Eight months ago, I welcomed my fifth baby and first girl into life. It had been nine years since the birth of my first baby and I felt immune to all the fads and scams in the baby merchandise industry. Cute baby Nikes that never get used? Wipes warmer that dehydrated the baby wipes? Baby hats that never stay on? No, nope, not again. I was committed to keeping this baby’s closet trimmed down to only necessary and useful items.
After the past few months of using the following products, I can fully endorse them for any mom, first or fifth kid!
Mini Crib
Okay, maybe not everyone is crazy like us and has tons of kids running around, but hear me out. Changing from a regular sized crib to a mini crib was the best decision I made in the baby world. My kids always grew out of the crib before they actually “grew” out of it. We helped them train to a regular twin bed between two and three years of age, so basically, they never used half of the crib. When I finally realized that mini cribs were a thing, I was so excited. It is compact, useful and the perfect size for a big family, or if you just like to have extra space in your house. And don’t bother with trying to find smaller sheets; just tuck under regular sized crib sheets and they work perfectly.
2-Way Zipper Jammies
I haven’t always been on #teamzipper in regards to baby jammies, mostly because my babies tend to be so fat that I worry about zipping up a piece of their skin (yikes!), but I received a pair of these 2-Way Zipper jammies at a baby shower and they are easily my favorite new baby thing. The nighttime diaper changes are dreadful, especially in the cold winter months, but these are a game changer. They keep the top half warm and in place, and eliminate the middle of the night fiddling around with trying to zip a crying baby back into her clothes.
Glow in the Dark Pacifiers
My fifth baby has turned out to be quite a good sleeper, if a pacifier can be found quickly enough when she wakes up. She is also kind of a flailer, so most often she knocks them out of the crib during the night. I came upon a rack of clearance MAM pacifiers at our grocery store and happened to pick up a pack of the glow in the dark variety. I probably wouldn’t have tried them except they were highly discounted, but man-oh-man, if your baby is a nighttime paci user, YOU NEED THESE. My husband came out of the nursery around 11pm the other night and said, “Why hasn’t anyone invented these until now?!” My only complaint is that I have to remember to charge them up every day in the light…but I guess there isn’t much MAM can do about a forgetful mom.
Scissor Handle Tweezers
Kinda strange, but just listen. We use the Nose Frieda suctioning tool for getting snotty noses cleared out, but the dried up mucus doesn’t clear out as easily. I hate picking at a baby’s nose with my fingernail because it’s unsanitary and I usually end up scratching the sensitive skin. A few weeks ago, I just had to get some of those boogers out because I knew it must be driving her crazy, so I grabbed my scissor handled tweezers. They are less sharp than normal tweezers (no clue why) and easier to handle. So yeah, strange, but super effective!
Cradle Cap Shampoo and Brush
I know cradle cap is harmless, but it just wigs me out and I can’t stand it. I used to fight it with baby oil and a fine tooth comb, but having a slick haired baby for a week wasn’t too pretty either. I finally found this shampoo that costs as much per ounce as a salon quality stuff, but it works really well and keeps my baby’s head clear of that flaky yuckiness. Pared with this cradle cap brush, I give it 5 stars and say it’s a necessary item for moms who want a clean headed baby.
Buying for baby is one of the exciting activities of pregnancy (you know, between throwing up and trying to reach your shoelaces), but after a few months, it can turn out that some of those “must haves” are just in the way.
If you have suggestions for new baby gear/tools/clothing/etc. that have made your parenting life easier or less cluttered, I’d love to hear!
