Useful Baby Products

After writing about Useless Baby Products, I thought I’d share what baby items I do find useful!

Baby Carrier or Sling. It’s important to get one that doesn’t dangle the baby by the crotch. This can cause damage to baby’s spine. There are too many kinds of baby carriers out there to mention! I’ve tried a number of different kinds and my favourites are:

• Ring Sling for it’s adjustability as you shrink and baby grows and the changing needs of clothing from more in winter and less in summer.
• Beco- I absolutely love this carrier. Lighter and taller in the back than an ergo, I find this the most comfortable carrier I’ve owned.
• Pouch Sling- I really loved my pouch sling with a small infant. It created a perfect snug pocket for my baby as I moved about during the day.

Prefolds. Save yourself a ton of money on designer diapers and get some prefolds. They are great tucked in under your child’s bum when they are in a baby carrier. Awesome used as a diaper in a soaker and/or with a snappi or belt.  They are so absorbant that they are great for wiping up and “misses” you might get on the floor if you’re ecing.

Babylegs. Fantastic for diaper changes or ec. We almost never use pants and even my older daughter enjoys wearing them for a little extra warmth or *ahem* style purposes.

Baby potty. Beware of those ones that are too tall for smaller children and make harsh red circle on kids bums. They are uncomfortable and clumsy with so many parts. A one piece potty is all you need. Great for at home or kept in the car. They are short so it offers younger children an earlier opportunity for potty independence to squat over on their own.

Split Crotch Pants. So many ec friendly products here. These are again, easy access to diaper or for ecing. They aren’t hard to make yourself either.

Nursing Pillow. No need for gimmicks or gadgets here. I’ve found a simple L shaped nursing pillow to work the best for my changing body shape and my growing children. Works well as an obvious breastfeeding support as well as for placing around newly sitting infants. Makes hands free nursing so you can read, use the computer, braid your older child’s hair… all while nursing away.

Handysitt or Stokke chair. Save yourself a ton of space a high chair can consume and get something like this. They each last throughout the child’s early years.

Bucket with lid. Okay, so not on the market as a baby product but all the better. Get any bucket with a lid for putting dirty diapers in! Clean it and put clean diapers in for when you’re travelling to visit family!

Fitted Cloth Diapers. There are too many kinds to mention but I prefer fitted cloth diapers with snaps. I can’t stand velcro for the way they chew up everything in the washer (even if velcroing back onto itself) and the noise in makes in the middle of the night. With my first child I bought one size and they fit for all the months she wore diapers. I bought one size diapers again with my son and wished I hadn’t since he hardly wears them. I prefer an underpant and he’s not even close to the upper limit of the one size diapers.

Wool Soakers. Any 100% wool soaker will work. I only use one soaker and it’s at night time and it happens to be one a friend knit for me about five years ago! It’s not pretty since it’s made with wool ends but it works well.

One Wet Pants. If I had to do all over again, I would have bought more underpants like these. The pairs we did have saw a lot of use. I loved how much easier it was to pull down to offer pottying than diapers needing to be unsnapped. They will give protection from a pee but you need to change the child afterward. A great incentive to offer often and make ec more successful.

Amber Teething Necklace. These necklaces work with body heat by releasing oils into baby’s skin to help calm and sooth teething pain. It’s apparently also good for allergies, arthritis and other chronic issues. We all have amber around our necks in this house.

Soft Soled Shoes. Padraig Wool Slippers or Soft Star Shoes are brands we’ve enjoyed!

Chariot Stroller. Before my children were big enough not to be carried all the time, a stroller like this was so handy for carrying groceries or any other items I took with me on walks. My daughter did enjoy getting lulled to sleep wrapped in a down jacket inside the chariot while cross country skiing though in her early months.

The last thing item I can see being very useful in buying when you have a growing family is a king sized bed. Don’t bother with all the side car, bassinet, crib cage rubbish. Get a big comfortable bed that everyone can enjoy!