Ok, I've seen many other ladies post a product review of the things they got and use. I thought I would make my own also because I've had huge success with some things and EPIC failures with others. I'm going to list the things I love (honorable mention are things that are just as good or things that work in a pinch). Hope whoever reads this (starting to wonder if anyone does?) finds it helpful. Any questions? Just ask. I won't lie about how something worked for me.
LOVE:
Pampers Swaddlers diapers- He used to leak through any diaper we put on him no matter what we did, but we marked that up to the vaseline from his circ because once we stopped putting on the vaseline, the leaking also stopped. Love the wetness indicator on the size 1 and love the extra length on the tabs on size 2. Also really like that these diapers allow poo to show through the back so we can see if that noise was a toot or a poop.
Desitin creamy and max strength- max strength works SO fast to clear up his diaper rash and smears on so well. The creamy is just cool and works great for all the other times as it smears on well and still has a decent amount of Zinc to keep the red baboon butt at bay.
Up and Up original (40% Zinc) diaper cream- smears on nicely and doesn't have the strong medicine smell Desitin does. Only draw back is its hard as hell to squeeze the tube. Might just be a fluke tube.
Huggies wipes (the thicker the better!)- usually only need one and Adam loves the thickness and texture. The pop up tub is pretty good at making sure you only get one wipe at a time.
Cloth diapers- AWESOME for burp cloths and to make sure you don't fall victim to the Golden Shower. Trust me, Anthony AIMS for me. The cloth diapers soak it all up so I don't have to change pants so often
Bibs- I love the bibs that have the new age velcro that isn't scratchy and fasten on the side instead of the back. Easier to put on, won't scratch baby's neck, and a cinch to take off. A MUST HAVE for formula feeders as formula stains really bad. Breast milk doesn't.
Ivory bar soap- Takes out ANYTHING I swear it to you. Diaper blow out? cold water and an Ivory bar. Throw up on an outfit? Cold water and the Ivory bar. My mom turned me on to this trick and the Ivory bar is SO cheap! Plus no dyes or perfumes! Also works for just about any other soon to be stains before you wash them. Just remember to use cold water and after the washer and before the dryer, you should inspect the spot where the stain is/was. If its still there after the wash and you put it in the dryer, its pretty much a permanent stain.
Infant to Toddler rocker/vibrating chair- Check it out at Target. Its a chair that has this little kick stand that makes it lay back, perfect for laying baby down long enough for a nap (with parent nearby) or a quick run to the bathroom. It also rocks, has a removable mobile that you can add and take off the toys, and it turns into a rocking chair that they can use as a toddler! They make this chair in a swing model also for about $100. Had I known that when I got this chair as a gift, I woulda traded it in and paid the extra money for the swing model.
Baby Magic Shampoo- Love the baby smell and the pump top. Personal fav!
Johnson's Soothing Naturals Cream- Comes in a mint green tube and has the best smell EVER. I don't like the super baby smell of Johnson's pink so this stuff is awesome, thicker, and makes Anthony soft as can be!
Tide-just about any of the smells (or free and clear) are great at cleaning just about anything out and leaving that fresh clean smell. Works wonders with that Ivory bar.
Boppy-Now, I could just use pillows, but dude I got this pillow for $1 (garage sale, and yes, its a REAL Boppy) and actually bring it when we go anywhere for longer than a few hours. I like it for nursing, helping Anthony sit up for photos, and it even gets used for sleeping (infant and adult). Highly suggest a slip cover though.
Swaddle blankets- that are bigger than the typical 45inches and as close to square as possible. Sure the normal receiving blankets and swaddling blankets work for a while, but around 4-6 weeks they weren't cutting it for Anthony anymore. My swaddling blankets now are home made from a friend of mine. I'd guess they are about a yard square.
Pack-n-Play- Major help for the holidays when we spent the night at the in-laws. Not easy to get the baby out when you sleep on an air mattress and have to climb up and into the pnp, but worked awesome. There's a plastic part that came with mine that sits on the very top that I use as a mini changing table, but wouldn't use it for sleeping at all. I liked putting him on the part that sits about half way down. Worked great as our bassinet and will be used once we outgrow our current bassinet.
