Car Seat: Chicco Keyfit 30 (the 30 came in handy for me, which I originally read from other blogs wouldn't come into play. Lane passed 20lbs mark, but still fit really well in this car seat, so I was glad I could keep her in this seat longer). Great safety ratings, easy install of base, easy car drop in and out, and buckle adjustments made this a favorite.
Breast Pump: Medela Pump In Style Advance (I was an exclusive pumper, so trust me)!
Blankets: Aden and Anais blankets give me a weird piece of mind. They seem so breathable, so they are the only blankets I have allowed in Lane's crib. I don't think I put a blanket in her crib at all until she was 7 or 8 months, but she really loves her blankets now. I make sure there is a blanket in her bed every night because she kind of loves on it like a lovie (sp?). I went ahead and purchased the six pack, and we already had 4, so I just rotate them, and she seems to love it. It helps they are really cute, and we live in Savannah, GA where the weather is pretty toasty most of the year, so no major blankets needed.
Swaddle: Before the Aden and Anais there was the Miracle Blanket- best swaddle blanket for us. We tried a couple of different swaddles, but the Miracle Blanket worked best for us. I like the large size and easy use.
Infant Sleeper: The Nap Nanny- Yes recalled, but it was awesome for us. Lane just slept so well in this. I have recommend the Fisher Price Rock and Play Napper to others since I have heard good things about them, but never used one.
Relief: Mother's Bliss Apple Gripe Water is the best hiccup relief around. I've heard it works great for colic and upset stomachs too.
Snot: Yep!! Baby's have a lot of snot! I like the NoseFrida Snot Sucker a lot. My sister seriously gagged when I got this at one of my baby showers, but I get a weird super happy feeling watching a ton of snot come out of Lane's nose when using this. I am also a big fan of Boogie Wipes. When Lane is sick and pouring snot, these yummy smelling wipes are wonderful and keep the nose from chaffing. I buy the huge bulk double package from Sams and just refill one of the smaller packets for my purse.
Toy: If I had to pick just one toy that's been Lane's favorite over the entire first year, I'd say without a doubt-- Stacking Cups! These Playgro Babushka cups were gifted to me from another mom friend who said her son loved them. Lane has always gravitated to these cups, and she has now figured out how to stack them inside of each other. The best part is she will continue to play with them since she hasn't even learned how to stack them in a tower yet.
Teether: Lane really wasn't a bad teething baby in terms of pain and screaming. We haven't had to break out the Orajel or anything, but her favorite thing to mouth is this Sterling Silver Teething Ring. I will openly admit that when someone gave us this monogrammed sterling silver teether, that I thought it was pretty, but pretty worthless too. Little did I know it would be a favorite. Teach me to hate on gifts! I think it might be the silver stays cold and is hard, but not crazy hard...get it??
Bottles: Playtex DropIns - Let me start of by saying these are only my favorite for pumping ladies. I pumped for Lane's first 9 months, and now using formula I'm not a fan. I don't hate on them for formula, it just seems like a waste with formula. For pumping I can hook the liner up to my pump, pump, store, freeze, or use right away. They really are amazing! No clean up either!
Paci: I technically have two! I loved the Soothies for newborn life, but after Lane took the bottle regularly (and I wasn't worried about any nipple confusion), I made the switch to Nuk. Somebody gave me some super cute monogrammed Avent ones, but I really didn't like those compared to Nuk. So Nuk wins the paci award from me.
Book: Cloth or Bath Books: My child is a goat! The cutest goat you have ever seen, but still a goat. Board and other books just don't work for us. I read as fast as I possibly can before she goes all goat on me, but we don't get a lot of reading in these days. She just wants to gnaw the covers and tear the pages. Hoping that changes here when she hits the year mark. So any cloth and board books were awesome. We have one called Pet Tails that is super cute with all of the tails made from different material and one simply labelled baby book. I was able to read these books and then leave them laying around the house for Lane to play with.
Wipes: We've tried a couple of different wipes, but the best for us are Huggies Natural Care. I buy them in bulk from Sams.
