New Baby Products Advice

hanging cradle

Guys, I need your advice! I’ve been out of baby mode for a few years now and it seems like a lot has changed in the gear/products department. If you have a baby and older children, what’s the best new baby products you’ve seen in the last 5 years? These food pouches for example are genius!
Things I’m particularly interested in are slings, bouncers, strollers, rockers etc. And everyone is telling me about the trick about wearing a corset after birth, has anyone tried that (kind of sounds uncomfortable but people swear by it!).

Would love to hear your advice on the newest/coolest products!

(love this hanging cradle from Nature Baby)

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Comments

My favorite baby “gadget” is the wubanub! It’ one of those green soothie pacifiers but with a small little stuffed animal attached to it so it never gets lost! When you put your hand in the back of the carseat while driving to re-bink, BAM! It’s so easy to find. If it falls out of baby’s mouth it stays put and doesn’t roll away. Also when they’re little little babies and spit the pacifier out while sleeping but then wake up to want it back, it stays generally in the same position for them to easily find, so wonderful. I like it better than the string clips for pacifiers to the baby’s clothes, looks much cuter.

It took me 4 babies to discover them, but i love Hot Slings Baby carriers! They are so easy to use, my babies love them, they are comfortable, and they feel very secure.

Aiden and Anais Swaddling blankets are a must have. They work lovely for wrapping infants, as well as a breastfeeding cover- they are light and breezy so you and baby don’t get so hot if you use it to cover.

Yes, the food pouches you mentioned are a staple around here. I use them for my babies and toddlers!

Also, a cosleeper that pushes up against the side of the bed is absolutely lovely, and a must in this house!

🙂 Good Luck!

Sylvie

Trader Joes’s has apple sauce pouches at a great price. Also apple blend ones. I buy them for not only the babies but the older children as a quick snack. Remember the fruit/veggie blend pouches are also great for picky older eaters as a snack.

But…my very favorit is a little gadget that snaps onto the handle of most strollers to hold your cell phone. Fantastic for hands free, Brica makes ones but the one I buy is called texthook. I get them on amazon as gifts.You just have to be careful u do not snap it when you fold the stroller!
Also the headphones for children that you can buy on Amazon, they come in different animals shapes and they are invaluable for eating out, shopping. Small enough for little heads.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Things I think are too awesome to do without:
– white noise
– swaddling blankets. I use them all but I like jersey ones for when they are super new
– electric toothbrush (makes brushing teeth one-handed=win)
– some kind of small night light in case your baby needs to see to latch at night
– ‘bed rest pillow’ (search at sears). I bought this to help with positioning in bed while I was bed bound with stitches etc, but think it might have been helpful for positioning for 3rd trimester sex, too. Padded headboard (I made my own) for same reasons.
– glider
– water bottle you can use one-handed (I like ths one bc it keeps the water cold & the straw makes it easy to drink lying down & it doesn’t leak in my bag: http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-17-Ounce-Insulated-Stainless-Hydration/dp/B003PGRU4A/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1377987200&sr=8-37&keywords=Thermos+straw)
– thermal travel cup! Keeps your warm bev hot until you actually get to drink it… even if that happens to be 10 hours later. The handle makes it easy to hold and can be slid over most stroller handles: http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-16-Ounce-Vacuum-Insulated-Travel/dp/B0039SLSUQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1377987591&sr=8-4&keywords=Thermos+mug
– Bjorn bouncer (folds flat!), boon spoon, whatever carrier works for you (I’d suggest the beco gemini for the first year, and then you’ll want to upgrade or move to the mountaineering carrier anyway), bugaboo bee, radian/Diono carseats which can fit 3 across so in a pinch you can still use your middle seat

I recommend a Manduca baby carrier over an Ergo. It’s very similar but doesn’t need a newborn insert and has nice long straps for adjusting between me and my tall husband. Never heard of the corset here in Australia, sounds fascinating.

I wore a girdle type thing after my c section and I swear it helped shrink my belly down at a really fast rate. It was meant for support, but I would totally wear it again (if I do it again!) for vanity purposes.

Dear Liz, I live here in Germany, read and love your blog and have a 2-year-old son. What I can really recommend is a bed for the baby that is open on one side and you can push it to your bed side. A friend built it for us and we loved it from the first day. When the baby starts to crawl you can close the forth side and it can sleep in there until it is a toddler. All these moments when you lie in bed and look at your baby – awesome…..
And try to get information about the JOOLZ stroller. If you live in a city and don’t walk often on rough ground it is absolutely perfect. You can push it with one hand, it is not heavy, it is small and has the stability a stroller needs. We still have our JOOLZ in use. An investment that it is absolutely worth….
I wish you all the best – and have a great time in Hawaii….
Josefine

Liz, this was the gift that I was planning on giving you at your shower:

http://www.imagine-baby.com/the-shade/

It’s a cover for the infant car seat but I love all the functions. There’s a cover for darkness to help the baby sleep and a cover with a mesh screen for outdoors (perfect for your little camper). And the whole thing offers UVA/UVB protection.

