Equipment
Bike Seat. As a stay-at-home mom who loves to exercise, this was such a blessing for me; from taking local bike rides with Luke to riding to church with him (just under a mile) for our mid-week Wednesday meeting. Since bike seats tend to be pricy, we got found ours off of marketplace. Don’t forget, of course, to buy an infant bike helmet, and I’d also recommend a light set for extra safety!
Doorway jumper. We got ours used off of marketplace, it was similar to this one, and we loved it! It was so fun for Luke to be able to move (using his legs and feet) before he was able to crawl and walk!
Carrier. There are so many to choose from, I still don’t think I’ve cracked the code on which is best, but we did love the LÍLLÉbaby Complete as well as the baby Ktan (especially for when Luke was really small–and if you want a cozier, less structured, close-snuggle).
Sound Machine. We’ve enjoyed our Hatch sound machine (recommended to me by several friends) and find it really easy to pack and take with us on trips/to grandparents’ houses. You can download the app on your phone so that you can control the sound machine from another room (I did that once but never had the patience to fully figure it out!). It’s got 4 or 5 different cycles of sound (we use the standard white-noise one), and with adjustable brightness, it also doubles as a night light. I know parents of toddlers/children who also use it as signal for when their kids are allowed to get out of bed (when the light turns from red to green, you can get up!)
Video Monitor. We really debated about whether we wanted a just-audio or a video monitor, but ended up settling on a video monitor, and we’re really glad we did! We have no complaints with ours, other than that it’s a little more tricky to travel with (when it’s not mounted on the wall at home, it’s more difficult to find a spot on a dresser or bookshelf when traveling that actually captures his entire crib–but usually we sleep in the same room with him when traveling, anyway!). We didn’t want to be obsessive about checking Luke, but the monitor ended up being very helpful + entertaining. It’s proved very helpful for checking on him when he was a baby, especially, with the heightened concern for SIDS (we could often see him breathing or moving), and now when he wakes up in the middle of the night (or has trouble going to sleep), it’s nice to see what level of “awake”/distress he’s at–i.e., is he standing up in his crib? (more awake) or still laying down? Did he drop his paci? It’s also handy for me to know when he ACTUALLY falls asleep (occasionally it can take a while), and that way I know when he should wake/be woken up. Also, about 75% of the time we just enjoy seeing his cute self snuggled in bed or spying on the latest contortion he’s gotten himself into, haha.
Wipes and Diapering
Baby Wipes. After trying many brands of scentless, water-based wipes, including the name brand Water Wipes, Target’s water wipes, Amazon brand, and the Member’s Mark Sam’s Club brand, the Sam’s Club ones are our favorite. Why? The lid closes and clicks shut (trust me, you’ll want this once your little one starts getting into things 😉 ; the packs are large, the price is great, and we found these to be a good balance of dry/wet. (The Water Wipes brand could be hard to separate, at times, were more expensive, and were sometimes excessively wet).
Diaper bag. I wanted to find something that would be decently comfortable, neutral-colored, and unashamedly worn by Jeff. 😉 After much searching, I happened upon the Ruvalino Diaper Bag Backpack, which is a bestseller on Amazon, and checked all the boxes for us! (still using it daily almost two years later).
Bathtime
Baby Bathtub. Overall, we’ve really enjoyed our Frida Baby 4-in-1 Grow-with-Me Baby Bathtub (Friday Baby tends to make very practical, streamlined, simple yet effective gear!). It’s Amazon’s #2 Bestseller in baby bath tubs, and is rated for 0-24 months, and we’ve been using it since he was born! I will say that we have liked it better since Luke was able to sit up–from 9 months (roughly) on. As an infant tub, it wasn’t our favorite, since Luke would slide down in the sling/slide around and since the foam insert also got some spots of mold on it, even though we hung it to dry after each used and I laundered it pretty frequently. It was also not ideal when Luke had blowouts (which happened pretty frequently), as I didn’t want to set his poop-covered back down on a fabric surface! The Angelcare Baby Bath Support (which is rated as ideal for 0-6 months) would take care of all these problems in the infant stage, I think, since it provides better support and has a plastic surface that can be easily washed. Incidentally, this bath is ranked as Amazons #1 bestseller for baby bathtubs!
Washcloths. I had these Organic bamboo washcloths on my registry and was pleasantly surprised at how soft they were once I received them! They continue to hold up well, almost two years later; they’re still super soft, and a set of 6 has been more than enough (I imagine 2-3 washcloths would be fine).
Drip-Drop Cups!! This is one of the most used, most-loved toys that Luke has. They can be stacked and nested “on land”, but where they really shine is in water; each cup has a different number/pattern of holes that makes water flow through at different rates, quantities, and patterns. Luke has literally been playing with these in his bath for over a year, and he still hasn’t gotten tired of them. He will sit in his bath for 20+ minutes, simply scooping up water and watching it flow through these cups! They are colorful, washable, and aesthetically pleasing, as well. We bought a few Lovevery Play Kits used over Facebook marketplace, and this set was from the Inspector Play Kit for months 7-8, which is one I would recommend investing in if you are considering trying any of the kits! (I also LOVE the My First Signs board Book, featured in Luke’s Top Ten Books (1-16 months) and the “Things I See” Texture Cards from the same kit!)
Toys
Rattle. Here is Luke’s favorite!
