I've tried many different baby products over the last 7 years and 4 babies. This is a list of 10 items that I would definitely buy again if I had the chance.
Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair
We didn't have any room for a high chair at our old house so I had to get a space saver instead of a traditional high chair. I'm SOOO glad I did! It reclines back for young infants, has a 5 point harness, straps onto a chair easily, and the tray slides close enough to the baby that they can't climb out. The cover wipes clean and can easily be removed to throw in the washing machine. It also converts to a booster seat although with 4 kids in 7 years, I haven't had the chance to try out that feature yet. Traditional high chairs with the same features are often twice as expensive as the space saver high chair.
Mam Pacifiers
These are hands-down my favorite pacifiers. I tried quite a few different ones with Princess, but these were the best. They come in tons of cute designs and were the only pacifiers that didn't cause irritation around the mouth due to the drool factor. They have dimples on the underside and holes for airflow. Little Man's skin was super-sensitive as a baby so the Mam Air Pacifiers were perfect for him with their open design.
Avent Bottles
The wide mouths on Avent bottles make it easy to mix up a bottle with one hand without dumping formula all over the counter. The wide design also make the bottles much easier to clean than standard size bottles. I like that the nipples have numbers right on them to indicate the flow of the nipple so there's no guesswork. The measurements on the side are also easy to read.
Baby Einstein Jumper
We started out with an exersaucer, but were able to use my sister's jumperoo for the last two babies (Little Dude is still using it!). I liked the jumperoo MUCH better than the exersaucer. It folds up when not in use, has four different height adjustments, and the hanging toys can easily be switched out for different ones. My kids seemed to like the motion of the jumperoo better than the exersaucer plus the jumperoo isn't as noisy when a baby is jumping in it.
Bumbo Seat and Tray
I love how lightweight and supportive the Bumbo seat is. My kids were able to use this from a few months of age. When we were going somewhere that I knew didn't have a high chair or place to put the baby, I'd throw this in the car to take along. The tray is small and lightweight as well so it was easy to bring that too.
Munchkin Traveling Flash Cards
I got these when Princess was little and have used them with all four of my kids. Babies love flipping the durable pages and chewing on the handle. Little Man learned all of his letters, colors, shapes, and numbers from this just by looking at it everyday with me, and Star is on her way to learning them too. I love that the pages can be written on with a dry-erase marker and then wiped clean. My kids loved tracing the objects on the pages which helped them learn better. This set of flash cards is great for when you're out and about, and you can easily use baby links through the handle to make sure it doesn't get lost.
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes
This is a super cute toy and all of my kids, my nieces and nephews, and everyone else I've ever seen with it has loved it. It plays classical music so it's not annoying to have to listen to it for long periods of time. Of course, my favorite feature is the volume control :)
Swaddle Blankets
My all-time favorite swaddle blankets are the large flannel ones my aunt has made for each of my kids, but muslin blankets come in second. They're lightweight so baby won't get too warm and have just enough stretch in them to easily get a tight swaddle. I also used them all last summer to throw over the carseat when we were out in the sunshine.
Lingerie Bag
Baby socks are tiny. They can easily get lost in the wash so to keep from having to buy new socks every few weeks or so, throw the dirty socks in a lingerie bag and wash them in that.
Baby Food Grinder
I keep one of these in the car and one at home because they make it so easy to feed the baby whatever we're eating. Just grind it up, add some liquids if it's thick and you have homemade baby food in just a few minutes.
What are some of your must-haves for babies?
