The Best Baby Products for a New Mom

Fortunately for you, you're not the first mom to have traveled this path! After surveying groups of moms, and consulting my own piles of baby-junk, I've come up with a basic list of items that will serve you well in the busy year ahead.

In fact, I wish someone had shared this list with me 5 years ago! It would have saved me mounds of cash, and plenty of headaches.

This article is focused on the more obscure items that I now consider essential in baby life.

With my second, I ditched the Boppy and chose something else. My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow is an excellent replacement. It wraps all the way around and supports your (no longer aching) back. More importantly, it stays in place. There's a pocket in the front for tissues or anything else you need on hand.

The Brest Friend is by far the best nursing pillow on the market. It is also extremely valuable for mom's recovering from a cesarean section because it sits above your incision, eliminating any discomfort.

Don't let "Nursing Pillow" deceive you. This pillow is excellent for bottle feeding as well (as many husbands can assent!).

Click here to save 15% on My Brest Friend.

A simple strap goes around your neck to hold the fabric in place. The lightweight fabric keeps your infant cool.

Remember that embarrassing situation when you attempted to check on your nursing son, only to have the blanket slip and revealing your beautiful bosum to your astonished father-in-law? No more!

The ingenious design of The Hooter Hider allows you to peek at your nursing infant as often as you like - without risking full exposure.

Matt Damon's wife was recently spotted sporting one, and it is featured in Parent's and other top-ranked news sites. The Hooter Hider is definitely on my "must-have list" when my next infant comes around!

The Hotslings baby carrier is easy to put on, super comfortable, and can be used for newborns and beyond. The comfort your baby receives by being close to you and the convenience you receive by being able to use your hands is priceless.

They come in a wide variety of trendy patterns and colors. Check out the blue for boys, and the pink for girls. Of course, there's always the standard black.

Of course, not all babies like being carried. Lauren hated it. She was a curious newborn and didn't like staring at my chest all day when she could hear exciting things happening around her. Because the Hotslings (in my opinion one of the best) is expensive (like all slings), You may wish to wait until your baby is born before spending the money on it.

This amazing tool uses dry heat (not chemicals) to kill 99.9% of the germs on bottles, nipples, pacifiers, and toys (even the cloth ones!).

It doesn't warp plastic or fade fabrics. It's been proven to kill the germs that cause RSV, colds, flu, ear aches, diarrhea, and other common infant maladies.

I really can't recommend The Germ Guardian high enough. It is a wise nursery-set-up purchase.

Click here to save 15% on The Germ Guardian.

First of all, it was wonderful when Elena was a newborn, because I was constantly wanting to check on her while she was sleeping. Before the video monitor, that meant I had to go inside the room. A big no-no. She would invariably wake up. After mounting the monitor on the wall, I had a great view of the crib, and what she was doing inside it.

As she's gotten older, I find the baby video monitor even more helpful. I can see if she's actually sleeping during nap-time, or wandering around the crib searching for trouble. I can watch her stand up in her crib at bedtime, allowing me to walk in, lay her on her bed with a quick "Nigh-Nigh, Elena" and walk out. No more sneaking around the door, trying to peek in without being caught.

Video monitors are more expensive than regular monitors, but the peace of mind alone has been worth the cost.

Click here to save 15% on a Video Monitor.

A good swaddle will keep your baby tightly bundled, without the chance that he may free himself. Loose blankets in the crib increase the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Using a swaddle/sleepsack (like this one by Halo), eliminates that risk.

Of course, when my first was born, I had no idea the Halo swaddle system was out there. So I had to swaddle the 'ole fashioned way. If you want to give it a go on your own, this book on baby-wrapping covers all the details on how to get your swaddle nice-and-safely tight.

This innovative toy makes that bucket-o-junk irrelevant. I love that it's set up all the time, and that Elena can look forward to diaper changes because she knows that's the only time she gets to play with those toys.

The attached toys aren't cheap knock-offs, either. The Wonderfun has a big mirror for self-gazing (always a favorite at that age), retractable and shaking bee, and even plays "You Are My Sunshine". They are all interchangeable. It is easily packed away and can be used for bouncy seats or as a traveling floor play-gym. It's easy versatility make this another best-buy of the best baby products.

Click here to save 15% on Wonderfun Changing Activity Pad.

These are just a drop in the bucket of useful baby stuff out there, but in my opinion they are some of the best baby products out there. You probably didn't know these existed, but now that you do, I hope you find them as helpful as I did.

Of course, to stay relevant, these pages will also be updated and arranged every time I get a new coupon (which is pretty much every week). read more...

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