A few months ago, I did a product review of the baby items we’d used up until Hudson was 4 months old. This is the link to the other post if you need to see it.
I get a lot of emails asking what I think about certain baby products and asking what we used for bottles, baby spoons, or strollers. Here are the answers to all of your baby product questions! I’m also going to do another post about the nursery and where we got a lot of those items and a post about baby clothes, for everyone that has asked.
(Disclaimer: I was not paid to promote any of these products and haven’t received any free baby items in exchange for this post.)
And for those that aren’t interested in baby gear, here’s a picture of my beautiful boy! He was dedicated to the Lord at church on Sunday in a very sweet baby dedication service. There were 42 babies dedicated!
Necessities
Boogie Wipes– These things are amazing. I first found them at Nordstrom, but they also sell them in the first aid section at Babies ‘R Us. I like to buy the ones with saline in them. They are so soft on little runny noses, but they don’t just wipe the nose. They also help stop the runny nose problem with the saline.
Halo Sleep Sack– We stopped swaddling Hudson when he was 4 months old and grew out of the blankets, then grew out of the Woombie. We switched to a Halo Sleep Sack so he could be covered and warm, but still have his arms free. The blanket is like a little sleeping bag and it can’t get tangled up around his face. It’s safe and it helps me to rest easier at night.
Packin Smart– These little goodies are containers that hold your baby’s snacks when you’re on the go. Your baby won’t be eating little puffs or yogurt melts until they’re 7-9 months old, but the Packin Smart is a great way to bring snacks in the diaper bag.
Burp Cloths– I love 3 Marthas and Swaddle Designs burp cloths. I also bought a big pack of cloth diapers and my mom sewed borders onto them for us to use as burp cloths.’
Bottles– Dr. Browns
Baby Spoons– Gerber
Saline Spray– Little Noses misting spray. It clears my baby boy right up when his nose is stopped up.
Toys
Fisher Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage– This toy lights up, sings, plays music so you can sing along, and it has a mirror. Hudson really loves it.
Fisher Price Little Superstar 2-in-1 Singing Band Walker– This is a lot like the Sing-Along Stage, but it’s a walker. Hudson can either sit and play or he can stand and walk behind it.
Evenflo Jump and Go(until 7 months)- He loved this thing until he was just too big to use it anymore. We started using it around 4 months and then he really learned to jump around 6 months. It was so much fun to just sit there and watch him bounce for half an hour!
Evenflo Exercauser (until 7 months)- We started using this at 4 months and he loved it immediately. He always liked being in it, but when he started sitting up he stopped tolerating being confined.
Vullie Sophie la Girafe– We still love Sophie. Hudson has four teeth now and he’s working on two more, so Sophie gets a lot of use!
Entertainment
Baby Einstein DVDs– These people are genius. The creators of Baby Einstein need a medal from mommies everywhere. Hudson sees the little Baby Einstein caterpillar and he goes nuts! Then he is mesmerized. I have videos for 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. And each one just gets a little more advanced. Love them.
Praise Baby CDs– I don’t love the Praise Baby DVDs. They just don’t hold his attention. I love the music, but Hudson doesn’t stop to watch the DVD. But he will calm down in the car as soon as he hears Praise Baby playing.
Travel and Gear
Graco Pack ‘n Play– Now we use the Pack ‘n Play as a play pen and it is great. When I need to get dressed in the morning, Hudson hangs out in the pack ‘n play in my room and entertains himself so I can get myself together. We also travel with it and use it as a crib when we’re on the road. Such a great investment.
Stroller– We are still loving our BOB Stroller Strides stroller so much. You hardly have to push the thing. It is such a smooth ride and we absolutely love taking it with us. Even though it has been recalled, we like using our MacLaren Triumph stroller for quick trips or when we fly. So far, we haven’t chopped our fingers off.
I think the biggest concern is always whether your baby will like a certain toy or not or if you’ll spend tons of money on something that never gets used. We have had things that have bombed out at our house, but the items listed above are our favorites.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Our little E is about to turn 3 months, and we have been wondering how long some of her exersaucers/pack n plays/etc. would last. Thank you for the recommendations! We were gifted a MacLaren- did you know there is a fix-it kit you can order through their site?
thanks for sharing! I will bookmark this 🙂
Looove me some Boogie wipes and sleep sack! ALM is mesmorized by Praise Baby and I cry frequently while they are playing 🙂 I want the jump & go.
I love Hudson’s little romper…so sweet!
Boogie Wipes ROCK. I love the grape scented ones and use them to clean grubby faces and hands as well. I like that they’re saline instead of some soap/cleaner. I also still use my Maclaren – we got the covers for the hinge and it’s fine. 🙂
I think Hudson is so sweet. If I may ask a personal question, I was wondering in which religion do you belong to? (hence the dedication)
I just recently discovered the Boogie Wipes (found them at Sam’s) and love them. I am a little embarrassed that I got so excited about them, but they are wonderful! I also love the sleep sack too. It’s amazing how quickly we become “experts” on all things baby, isn’t it. Your son is adorable and I hope you’re doing well.
I don’t have kids yet, but I just bookmarked this post so I can read it again when I do! 🙂 Thanks Erin!
i cant wait to get my Baby Einstein DVDs
We too love the Halo Sleepsacks! We’re using the swaddle version right now with our 3 week old, and will switch to the regular sleepsacks when he outgrows swaddling, just like we did with our first LO. You got it right – “It’s safe and it helps me to rest easier at night.”
So I think we must be baby shopping twins. 🙂 I think we have had and loved almost everything on your list! Woombies, sleepsacks, sophie, exersaucer, jumper, baby einstein, swaddle me burpcloths, you name it… Apparently Hudson and Josiah would get along great! I wanted to pass along a video series that was recommended to us and Josiah LOVES. Cedarmont Kids – it’s just children singing children’s Christian songs. He is mesmerized by it (and of course my hubby and I find ourselves singing the songs too)! They were made probably 15 years ago, so the kids are a little nerdy because their clothes are all outdated, but of course Josiah doesn’t care… he loves being around other children, and I think that’s part of why he loves these DVDs! And if he’s getting fussy in the car or close to bedtime, I can just start singing one of the songs and he relaxes!
Hudson’s little teeth are so cute! His outfit for the baby dedication was precious!
i hve a 9 month old baby and i am really curious to knw Hudson’s feeding schedule..i will really appreciate if u can tell us what do u give him and his daily schedule.
I think it’s interesting your little guy doesn’t like the Praise Baby DVDs… I have a little girl and they were a life saver for us. She’s now three and still asks for them. Talk about getting your money’s worth. Must be a girl/boy thing. Love your blog! Thanks for the updates and recommendations.
Thank you, thank you for this post. I can (and regularly do) totally overwhelm myself reading product reviews on Amazon & whatnot, but it is so much more comforting reading it from actual moms I trust. I’ve been bent around the axle about strollers in particular, but am happy to find you’ve liked the same BOB / Maclaren combo I’ll probably go with.
Clicking over to re-read your up-to-4-mo. post …
I have to admit, I’m not a mom yet, but I love these reviews since it lets me check out things I might like before I’ll need to. I’ve started a a little list on Amazon already.
Love this post, such great suggestions. I have to say, I’m always amazed at the amount of equipment it takes to raise a little one, but also amazed at how Few toys they need. My little Madelyn would so much rather play with my tupperware and wooden spoons than her cute toys! From now on I’ll tell moms to go easy on the toys and instead just go on a cookware shopping spree for themselves 😉