Baby Crap I Like

As of today, we have officially been parents for four weeks! I can't believe how fast it's gone by already. I thought I'd make a post of my favorite and most useful baby items to celebrate. It's funny how when you find out that you're having a baby you immediately get this crazy "I need EVERYTHING!!!" feeling that you really have to fight, lest you end up with a house full of baby junk that you end up not using. Here are some things that I'm glad we have:


Pottery Barn Kids Crib Sheets

I bought two sets of these for the baby, and then I bought two sets of cheaper sheets at Target, because well, I was being cheap. The Target ones were six dollars cheaper! Then I got them home, washed them, and have now used both sets on the crib. I was reminded once again that in life, you usually get what you pay for.

The PBK sheets are thicker and softer. The colors stayed brighter and truer after washing. They fit the mattress better and are way easier to put on the bed. Yeah, I may have initially saved six dollars on each sheet, but I can tell that the Target ones will not come anywhere near lasting as long as the PBK ones will, so in the end, the Pottery Barn set will be the better deal.


Born Free glass bottles.

I have to tell you, I HATE plastic. I've always hated plastic as far as things that touch food is concerned. I have a hard time believing that something that can retain odors like that can ever be truly clean. There are no plastic cups or plates in my house. I buy Gladware because then I don't feel bad throwing it out if it starts to get the tiniest bit stinky. I have a reusable water bottle that ONLY holds water. My plastic travel mugs have designations - one for water only, one for Crystal Lite, one for coffee and cocoa. Once I've made a certain kind of beverage in one cup, I can taste it forever on anything I put in there.

Of course, when all that stuff about BPA started coming out in the news recently, plus all the crap about bad items made in China, deciding to use glass baby bottles was pretty much a no brainer for me. It doesn't hurt that using glass instead of plastic is better for the environment too. They're easier to clean than plastic, which is good, because breastmilk is surprisingly greasy. And if you're worried about broken glass bottles on your floor, relax - they're surprisingly sturdy. I dropped one on the kitchen tile and it BOUNCED. They're super thick glass. LOVE THEM!



Flannel Receiving Blankets.

These seemed to make a lot of those lists out there of items that you really don't need to buy for your baby. I'm guessing that those folks didn't swaddle their kids or were really just too cheap to buy any, because I can tell you we use these EVERY DAY. Sawyer will not stay asleep unless we have him all bundled up, mu shu style. They taught us to swaddle him in the hospital, and I'd think with the volume of babies that they see every day they'd know what they were doing.

Angelcare Monitor

When we went shopping for a baby monitor, we saw two basic models - the classic ones with just sound, and the ones with video monitors where you could not only could you hear your baby, but you could watch him too. Then one day when I was on Two Peas, someone was talking about this monitor. It has a movement sensor that you place under the crib mattress, and if your baby doesn't move for 20 seconds, it sounds an alarm. She said it was great, but I was skeptical. 20 seconds? Feel a baby breathe through a stiff crib mattress?

We bought it anyway, and I can't tell you what great piece of mind it brings. Without it, I'd be in there messing with the baby every 10 minutes just to check if he was still breathing, because I'm a worrier like that. Sure, on the few occasions when the alarm has gone off, it's scared me out of my mind, even if just for a few seconds, but for all the other times it hasn't, it's totally worth every penny.

And it's cheaper than all those fancy video monitors to boot.

Flannel Lap Pads

I read about these online, and I was like, what the hell is a lap pad? I found them at Babies R Us, and I have to say, lap pads are GENIUS!

I have these little ones on top of the changing pad. If Mister Man decides to have a little tinkle while I'm trying to change his diaper, no biggie - the pad gets soaked, not the cover or the changing pad. I just toss it in the hamper and lay out a new one for the next changing. They protect the table when it comes to those great diaper blowouts too.

They come in other sizes as well. I bought plain ones to put under the crib sheets to protect the mattress from leaky diapers and spit up. They're in layers - crib mattress, waterproof mattress pad, lap pad, sheet, another lap pad, another sheet. This way, if there is a mess made in the middle of the night, we don't have to take the time to look for clean sheets and remake the bed. All you have to do is strip the top sheet and lap pad from the crib, and you have a clean set underneath, ready to go.

Boppy Swing

Since we live in a relatively small apartment, we opted to skip the pack and play for the baby in the living room that so many people choose to use. Of course, if we wanted to lay the baby down for a nap, or just set him down for a bit, that left us with limited options - namely, a blanket on the floor. Not always cool when you have two rowdy little dogs running around the house.

We chose this swing because it's small, so it doesn't take up a lot of space, the seat lies relatively flat for baby naps and little men who can't really hold up their head yet, and because it folds up for travel. We can take it with us if we go to visit anyone!

Boppy Pillow

I think this must be our number one most frequently used baby item. I'm sure if you've been reading here the past few weeks, you will remember me mentioning it. The crazy thing is, this is another item that seems to make those lists of unnecessary baby items. Yeah, I could live without it, but man, I sure wouldn't want to! Little man sleeps better there than anywhere else, including the swing. It's great for tummy time. I've used it to prop him up for photos. It keeps your arms from going numb during feedings. It's just awesome!

We also have an extra cover for it, which is handy for when someone spits up on it or has a leaky diaper. It's happened.

So there you go. My product recommendations after the first month. Enjoy!