So I thought I'd share some of our baby favs!
I will say, some products that I swear by, might not work for your baby. So many kids are diff; it can be hard to find what's effective for you guys. Because babies are people too, you know? A shampoo that you're obsessed with, might make my hair greasy. Or a lotion that clears up your dry patches might not be enough for my stubborn skin. You feel?
But I will say, my sister-in-law has been asking me for recommendations from time to time -- ever since she gave birth to our adorable niece, Emma, and it got me thinking: I should write a list!
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| Just because. |
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So here are our favs, nearly 2 years in:
Shampoo: Johnson & Johnson, just that stuff in the classic yellow bottle (honestly, I always knew I wanted to go this route. The smell is so classic BABYish; I love it). Also, we only ever wash Ana's hair probably twice a week. Unless there's like, food in there, or she's had a sweaty week, why bother? (Also, we only JUST started using conditioner, like, this month. I just use a tiny spot of whatever's in the shower, which likely means cheap V05 stuff that I use on myself).
Body wash: Mustela 2-in-1 cleansing gel (is a touch expensive), but probably the best stuff we've found. It's sold at Target. (Sometimes when I'm feeling cheap, I'll skip it and just buy whatever, but if you truly want to know my recommendation on the best of the best, this is it).
Diaper rash: Desitin, duhhhh. This is honestly the holy grail of baby products. I swear, you'll spot some skin irritation, rub on the Desi at night, and the whole sitch is cleared by morning. HOW? It's magic.
Teething remedies: Baby Tylenol or ibuprofen, depending on how old the baby is. Why waste your time with amber necklaces when you could just nip it in the bud and treat the problem directly? Also, as we learned, just because Ana didn't cut her first tooth until ... 7 months? 8 months? Didn't mean she couldn't start teething months in advance. Because oh, she did. The drool was REAL.
Lotion: Aveeno -- fragrance-free and for delicate skin.
***Although, I was highly opposed to lotion until she truly needed it. Infant skin is so soft and precious on its own, you know? I wouldn't use lotion unless you notice your baby is especially dry, or she really needs it. Anyway, during the cold winter months, right after Ana's first birthday, she got crazy dry on the backs of her arms and legs ... rough and scaly, almost. Our doctor's office gave us like, 10 samples and told me to pick a fav. Aveeno definitely won out. (Although I will say, a lot of the brands did a pretty stand-up job. The only real dud, I thought, was Honest Company lotion).
Cradle cap: Coconut oil or rose salve (we did a combo of both), massaged into the head daily or near-daily -- although yes, this makes for a greasy baby. Gotta love that. Ana's CC was pretty stubborn, so I was just ripping through household items, trying anything and everything at some point: Vaseline, argan oil, etc. We were at my aunt and uncle's in Chicago when my mom randomly stumbled across the rose salve in a bathroom drawer, and she was just like, "why not?" and I remember smearing it across Ana's head, loling at how silly she looked. For those who are unfamiliar, rose salve is kind of like chapstick. It's thickkkkk. And once you get the product on there, you kinda have to get aggressive about working it in and then picking out the flakes, once they're loose enough to grab. Truth be told, Ana still has a few CC pieces (even now) under all that hair, but we kind of stopped tackling the issue at some point. She'll grow out of it, based on everything I've read. It's mostly hormonal, and it doesn't bug the baby or anything. I'd never even heard of cradle cap until the flakes showed up one day, but as it turns out, a ton of babies get this in some form.
Diapers: Best of the best? Parasol Co.! SO SOFT YOU WILL DIE. A more affordable option? Up & Ups, which are just Target brand, but they definitely get the job done.
Overnight diapers (we started needing these once Ana would sleep for crazy long hauls, like 12+ hours): Full disclosure, I truly believe Honest Co. makes the best overnight diap on the market. When Ana was really springing leaks often, those blue ones with sheep really held up to even the longest and wettest of sleeps. And I don't even like their regular diapers! (Too stiff). However, maybe Anzie just isn't peeing as much anymore, or I'm too cheap, but we can usually get away with Target brand overnights, so we usually do.
Wipes: Water Wipes or the Babyganics kind. (Although, I believe most wipes were created equally). Whatever gets the booty wiped, you know? The only kind I haven't loved -- I don't know; they felt slimy or something -- were Kroger brand, which we only bought in a bind, just once.
Formula: (We obviously don't use this anymore, but we supplemented from pretty early on, and eventually switched over to full-time formula when Ana was ... 7-8 months, I believe). Anyway, I realize different babies have different needs, but Anz was an easy eater. We just bought those huge yellow cans from Costco, which were like, $14.99 apiece, and even just one would last for months. When I first started supplementing with formula, my lactation consultant at the time told me to just pick one, Enfamil or Similac. She said to start with the normal baby kind (typically in a yellow can; powdered) and go from there. Ana never needed the gentle tummy kind or (thank god) -- what are the really expensive kinds? -- Elecare? Nutramigen? So TFG! But anyway, if you read the ingredient lists, Enfamil/Similac/Costco/Target/any of the yellow canned products ... are all basically the same. Go cheap if you can! Costco-Target were our jam.
