Welcome to Crosbyville: Top 10 Baby Products

I have several friends who are expecting their first babies, and have come to me asking about certain baby products. I was always on the search for these kinds of lists when I was pregnant with Rubes, so I figured it might help one of the ten people that read my blog!
I'm of the mindset that you could of course raise a baby without any of this stuff, but these products have definitely made life with a baby easier and more convenient! There is nothing wrong with convenience when you are a sleep deprived new mama (or ever, really!).

1. Boppy Pillow.

So simple, yet so amazing. Up until recently, I had used the boppy every single day since Ruby was born. I fed her for the first time ever on it, and we never looked back. Now that she is older, sturdier, and prefers to roll, twist and kick while she eats we don't really use it anymore. However, those first few weeks when she was nursing like a maniac I really don't know what I would have done without it. I kind of got dependent on it for a while and almost didn't even feel comfortable nursing Ruby without it...shows how much I really love that thing!

This kind of counts as a separate product, but I'm not going to count it! I have found that if you have a good, sturdy cover for the boppy it mantains its shape much better. With a flimsy cover, it tends to flatten out, but with a cover like this adorable one I got from For the Love of Joy etsy shop it keeps its shape really well which helps hold the baby up.

2. Play gym.

Play gyms are for puppies, too!

We have used this almost daily since around 3 weeks or so. Once Ruby started getting past that sleepy newborn fog stage (around the same time we FINALLY got back into our own house after hurricane Isaac), she wanted to do more than just lay in my arms. This play gym from infantino was the perfect solution. There are so many different versions of this, with less expensive and more expensive options. Honestly, I chose this one because of the pattern. I loved the vintage, quilted look and wanted to get away from brightly colored animal prints as much as possible. It's easy to fold up, and stores in the corner of our living room very nicely when it's not in use. We mostly leave it out in the middle of our living room floor all the time, and take it down if we are having company. Even now with Ruby sitting and moving around more, she still loves to pull on, chew on, and play with the animals that hang down.

newborn Ruby using her playgym for the first time

3. Carseat toy.

It's technically called "Baby Einstein Busy Belly Toy Cow", we lovingly refer to him as Cow, aka Ruby's BFF. I don't exactly remember when we put Cow on her infant-seat, but it was love at first sight. Cow has saved our ears many times in the car, and has turned some what could have been deafening situations into a smiling good time. She looooves to pull on Cow and make his belly vibrate. It makes a noise that she is a big fan of, and I'm sure it was good for her hand-eye coordination when she was first learning to grab stuff. Bravo, Baby Einstein for creating a genius toy!

4. Baby Carrier.

There are SO many to choose from out there. I have used two primarily. The Moby wrap, and the Ergo. Here's my two cents on them:
The Moby is great for when they are teeny tiny and can just fold into a little ball. I was a little afraid to put my tiny baby into the Ergo (I felt like it was going to swallow her*). I used the Moby a lot while doing stuff around the house and only twice outside of the house. I can remember that I only used it twice outside the house because both times I regretted it. Because it is made from a extremely long piece of pretty thick fabric, and you are carrying a tiny little ball of warms right next to your hormonal body, that thing gets HOT. That being said, it's still wonderful for indoor use. Having the Moby allowed me to get dinner cooked, dishes put away, and two free hands to do whatever I pleased on many occasions.

The Ergo is definitely more sturdy and straightforward than the Moby. The Moby can take a while to master how to use, and the Ergo is pretty simple. I preferred the Ergo once Ruby got a little bigger and could hold her head up better, and have used it very often since then. I use it to go shopping, on walks, and it has really come in handy for trips that involve the airport. If you are wearing your baby while going through security, you (most of the time) do not have to take the baby off. I wasn't aware of this until we travelled to Texas for the first time and it was a breeze taking Ruby through security with her in the Ergo. It is SO comfortable, lightweight, and never hurts my shoulders. It's definitely a pricey item, but worth every penny if you are for sure going to wear your baby often.

Airport nap thanks to the Ergo

I really wanted a Sakura Bloom Sling. Mostly because, oh my goodness they look so pretty. But I decided against spending such a crazy amount of money on yet another baby carrier when I already have two perfectly good ones. Maybe for the next baby... :)
*side note: there is a newborn insert available for the Ergo, but I couldn't justify spending money on that when I knew she would grow out of it so quickly. I also read that you can roll up a receiving blanket and put it under the baby's bottom, but I never tried this either.

5. Swaddle Blankets.

first night at home...so tiny and new.

I'm going to keep this one short because I just realized how lengthy this is getting, and who wants to read all of that?! We LOVE the Aiden and Anias swaddle blankets. Especially the bamboo kind....SOOOO soft (and beautiful). We used those until Ruby started busting free from them. After that, we made the switch to SwaddleMe blankets which have velcro so it's harder for the baby to wiggle out. We stopped swaddling once we realized that she slept SO much better on her tummy (I know, back is best...but sleep is also pretty great), but while we were swaddling, those were great. There is just something so, so, so sweet about a swaddled baby.

6. Wubbanub.

Our dear sweet friend, Wubby. He helped Ruby learn how to find her paci in the middle of the night and helped keep it from rolling out of reach. He saved me a lot of pacifier replacement wake-up calls. I feel silly that this is one of my top baby products, but it really has been a sleep saver for us. Now she just loves to cuddle with it, and it's super adorable.

7. Breast Pump.
Self explanatory. I wanted to breast-feed Ruby as long as possible, but also had to go back to work. This amazing invention (as much as I hate it some days) allows me to make it work. I wish I would have bought it before I had her but didn't because I wasn't sure if breastfeeding would work for us, and didn't want to spend 300 bucks on something that I wouldn't use**. The first week of breast-feeding was miserable and I think it could have been a lot better had I been able to pump. Live and learn, though. I have the Medela Pump in Style. It works great for me, and I have absolutely no complaints.
**Little piece of info that I didn't know before I had Ruby: With the new(ish) preventive care act, breast-feeding supplies are covered by your insurance company. Some are 100% covered! Just check with your insurance company. I had to buy mine through the hospital, that way I could send an itemized receipt into my insurance (which places like babies-r-us and target cannot provide). I got a check in the mail a few months later paying me back for everything except the tax on it!

8. Mesh Feeder.

Ruby is pretty stubborn when it comes to trying to do things herself. That coupled with teething pain can make a girl a little cranky. Cue the wonderful mesh feeder. Plop a frozen slice of peach in that thing and let her go to town. She loves it. And so do I.

9. Stroller.

I love our stroller. It's easy to fold, lightweight, turns great, handles rough New Orleans side walks easily, and even has a little ipod plug in! Our stroller was not expensive, but definitely feels like it should have been. You can spend an arm and a leg on a stroller, but I highly recommend the baby trend one. It's inexpensive, and effective.

10. Squeaky Monkey Toy

Infantino Go Ga Ga Squeaky Teether is the cheaper version of Sophie the Giraffe. Ruby absolutely LOVES this thing. I think that it feels good on her gums, and the squeak always makes her so happy.

Honorable Mentions:
-Amber Teething Necklace