Recommend that baby product! What can't you live without?

[JasmineMcdonald]

What can't you live without? I have a few things..

Got advise? Please tell us!!

#1, I stongly recommend buying a excercise ball if you are expecting. It doesn't have to be an expensive one. You will probably love having this while you are in labor!

BABY PRODUCTS:
will post in a minute

[JasmineMcdonald]

Before I say what I recommend, I should mention that a friend of mine who isn't having any more kids passed a lot of this stuff on to me.. I didn't spend a whole lot.. (actually I only bought the stroller, carseat and the carriers) I'm saying this because I've looked up a couple of the things for a friend who asked about them and the high chair even though its the best thing ever! Is ridiculously priced and also my playard - I'm not entirely sure how the other items are priced...

A few things I recommend:

NURSERY:

Bloom Baby Alma™ Urban Folding Cot/Mini Crib - Gala Green

(its foldable and much smaller than most, so it takes up less space then most)

Badger Basket Corner Unit Changing Table - White

(I like this because it uses a space that is usually not used, so it doesn't take over the room like some change tables.)


GEAR:
Baby Jogger Summit XC Single Stroller - holds a kid up to 75lbs!

Britax Infant Chaperone Car Seat - holds a baby up to 30lbs!

Beco Butterfly II carrier
(So comfortable, and it fits correctly, some carriers like baby bjorn will never fit me comfortably. This carrier also comes in so many designs that if you buy one, you can't help but absolutely love it because its in your style to the extreme!)

The Baby K'tan Baby Carrier - holds newborn to 3yrs!
(This carrier is intimidating at first, because it is a long piece of fabric. But once you watch a bunch of how-to videos and clips on you tub e you will have the hang of it.. Very comfy, and if your baby is a preemie this is perfect for extended kangaroo care!)

ERGObaby Performance Baby Carrier - newborn to 40 lbs
(This is the carrier I take with me for long trips places. It balances weight well onto the hips. It is also very comfortable for baby and for yourself.)

Totseat Portable Highchair
(I love this strange contraption! It is basically a strong fabric that holds your child in a regular chair! the fabric goes up to the baby/toddler's chest so there is no chance of falling out.)

Bloom Fresco Highchair in Bermuda Blue (holds up to 79lbs)
(I use this when friends come over and I know I'm going to be serving things, when people are not around, I my littlest one sits on my lap to eat. + it really brings an great look into the kitchen - its nice, although you can probably live without it.)

Combi Pod Bee Bouncer4moms
(This is so cute in the living room. My littlest one out of four loves to watch the birds in the tree outside while sitting in this chair.)

Fisher Price Butterfly Cradle 'n Swing
(If all else fails for calming down my little one, this is my second to last resort (my final one is just holding until she finally calms probably hrs later)


Joovy Room Playard - Orange
(I rarely use this for my kids, the older ones are able to huck their toys into the playard. So basically this is a big toy bin. It works great, while I recommend this I don't recommend buying it unless you will use it for your baby. If you want a toy bin you can pickup a much cheaper one - or get one off of freecycle!)

Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper
(I take this out to the backyard with me, while I'm gardening (or attempting gardening) my little on stays with me and entertained this this jumper.)

[Zonny]

I had a nifty mat with toys that hung over it for baby to lay on. They were super expensive, I would never have paid $60+ for it, someone gave it to me secondhand. But DS LOVED that thing! It was washable in the washing machine.

We had a pack 'n play that had a change table you could put on it. The pack n play was great for naps, but the change table, not so much. Eventually we bought a secondhand change table, as the height of the other one killed our backs (DH and I are tall). But it was wooden and hard - I bought foam padding at a fabric store, wrapped it in a dollar store shower curtain to prevent icky spills from soaking in. The edges of the change table, DS would kick them so we got a pool noodle, slit the edges and put it on the edges of the change table. Worked great! I sold the change table later for the same price I paid.

Instead of a highchair, a friend gave us (again secondhand) a booster seat with a tray that attached to one of your dining room chairs. As baby got bigger, you could make it lower and remove the tray. It came apart and you could put it in the dishwasher. This was MUCH better than a high chair that took up more space!

We had a secondhand Exersaucer too, DS spent a lot of time in that.

[plc]

The best thing we bought was the Baby Buddy Nursing Pillow. It was awesome in helping with breastfeeding.

[Zonny]

I'm not sure what brand of nursing pillow I had, but it was a C shaped thing, available in nearly any store that has baby stuff, worked great.

[gracesmommy]

the only real item that my girls couldnt/still cant live without was their vetch mobile for the crib. it plays 4 different songs and plays an image on the ceiling as well as on the mobile itself. only downfall is it eats 4 C batteries like mad.

[Darth Penguin]

I loved Sudocrem. I found it the best thing for diaper rash.

[pristinefury]

I LOOOOVE the wipes warmer. Brand name is Prince Lionheart, you can only find it at Toys R Us

[Granger]

Fisher price crib aquarium and baby carrier (I like a variety but my latest is a Didymos woven wrap)

[ashokia]

We got our change table second hand and it was terrible. If DS was moving around even a little the whole top shelf would fall out with him on it. We ended up chucking it out and we found a huge old mahogany dresser downstairs in the basement of our apartment building that someone left behind when they moved out. Then we bought a padded change pad from Sears with the straps that attach to the dresser and also to lock him in place. I love it.

Also couldn't live without the Johnson's Bedtime Bath products. I actually use the bodywash myself now. I love the smell and it is so gentle on his skin.

[matty's mom]

I second that wipes warmer- as I only use re useable micro-fiber cloths for wipes, it has been fantastic for them!!

Skinfix- diaper rash paste- oh my goodness that stuff is AMAZING on almost any skin issue. Great line of products!!!

[Insane]

I third the wipes warmer!! I'm sorry, but I wouldn't want a cold wet wipe on my bum so I can understand why they don't. The 2 that I have used it for have loved it!!

Each kid loved a different thing. With the exception of the current Mr. fussy pants (my 2mth old), they have all loved their bouncy seat. I can remember my oldest was walking and he'd hop into it and lie back. His feet would be on the ground! He was so heavy sitting in it at that time that he bent it.

My second born loved nothing. She was a miserable baby-course she had horrible reflux. She tolerated the bouncy seat. Probably because it kept her upright which helped the reflux somewhat. My third loved her craddle swing. She honestly spent hours in it. My 4th seems to love the Moby wrap. He falls asleep like 30sec after getting into it. I really want to try a beco or ergo with him but they are too expensive.

[jessep13]

my daughter absolutly loved her vibrating chair when she was a baby..... Now she has her pesh ( she cant say special yet so that is what she calls her fave blanket )

[oddduck]

While pregnant, a snoogle.

Good as shown, even better for someone like me that's a belly sleeper. I ended up turning it into a donut style pillow and still managed to sleep on my tummy throughout my whole pregnancy.

[Minou]

Boy, OP -- those sound like some expensive hand-me-downs!

A bouncy chair -- both kids really learned how to get it going bouncing! At times, it seemed like they were going to launch themselves!

I do notice that each baby has different "favourites". Baby toys that the first one ignored are adored by the second. And here I thought I had wasted good money on those toys!

I just realized a week ago that a cotton round sold for removing makeup works really well for applying diaper rash cream. I was always using my fingers, and it's really hard to get that stuff off your hands after. As a result, I'd only apply the stuff when I felt I really needed to!