Here Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Davis is now pushing 8 months old so I thought I'd do a post of my favorite items that I think are worth every cent.

1. Dr. Browns wide neck bottles. Dr. Browns bottles are, in my opinion, the best. They do a great job to prevent gas and bubbles, they are BPA free and I love the fact that the 8 oz bottles are shorter when you go with the wide neck version, if you go standard they are awkwardly tall. Skip the 4 oz bottles and go straight for the 8 oz if you are a mommy to be, no matter which brand you choose. 4 oz bottles are a waste you don't use them long and bottles are not cheap.

2. Graco Snugrider stroller frame. This is awesome for those early days, the frame is small, lightweight and you can be ready to rock n' roll in a few seconds. I used this all the time instead of carrying that heavy seat in and out of doctor appointments, etc...

3. Bugaboo Frog Multi Terrain Stroller. What isn't to love about this stroller, it has an awesome bassinet attachment for newborns, you can buy attachments that fit multiple brands of infant seats so you can snap your infant seat in and go and the regular seat has 3 great positions for the baby once he or she outgrows the bassinet feature. I use this stroller at least once a day, sometimes twice. But is it worth the insane out of control only a celebrity should buy this price tag? That is questionable, had I not got a sweet deal, I'd have probably never purchased it. Don't get me wrong, this stroller is very nice, rides very well and heck, I look pretty cool pushing it and it is the celebrity stroller of choice (haha). But if you look up the price you'll probably crap yourself. I purchased it before Bugaboo jacked their prices up, I purchased it from a store offering 10% off, I used a gift card and proceeds from selling my cloth diapers to pay for the majority of it so I paid less for this than I'd have paid for a Graco travel system stroller. If I hadn't gotten a great price I'd have bought one of these, either a BOB Revolution or a Baby Jogger City Mini or City Select. All awesome strollers and handle just as nicely as a Bugaboo!!

4. Combi EX Lightweight Stroller. Everyone needs a lightweight stroller, we use this often as well, it is great when your out for a quick trip or feeling a little too lazy to deal with the big stroller. The thing that I love about this stroller is unlike many umbrella or lightweight strollers this one reclines, most people wouldn't thing that is such a big deal, but trust me, it is. If you are out and baby falls asleep it is nice to recline it a bit to make him or her more comfortable.

5. Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. Easy to use, one of the best (if not THE best) brand of convertible car seats available. Graco is known for their awesome infant seats and Britax is known for their awesome convertible car seats.

6. Carter's clothing. Out of all the more affordable brands I've tried I think Carter's makes the best baby clothing for the price. They wash up well, they wear well and heck they are really darn cute!!!

7. Pampers Diapers. We started out with the Swaddlers, once Davis outgrew those (the biggest they make is size 2-3) we graduated to the Cruisers. While I do love the Cruisers, I have found that the less expensive Pampers Baby Dry hold pee much better than the slightly more expensive Cruisers.

8. Carters Velour Fitted Crib Sheets. Love, love, love these!! I have several different types of sheets and we like these best. They are super soft, very comfy and Davis loves them.

9. Evenflo Exersaucer. I did not register for one of these, I thought they were ridiculous with a capital R. My mother in law bought one for us and honestly, everyone needs one. What was I thinking?? This thing is a lifesaver, Davis has used it since he was 4 months old and still loves it 4 months later. It is especially awesome now that he moves around so much, I can stick him in his exersaucer, he plays with all the toys and I can clean my house without having to monitor him constantly. Tip: buy it used, I see these all the time at Once Upon a Child for half or less than half of the cost of a new one and usually they are in excellent condition. Just take it home and scrub it down with a little bleach water and your golden.

10. Fisher Price Jumperoo. I didn't even know these existed until after I had Davis. He loved this, we started using it around 4 months and he stopped using it around 7 months. He got bored with it, but it was great while he loved it. I bought this used, at a garage sale for $25. I told my mom on a Tuesday I wanted her to find me one and she had one for me 2 days later. She is the queen of garage saleing. This is another item I'd buy used again, they retail for around $80-$100 new and not worth it in my opinion for something that is going to get maybe 4-5 months of use.

11. Graco Pack n' Play with Bassinet Feature. We still use the Pack n' Play every single day. Davis slept in the bassinet from birth through 3 months, then we transitioned to his crib. I have this set up in our family room and I put him in it all the time to keep him out of things when I have to run to the door, go potty, throw a load of laundry in the washing machine, etc...

12. Costco Kirkland Brand Baby Formula. Davis likes it, it is just as good as Similac and costs half the price. What isn't to love??

13. Beech Nut Baby Food. Gerber sucks, Earth's Best is well the best but super pricey, Beech Nut falls in the middle and Davis likes it a lot. Sometimes I buy Gerber and he will flat out refuse anything made by the company. I've tasted them all and I like Beech Nut the best.

14. Primo EuroBath. This was our 3rd tub for Davis and the 3rd time is a charm. This thing is nothing but awesome. I will say that I liked the First Years Infant to Toddler for the newborn stage only because of the sling, once it got to the point where he couldn't be in the sling, the tub sucked. Now I know why Once Upon a Child has a bunch of them in the store, everyone hates them!