my favorite baby gear items. I will say not all swings are created equal, and I definitely prefer one that can swing in both directions.
2. Boppy. Great for nursing, holding the baby, and propping the baby up. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well my boppy has held up over time.
3. Swaddling blankets. Our babies have always loved to be swaddled. I really like the Aiden and Anais brand of swaddling blankets (easy for me to swaddle), but my husband prefers smaller blankets (he is the master swaddler too!).
4. Sleep sacks/swaddle sacks. I like these and these (I find each has its advantages and disadvantages).  This follows in line with swaddling. I particularly like to use the sleep sacks at night because it is easier to wrap a baby back up in them after a feeding when you are totally out of it in the middle of the night.
5. Boppy waterproof changing pads. My mom got these for me (something I would have never thought to buy myself), and I really like them. I like to have one in the room I’m in with baby to use as a changing pad, as well as one in our bedroom (for when the baby still sleeps in our room at night). They are also great for their “intended” use as far as laying on top of a changing pad to be rotated out rather than having to change the changing pad cover.
6. Pack and play. Good for lots of things, from using as a bed in our room when the baby is little, to using as a travel bed. We had a Graco one with Ella, and a Baby Trend brand with Troy. The Baby Trend one has held up a lot better.
7. Moby wrap. I love being able to wear my baby, and this is a great option, particularly for when they are little. It can be a little tricky to get the hang of wrapping it, but once I figured it out, it wasn’t hard. I will say it gets warm, and isn’t something I’d use in the summer in Texas.
8. Ergo baby carrier. I did not have this for Ella, but I did for Troy, and I loved it! I only used it once he was bigger, although you can buy an insert to use with it for when the baby is little. By the way, I’ve seen these fairly often on “deal” websites, so if you are in the market for one, you might keep an eye out on those sites to snag a better price.
9. Sound machine. I did not have a sound machine with Ella, but I did with Troy, and it was great. I particularly like the one I linked (we also had a different one, and it was a piece of junk compared to this one).
10. Bath tub seat/ring. I can't find the one I have (it is older), but I really like have a seat for the baby when they are big enough to be in the big tub, but not super sturdy yet.

Gear for the First Year

As we are preparing for baby number two, I've been thinking a lot about what baby gear I really loved with Ella, and what baby gear I could have (and sometimes did) done without. I know every parent and child are different, but here are some of the products I thought were great to have with Ella. At the end of my list, I've also included a few things I want to get next time around that I didn't have with Ella. I bet this post will be continually edited/added to as I think on it more. :)

Gear I couldn't live without:

1. Swing. I particularly liked this style of swing that swings in two different directions.
2. Bouncer.  A lot of folks will tell you this is a waste of money, especially since you only get a few months of use out of it, but I thought it was wonderful to have - especially when I needed to take a shower or get something else done. For example, I could put her in the bouncer in the bathroom while I showered, and always have my eye on her.
3. Swaddling blankets. I did not have this particular brand of swaddling blankets (I actually had some pretty cheap ones that didn't hold up well), but I've read that these are great quality swaddling blankets. As a side note, in case you don't know, not just any blanket works well for swaddling!
4. Halo Sleep Sacks. These are great for the baby to sleep in!
5. Burp clothes: We needed lots of these because Ella spit-up a lot (turns out she had a milk allergy and that is why she spit up so much), but babies spit up and make lots of messes and burp clothes are great to use to clean up these messes.
6. Bottles (if you plan to bottle feed at any point): I tried three different kinds out with Ella (Nuk, Playtex Ventaire, and Playtex drop-ins). I liked the Nuk ones the best, but I also liked the Playtex Ventaire bottles. I HATED the Playtex drop-ins, but maybe that's just me . . . I know a lot of people recommend them.
7. Pacifier (if you plan to use a pacifier): I'm really thankful that Ella took a pacifier (it helped out in lots of ways), and it wasn't too hard to wean her!
8. Happiest Baby on the Block. I have not read the book, but we watched the DVD in the hospital (I believe all the information is the same, just different formats). He has some really great tips for calming babies. They worked great on Ella!
9. Your Mama Don't Dance. Ok, this isn't just for the first year, but for a lifetime of parenting. This is really a great Christian parenting book.
10. Car seat. Obvious, I know. However, in my opinion, it isn't necessary to get an infant car seat that has weight limits above 22 lbs. By the time your child is that large you DON'T want to carry them in the infant car seat any more, and it is somewhat difficult to buckle them/get the child in and out of the car in the infant seat (if you just leave it in the car rather than taking it out).
11. Pack and Play. We used this as our bassinet for the first few months (in our room), but we've also used it extensively when we traveled, as well as when we are out at a friends house and want to put Ella to bed.
12. Moby. I loved being able to wear Ella.
13. Boppy. Great for nursing, as well as just holding her in my lap. A least a couple of slipcovers are useful as well because it does get dirty!
14. Stroller. There are lots of mixed opinions about the type of stroller to get. I've liked ours, although it is somewhat bulky (it is kind of a middle-sized stroller that our infant car seat would snap into).
15. High chair. Some folks recommend the spacesaver type (which I also have for traveling and eating out - and like for those purposes), but at home I much prefer to have a regular high chair. If I was limited for space, I might think about this differently.
16. Camera. I didn't get this camera until Ella was a little older, but a camera (of some sort) is absolutely necessary!
17. Camcorder. I've used this a lot more as she's gotten older (after all, new babies don't really do much) but I'm still glad I had it when she was a newborn.

