I’ve been seeing a lot of posts with lists of baby items recommended and while the stuff recommended is cute, it’s outrageously and stupidly priced!  I often wonder WHY IN THE WORLD people spend this much on crap that’s only going to be used for the first year of baby’s life.  And sure… plan on having multiple kids… well, it’ll last you with all of them.  Except for people like me who happen to have their kids very far apart.  Still.  Spending $200 on a baby swing, $500-$1200 for a stroller, $800+ for a crib… TOTALLY crazy!!

Look.  I’ve had 3 kids and have NEVER spent that much on any one thing.  Why would/should I?  I have yet to hear a good answer to that why.  haha!  It gets so irritating when I see these lists of expensive baby things.  It’s like people are trying to show their status or something.  Babies do not NEED anything except diapers, clothes, blankets, a place to sleep, food, a carseat and love.  Everything is NOT a need.  But a lot of the things we buy make our lives as mothers easier.  Bouncers, swings, baby carriers, etc.

I have no fancy collage of the products I like, just photos and links.  So here we go.

We got Mason’s crib at Target.  It is one of those that transforms from crib to toddler bed to full bed, but we have yet to actually use a crib past the crib stage.  We might this time around… who knows.  ;)  Anyway.  His crib is Graco Mason 4-in-1 convertible crib.  Pretty funny, right?  haha!  It was $160.  And it’s a lovely lovely crib.  And durable!

I bought my cribs sheets from a company on Amazon called Sheetworld, because I couldn’t find the right color in stores.  Like burnt orange, dark grey, and black.  It’s so ridiculous that all I can find in stores are pastel colors.  Ugh.  For a boy?  NO thank you!

I crocheted a blanket for Mason’s crib.  I’m VERY picky about things, and pretty much hate all the cutesy crap they have out there for bedding.

I hate that baby swings take up so much space.  My living room isn’t huge, so I knew when we walked into Babies R Us that I wanted a travel baby swing.  Also a baby swing is pretty much my only MUST have baby product that’s not truly essential.  Again I hate cutesy, but since I really couldn’t find anything that’s not cutesy that didn’t cost $200 or more, I settled for this swing.  It’s basic.  Plays music, has a timer and swings my baby.  That’s all I need.  And it’s $75.  Perfect.  It’s small, and folds up quickly if I want to put it away.  Barely takes up any space.

I wasn’t a baby wearer with my girls, but I really wanted to try it out with Mason, so for Christmas my husband got me the ERGOBaby carrier.  But Mason is too small for it right now, so a friend of mine let me borrow her Moby Wrap for a month or so.  I will say I do really like the Moby wrap a lot, but it hurts my back after about an hour and I get super sweaty if I wear it around my house.  Does this happen to anyone else?  Anyway.  I like the Moby because I like to be with my baby – I’m like the logic and studies around Attachment Parenting, and using the Moby wrap is part of that.  It allows me to do the laundry, make dinner, vacuum etc.

For all 3 of my kids I’ve purchased the travel systems.  Stroller and carseat combo.  Mason is 6 weeks old and I haven’t used the stroller yet, which is pretty surprising, but that’ll change once the weather warms up a bit.  I find the travel systems to be easier to use because all I have to do is unfold my stroller, and snap in the carseat into it.  There is no waking Mason up when I don’t need to.  With Angelina I had a Snap N Go stroller base.  I highly recommend one of those as well.  The only problem with those is you can only use it with a car carrier car seat, so once your child outgrows that, then you’ll have to buy another stroller.  We got the Eddie Bauer Trail Hiker 3 Wheel Travel System at Target.  The fabric is kinda scratchy so I ended up buying something similar to this to put in the carseat.  We have the red one.

Let me tell you.  All of my kids didn’t like baths when they were newborns, but Mason takes the cake.  He absolutely HATES being cold, so bath time is pretty much his worse nightmare.  haha!  Basically bath time is a race to see how fast I can get him in and out.  With all of my kids I’ve always gone for a baby bath tub that has a sling in it.  It’s the best in my opinion, because it allows you to be handsfree.  (NEVER leave your child unattended in any bath tub!)  The night before I went into labor, we were at Babies R Us and one of the things we picked up was THIS bathtub.  But if you’re at Target, we’ve used THIS one in past and have loved it!  During bath time, we use Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo and Aveeno Baby Daily Lotion afterwards.

Mason LOVES being warm, so it’s important to me to have warm blankets.  I love and recommend Tiddliwinks chenille blankets at Target.  They’re so soft and so warm!!  Mason HATES being swaddled, so these are the only blankets we currently use.  Though I’m thinking about making some for him out of a knit/t-shirt fabric for spring.

Looking for a good nursing pillow?  I highly recommend the Simplisse Gia by Dr. Browns.  Infact, I’m nursing Mason right now and typing this blog post.  With both hands!  ;)

Planning on pumping so you can get a date night?  Or will you be going back to work sometime after your baby is born?  Then you’ll need a great pump.  And the best pump on the market is Medela of course!

And what about bottles to feed your baby that pumped breast milk?  I recommend Tommee Tippee.  In my opinion, they’re the best on the market that I’ve used, and I’ve tried a TON of them.  Next best are Dr. Browns.

And lastly.  Let me let you in on a little secret.  Do not buy cutesy burp cloths!  They are stupid.  Buy Gerber Flatfold Cloth Diapers.  These are a gauzy type fabric that work wonders!  And they soak up messes immediately!   I use these constantly, so buy at least 2 packs!

I don’t currently have a list of handmade companies to share, unfortunately.  If you make and sell baby items and you’re interested in having them featured, let me know.  My only requirement is that you send me a product I can test and photograph being used by me and my son, Mason.  :)  You can email me at: shealynn@gmail.com – and I’ll gladly write a blog post about you and your product free of charge!

What are your favorite baby items?