MAM pacifiers- This is the brand that was shoved in his mouth at the hospital (without my consent, but that's another story). They are great after all because there is no upside down to worry about. You can also get this great leash piece that clips onto their clothes, your shirt, or their car seat straps to make sure you don't lose that paci (which aren't the cheapest if you have to buy them a lot). The leash also works on other types of pacis so that's a plus! I believe this brand only uses silicone for the nipples which is awesome. Latex wears out too fast.
Baby's First Year Journal- Huge for recording all the little things he does each day. Also has bigger areas to write more than a few words and gives little factiods which are cool to learn. Also have his baby books and a calendar that I get to personalize with the months and everything. Now just to put it all together!
Similac Ready to Feed bottles- These bottles come in 2, 4, and 8 oz bottles that you can throw in the diaper bag and use on the go. A 6 pk of 8oz cost us $10 and works for at least 2 feedings.
Born Free and Playtex Ventaire wide bottles- Both come with silicone nipples that are wide and "mimic mother". Born Free cost a little more, but I got mine for free from BRU for setting up a registry. Both come with extra parts and once you read why they are there, I'm pretty sure you will like them too.
Lansinoh nipple cream, nursing pads, and milk storage bags- the nipple cream has little to no smell, a small dab will do for sure, and spreads easily. Nursing pads are huge and thin. They work great around a lot of screaming kids (any lactating mommy knows what I mean!!!) and would work for days if I used them that long. The storage bags come in an easy to dispense bag, totally safe (100% natural "virgin" plastics only used) and seal up very nice and tight. This brand has yet to disappoint me.
ANY carseat cover/bunting- LOVE the ones made out of "polar" fleece that only go over the top as you aren't supposed to have any extra layers between the carseat and the straps for safety sake. I got mine at a craft fair and its used ALL.THE.TIME. I have a Cozy Cuddler from Walmart that I'll be using with the strollers, but I won't use it for the carseat. He's plenty warm with the one he has.
Full size swing- I'm borrowing one at the moment and LOVE IT. I love being able to put him in it, turn on the music and set the speed and he's happier than a clam on the ocean floor.
Gripe water- Actually does work. I've noticed that he does tend to calm down a lot. Plus its all natural, has a gas reliever in it, and isn't really medicine.
Johnson's Nursing pads- Work just as well as the Lansinoh ones, only smaller and a little thicker. I like them for day to day.
Bjorn- Can't say enough good about it. Adjusts down to my size, up to Adam's size, carries Anthony where he should be (see my review on the Infantino carrier below), gives oodles of support, easy as cake to figure out without the directions, easy to put baby in and take him out...you name it. This thing is WELL worth its weight in the most precious of Gold. Invest the extra money in it instead of any other carrier like it.
Dislike/haven't tried it yet/totally useless product
Miracle swaddling blanket- Haven't gotten it in the mail yet. This will get its own entry when it arrives. Anthony escapes almost any swaddle unless I use the swaddleme and one of my larger swaddling blankets and use a diaper pin to hold the part that wraps around in place. This miracle swaddler could be the answer to my prayers, but I don't know yet. Once I get it and if I find I like it, I'll be making one of my own that is much like it.
Dreft- Haven't tried it yet. I got a coupon for it, so I decided to give it a go and buy it. I'll more be using it as a spot cleaner or to clean a full load of baby clothes. I haven't had a full load of baby clothes that all can go together yet though.
Up and Up Creamy diaper cream- USELESS! It doesn't spread at all, it looks chunky when it comes out, and to me it smelled funky. Save yourself the hassle and either buy the Up and Up 40% Zinc or splurge for the Desitin Creamy.
Travel swings- I have one. Dislike it more than I dislike pain. It only has 2 features worth while. Granted I got it from a garage sale so expecting a lot out of it is just stupid, the music was 3 songs that gave me a headache after hearing them the first 2 times. It vibrated and the swinging part was broke but it at least did its purpose. I just don't like having to bend ALL THE WAY to the floor to get him out when he wakes and fusses. Get the full size unless you spend a lot of time on the floor.
