My All Time Favorite Baby Products

Searching through all of the baby product options can be a deep, dark, terrifying rabbit hole. There are literally thousands of products, brands, and options out there to shop through. And everyone has a different opinion and experience. I have a few products that I used with my kids that I loved and will definitely be using for future babies down the road.

I used to really dislike shopping for baby stuff. I found it overwhelming and stressful. Now that I have some experience and perspective under my belt, I find it much easier to ignore tricky marketing and evaluate whether a product is going to be a good fit for me and for my family.

My goal with these posts is never to sell you anything or to make you feel like you ”need” something for your baby. My intention is to share items that I love and to give you some insight into why they work for me, without all the marketing tactics that companies use.

When you’re trying to shop for stuff for you and your baby, remember that the most important thing for your baby is you. Products may make your life somewhat easier and simpler, but there’s nothing that can replace a parent doing their best for their child.

Okay, let’s get into some baby products now. The most important thing to know when you’re shopping for products for your baby is how to use it safely and properly. For example, it’s so important to know when and where your baby can sleep safely, supervised or not. Anytime you find something new that you want to try in your home with your child, make sure you do the research to understand if the product is safe and hasn’t been recalled (especially if you’re buying used). As always, if you need help using something, reach out to parenting groups online or reach out to the company. The safety of your child should be your number one priority.

• Sleepea Swaddle Sacks – these swaddle sacks work the very best for swaddling my babies at night. Neither of my kids have been able to wiggle their way out of them, they’re nice and breathable, and I can use them easily in the middle of the night. That last point is more important that you might think in those early newborn days.

• Jersey Swaddle Blankets – I don’t usually use a swaddle sack for daytime naps when my babies are newborns. Instead, I prefer to use a blanket to swaddle them. The swaddle blankets from Rafe & Moose are my all time favorites (although Lemon & Loom come in close second). They are stretchy, lightweight, breathable, come in beautiful colors, and they’re huge! I love them and have several colors.

• Zipadee-Zip Sleep Sack – both of my kids have loved to be swaddled. So when the time came for each of them to transition away from swaddling, the Zipadee-Zip worked like a dream. We were able to move both kids out of the swaddles in just a couple of days with minimal sleep disturbance. The Zipadee-Zip also covers their hands so they don’t wake themselves up in the middle of the night by scratching themselves in the eye.

• Moses Basket – our Moses basket is probably my number one product for managing having two kids under two years old. Having a newborn and a young toddler is insanity, but having a Moses basket really helped. It was the perfect place to be able to put Della down and keep her safe from Calvin. It is also safe for her to sleep in, unlike a bouncer or swing. We used ours for hours and hours a day, every day, particularly when Della was brand new. Even now, at six months old, she spends a lot of time in it while she practices sitting independently. Having her sit in the basket means she can’t topple over and bonk her head onto our laminate flooring nearly as easily.

• Sarah’s Silks Baby Blanket – Della was born with a lot of hair and I wanted it to stick around if possible. To help combat her losing hair due to friction, I tried to keep hats off her unless we were outside and I often laid her down on this baby blanket from Sarah’s Silks. The silky material helped to prevent the friction loss and the blanket was so soft to lay her on. It’s also so pretty and she loved looking at it during tummy time too.

• Letsfit Portable White Noise Machine – this is our ”away” sound machine. We use this white noise machine anytime we’ll be laying our kids down for sleep away from home. This includes grandma’s house, motels, camping, etc. I love the Letsfit because it has lots of different sound options, it’s pretty loud, and it will run for several hours on a charge. It won’t quite run all night, but if an outlet is unavailable we can just plug it into an external battery via USB-A. This was also our backup sound machine in the case of loss of power before we upgraded to the Hatch Rest+ (discussed below).

• Hatch Rest+ White Noise Machine – this is the ”home” sound machine that we use and it’s great. On the Hatch Rest+ , there are tons of sounds to choose from, it doubles as a night light, you can control everything from your phone, and the “plus” model has a backup battery that will run for ~8 hours. This may not seem important, but this feature means that in the event of a power outage or braker flip in the middle of your baby’s sleep, their noise machine won’t suddenly go silent. Sleep is so important when you have a child, so keeping it uninterrupted from silly things like power outages is vital.

