Top Ten Baby Essentials and some extras

Or at least essiental in the Brown house.

And FYI, I am not afraid of buying used for certain things. I also rarely pay retail for anything.   I love me a good bargain

After two kids, here is my infinitite wisdom. LOL

I may add more later.

1)  White noise

We have this CD.  I love it.  We use track 4 and Track 6.  In the beginning, we burned a few CD's with the same track repeating over and over and then played it on repeat all night in a CD player.  After burning the disc device in several CD players, we finally wised up and put the tracks on an iPod and bought this docking station with speakers.  We should have done that set up from the beginning.

2) Swaddlers

With Britton, we used the Swaddle Me's.  And while nice, I learned after Britton was weaned from the swaddle about other swaddling methods.  And me being so pro-swaddle, I knew I would use them with a second child.  Behold the Woombie and the Miracle Blanket.  I loved both for different reasons.  The Woombie was easy to get on and off in the middle of the night, but Bishop had a tendency to roll over in it.  The Miracle Blanket definitely kept him confined but you'll have to learn how to swaddle properly and tightly, even at 2AM.  If you try the Woombie, go with the Houdini model.  It's much more snug than the original.

3)  Monitors

We were gifted the Angel Care Monitor.  The motion sensor totally made it possible for me to get some sleep when we moved Britton to his crib.  Once he got old enough, we just used it as a regular sound monitor.  We now use it for Bishop and use a Sony Baby Call sound monitor for Britton.  Since Britton has been born, a new model has come out that not only is a movement and sound monitor, but is also a VIDEO monitor.  I want it, but can't justify it when what we have works perfectly fine.

4) Jumperoo

All I can say about this, it that Britton LOVED it.  Bishop just sits in it for now, but if he's anything like his brother, he's gonna love it, too. It's a hideous object to have your house, but that's just the beginning of the ugliness and plastic that will overtake your home.

5)  Snap and Go

Most people tend to automatically get a "travel system" when they find out they are having a baby.  The problem with this is that 1) they are huge, 2) they are expensive, and 3) most likely, once the baby is big enough for the stroller, you'll not like it but are stuck with it because you already spent the money on it.

Enter the Stroller Frame.  It is super compact and lightweight and not too expensive.  You snap the infant seat into it and BOOM, you have a stroller.  Once your baby outgrows the infant seat, you can research and explore exactly what stroller you want and which stroller has what you are looking for.  No need to be tied down to your "travel system" stroller.

Once Britton graduated from the infant seat, I found a Maclaren Quest at TJ Maxx for an amazing price.  I had heard great things about the Maclarens and it did not disappoint.  The basket and canopy are lacking, but overall, I love it.  It folds up small, I can do it with one hand, the steering is awesome, the handles are tall, and it is lightweight.

6)  Crib

We are not a bed sharing family.  So I consider a crib an ESSIENTIAL item.  And after having both boys in a bassinet in our room for a few weeks, I can honestly say I sleep better when they are in their own room in their crib.  I think they sleep better alone, too.

7) Changing table

I know a lot of people who say they change their baby on the floor or on a bed.  We do not. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have changed my babies on another surface in our house that is not the changing table.  I like having all my supplies in once place and I truly believe that babies know you mean business when you change them in the same place every time.

8) Glider with ottoman

I love ours.  We found it on consignment for a steal.  It is a BEST chair brand.  I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent reading to my boys and rocking them to sleep in it..  I have tried other brands and you can definitely tell the cheapies from mine.  Don't be afraid to go used to get good quality.  You can always replace the cushions or get the recovered.  I also love the gliding ottoman, too.  When it's 3am, it's nice to put your feet up.

9)  Do It All Bag

I never really found a diaper bag I loved when it was just Britton.  I found my favorite at the most recent JBF sale for $4.  I would have paid $40 for it, I like it so much.  It is the Lands End Do It All Bag.  Yes, there are cuter ones out there, but I'm more into function than fashion.

10)  Sunshine Kids Radian

The first carseat I bought was a Britax.  The infant carseat doesn't count since it was given to me by Stephanie.  Britax is the creme de la creme of carseats.  And yes, it is.  Or was.  Because there are some other just as good carseats out there.

So the Britax I bought was a Boulevard CS.  (FYI, don't pay extra for the CS part.  It's a marketing ploy). It does exactly what it's supposed to do. It's plush, it's safe, it's nice.  But after I bought it, I knew we needed another for Lewis' truck.  And this time, I went with the SKR.  And having both now for almost 2 years, I prefer the SKR hands down.

Why?  Both are great seats.  But I like the sleekness of the SKR.  It's thin, has a steel frame, folds for traveling, but most importantly, Britton can quickly get in and out of it.  The Britax has it's own merits, but if you look in the backseat of my Camry, you'd hardly be able to tell the SKR is there.  Again, sleek is the word that comes to mind.  Not bulky, which is the word that comes to mind when I think of the Blvd.

And other cool things I used and liked, but definitely not a necessity:

Inchbug
We love the Orbit labels!

Foam mattress
We have the Colgate Classica III  (but I did NOT pay that much for it!)
We chose foam over springs because it was lighter weight.

Diaper Depot
Simple little thing, but great for organization

Diaper Champ
I like that it takes regular trash bags.  We never had a stink problem until Britton was about 18 mo.  I think it's just because it had seeped into the plastic inside.  I just use ODOBAN and air it out in the sun once in a while.  I also put a box of baking soda in the can underneath the plastic trash bag.

Jogging/All Terrain Stroller
We have a single Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle.  I just happened to hit a clearance sale to snag it at a ridiulously low price otherwise I would have never gotten it.  We have a BOB Duallie on loan from my friend and while it's very nice, it's HUGE.

Carrier
With Britton, I used a Moby.  This time around, I use the Ergo.  I prefer the Ergo because Bishop feels more secure in in, it's easier to put on and get him in and out, and it's more comfortable for the both of us.  I only used the Moby with Britton until about 4 months.  It is a VERY long piece of stretchy material and after Britton reached about 17 lbs, it got saggy very quickly.  But that my have been my own fault for not tying it as securely as I could have .  The Ergo is a bit difficult to use with an infant if you don't have the infant insert (which is sold seperately), and it can also get hot.  I would recommend the Moby for a newborn, though.  There are tons of videos on YouTube that demonstrate different "holds".

Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper
This simple thing does many things.  I know lots of moms love this item for their babies who have reflux.  I thankfully did not have to deal with reflux or colic in either of my babies.  But the incline feature on this piece of gear is invaluable for when your baby has a cold.  They are cozy AND reclined.  Another awesome thing about it is its portability.  It's is so lightweight you can take it anywhere.  It also folds pretty skinny.  Bishop slept in this for a month or so and it was easier to pack this up for overnight travel than it was to pack a pack-n-play.  He no longer sleeps in it, but it's a great thing to put him in when you need your hands free but want him where you can see him.