My top 21!

Recently a lot of people I know have been getting pregnant, having babies or have been talking about having babies. Some have been asking me for recommendations on certain products and so I wanted to share some of my top picks with everyone who may be interested.

My Top 21

1. We love our swing!! We have a full-sized one and a travel one (both Fisher-Price) since Austin loves to swing so much. Austin often slept in his swing when we brought him home and even now he will sit there for 30-45 minutes at a time and take little naps in it.

2. Glider's rock! :) I hold Austin in the glider several times a day and we have some good bonding time. It also helps him get drowsy at night and calms him down. We got a Shermag from Babies 'r us and it looks great and has held up really well.

3. I HIGHLY recommend Pampers Swaddlers. We started with the newborn ones in the hospital and now Austin's in the biggest size (2-3) they make. These diapers are by far the best in my opinion. They're soft, stretchy, fit snug, and don't leak like many others did. I only wish they made them in bigger sizes!!

4. As for wipes, detergents and soaps, I like to get the fragrance free hypo-allergenic kinds. I made a mistake here at first and registered for all kinds of calming lavender and scented stuff and Austin's skin got irritated, dry and he developed rashes. I know the good smelling stuff is hard to pass up but many baby's have sensitive skin and fragrances can irritate them. I like the Pampers Sensitive wipes, Dreft detergent and Aveeno Fragrance Free baby wash.

5. Austin lives in his Sleep 'n Plays (the little footed one piece outfits). They are the easiest to maneuver, seem the most comfortable for baby, and like the name says, they are perfect for sleeping and playing during the day! Little baby outfits are so cute, but when baby is little you really don't get out with them that much so instead of making him wear an uncomfortable outfit all day, I let him relax and be comfortable in his little cotton sleep n' plays.

6. If you're breastfeeding I highly recommend a double electric breast pump by Lansinoh or Medela. I have the Lansinoh pump which was about $100 cheaper than the Medela and it has stood up WONDERFULLY over the past 3 months of pumping 5-10 times a day! Medela is the most popular brand and has the cute travel case, but if you're home and not going to be pumping on the run, I'd save the money and get the Lansinoh.

7. I LOVE our Angelcare Movement monitor. We let Austin sleep on his stomach because from early on he could just not sleep soundly on his back. Once we started him out on his stomach he was sleeping for 4-5 hour stretches at a time! I know they say it's the leading cause of SIDS, but our pediatrician said that SIDS also occurs most often in low income families or to children of parents who smoke. Not to mention, not 20 years ago doctors said to put babies on their stomachs so they wouldn't choke if they spit up. Anyway, the movement monitor sets off an alarm if the child quits breathing for 20 seconds so it eased our minds when we started putting him on his stomach.

8. For the baby wearers out there, get a Baby Bjorn carrier. I bought a sling carrier and it's just not comfortable for me or Austin and I always feel like he could fall out. The Baby Bjorn is easy to use, pretty comfortable and makes me feel secure when carrying Austin around. It's wonderful to use when I'm going up and down stairs with him so he is more secure and I like to carry him around in it when I take Lucy out for walks. It also looks good on guys! :)

9. Thanks to Stefania for recommending the Fisher Price Rainforest Playgym!! This is how I get my 'me' time during the day when Austin's awake. I tried a Gymini playgym and he hated it but the rainforest one has lights and music and he loves it and will lay there and laugh and coo at them forever. The lights are key! Now that he can hold his head up I put him the the rainforest jumperoo as well with a pillow underneath since he's still not quite tall enough. It lights up and plays music too and he loves to look at all the toys. I think they're phasing out the rainforest theme, but Fisher Price products are always great it seems.

10. I give Austin a bath every night to calm him down before bed in his The First Years Newborn to Toddler Tub and I love it. It's got a sling insert to sit him in when he's little and then converts to a toddler tub for when he can sit up. There are all kinds of "luxury" baby tubs out there but I've heard they're not worth it. This one works great and you can use it for a long time.

11. First Years Spin 'n Store Drying Rack: I didn't think I'd use this as much as I do but I couldn't live without it. It seems flimsy at first but works well to store and dry bottles and stuff. I also like the dishwasher baskets for bottles made by The First Years but I rarely wash bottles in the dishwasher simply because I rarely run the dishwasher as often as I need to wash bottles.

12. While on the topic of bottles, every baby is different, but Austin has done best with the Avent BPA free bottles. We tried Dr. Browns at first but they have so many parts to wash and Austin didn't like the nipples too much. Then we tried Playtex Drop Ins and it would take him 45 minutes to finish a bottle and they still gave him gas. I also think the drop ins system is horrible for the environment with all the disposable liners, plus the liners aren't that cheap and you are in trouble if you run out. The simple Avent bottles have been the best for us. They're easy to clean (no extra parts) and they don't give him excess gas. He also takes the nipple very well.

13. Go ahead and stock up on Mylicon Drops, Infant Tylenol, & Saline Solution. You can use the mylicon right away for gas and it has worked for Austin. You can give them Tylenol around 2-3 months and it's great to take to the Dr. office when it's time for shots. The saline is an essential for us because Austin's nose gets real dry and it helped me suction his nose when he was really congested with his cold. A humidifier is also a must have!

14. White noise maker (our humidifier makes a great white noise sound) for sleepy time. Austin sleeps so much better with some kind of noise and it blocks out our sounds when we put him down early and stay up.

15. Hooded towels are great for baths to keep baby's head warm and it's easy to wrap him up in. I like the thick fluffy ones better than the softer thin ones, but that's just my personal preference.

16. We keep burp cloths on the side of every chair and couch arm in the house. Austin doesn't spit up much but he dribbles when he eats and drools a bit. It's nice to always have a clean one handy.

17. Boudreaux's Butt Paste works the best for diaper rash. Thicker than Desitin, doesn't smell bad, stays on and the rash is gone by the next diaper change!

18. Be sure to get a large blanket, mat or pad to use for tummy time. They sell tummy time play sets but it's really just an added expense, the other things work just as well.

19. ItzBeen Timer: I NEVER thought I'd use this but it has been about my FAVORITE thing and I've used it everyday!! It helps you remember when you did things like change diapers, feed, and how long baby has slept and it has a feature to use for your own thing. I use it to time how long it's been since my last pumping session. It was a life saver early on when I was frazzled and couldn't remember how long it'd been since I'd done things and it's great to take to baby sitters and the church nursery to let them know when it's bottle time, nap time, or time to check the diaper.

20. Pack 'n Play: Since Austin's nursery is upstairs and our bedroom is down, we set up his pack 'n play in our bedroom and he sleeps in it every night. Most of them come with a bassinet that attaches on top where baby can sleep until they reach 20lbs. or so. This is also really helpful when traveling so baby has his own sleep area. It folds up and travels so easy as we just learned on our recent trip to the mountains.

21. A GOOD CAMERA!!!