I got it for Ralph and it’s been wonderful. Much more useful than a cloth one that just keeps out light. I really like it a lot.

It’s yours next time I see ya. xoxo

Both my boys (4 &1) slept in the above baby hammock and I love it. Especially good for small places.

ok liz here’s my 2 cents. those food pouches – awesome. large muslin blankets – brilliant. i never bothered with any ‘special’ swaddle products. aden and anais are best because they’re huge and soft and don’t shrink, but other brands are good too, large size is the key. this isn’t news in any corner of the world but i just think they remain the best option.
rocker/bouncer – this HIDEOUSLY ugly swing is one of the best things i own, and i promise i am very much opposed to ugly baby stuff… even worse, my son loooooves the music it makes. http://www.kidsii.com/ingenuity/p-293-cradle-sway-swing.aspx it’s great because you can turn the seat depending on which direction the baby prefers to swing in (back and forth or side to side… a smaller, less conspicuous swing can’t offer this). i haven’t found an attractive swing anywhere but this one is plain compared with other brands. i call this thing ‘battery mommy’. i challenge you to DIY it into a more presentable state.
stroller – everyone has different needs for their stroller but my recommendation is the mamas and papas urbo http://www.mamasandpapas.com/range/urbo/4929/ i LOVE my urbo. light, narrow, so manoeuvrable i can steer it with my elbows if my hands are full, smart simple sleek design, sturdy frame that isn’t going to start creaking, large forward and rear facing seat that lies flat for use from birth, and it is also a travel system with the use of adaptors. there is also a bassinet attachment available. i feel this stroller is the perfect combination of the bugaboo chameleon and bugaboo bee in features, and every bit their equal in quality and gorgeous design, with a much lower price tag… making it the perfect stroller 🙂 two cons to warn about – there are a lot of reviews saying the front wheels lock unexpectedly, but you should know mamas and papas addressed this as of the 2012 model. also, it was tricky to collapse the first few times and i was ready to leave it by the road and drive off, but that wears off quickly.
i also love the flexi bath, and look, babble does too: http://www.babble.com/home/a-baby-bath-even-goldilocks-would-approve-of/ it’s just a no fuss tub that folds. great stuff. baby will fit in this longer than in the also-brilliant puj tub so that’s why the flexi bath won me over. it’s made by stokke these days so you’ll get some street cred too.
i have one toy recommendation too – the chime garden by lamaze. this is the least annoying battery operated toy out there. i thought that was worth mentioning 🙂
one more really boring essential i can’t live without – regular white terry towel flatfold cloth diapers as burp rags. they’re a great size and very absorbent and they’re my go-to baby shower gift. very boring and unimpressive, but every recipient inevitably calls me to ask where i got them after the baby is born because they use them daily and need a second pack to put in rotation. i love that they have so many different applications – lining the diaper change table for easy cleanup, burp rag, draping over a breastfeeding pillow to keep it clean during feeds. along with the large muslin swaddles, i can’t live without them.

Some things I purchased for child #3 that I wish I had purchased years ago: Phil & Ted’s stroller, Ergo carrier, Nosefrida, Woombie swaddler. We use a Baby Bjorn bouncy seat, and it’s pretty great (but we have used that one for all 3 kids).

boon spoon. genious when they are just learning to feed. for church, out in town, restaurants. fill it w/your own stuff and it dispenses the perfect amount into the spoon, one handed.

i used the beco vs the ergo. a little slimmer profile but otherwise the same. and works on tall guys too. 🙂 i liked the look/function better than the ergo. same price bracket.

i used the puj tub and it’s great in a sink, then i moved to an inflatable one in the tub, then just the tub.

i bought the belly bandit. i thought it totally helped. around the house when you’re not sitting, as much as you can.

i also have the nose frieda. ha. it works and the babies don’t get as upset when you clear it all out.

and my breast friend over boppy. recommended x100.

Must also second the recommendations for both the nose frieda and the rock and play. Our daughter was sleeping for 6-8 hour stretches in the rock and play at 3 weeks old till about 3 1/2 months. It’s not pretty, but folds and stores easily (under a bed, closet, etc). I swear by it! Congrats!

