Oh Baby! Product Overload, Part II: 10 Baby Items You *Should* Register For

I’m going to save everyone’s time and some internet space and skip the obvious items here: car seat, stroller with good sun protection, thermometer, crib, bouncer, breast pump, Ergo or similar baby carrier, diaper bag, burp cloths and blankets. Yes, buy those. I’m going to list instead, the things I didn’t know about until someone told me they existed and I realized they were the best things ever invented.

Miracle blanket: This is the ultimate swaddle. If you have a baby who doesn’t sleep well or who wakes themselves up, this is what you need. It has no Velcro or zippers, but uses the baby’s own weight to keep them wrapped. My baby was a Herculean Houdini, so for a while I even used this under a swaddle that also had Velcro.

Miracle Blanket
Miracle Blanket

Ultimate Crib Sheet: This is a flat sheet with little elastic snap straps on it that you put on over the crib sheet by attaching it to the crib bars. So when your baby pees through their diaper or vomits in the middle of the night, you don’t have to change the crib sheet. You just unsnap the elastics and throw it in the hamper to deal with in the morning. At one point my son had reflux so badly we were using two of these, one on top of the other, at a time. And when he got a stomach bug and threw up constantly for two days….it was good to have around.

Florastor Kids, Caldesene and A+D Original Ointment: This is sort of my personal own plug…my kids had a lot of ear infections, and therefore antibiotics, and therefore upset stomachs, and therefore horrific, scream-inducing diaper rash. Florastor Kids helps their tummy, and Caldesene and A+D, in my opinion, were the best diaper rash killers, hands down. And I tried everything. (Check with your own doctor first, of course, before using any of this.)

Rock ‘n’ Play: This is a new product that did not exist when I had my daughter. I wish it had, because it would have saved us a lot of sleepless nights. This is sort of the modern day Moses basket of infant sleep spaces, but it is slightly elevated at the head end. This is SO GREAT for infants and smaller babies, especially if they have reflux, a cold, ear infection or stomach issues.  It’s small and easy to tote around and was a life-saver with our son, who coughed up most of what he ate for the first eight weeks of his life.

Multiple loveys – As soon as your child latches onto a lovey, buy about three of the same one. Not only will you lose it at some point or leave somewhere by accident, you will be able to wash it by switching them out.Boppy

Furniture safety and wall brackets: Anchor your furniture, especially book cases, dressers and television. As soon as your baby is old enough to climb them, they will.  Over the past ten years a child visited the emergency room an average of every 45 minutes because of a TV tipping over.

Boppy or My Brest Friend: Especially if nursing, and especially if you have a c-section, one of these will help you hold your baby without exhausting your arms while they feed, or if they just need to be held. Also makes it easier for older siblings to hold baby if they have the Boppy wrapped around them.

Wine, Spanx, and a Gift Card: Ok, these are for you. The wine is obvious. The Spanx or similar body molding spandex for the abdominal area, help enormously after a c-section, if you have one. And the gift card needs to be for something like a pedicure or massage so you can cash it in three or four weeks postpartum. Every muscle in your body will ache, especially your shoulders from holding your new baby while he eats, and you will need an hour to yourself and someone pampering your body.

What are your mama-must haves?

Meg Sacks
Meg is a working mom of four and an avid community volunteer. She has worked in corporate communications and media relations for more than 18 years, for a Fortune 500 company as well as a non-profit. She took some time off to enjoy life as a stay at home mom after the birth of her first child in 2008. Her sweet, introverted daughter, was excited to welcome her baby brother in 2013, and then boy/girl twins joined the family in 2016. Meg finds being an “office mama” a constant balancing act and never-ending challenge but enjoys the opportunities it offers her for personal growth. A Virginia girl at heart, she loves Florida’s warm weather, the great quality of life Jacksonville offers her family.

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