MOM MUST HAVES FOR THE FIRST YEAR

Now that my boys are almost 3 years old and 1 years old, I am finally able to compile my list of  Mom Must Haves for the First Year!  Many of you have asked me to share the products I love, but I really wanted to wait until I went through the products two times to really know that they are my favorites.  So without any further ado...here they are:

1. WATERWIPES  These wipes are made with 99.9% water and 0.1% fruit extract...you pretty much can't get any purer than that in a wipe!  They are thick and soft and I just love them and wouldn't go back to using any other baby wipes on my children's skin and bottoms.  My boys have never had a diaper rash and I firmly believe it's thanks to these wipes. 
   
2. BOUDREUX'S BUTT PASTE  This stuff smells great and is not only great at treating diaper rash, but even better at preventing it.  Just rub a little bit on each time you change a diaper, and your baby should always have a clear bottom.  
   
3. MUSTELA BABY PRODUCTS  I love each and every single thing from the Mustela line.    It's hypo allergenic and made for babies, but smells so good I often find myself using it too!  My top two favorites from the line that I always have on hand are the dermo cleansing bath soap and the body lotion.  
   
   
   
4. SKIP HOP PRONTO! CHANGING STATION  This is your best friend!  It can carry diapers and wipes and opens up to an instant changing pad.  It also has a zipper pocket (to hold things like a tube of boudreaux's butt paste, q-tips, lip gloss for mommy, etc.)  Even though most diaper bags come with compartments for diapers and many come with changing pads, there's nothing as good as the pronto- you just grab it out of your bag so you don't have to lug a huge diaper bag to the bathroom...it's awesome!  
   
5. SOUND MACHINE  The one that I have and love is the HoMedics Sound Spa Lullaby Sound Machine- it has a few different options for sounds (ocean, rain, twinkle twinkle, heartbeat) and also has a light option that plays a scene on the ceiling of cows jumping over moons!  It's too cute, drowns out noises once you get baby to sleep and is really soothing for them.  I even take it with us when we travel because it's that great and easily portable!  
   
6. ORBIT BABY STROLLER SYSTEM AND CAR SEAT  I will never forget being in Buy Buy Baby with Rich looking at strollers before Richie was born and the guy at the store kept showing it to him.  I finally walked over and said "no, I don't care if celebrities have it, it's ugly and it looks like a spaceship."  Rich then told me all the reasons he was sold on it, like the fact that the car seat rotates 180* in the stroller frame and in the car, making it easy to take baby in and out of car, and making it easy to turn baby away from the sun or wind.  He also really sold me when he told me that Orbit and Britax are the only car seats that are approved for front and rear end crashes.  I didn't know, but in the U.S., car seats only have to pass front end crashes to meet standards...crazy!  The toddler seat and car seat do the same 180* thing too!  Yes, the system is very expensive, but worth every penny!!!  
   
7. TOMMEE TIPPEE BIBS When your baby starts solids, this is the best bib to have around.  It has a convenient, crumb-catching bottom, wipes clean so it can be used again and again, and it rolls up which makes it easy to travel with!  
   
8. ERGO BABY CARRIER or any baby carrier that works for you!  I have the Ergo and love it, but really my point is that you should have something that you can use to wear the baby.  Whenever the baby is cranky, just put the baby in a carrier and walk around and do chores or whatever you need to do, and before you know it, baby will be fast asleep!  
   
9. ADEN AND ANAIS BLANKETS These blankets are big, soft, light-weight and can be used for many things from swaddling, to laying on, to covering your little ones from the sun or for extra warmth...you name it!  Plus, they come in a variety of absolutely adorable prints!  
   
10. BOPPY PILLOW This is AMAZING!  I used it to help me nurse when my babies were first born- it made it so much easier to hold them while they were feeding.  It's also great to lay the baby on propped up after a feeding or when the baby gets bigger to use it during supervised tummy time.  I had two boppy pillows and highly recommend them to any mom!  
    
11. WOOMBIE I was never good at swaddling!  My swaddles were never tight enough and babies want to be snug because it reminds them of being in the womb.  The solution?  A woombie!  It's basically a spandex swaddle blanket that zippers up the front so the baby is swaddled, but can still move the same way it did in the womb...hence the name woombie.  You cannot find the woombie in an baby store, only on their website.  So worth getting it I tell you if you want to get some rest!  
    
12. PUJ TUB This tub can fit in your sink and is easy to travel with.  Most baby tubs are so big and take up so much room in your bathroom- not the Puj!  It's also the perfect size to bath your little baby in the beginning.  I think I used it up to around 4-6 months when baby can sit up, turn or just gets too big for it.   
    
13. HYLAND'S TEETHING TABLETS  When your baby starts teething, have this on hand and I'm telling you, you baby will instantly be less cranky.  You can either put a couple tablets right into your baby's mouth, or you can dissolve a couple pellets in ware and then rub that on your baby's gums- either way- this stuff works!  I have heard too many not so good things about oragel and its ingredients, but the teething pellets are all natural.