whats the best baby item you have purchased or received?

Question

i recieved so many things at my shower for the baby and half of them i wont ever use.....some of the items however are great...my favorite right now is the hand held monitor that i can see and hear the baby on...i took a lot of stuff back and recieved gift cards i would like to know what you all have found the most useful so i dont wind up with things that will just sit in the closet....thanks for your help

Answer 1

Diaper Genie. That thing was a godsend. Oh...and stay away from the baby wipes warmers. The one I had burned all the wipes at the bottom of the pile. Nightmare scenario: Fire in the baby's room.

Answer 2

The vibrating bouncy chair, absolutely loved it, also a small fold-up swing , both of these were small enough to take with in the car. My stroller is the one thing that 4 years later i still use, it's a peg prego, and it folds smaller than most and has held up over the years. When mine was little, i loved my little diaper bag, it was at least half the size of the others, and had two pockets in front and two on the sides, wonderful for bottles, sippy cups, my water and keys, it's called a 'baby sac,' and the best bag ever.

Answer 3

I'm going to have to go with the Sheet Saver. I bought this on a whim for my first child. Its a waterproof pad that goes in the crib that you lay your baby's head (or rear if you're concerned about diapers leaking) on. It ties on the sides so it is secure. I found that the number one reason the sheets got dirty in the crib so fast was from either spit up or because the baby's head would sweat causing the sheet to get dirtier faster where she would lie (gross!). Changing the sheets is a PAIN in a crib so by using this I just untied it and threw it in the wash. That way, I wouldn't have to wash the sheets every other day.
Its a simple item, pretty cheap; but something I highly recommend. I just went out and bought some more for my next baby so that I would always have an extra one ready just in case.

Answer 4

A SLING! Seriously, it's the best purchase you can make or have made for you. I don't mean those baby bjorns or the like - those are not good for their little pelvis' - I'm talking about a Storchenweige or wrap/tie sling. You can use it from the moment baby is born until the child is 35lbs. It's comfortable, it's warm, secure, promotes exceptional bonding, calms baby, they sleep better, you get stuff done while wearing baby in many different positions (i usually wear my baby on my baby while I'm cleaning up the house or going on walks or shopping) --- I received a really nice stroller as an office gift and I used it once because I far preferred the sling. Baby can't climb out of it, get into stuff, you don't have to lug anything around, you don't have to have baby get cold in the winter time or splashed by passers-by or cars that drive by - if you think about the level of your baby while in a stroller in relation to all the people around (lit cigarettes anyone?) it's appalling that people still use them. The only thing I can think of using a stroller for would be for clothes shopping and I want to try on clothes. You can still use a sling, but you'd have to retie it (which isn't a big deal). So, i sold the nice stroller and got an umbrella stroller for those types of trips (still have only used it twice for that reason) and put the rest toward a 2nd sling. The Storchenweige is pricey, but when you think of how long and how much you'll use it, you can use it for all your subsequent children and then gift it to your first child's baby! It replaces a stroller entirely, is made expressely for babywearing, extremely high quality (it's woven specially for babywearing and strength and durability), and comes in so many beautiful prints and colors. After trying several different types of slings, my favorite is the storchenweige, but there are many different kinds if you would rather use a different kind. I would strongly urge you not to use a formed baby carrier - they're extremely uncomfortable for you and the baby as well as being harmful to their hip development (especially when worn with baby facing forward - baby should always face your body). I made several, too, but no kind of fabric in the store compares to the special weaving of the storchenweige, girosol, etc.

The best investment EVER in my opinion. It also replaces a swing, bouncer, jumping johnny, saucers, all those places people put babies so they can do what they need to do. Wearing the baby puts baby at a level with others, keeps them quieter which allows them to learn more and grow. Worn babies cry, on average, minutes a day versus unworn babies which average hours. In my opinion, the less baby cries, the better. And, though I love to hold babies, i just can't sit around and hold her all day - so I wear her. She's happy, I'm happy, the house is happy and siblings are happy. It's an all-around win-win situation. OH, i almost forgot - the weight limit on that is a sure-thing amount - and if you think about how old the child is when they're about 35 lbs - my older daughter was 35lbs at 6years old! And, i've 'tested' my sling on her - she's 50lbs now - and though it wasn't the most comfortable thing because she's tall, it still worked - so if she were injured or something, i could still carry her piggy-back (assisted by the sling) rather comfortably. She sure didn't feel like she was 50lbs! SO - the sling far outlasts any carrier (like a snuggli) I used a snugglie with my first daughter because I didn't know wrap slings existed and I could only use it until she was about 5 months old - my shoulders hurt because it hung from me - i didn't like how insecure it felt - with the wrap sling she is tied TO me, not hanging OFF me. Plus, I just can't say enough about the back-carries. WONDERFUL! You can't cook with baby strapped to your front - but you sure can when they're riding piggy-back!