My very favorite baby gear purchase was, hands down, the Bugaboo Cameleon. [It was really my reward from my husband for attending every single local college football game that season. Definitely worth it.] My daughter was already three days old when we got the call we’d been chosen to adopt her, so it was a mad dash to get as much ready as we could before we flew to bring her home. I was so glad we had the stroller- she was able to sleep in the bassinet of it for a couple weeks until her crib arrived. She just turned two and still loves going for walks in it. If we have a second baby I’m considering the wiggle board attachment. I personally preferred not having a travel system and didn’t feel I was missing out not having one.

She was rarely put down, but we had a mamaroo for the occasional time I set her down to make dinner or what not. She loved it. If she hadn’t, I was going to go with Bloom Coco Baby Lounger. I’d read great reviews and I think it just looks great.

Best of luck!

I second these recommendation and congrats on your adoption!!

Such great advice! I agree the Ergo is the best baby carrier. I’ve tried several and it’s my favorite for sure

The Rock and Play Sleeper. Everyone I know raved about it, but I didn’t believe them. We finally got one, and it was a miracle! I’ve heard a lot of pants say it was the only place they could get their baby to sleep. If you get one of the My Little Snuga-something ones, it’s not garish like most mainstream baby products.

I second the food pouches but curious myself about slings- any advice?

On the baby bath front, we swear by the Tummy Tub. It looks just like a bucket, but it’s shape allows you to submerge the newborn in warm water – supposedly mimicking the way they were positioned in the womb. Way more warm and comforting than being naked and splashed with water! Arlo was so terribly colicky as a newborn but he LOVED taking baths. And you can carry it around and travel with it very easily.

I LOVE Aden+ Anais blankets. I know you’ve made the copies, and I did too, but my mom bought me some of the real thing (off of eBay! Already washed and soft and look like new!) and they are amazing! The homemade ones found their way to the bottom of the barrel…but my son just turned 1 and I still use those blankets daily!
The other thing I’ve loved are car seat covers. I made one for my daughter (3 years ago) and my friends then paid me to make theirs cause they loved it. I don’t love the store ones- something about covering a baby with heavy minky seems backwards to me- my daughter was SO sweaty with just 2 layers of cotton! Although with windier SF (we are a few miles east of you) you might want something heavier. It’s great for hiding baby from strangers, rain, sun, wind, whatever! Congrats!

Oh yes the food pouches are great, especially when they are toddlers because our little one 1.5yr can easily feed herself in the morning or in the car when we are on long driving trips. She also is picky about veggies and this is one of the main ways we get veggies in her! For infants instead of going for the normal overly sized travel systems we got the graco snug rider infant car seat frame which is taking place of a huge stroller and allows you to click the car seat into the frame and use it as a stroller. It’s way better then taking the baby in and out of the car seat and takes up much less room. I also loved this because when she was an infant she didnt fall asleep easily so we were able to use this inside to push her around in the car seat and she would fall asleep and nap in it! Once she reached a certain size she couldn’t use that anymore so we did research and wanted to invest in a good stroller but not break the bank. After much researching we went with the UppaBaby Cruz. It’s not too big, very sleek, light and easy to use. The wheels are so smooth and handle really well for maneuvering with one hand I love it! Also another must get is the Graco electric nose booger sucker, way better then those dinky plastic ones that break.

The corset thing is so interesting to me! I had never heard of it before Alba (who, it sounds like took it to the extreme a bit, but she’s paid for having a great body so I can’t say I blame her) but I would totally do it. I don’t buy in to the whole makes-you-lose-weight thing, but I bet it does make you look thinner, which will help you feel more confident, and as a new mom, I am betting that’s super impportant. And it makes sense that it would help your muscles contract back to their pre-baby state. I’m not a parent so I can’t give advice on baby products, but did you see A Cup of Jo’s recent post on the Ergobaby swaddler? That thing looks awesome: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2013/08/ergobabys-new-swaddler-and-giveaway.html

Wearing a corset (more like a Spanx bodysuit) is expected in Latin American. The nurses in the hospital swaddle your belly just as soon as you recover from your birth experience. It helps hold your loose skin together. I’m not sure if it helps you lose weight (the reason it’s touted for) but it makes you feel more pulled together– literally and figurately.

That’s what I’ve heard! Apparently the US is the last place to embrace it but I feeling like it might be pretty awesome and makes sense

the nose frieda! seriously. it works wonders. it’s way better than any little suction bulb you’ll get from the hospital. and for strollers we have a maclaren and a bob jogger and I can’t imagine living without either one!

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