In my last post, I talked about baby products that you don’t need. The logical follow up to such a list is a list of must – have baby items. Like the last list, this one comes with the caveat that all parents have different parenting styles and will therefore find different items useful. Here are the baby products that my family found to be the most useful.
Baby slings are amazing. What’s more, they are simple and easy to use. When Dylan was born, I registered for and received a couple of baby slings. My parenting style largely follows the Attachment Parenting philosophy and babywearing was one of the things that I was most excited about – and still am. As soon as Dylan was large enough to be safely carried in the slings I began using them. I used them until he was too large to be comfortably carried in them. Those slings enabled me to keep him close to me while I went about my business, doing chores, going shopping, and doing just about anything else that you can imagine. He was always so happy, and everyone that saw us was quick to comment on how calm and happy he was. The slings are back in use now that Blake has arrived. He is another sweet little guy whose motto seems to be “hold me, love me, don’t put me down”. I am more than happy to oblige because we have decided to stop at two kids, so I am taking care to savor every moment of having a newborn around the house.
I love babywearing and I consider the Ergo baby carrier to be the ultimate babywearing tool. I had always wanted one, and when Blake was born I was lucky enough to get one. I got the infant insert too, so that I could begin using the carrier right away. I love the Ergo because it keeps Blake safe and secure while keeping me more comfortable than a sling would while I do things like taking Dylan for walks in his jogging stroller, hanging out with Dylan at the playground, and going grocery shopping. I love that it can be used for back and hip carry options once he gets bigger, too.
Other items that have proven to be indispensable are a good quality breast pump, a simple bouncy seat, a baby monitor, and a jogging stroller(we live on a dirt road). Since many jogging strollers are not designed for use by children under six months old, you may want to hold off on getting one until later on if there are other items that you need more right now.