I also love baby legz - they're wonderful! and gdiapers - what else? I liked my boppy a lot

Answer 5

I'd have to say that my favorate baby item is the Ocean Wonders bouncer chair, my son loved that chair but he grew out of it now he has the Linkadoos Infant to Toddler rocker which he loves.

The only thing about a hand held video monitor and I've been told by everyone I worked at a baby store and alot of people brought them back was they found theirselves watching their baby all the time to make sure they were breathing and stuff and just to watch them sleeping and they never got anything else done.

Another good thing is the Forehead instant themometer I bought mine my self but its awesome. A few of my other gifts were wipes, diapers (you can never get enough believe me, I had over 40 pk of diapers and 15 pks of wipes, and they went fast), his bassinet (Rock and Roll....with soothing vibrations to help him sleep) and a folding mesh bath seat, with 2 positions, a microwavable bottle sterilizer(it helped cut down on the time I would have spent on sterilizign bottles). There are lots of helpful baby items believe me and 1 is just as good as the other.

Answer 6

A snuggli or baby carrier.
I've found this to be invaluable with both of my sons. You can strap the baby to your chest and get things done (vacuuming, laundry, etc..) when he/she is being fussy or when you want to get out of the house but don't want to lug the stroller.
Get a reversible one so the baby can face in when they're younger and out as they get older.

My boys are now 3 yrs old and 4.5 months old and I use the Snuggli when we go to the park, walk the dog, or when my 3 yr old is tired and wants to sit in the stroller.

Also, don't get a change table - you're better off getting a low dresser (waist-high). Put a change pad on top and you're good to go. Plus you get additional storage for diapers, wipes, bedding, etc.. in the drawers below. As the baby gets older you can use it to store their out of season clothes or as a regular dresser.

I also have to agree with the travel system (stroller w/ car seat) and the bouncy seat. And an excersaucer is great once they outgrow the seat.

Good luck and congratulations on your new baby!!
(May you have a quick and easy delivery!!)

Answer 7

I swear when my boy was just born I could not have lived without his swing and a wipe warmer.. of course the Playtex vent air bottles helped lots.. after I started using them I never had to burp my baby again.. But the wipes warmer, my son was pretty picky about what touched his bottom, crying all the time during changes so warm wipes helped a great deal.. and the swing!! I love it, he's almost too big for it now, but he takes the best naps in his swing, he's so cute when he tries to wake up but can't!! I would definitely recommend getting a swing, there is one out there that holds up to 30 lbs, and you can plug it in - i think it's from fisher price.. good luck!!

Answer 8

I would have to say the vibrating seat. I have the Flutterbye one, but I think any of them are great. They are a life saver. My daughter is four months and I've used it since she was born. I would put her in it for a little while so I could do laundry, etc. It's also great so you can get a shower in. I would just put it in the bathroom with me while I took a shower. Now that she's old enough to play with the toy bar, she loves that. Good luck.

Answer 9

I have three children and by far the best baby item I have ever gotten is the boppy pillow.It's prefect for breastfeeding,also for training baby to sit up,AND becomes a comfortable pillow or playtime rest for toddlers through school age , so your kids never grow out of it and it doesn't end up in a garage sale with the rest of the baby stuff!

Answer 10

all three of my kids had a baby swing, it played music but you could turn the music off, they all loved it. I could put them in there while I did a sink full of dishes or threw in a load of laundry or used the bathroom. When I came back they were still in the same spot and very happy. The older ones liked it when the younger one was in because it put them at eye level so they could communicate with each other better, an added plus most people dont think about.

Answer 11

The best was a stroller where the seat removed and was a car seat.. so much easier to have one seat serve two purposes and not have to take the baby from seat to seat. Most useless was a portable baby changing station... if you actually took it out of the house, which was it's purpose, you may as well be carrying around a card table. Anyone who actually has had a baby knows that this isn't very do-able.