*And then when it was time to switch to real milk, we just started giving her whatever we bought for ourselves. Now she's on a combo of mostly coconut milk + some dairy milk, but that's a story for another day. Don't sweat it. Also, I find soy to be disgusting, so that was never an option in my head.
Pacifiers: These are some of those products where I'm like, they're all probably created equally, right? (Like wipes?) How many variations could there really be, brand to brand? We were gifted a bunch of pacis and they all seemed to work out just fine. Ana was reluctant to take one in her first month, then she embraced, and then she randomly started spitting it out around the 8-month mark. I think the one time I purchased a set on my own, I picked the MAM brand (just because they were cute, probably).
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| Cute just like this face! |
Bottles: Dr. Brown's all the way. These were recommended to me early on, seeing as we were first attempting to nurse + supplement with a bottle of pumped milk. The slow-flow nipple is pretty similar to a human boob, or so I heard. Also, there's something in the flow that's supposed to make the baby spit up less. We had the least spit-uppy baby of all time. Who knows if this was just good luck, but ... Dr. Brown's certainly couldn't have hurt.
Pump: The one that my insurance provided was fine, and I used it a ton. I'm blanking on the brand though! I also experimented with renting a Medela hospital-grade pump, through Kaiser, but I found absolutely no difference in what I yielded. What you really want, especially if you're going back to work, is the Freemie. I was gifted a used one, so I just had to buy new parts + tubing. You NEED to be able to go hands-free if you're gonna exclusively pump, or pump often. You just slip the cups into your bra and go about your business. Game changer.
Sippie cups: We tried a bunch, but have had the best luck with the brand Nuk (which are referred to as "Knuck if you Bucks" around this house).
PJs: If you're looking for quality material and ones that stand up to the test of time, Hanna Andersson. I swear, these grow with your baby. (Pricy though -- I think we only have like, two pairs, tops). Old Navy makes super cute and affordable PJs as well ... my only complaint is, the inconsistent sizing. I just bought Ana a new set of fall + winter pajamas, and you'll lol at this, but I bought 4Ts since she currently complains everything is too tight. "Tiiiiiight!" she'll wail. One pair of the 4T fits her perfectly already. Another pair -- same style and everything -- looks like she'll wear them on her first night away at college. They're ginormous. I might borrow them tonight, who knows.
Clothes: Cat and Jack (by Target), Old Navy, Ralph Lauren (only if you have an outlet; that shit is way too expensive to buy regularly priced), OshKosh, Zara, H&M.
Headbands/bows: Precious Girl Shop on Etsy, Cat and Jack, and if your baby will still allow headbands, those SUPER soft kind from Nordstrom -- I am super against those hard, stiff ones. Look for the brand Baby Bling (which, surprisingly enough, doesn't contain any bling).
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| Reader! |
Books: We are often gifted books, or we've probably received 90% of our collection as hand-me-downs -- also, my mom's house still has 9 million -- but I will say, when buying books, never buy full-price from somewhere like Barnes and Noble. Go to Amazon. Type in a title. Under where you'll select hardcover or paperback, you'll see options that say like, "33 used from $3.24." Do that! If you're not a Prime member, I think you have to spend like, $25 for free shipping? But when books are $3 apiece, you can get a ton for $25. (Which is a whole lot better than the 1-2 books you could have bought from B&N). Or, just go to the library. But you'll want a LOT of books on hand! More than you're even imagining.
Sunscreen: I think we've used Babyganics in the past, but honestly, anything over SPF 40 I think is probably fine. We have like, five cans (I do like the spray stuff for a squirmy baby) hidden all over the house and I'm no longer that picky about brand.
Car seats: We went Britax on our infant setup; now we have a convertible Graco 4Ever. I've learned so much ever since I joined the group "Car Seats for the Littles" on Facebook. Basically, there is no "best" seat -- all seats have to pass the same safety standards. It's all about finding the seat that you can get the best install on -- and what will work best for your family and your car. Also, I bought our Graco as an open-box item on Amazon. Meaning, someone probably just didn't like the color and returned it. Great way to get a discount ... open-box is the way to go on a lot of this stuff, esp. bigger items and toys.
Toys: Melissa & Doug are def the gold standard. I don't know -- I do get asked about toys every now and then, but they vary so much by age range. If you're in Royal Oak, go to Toyology and ask one of the associates what would be perfect for a baby your kid's age. They've given me a lot of helpful tips and product recommendations. And when in doubt ... Melissa & Doug.
Hope that helped! Let me know if there's anything I left off the list.
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