These Are a Few of My Favorite (Baby) Things

After having two children, now ages 4 and almost 2, I've discovered a few things that have made taking care of my children so much easier that I just can't live without them. Many of these items I've used on an almost daily basis, and others have been totally indispensable during those less frequent times when I did need them.

So I'll share my top-ten list of favorite baby necessities with you. I hope this list will help you as much as these items have helped me.

10: Mylicon (or generic infant's simethicone drops): I used this with both of my children when they were babies. It really did seem to work and help calm them down when nothing else seemed to do the trick. I didn't need to use it after they were about 6 to 9 months old, but I couldn't do without it those first few months.

9: Pacifier medicine dispenser: This is the best description I have for it. It's like a pacifier nipple with a medicine cup attached to it, so that the baby can suck the medicine out of the nipple. This was part of a baby shower gift from friends before we had our first child. When we first had to give her medicine (other than Mylicon), she was about 4 months old. She wouldn't take it from a spoon or syringe, so this was the only way we were able to give her the medicine. We've subsequently given this to other expecting parents as a shower.

8: Hyland's Teething Tablets: When our children were teething and would wake up in the middle of the night screaming from the pain, these little tablets seemed to work very quickly. The tablets dissolve almost instantly and would calm my children down almost immediately.

7: Munchkin straw cups: These insulated straw cups have tops that close so that the straw part is covered when the cup is not in use (keeping drinking surfaces clean). Add to this the popular licensed characters that are on these cups and you have a winner! When I first introduced my older daughter to a sippy cup, she seemed to have a bit of difficulty drinking from many varieties of cups (and we tried them all). Even as young as 6 months old, however, she had no trouble drinking from a straw, so we started using mostly straw cups. When my younger daughter was born, I nursed her exclusively until she was 6 months old, and decided to start her on straw cups directly instead of giving her a bottle, rather than having to wean her from a bottle to a cup later on. She uses straw cups almost exclusively and loves them. In addition, I've recently heard reports that extended use of sippy cups can affect normal tooth development, and that straw cups are a better alternative.

6: Robeez shoes: I wish I'd purchased these for my older daughter CJ when I first heard about them. I probably would have saved a lot of money by not buying so many other shoes for her. The best description I can give for these is that they're a little like a ballet slipper for babies. They're made entirely of soft leather, with an elastic band that's sewn around the entire opening of the shoe, which holds the shoe on securely enough so that babies (and toddlers) can't take them off. The soft leather is very durable and washable, and my younger daughter learned to walk wearing her Robeez. The Robeez are the next best thing to the child being barefoot. Actually, they're probably better, because they protect the baby's delicate feet. They come in all sorts of colors and cute designs for boys and girls, and I can say that they really are worth it. They will replace most of the other shoes you might be tempted to buy for your child (www.robeez.com).

5. Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier: I used this baby carrier constantly. It seemed to soothe my older daughter CJ when she was a baby. I was still working my sales job at that time, and remember one instance when I was on the phone with a customer when CJ started to fuss. I put her in the Baby Bjorn carrier and walked laps around the house throughout the rest of the phone call, and fortunately the customer was none the wiser for it. When Anna was born, I brought her along to many of CJ's activities, such as "Mommy and Me" gym classes, and Anna was able to unobtrusively take part by relaxing in the Baby Bjorn carrier. The Baby Bjorn is also very handy for grocery shopping trips, and seemed to keep my children calmer than if I put them in the shopping cart. Something I discovered from one of my friends is that you can even nurse your child while in the Baby Bjorn. In addition to being versatile and useful, it's also durable. My Baby Bjorn carrier has gone through extensive use with both of my children, and still remains in excellent shape.

4. Diaper changing roll: This is a changing pad that has at least two pockets to hold extra diapers, a baby wipe container, and other items such as diaper disposal bags, hand sanitizer, and diaper rash cream. The whole thing rolls up into a compact carrying roll. I tried to find it online (I bought my original diaper roll at Babies R Us) only to find that "The First Years," who made the "3 in 1 Fold `n Go Diaper Changing Kit" no longer manufactures it. However, you may still find this on eBay or find similar diaper roll-up type products. It's a great concept and incredibly handy, so I'm baffled as to why these have become so hard to find.

3. Disposable bathing washcloths: I remember that in the baby care movies and classes we took before my first child was born, we were told that we had to use two different washcloths to bathe a child. One would be used to bathe all the parts except the bottom, and one would be used only for washing the bottom. It was stressed that once a washcloth had been used to bathe a baby's bottom, it could not be used to wash the other areas of a baby, even after laundering, which is why we needed to find some way of keeping them separate. I tried to keep track of which washcloths were which, but it just got to be a real hassle. Enter the disposable washcloth. Both Johnson & Johnson and Huggies have come out with their own versions of disposable washcloths. Most of these already have soap inside them, and are great, because you can bathe your child from top to bottom, and then simply throw the used washcloth away after the bath. It eliminates the need to sort the "bottom washcloths" from the rest, and simplifies the bathing process.

2. Tiny dinner portable place mat: This is a place mat with a crumb-catcher tray and suction cups underneath that allow it to adhere to most tables (except ones with tablecloths, and more textured surfaces). It rolls up easily and slips right into the diaper bag. It's handy and easy to clean as well. We use this for our daughter Anna almost every time we go out to eat. She's into self-feeding and currently eats mostly crunchy things like crackers, puffs, and wagon wheels. This is perfect! We used to use the "Table Topper" disposable place mat with our daughter CJ, but found that it was too easy for her to rip the place mat right off the table (the adhesive strips weren't strong enough, though at times we weren't sure any adhesive would be strong enough to defeat a determined toddler).

Last, but not least, my number one indispensable baby item is:

1. Buggy Bagg: This is a shopping cart cover, high chair cover and diaper bag all in one. I wish I had invented this! It solves one of my biggest worries with taking my child shopping and out to restaurants, which is exposing her to whatever is on the potentially unsanitary shopping carts and restaurant high chairs. Enter the Buggy Bagg. This shopping cart cover also can be used in most restaurant high chairs. It also has pockets for coupons, diapers and wipes, loops for toys and sippy cups, and even a pillow so your child can rest her head while you're shopping. Prior to selecting the Buggy Bagg, I researched all the similar products available on the market, and decided that the Buggy Bagg was the best product, allowing my child to be the most comfortable when shopping and eating out. In fact, I liked it so much that when I was expecting my second child, I purchased a second Buggy Bagg, so that each child would have her own. The Buggy Bagg can be used for babies as young as 4 months, to children over 4 years. In fact, when we go grocery shopping as a family, we often use both Buggy Baggs, one in each cart. You can find Buggy Baggs at www.buggybagg.com, and you can also find Buggy Bagg dealers on eBay. It's definitely the item that I've used the most with both children, and I buy it for almost all my friends who are expecting babies because I believe so strongly in its usefulness.

It's possible everyone has compiled their own top-ten list of baby must-haves, but I do hope that these favorite items of mine will help you as much as they've helped me. First published on ClubMom.com April 25, 2006. ClubMom.com is ceasing operations on December 31, 2008, so I am republishing my work here.