• Lemon & Loom Footed Sleepers – something you’ll likely hear from other moms is that zippered sleepers are 10x easier than the ones with snaps. This is true. The snaps are typically fine for outfits during the day, but zippers are 100% the way to go for overnight use. I love these sleepers from Lemon & Loom. They’re cute enough for day wear, but soft enough to be used as pajamas too! The zipper between the legs also makes these my favorite option for long car rides, because the car seat harness can’t press the zipper into my baby’s chest and tummy.

• Iksplor Merino Wool Items – this favorite really only applies if you enjoy and plan to spend a lot of time outside with your baby. If you don’t, this recommendation doesn’t really apply. But if you’re a big outdoors fan like I am, then I highly suggest looking into merino wool items for your kids. Merino wool is lightweight, breathable, UPF 50, moisture-wicking, and has this magical ability to regulate body temperture in the heat and in the cold. It’s amazing. My kids wear it as their base layer in the winter, regular play clothing in the spring and autumn, and as sun protection in the summer. It’s great for pajamas while camping and for sun protection while hiking. I love our items from Iksplor for my baby and my toddler. My toddler also has items from Woolly Tots that are fabulous.

• Briar Baby Sunbonnet – this is the perfect sun hat in my opinion. Soft and floppy, beautfiul colors, an under-chin tie, and a huge brim make this lovely sunbonnet. Della wears hers all the time when we’re outside. It’s also the perfect hat for babywearing as it protects your baby’s head and shoulders, but they still have the freedom to turn their head to look around.

• BIBS Pacifiers – both of my kids have been pacifier loving babies. I like pacis by BIBS (or FRIGG, depending on the retailer). They’re super cute and the bulb on the end helps them to hold it in their mouth when they’re really little and don’t know how to keep ahold of anything.

• Sollybaby Wrap – this is one of two baby carriers I’ll be mentioning in this post. I love babywearing and do it several times a week, if not daily. I find it especially helpful in those early days when my babies just want to be held all the time anyway. The Sollybaby Wrap is my absolute favorite for newborn wearing around the house. It’s so comfortable and snuggly for both me and for my new baby. I don’t usually use my wrap outside of my house, but I also don’t usually leave the house for the first few weeks, so the wrap sees a lot of use. Even though I primarily use it for newborn wearing, I use it all throughout the first year when my baby and I both just want some extra comfy snuggles and we’re staying home. This post is full of info on babywearing if you’re curious!

• Happy Baby Original Carrier – this is the other babywearing option that I’m mentioning in this post. The Happy Baby Original carrier is amazing for getting up and out of the house. I find it really simple to put on quickly and easily while on the go. I use it for trips to the store, hiking, camping, park days, amusement park trips, family gatherings, ranger rides, walks around the neighborhood, and everything in between! I’ll also use it around the house if I just need to get my baby up and on me quickly. If you want more info on my experience with baby carriers and babywearing, head over to this post for tons of info.

• Bapron Baby Bib – the Bapron is my favorite bib for babies and toddlers alike! I love that I can roll it up quite small to fit in our diaper bag and that it ties in the back, so my kids can’t get it off themselves. It also covers all of their torso as well as their shoulders, keeping their clothes nice and clean. They’re also machine washable and come in tons of prints. This bib is expensive for what it is, but we just have one for each kid and haven’t ever really wished for more (though we might get a third for when one is in the wash).

• Gerber 3-Ply Prefold Diapers for Burp Cloths – Calvin wasn’t ever a very big spitter. His spit up increased when we swapped him to formula, but he still wasn’t terrible. Della, on the other hand, spit up all the time for about the first five months of her life. These burp cloths are white so they’re easy to clean, super absorbent, and really cheap. I love them and haven’t used any other kinds since buying these.

• Bum Brush – this is one of those products that I thought was a worthless gimmick when I first saw it. But I received a Bum Brush as a gift and I use it every time I spread diaper cream on either of my kids’ bums. I love that I don’t have to get my fingers gunky and messy. Neither of my children are very prone to diaper rash, but this has still gotten a fair bit of use.

Congrats on entering the wild world of parenthood. Always remember that you are more important to your baby than any gimmick or product in the world. You are already equipped with everything they need, but if I can make a suggestion that helps you or makes your life easier, I am always happy to do so.