I actually wrote up this entire post once already and then shut my computer without saving it, and it DISAPPEARED. It was tragic, but perhaps it was poorly written and needed a second go-round. At least that’s what I’m telling myself to make it seem better. Onward!

When Elise was very small, I created a list of most used/loved baby gear. I like to think that I’m perhaps slightly more experienced and/or well informed the second time around, although since every child is different, maybe I still know nothing. Regardless, there are things that we use all the time, and maybe it will be useful for other soon-to-be moms out there. Alternatively, if you ARE already a mom, please tell me if I’m missing some crucial items that I need to add to my baby collection!

Item Number 1: OxiClean

It is a fact of life that babies make a lot of messes on their clothes, so having a stain removal system is a necessity. I think there are several products that make stain removal easy, but my personal preference is OxiClean powder. Get yourself a gallon of cold water, add a scoop of the powder, stir it all up and throw in the clothes. Leave it in the solution for a few hours (or if you’re like me, a few days, because your laundry room is in the basement and out of sight = out of mind) and then wash the no-longer-soiled garments with the rest of your laundry. Voila! No more stains! Considering how often poop gets on clothes (or, you know, older baby stains, like food, dirt, berry juice, etc.), I recommend buying this product at Costco.

Item Number 2: Halo Swaddles

Halo swaddles were a life saver this time. I didn’t get the hang of swaddling during round one, but I’m glad I figured it out because it seriously helped with sleeping. I should add here that I also had fallen prey to marketing and great reviews on the Ollie swaddle, which people seem to rave about. In my opinion, the Velcro is way too loud and the whole thing seemed too stiff, and James seemed to really dislike being in it, while Halo swaddles kept him nice and cozy. I know I’m not towing the party line on that one, but there you have my two cents!

Item Number 3: the Zipadee-Zip

While it has a silly name, this swaddle transition sleep sack is great. James was quite dependent on being swaddled in order to sleep well while he was tiny, but ever since he started the very first signs of rolling, he had to be unswaddled ever after. Enter the Zipadee-Zip. It still offers a little bit of resistance when moving, and it covers his hands, but he still has a full range of motion and can roll over with no problems. Hooray! When he’s not wearing it, he takes forever to fall asleep. He also looks like a cute little starfish while enrobed in it, which is a great plus.

Here’s a blurry photo of him wearing his Zipadee-Zip to display how he’s nice and cozy.

All of these things (minus the OxiClean) seem to share a theme. Specifically, if it helps him/us sleep, it’s on the list. Which brings me to…

Item Number 4: Taking Cara Babies Sleep Courses

I’ve raved about the newborn course offered by Taking Cara Babies in other posts, but I am calling it out in particular here. This course taught me how to get James to sleep by himself. Bedtime is a breeze, he has never cried himself to sleep (in fact, there was no crying involved at all), and he doesn’t have to nurse to get himself back to sleep when he does wake up in the night. I wish I had known about this when Elise was born. While James still does occasionally wake at night, all he needs is his pacifier popped back in, which takes about three seconds. It’s beautiful. I will sing Cara’s praises to anyone who will listen and cares about getting babies to sleep. And if you’re a parent to an older baby who might feel like you missed the window on the newborn class, she has classes for older babies as well! It’s not the cheapest thing in the world, but it’s WELL worth the price.

Item Number 5: Hatch Rest Sound Machine

This is another thing that you’d probably find on almost any mom blogger’s blog, because I’ve seen it all over the place. But I LOVE this sound machine. Right now Elise is actually the one using it in our house, but eventually both kids are going to be sharing a room so it’ll benefit both of them; therefore I say it still counts as “baby gear.” You can control it both on the machine itself or via your phone, and I think they even have a new fancy version that can be linked with an Alexa device, if you have one of those. Another benefit is that down the line (as we’re doing with Elise), you can use it as a time to rise light, so you can set a time for it to change to a specific color and sound to let your kid know that it’s ok to get up. If you have a kid that rises at ungodly pre-dawn hours like Elise, this is a giant plus.

Item Number 6: Ergobaby Carrier

While my first love (when it comes to baby carriers) will always and forever be a Solly baby wrap, I found that my lower back hurt more after this pregnancy and I needed a little extra lumbar support in the early days. My Ergobaby carrier fit the bill, and it really helped me get things done that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise while holding a baby in my arms. I have the original version, although it looks like they may have stopped making those in favor of some fancier new versions instead. It turns out that they also have a reselling page on their website, so you can get refurbished ones for a lower cost!

Item Number 7: Anything from Little Unicorn

Little Unicorn makes my absolute favorite baby bath towels, swaddle blankets, and non-homemade quilts. The patterns are the cutest, and the quality is fantastic. The quilts are my favorite blankets to bring places while traveling, because they’re warm but also fold up decently well, and overall just seem very cozy. Here’s Elise with one of the big kid towels (a gift from Nana!) while perhaps casting a spell?

And James joyriding in his stroller with one of the quilts:

Pro tip: wait for a sale.

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Those are the main ones I’d recommend, although I’ll throw in a few more honorable mentions. We use Bibs pacifiers, and James took them right from the beginning. We also use this door frame bouncy seat all the time, and James bounces all over the place while squealing with delight. Also, I count Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups as indispensable baby gear…for me.

And there you have it! If we ever have a third kid, you can probably expect a similar list, because more kids = more knowledge.

Woodstock Writings