Gear I thought was nice to have, but not absolutely necessary:

1. Diaper pail. I used this a lot in the beginning, but found that I just ended up throwing the diapers away in the regular trash most of the time. With that said, we take our regular trash out frequently - if you don't, you will most definitely want one of these.
2. Mobile. I really liked one that was battery operated (rather than wind-up) and had a remote control so I could start it back up without disturbing Ella.
3. Jumperoo. I was tempted to put this under the "I couldn't live without category" but I realize it isn't a necessity. Ella loved this thing though!
4. Bumbo seat.
5. Playmat. Ella liked this, but it wasn't something we used for a very long period of time.

Gear I want for the next baby that I didn't have with Ella:

1. A good nursing cover. I absolutely HATED the one I had, but I really want something that hangs around my neck (rather than just using a blanket). If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!
2. Noise machine. I'm not sure about the specific one, but I'd like some sort of white noise machine. White noise is great for newborns.

Moms, what gear did you like for your little one?

Baby Food Making Gear

If you ask any parent about what tools they use to make and store their baby food, you'll get some differing opinions about what works best. When I started making baby food, I did some research about the different products that people used, and I chose products that I thought were quality products, but also a good value for the money. After all, one of the many reasons I wanted to make Ella's baby food in the first place was to save money and it wouldn't make sense to spend a ton of money on equipment.

Here I've listed the products that I use to make and store my baby food.


Black & Decker Food Processor You'll need something in order to blend the baby food. I chose a food processor over a blender (although some recommend a blender) because my blender just wouldn't be able to get the smooth consistency I wanted (especially for when Ella was younger). I've put this food processor to the test, and I've been very pleased with its performance.


Oxo Good Grips Ice Cube Tray I didn't buy the ice cube trays with covers (I just covered them with foil when I froze the baby food), but I think these covers would be very handy. I had a total of three ice cube trays, which worked well for the way I made my food. I usually only made one fruit or veggie every few days. If you are more of the type to take an evening and make several fruits and veggies at one time, you'll need more than three trays.

Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid Square 1/2-Cup Food Storage Container These containers are great for feeding/storing/bringing baby food along in.


Playtex Fridge-To-Go Bottle Holder Even though this cooler is specifically for bottles, I like to use it to carry my homemade baby food around if we are out and about.

Glad Press'n Seal I use this to store my baby finger foods (more posts on this coming down the road!). This stuff is great (for many uses besides baby finger food storage).


Hefty One Zip Gallon Freezer BagsYou'll need some way to store the frozen baby food cubes. I like these freezer bags because they are easy to get in and out of - and sometimes I only had one hand to work with. :)



Rachael Ray 5-Quart Pan and Pyrex Bakeware Ok, so you don't need these exact items, but I used both of these items to cook my fruits and veggies. The Rachael Ray pan is one of my favorite pans to cook anything in!