As a mother of four, we’ve tried our fair share of baby products on the market. I wanted to give you a brief list of the brands and products that have worked for us….our family favorites. Hopefully my list can save you some trial and error, and point you towards a few products that will work for you and your baby!

Feeding Time

Bottles: We have been through A LOT of bottles…Finding the right bottle for your child can be a difficult process, especially if your child is prone to gas, upset stomachs, or other eating woes. There are two bottles that have worked for our children. The first is the Playtex VentAire, and the second is the Avent bottle.

Both of these bottles reduce the amount of air that can sometimes get into the nipple, causing your baby to take in unnecessary air while feeding, and ultimately become gassy and irritated. They are both BPA free, and dishwasher safe. I love that the Avent bottles are easy to read, allowing you to clearly see how much you are feeding your baby/how much your baby takes in.

First Foods: It is hard to find finger foods that your child can and will eat…trust me! You head down the baby aisle and are bombarded with specialty food for your baby. Some of this food is great and well worth the extra money….Some of it is definitely just a ploy from marketing companies to take advantage of new moms wanting to “do everything right” or have the trendy food at the park….We have tried just about everything out there at least once, and there are only a few “baby” snacks that are worth the money….(Cuz seriously, your baby doesn’t need to eat flavored puffs that cost $3 a handful, when they will be just as happy with a giant box of Cheerios for the same price.)

I really love Baby Mum-Mums. These have saved me on many an afternoon when my current youngest has been fussing, and I have been busy with other things (ie-too busy to sit down and cut up a banana for him.) These are awesome! They dissolve very easily so they work great for kids without teeth, but they also serve as a great biter biscuit for babies who are teething. These are rice snacks, and are free of gluten and eggs (yay for finding a snack for kids with allergies!)

My real recommendation here is to start your child on the food YOU are eating as early as possible! Give your baby table food as soon as you can, and dice up what the family is eating. Your child will be less likely to be picky and can expand their palate when you don’t start the pattern of only feeding them “kid” food from the start.

Diapering

I swear by Huggies. I will NOT put my child in any other brand at night. Store brands can and will leak, and do not stand up to the more expensive brand (in my opinion.) Check out local warehouse stores for good deals. Our local Costco sells Huggies for almost exactly the same price as their store brand.

We’ve put four children in diapers and have not found any brand of wipes to be superior to another. Wipes are wipes. Buy the re-fill packs and save yourself some money! Figure out if your child needs the sensitive skin kind, and if you prefer scented or unscented, and just buy the large re-fill packs.

Desitin is by far the best diaper rash cream on the market. Other brands are liquidy rather than creamy, and don’t work nearly as well. We’ve found that Desitin usually can clear up a diaper rash overnight.

Bathing

When it comes to bath time, I trust Johnson’s. They are (in my mind) the leader in baby-child bath care products. We swear by Johnson’s Head to Toe Baby Wash, Baby Bedtime Bath, and their Vapor Bath. They now have new scents in the Baby Wash line! We also use their powder and baby lotion as well. I love this stuff!

 

Other

Every mother needs a Boppy! This should be the very first thing you put on your registry. The Boppy pillow is handy, an arm-saver, and just an essential baby tool to have. The Boppy makes both breast and bottle feeding easier, as it frees up your arms a bit. The Boppy can aid with tummy time, and can also be used as a prop to help baby sit up/recline. We absolutely LOVE ours.