My Favorite Baby Items

I recently got sidetracked on several videos people posted to YouTube about baby stuff they couldn't live without and ones they regretted buying, so I thought I'd start off this blog with my own lists. These are the items I have found the most helpful in the last two months:

Wipes Warmer
I noticed that almost everyone, including friends I have talked to, feel the wipes warmer is not needed/practical.  We actually love it.  The problem my friends had was it tended to dry out the wipes.  So far, we have been using flannel wipes with only distilled water, so when they get a bit dry, we just add more water.  I would think this would probably work for anyone using disposable wipes as well...granted, they would have to constantly replace the water and wipes, but the water is actually really cheap.  In order to prevent the brown burn stains, we just put a disposable wipe on the bottom and then one of my least favorite wipes (one that was free with an order of diapers) before stacking the ones we actually use.  It works great, and I actually feel sorry for her when we are not at home and have to use a cold wipe on our little girl! Our warmer is one we picked up at a resale shop for only a few dollars, which makes it that much more awesome.

Bouncy Seat
I always thought these were a bit superfluous, but when one of our best friends gave us one, I gave it a try.  It wasn't that useful at first, but now it is one of the best places for the little one. It is upright enough that she can look around the room easily, so she isn't always upset when I put her down.  The vibration setting is really good when she is gassy, and has been known to soothe her to sleep as well.  Sometimes she will even sit in it long enough for me to take a shower!

Gowns
The only article of clothing she wore before she was 6 weeks old (save for the two outings for her checkups). They are amazing!  She still wears them at night because they keep her warm, but it is super easy to change a diaper while wearing them.  I have heard complaints that they don't do a great job of keeping the feet warm, which brings me to the next item...

Receiving Blankets
Another item I often see people complain about not being useful.  We thought they were (and still are!) wonderful.  Yes, she squiggles out of her swaddle, but that's just what babies do.  We just re-swaddle her.  It was probably time for a diaper change anyway!  Now that she isn't swaddled all day, they make great light blankets, because she is now regulating her temperature very well and doesn't need very much other than her clothes.  When she was wearing gowns all day, the blankets kept her feet warm so there was no need to mess with socks that won't stay on her feet!

Changing Table
Definitely not necessary, but very convenient!  Ours is a combo changing table/bathtub (though we haven't used the tub part yet) sometimes called a bathanette (like bassinet, only bath).

Puj Tub
This is what we are currently using to bathe her.  It is a flat foam piece that folds into a bathtub using magnets to keep its shape.  It then goes in the sink so you can bathe the baby in the sink without them slipping all around or being up against cold ceramic or metal.  It works very well!

Nursing Pillow
I knew it would be nice, but I didn't know just how helpful it would be!  I use it all the time!

Play Gym
I thought this item was ridiculous. But we were given two. So we tried them out. We ended up replacing the toys that hang from it, but once we did that, we really liked it! She learned how to bat at the toys very early, and she still likes to bat at them and look around the room while laying there. Once again, not a necessary item, but I admit it is nice to have.

Sling Carrier
I have yet to use my (beautiful) Ring Sling, but I use my Pocket Sling every day!  It is wonderful to be able to do other things while holding her. She is actually sleeping in it as I type now! She is a very needy baby, always wants to be held, so this is a perfect solution for us.

Those are all the items I can think of right now that I really love. I hope this helps someone decide whether or not they would like to try out one of these items.  I will do another list and maybe some reviews on specific items soon.