Board Books. I devoted an entire post to Luke’s favorites during his first 16 months, so go check it out. 😉 Suffice to say, puppet books like Baby Llama and chunky lift-the-flaps like Little Yellow Bee are awesome for keeping little ones’ attention during diaper changes.
Pacifiers + Teething
Pacifiers. I know not every baby will take a pacifier, but Luke has loved his since the beginning. The sucking action (whether via pacifier or nursing) has always calmed him and sometimes helped with gas pains, also (They also say that pacifiers reduces the risk of SIDS, which is always comforting!). Luke’s personal favorite seem to be the MAM pacifiers (once your babe starts sleeping in a crib by themselves and/or starts being able to put his/her own paci in, we have found Glow in the Dark pacifiers very useful!! My main complaint with the MAM pacifiers, however, is that they tend to trap water in the nipple (I wash Luke’s often with a little soap and water, and sometimes sanitize either by boiling or with the microwaveable sanitizing case that the pacifiers come in). It can mostly be squeezed out, but I also love the Tommee Tippee Breast-Like Glow in the Dark Pacifiers; there are no places for water to get trapped, which makes them easy to clean!
Pacifier holder. We loved our Skip Hop Pacifier Holder. Ours holds up to 3 pacifiers. If your baby takes a pacifier, it’s great to automatically have one on hand on the go, when you get into the car or travel anywhere with your diaper bag! (we still travel everywhere with ours 🙂 Even though we don’t travel with pacifiers as much anymore, this is permanently affixed to our diaper bag. I love that it is made out of a material that is easily washable/wipeable (even can be put in the dishwasher for cleaning!)
Teether. We tried many different teethers. I’m not sure which was best, haha, but Luke really enjoyed the Itzy Ritzy Teething Ball & Training Toothbrush, since it was easy to hold (+ it’s pretty!). He enjoyed putting his fingers through the clementine (we call it a pumpkin 😉 and grasp it, and he likes to bight the small bump on the very bottom!
Feeding
Small Camping Chair. One of our most-used items! We have a Summer Infant pop-n-sit, but I’d recommend something like this PandaEar Portable Baby Seat or this Baby Travel Booster Seat, since the straps on these are affixed higher up on teh back then ours, making these chairs easier to grow with your baby! This chair is awesome for bringing to places that may not have highchairs, for eating outside on the front porch/back deck/lawn, or for TV dinners in the living room! Now that Luke is 20 months, we still use it occasionally, although he’s getting big for the straps, which is one reason why I like the versions linked above better (they both also seem to have an easier buckle to use than ours). For our next child, I’d love to get the Panda Ear Portable Highchair, as well, for easy movement out to the back deck for dinner, etc.
Scoop bibs. We have loved our set of two WeeSprout Waterproof Silicone Baby Bibs. They are made of a thick, quality, BPA-free silicone and do a great job of catching food that Luke drops. At $5.00/bib, I would definitely recommend buying a set of these instead of a set of thinner ones from Marshalls or other places (ones made of thinner silicone really don’t work very well in my experience since they are too flimsy to stay open and thus doen’t catch the food). They are also very easy to clean–I usually use a little unscented soap and clean the bib out with my fingers (or a scrubby) immediately after use and then hang it to dry. That being said, you can probably find a lot of other brands that work just fine! (I’ve heard good things about the Target brand bibs also!)
Metal silverware. We’ve loved this cute set of metal fork and spoon made by Munchkin. Once your little one is using utensils, I definitely prefer stainless steel/metal as it doesn’t absorb colors/odors and won’t stain (and, in my opinion, they are easier to eat from than their more rounded silicone counterparts). I eventually bought another 6-piece pack of silverware to supplement our original pair so that I wouldn’t need to be constantly washing the first set, and they’ve worked great (and are dishwasher friendly 🙂 as well!
Suction Bowls. If I could do it again, I would also order this set of Munchkin suction bowls (which are an Amazon bestseller!) In fact, since first drafting this post, I have–and they are awesome. 🙂 We had some bamboo bowls for Luke that we loved but that sadly cracked over time (when thrown/dropped on our tile kitchen floor…). These suction to a table/highchair, are dishwasher AND microwave friendly (unlike both bamboo and metal versions), and I’m hopeful they won’t absorb odors, since they are plastic, rather than silicone.
Suction plates. Suction is not a must, but it is convenient! We really enjoyed this silicone ducky plate, although I did notice that like all silicone items, it absorbs the taste of dish soap over time. :/ I’m sure these Munchkin plates would be brilliant, as well! (and hopefully wouldn’t be as absorbent of flavors + are microwave safe, also!)
Sleeping
Muslin swaddles. What’s nice about swaddles is they can be used as a nursing cover, in a car seat as an extra layer of warmth/as a blanket, as a car seat cover (to block your LO from sun), or even as safer blanket option for sleeping in a crib or elsewhere. Since they are light and breathable, this makes them ideal as a sun-cover in summer and also makes them a safer option for covering your LO in a crib (though of course, make your own decision based on what you feel comfortable with!). The Target muslin swaddles are pretty nice–I really like our “I love you” one–but my favorite of all Luke’s swaddles is the Mushie Muslin Baby Swaddle Blanket | 100% Organic Cotton in sparrow print. <3 Though pricier, I’m in love with the bird print, and the fabric is a little thicker than most swaddles (for better or worse, depending on what you’re looking for!) and such high quality. It’s so soft and feels amazing. I also love so many of the Life Tree prints: their floral patterns like this pack of 3 and pack of 2 are so sweet and would be perfect for a baby girl, in my opinion!