My husband and I have had 4 kids in the span of 10 years. Our
youngest is one so I feel like a pretty good source of advice and input
on baby products. I love finding unique items, reading product reviews,
and chatting with other parents that remark over my interesting baby
item. In ten years we've found some pretty cool things. Some of our
discoveries have gained popularity and some are still word of mouth
advertising. The latter is a shame because most of these things make
life so much easier. Here are our top 10 favorites...
1) The Podee
I've been using this since 2006 and I still get stopped and asked where
I got it. It's a hands free self feeder I found after I had my second
child. He was too young to hold his own bottle and we were going on an 8
hour car trip. This allowed me to pump and feed him with out
constantly pulling over and losing time. I didn't have to cram myself in
the back seat to hold his bottle or sit uncomfortably in the front
holding a bottle in some crazy yoga position. Seven years later we
still use it on car rides, when I need to make dinner, when I'm in a
rush and/or just can't stop to nurse or hold a bottle.
I've
purchased them for friends having their second child or friends having
multiples. They've all loved it. We've always found them at Babies R
Us and sometimes at Toys R Us. Be warned that finding the Podee is like a game of Where's Waldo. On the
wall there are dozens of Avents, Dr. Browns, Evenflos, and Tomme Tippys but there is only one, ONE, hook holdings lonely yellow Podee boxes. You have to hunt for
it and half the time the associates at the store have never heard of
it. Amazon has them too. **It's worth mentioning for younger babies
Mom might have to such the straw enough to fill the nipple with milk.
They tend to get frustrated and give up before the milk reaches the
nipple.**
2) Sock Ons
YES! There is something out there to prevent baby socks from falling
off, babies pulling them off, and socks shooting off like little
missiles. I swear up and down I saw that once! Sock Ons come in a
variety of colors, styles and sizes. They are essentially a sort of
locking device that goes on over a normal baby sock. I have yet to see
them in stores but they can be found on Amazon.
3) Onsie Extenders
These have been around for a while and they're so handy. My neighbor
just caught sight of the one my one year old was wearing and wished
she'd seen them before. Like everything on my list, I don't know why
they aren't more commonly found. I originally found them at a website
called
http://www.onestepahead.com
but Amazon has them too. I've also seen directions to make your own with old onsies on
Pinterest. Getting some extra mileage out of clothing is always a plus
since they grow so fast.
4) Carter's Boa Blanket
You've probably been to shower after shower and seen the poor mom get
about 20 blankets or received your own fair share of baby blankets. The boa blanket, however, is the creme de le creme of
blankets. Even if Mom didn't register for it she probably won't return
it because it's so soft and not like the standard receiving blanket.
Another great feature is that it stays soft after a year of washings.
I've got 2 of the same boa blanket for my youngest because the blanket
became his lovey. They've been washed once a week since his birth and are still soft and cozy. Carter's cranks out lots of these in
different styles so they're very easy to find.
5) The Craftsman Tool Bag
Sometimes you have to think outside the box. These tool carriers make
fantastic diaper caddies. Who'd have thunk it? These are way, way,
way, better than the traditional diaper caddies sold in baby stores.
The actual diaper caddies I've seen in stores are flimsy, not that
functional, and expensive. Sears sells these caddies for $11-$13, they
have several pockets for lotions, the main compartment perfectly fits
wipes and diapers, and it is STRONG. I'm always catching my 4 year old
standing on the handle of ours. As you can see they come in pink! This
is a great shower gift as is or filled. I can usually fill one for $20
or so; $13 for the caddy, $4 for a small pack of diapers, and few
things from the trial sized section or a dollar store. Something
practical for that great a price? You can't beat it!
6) Soothies Breast Pads
Ah, Soothies Gel Pads, just the name brings a wave of comfort. I got my first pair in that
ridiculous
incredibly helpful bag of swag all the new moms get at the hospital.
It was buried under a formatted letter of congrats from the governor and
life insurance ads. At first I tossed them aside. I'd bought the
standard disposable, cotton pads. Plus, I was a nursing pro after my
first child so why would I need something like that for the second.
Well, baby #2 tried to kill me through my nipples. Crazy Lactation
Consultant tried to tell me it only hurts if the baby isn't latched on
correctly. That's lie of the devil. Sometimes nipples just need to
be toughened up. The only one willing to do the job in my house was baby
#2 which had me racing for the Soothies. Ah, Soothies.....cool,
comforting, and catches the leaks.
7) Skidders
Fairly new and not too hard to find. These are great for the new
walkers in the house because they have the grippy feet and prevent
falls. I've got 4 with no grace on the loose at my house. Someone is
always falling, sliding, skidding, tripping, etc. I tried puffy paint
on the bottom of a pair of socks to make my
own non-skid socks but the puffy paint gripped the floor and the kiddos
walked out of the sock. Skidders stay on, help wobbly toddlers stay on
their feet and they're easy to clean. They also give good back massages
if you get the feet with the little nubs on it.
8) Stroller Handle Extensions
Did you know the average strollers are designed for people that are
5'5" or shorter? How tall is the average man? The average man is 5'10"
which is the same as MY height. Basically, that means not many dads
can comfortably push a stroller. Shopping for our last stroller took
more time than shopping for our minivan. I wanted one that I could push
without having to hunch over, without having to take short steps, or
steps that had me kicking the back of the stroller. Did we find one?
Not really. We came close but ended up settling for the best stroller
that let me power walk to some decent degree. Enter the stroller handle
extension. It gives me the distance I need to avoid kicking the
stroller and the height I need to avoid hunching over.
9) The Sippy Cup/Bottle Strap
All four of my kids required this but we didn't have one for all of
them. They've had their own unique way of losing bottles and
cups. #3 would accidentally drop it and keep it a big secret. #2 would
fall asleep holding it and eventually drop it. #1 had some sort of
Houdini thing going on. Our newest, #4, has a Henry VIII approach and
just throws bottles when he's done with them. If we happen to notice,
great. If not, our fault for being oblivious. I don't know if you've
caught on but bottles and sippy cups can be expensive, plus, I have this
condition that make me go crazy when something is lost. When I
launched a massive search for the last Dr. Brown #4 hurled at the state
fair I knew it was time to find some preventative gadget to save us money and headaches.
10) The Dapper Snapper
They just don't make belts for infants and those cinches in the pants
waist band don't start until the 3T sizes. I've needed to adjust pants
that were too big in the waist on several occasions but was hesitant to
use safety pins on my very active kids. A few times I've lucked out and
found a plain dog collar to use as a belt but they usually can't be
used on all the pants I have because of the size of the belt loop.
Behold the Dapper Snapper. Much easier, works on all types of pants
with belt loops, and it keeps the front obstacle free. My boys hated
the big belt buckle in the middle of their stomach.