these are a few of my favorite (baby) things…
it’s crazy how quickly things change in the land of all things baby. things that weren’t around when mikey was born are available in abundance now. and he’s only four. everything is new! improved! bigger! better! the turn-around seems to be every two years. pack-n-plays have even more features now and come in hip brown-and-green styles. the navy blue one we have is so… yesterday’s news. 
strollers are tricked out beyond belief. born-free-what?
i’m very thankful that we didn’t have to buy much this time around. all the decisions would have been overwhelming to generally indecisive me. and the money spent on it all would have sent phil through the roof. so, good thing we were able to borrow most of what we didn’t already have.
but! i couldn’t resist a *few* of the new-and-improved baby things out there. besides diapers and wipes, the following is pretty much all i’ve bought for our lauren.
the ultimate receiving blanket by swaddle designs (thanks joanna for the rec!). soooo soft. generously sized. multiple uses (one is currently being used as a head positioner in the carseat). except, it’s too hot to swaddle in for the summer! so i went in search of something lighter to swaddle baby lauren in. (only i just now saw that this company is coming out with summer swaddle blankets. darn you, swaddle designs!)
so, i found these muslin baby wraps by aden + anais. love these. very light and perfect for summer. even more generously sized. multiple uses. i got the pink/brown ones.
then i got to thinking that it would be nice to have a baby carrier that would last longer than the baby bjorn we have. and i ended up with the beco baby carrier (thanks evangeline for the rec!). my thought process in this was that i wanted something i could use with allie now since she still likes to be carried and it makes me sad that i have to say no to her so often when she asks. and i wanted lauren to grow into it and be able to use it for a number of years. and i wanted it to have multiple uses. and this little puppy meets all the criteria! holds up to 45 pounds. four different carry positions: front, back, hip, and cradle. easy to use. super comfy for me to hold allie (even mikey!) for longer than i would be able to with just my arms. i’ve already used it with each of the kids since i can cradle carry lauren in it. and best of all– they each love being in it! especially my girl allie. every time she sees it, she asks if she can “ride on mommy’s back in the pink-ah?”
and lastly, the skip hop dash diaper bag. admittedly, this was around when mikey was a baby (the first bag came out in 2003- ancient by baby product standards!). and i came *this close* to getting it back when allie was born. but for various reasons, never did get it. til now. and this is one of those things that i wonder “where has this been all my life” whenever i see it. yes. i love it that much. i love the roominess of it all. it’s large enough to hold all the stuff i need for each of the kids, including changes of clothes for each! i love that it stands up by itself without having to lean it against a wall like my land’s end little tripper bag (which they no longer make). i love the matching changing pad. which my girl allie managed to lose before i ever got to use it! (but i ordered a replacement pad just because). and though the bag has been around for a few years, it has been updated to the deluxe edition which now has improved shuttle clips to attach to any stroller (even my double jogger!), magnetic closures instead of velcro (a good thing since the loud r-i-i-i-p of the velcro would have woken up sleeping baby whenever i needed to open it), and comfy shoulder pad. side bonus, it matches the brown and pink of my beco, too! “where has this been all my life?”, indeed.
and there you have it. my latest favorite baby things.
9 Comments
MiniMama
All very nice baby products! My little girl is only 2.5, and it’s surprising to me how many more cool stuff have come on the market since I was pregnant. I love the practicality and ingenuity of many of the newer items, though.
mrsstellalee
thanks for the tips. 🙂 seriously, a few months go by and everything is new and improved. i think i’ve already poisoned my kids with all of that plastic bottle stuff, too.
Bungie
i don’t remember if i told you that babiesrus takes back used dr. browns and avent bottles. you have to call first to find out if the local babiesrus takes them back. you get the full price of a bottle/set. you just have to buy the same number of bottles that you return. you can then return those later if they don’t work for you.
i was THIS close to buying the aden + anais blankets. i have a set that i got from norma that i love so i decided against it. i’ll keep you posted if i think of new baby stuffs.
one cool toddler toy that you might be interested in is… magnatiles. jessica looooves them. she got a set from her grandparents.
nbrath
Michelle,
As I was reading all of these things, I was thinking, “I need that too!” Thanks for the tips! I’m excited to go to babies r us and see all the recent things since Katelyn was born.
nitajan
I like the swaddle design blankets and skip hop bag, too, though I’ve got the older version w/ velcro :(. I’ll have to check out your other recs. I also like my bebe au lait nursing cover and puj baby hip sling.
Kavedissian
wow, all that stuff is so cute, i like the baby carrier…i looked online for it. if Megan were still little and not walking more and more, i’d spend the moola to get one.
babymomof2
i also ordered that bag but in red………….i havent recieved it….but thanks for review……..wow, your kids are adorable…always wanted 3…oh well………..you are blessed.
babymomof2
as for the products……….tell me about it……….i love the swaddle blankets and the advent sterlizer…………..back 8 years ago…i was still doing old school….boiling the water………as for strollers…i passed on the new and very modern strollers,,,,,,i returned my britax too fancy and comlicated for me……but i am really loving the new baby stuff……..i love the bumbo asnd can’t wait to get the jumproo….too cool…………….
mrssjlee
when we started looking at baby stuff with Joanne I couldn’t believe all the new stuff that was out there. so much cuter and so much better. i’m going to be the laughing stock of all mothers pushing around my huge peg perego from 5 years ago.
i already have a mental list of some things i’d like to get but i bet by the time she comes, there will be even more things to drive me crazy.
maybe i should get the beco baby carrier now…. austin is less than 45 pounds. ha ha!
anyway, you’ll have to keep me up to date on all these new baby products. can’t wait to raise a daughter with you…..