Changing tables- I have one of these that attaches to the top of Anthony's dresser. You know what we use it for? I have onesies in the larger area where the changing pad should go (it needed a special size pad and we refused to buy that) and keep other bath and body products for Anthony for when we run out in the bathroom. It was a free piece that we got with the crib/dresser set so we aren't out anything. All his diapers are changed on a folded up towel in the living room in front of the tv.
Playtex Drop ins-BIGGEST HEADACHE EVER. I used the 4 oz bottle I got once. O.N.C.E. and now its in the bottom of the garbage can. We put some formula that needed to be used in the liner and screwed on the top (ventaire nipple and ring as we don't use or like latex) tipped it upside down to check for leaks, and put it in the diaper bag. When it came time we needed it, we opened up the bag to find the bottle got flipped upside down and the liner? E.M.P.T.Y. 99% was absorbed into a cloth diaper so that wasn't so bad, but it was a total waste of formula. As soon as we got home I had Adam take off the nipple and nipple ring and throw the bottle away. If anyone wants the remaining 3 or 4 liners for the 4 oz and wants 2 8 oz bottles and liners (no nipples though as I wasn't planning on getting rid of them and threw away the nipples), then let me know. I don't want them and don't really wanna throw them away.
Baby positioners-used for helping baby sleep a certain way. Unless you have issues in one way or another with them rolling over before they should or something else that they need it, don't waste the money.
Diaper Genie-I don't use it and don't see any reason for it to exhist. If you exclusively breastfeed, their diapers don't usually smell until they start solids. We have a garbage can in the living room that we use and when the bag is full (about 3-4 days maybe) we take it out and put in a new one.
Wipe warmers- these seem to be the biggest pain in the ass and a huge fire hazard as I've heard they either don't work or they are always burning the bottom wipes. What Adam and I do if the wipes are real cold is bunch the wipe in our fist before we even take off his diaper, giving it body warmth instead of trusting an appliance known to malfunction to do its job.
Infantino Style Rider baby carrier- We bought this because we had forgotten our Bjorn at home and needed some sort of carrier. After reading the directions many times and many readjustments, we figured that either we would return it, or Adam would be the only one to wear it. Adam is a big chested/shouldered/torso guy. After tightening this carrier as far as it would go around him, it STILL didn't hang right. When you have a carrier on correctly, the baby's head should be up under your chin where you can easily kiss their head. This carrier had Anthony down by Adam's belly and nothing holding him in from the tops of his legs to the part that went over his shoulders. Adam still had to carry him the whole time just to make sure Anthony didn't fall out or the carrier fail. I later looked in the box at the directions and diagrams and figured out that whoever had put the carrier together had put it together wrong (clasps and fasteners in all the wrong places) and had put the wrong style carrier in the box. The back support that was supposed to sit in his lower back wasn't in the right spot at all. I can't even describe how this thing didn't fit correctly and what a safety hazard it was. I've actually looked at the reviews on Target.com and see that we aren't the only ones who got the raw end of the deal.
Honorable mention (we'll use it in a pinch)
Huggies diapers- we just don't use them because they don't have as many coupons in the papers. when we were just in size 1, they worked just as good. I switched to pampers because there was a killer deal.
Johnson & Johnson baby wash- we don't use it because we like Baby Magic more. But there is a bottle of this stuff in the bag we use to spend the night somewhere. Right next to that is a bottle of Johnson's pink lotion too!
Pampers Swaddlers wipes- we have them in the tub now because it was another killer deal, but we tend to like how think Huggies are compared to these Pampers. I've seen they have thick swaddlers, but we haven't tried them as we have 2 huge boxes (abou 1500 wipes total) and don't really need any more.
I reserve the right to add more as I go through more products and times may change (sometimes diapers don't work from one stage to another) but if anyone is looking for more reviews, I send them to read Baby Bargains. This book was my bible when we registered and went shopping. It helped with the purchase of our crib/dresser set, car seat, BOTH strollers, Bjorn, and some toys. This book is so worth the $15 it cost me to save me the headache (and the many recalls since!)