Diapers: Pampers! We used the swaddlers till size 3 and switched to the cruisers. We found that Huggies did not keep the pee in and leaked out the side, we are big fans of Pampers diapers.
Gate: Summer Sure and Secure Custom Fit Gate is Amazing! We have a tricky fireplace/stair corner in our house and this gate has been wonderful. I really like the swinging door too. It makes going up and down our stairs a million times a day easy.
Stroller: Baby Jogger City Mini GT- Has been wonderful, very tall, folds up easily, opens easily, my only downside is lack of storage, but this is a jogging stroller, so....can't really hate.
Monitor: Summer Infant Peek Plus Internet Baby Monitor System- I'll admit the internet piece that allows us to view Lane from our iphone hasn't been used that much so far. I can't imagine life without the video part of my monitor though. My husband thinks I'm actually obsessed. I just like to look in on Lane. Lane does not scream when she gets up in the morning or from naps. She simple sits in her crib and plays, so I like that she doesn't feel the need to scream, and I try and go get her once I see she is up and playing. I think I'll be using the iphone piece more this summer, to let me sit out on the dock and sunbath while she is down for a nap. Our video monitor range does not reach far enough.
Bumper: Breathable Bumper- I also get a piece of mind using this bumper. Lane likes to sleep on her belly with her head all smooched up into the corners and sides. It's not very pretty but it does a great job of keeping her toys inside her crib (the ones she doesn't purposefully drop out anyway).
Crib Sheet: The Ultimate Crib Sheet is also not very attractive and makes a somewhat strange look having to pull up the bumper a bit to get the snaps around, but I have a system I'll share with you; I put on a crib sheet, then put ultimate on top. Lane sleeps on the ultimate either for a week or she dirties it, whichever comes first. Once dirty I remove the ultimate crib sheet and let her sleep for a week on the actual crib sheet or until she dirties it. For some reason it just makes me feel like I'm changing the sheets less and easier. Strange I know, but whatever works!
High Chair: The Chicco Poly High Chair- I didn't do much research into high chairs. I did for a lot of other things and when we needed to buy a chair we went to ToysRUs and grab this one. I originally registered for this same chair in navy, but I thought the zest was pretty fun. The snap off tray is wonderful, and I really like how the tray has a piece that slides between the legs because I removed all of the straps (didn't want to clean those all of the time), and Lanes fits wonderfully in this without fear of sliding down. I also love how easily the fabric piece pops off and can be hosed down in my sink. The only downside to this chair is the wheels are not the best rollers, but who really cares about that. The important things are done well and I would recommend this chair to others.
Pre High Chair: Before I bought the high chair I loved using the Bumbo Chair. My friend let me borrow her older one without the seatbelt, and Lane was fine. I set Lane in this for feeding until I decided it was really time to go get a high chair. I like the fact it can be used in the shower and well anywhere. I have a huge kitchen island where I would sit Lane in the Bumbo while I was cooking dinner (please no that I NEVER left her one second without me being right there-and this was before Lane was bucking or anything--don't want people to get the wrong idea).
Pack N Play: Chicco Lullaby LX Playard- when I first got this out of the box I thought it was ridiculous, bulky, and basically wanted to send it back. Then I realized that most were that way and once you get the hang of these things they really are easy. We keep ours up all of the time in our downstairs, and use it more for a diaper changing station. It's so nice to have a diaper station downstairs. So make sure you get the diaper changing piece. I don't travel with that attachment, but it's awesome for everyday use. We also store toys and anything we don't want Lane getting a hold of inside.
I'm sure there are more items, but these items we used and liked. We did have the Boppy, Baby Einstein Ocean Exersaucer, Johnny Jump Up, and Baby Bjorn carrier that we loved too, but if I continue this list will go on forever. Shoot me comment if you have any questions or I didn't list something and you want to know what I used.
My thought is most baby gear and items are awkward at first, and seem very foreign, but you'll be surprised at how quickly you catch on, and then you'll feel like a pro and want to share your knowledge and skills. Hope this helped some of you other ladies!
