The Best Baby Products That Make Parenting Easier
There are so many baby products nowadays, it can be hard to know which ones are actually useful and which ones are completely useless!
After having 3 kids and having purchased a bunch of baby products, I have genuinely been surprised at how awesome some turned out. I’ve also been shocked at some of the products I purchased which were a complete waste of money. Here is a list of products to avoid!
Some products deserve a bit of a highlight though as they have seriously made parenting easier and less stressful! Here is a list of baby products that have made life with a baby so much easier:
***This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and love. Before implementing any health advice, please check with your doctor first as I am not a medical professional. Read my full policy for more information.
The Diaper Pail
At first, I was like…nope! I’ll just put the dirty diaper in the trash can outside. Why would anyone want a dirty diaper to stay in the house?
Anyways, I was convinced by another mom that I needed this diaper pail and boy did it deliver! You put the dirty diaper in the pail and it locks out the smell!
I did expect the nursery to smell like poop all the time but the diaper pail locked out the smell. Awesome! In all honesty, your baby will poop…a lot! I can’t even imagine having to go outside at every diaper change to put the diaper in the trash!! Amazing invention!
A Diaper Spatula
This one seemed a little odd at first but if you’ve ever had to put diaper cream on a baby’s butt, it sucks! You get cream all over your fingers and you’re trying to change your little one and it becomes a bit of a messy disaster!
If the thought of putting diaper cream on your baby’s butt makes you cringe or you don’t want to get that diaper cream stick in your nails, the diaper cream spatula is for you!
Sound Machine
For some reason, babies sleep better with sound machines. I use this sound machine which is seriously amazing. It has many different options and my favorite one is the white noise with a gentle heartbeat. It sounds like they are in your womb so they end up sleeping better. Who doesn’t want a baby that sleeps soundly through the night?
Here are some more tips to help your baby sleep through the night so you can get more sleep! Wahoo!! Who doesn’t want more sleep??
The Haakaa
This was the best breastfeeding purchase I’ve ever made! The Haakaa is a silicone pump that attaches to the breast you are not feeding on. It then collects all that milk that would typically be wasted into your breast pad.
You can then store this milk and give it to your baby! There are so many benefits to the Haakaa so it’s worth a try if you plan to breastfeed. If you want to know how you can store your Breastmilk safely, check out this post.
I was able to get 2-4oz of milk for every feeding which was awesome.
Top Tip: Try to avoid pumping on the other breast as this can lead to an oversupply which can cause a bunch of other issues like blocked milk ducts and mastitis.
The Swaddler
Ok, I just couldn’t get the hang of the swaddle until my third baby! The nurses would perfectly wrap up my baby and when I tried to attempt a swaddle…let’s just say things ended up in a heap of blankets with a baby squirming around in there somewhere!! Yea, it was a disaster for me!
Luckily they sell these safe wearable blankets that you just zip up and swaddle using the Velcro wrap. It’s easy and works great! No need to worry about getting that swaddle down!
Baby Electric Nail File
It took me until my third baby to get an electric nail file and the only regret is that I should have gotten this nail file a lot sooner! I used clippers with my first baby and I ended up cutting her. I felt so bad!!
Who knew clippers were not good for babies! Why? Well, babies move a lot! So when you think you have your clippers in the right place…you’re about to clip and BOOM…baby moves and you cut them!
I then used a regular nail file and my baby kept pulling away and I just couldn’t do it. Then I decided to get an electric baby nail file and it worked! My baby loves it! Even my other 2 kids love it! This file safely cuts your baby’s nails without any fuss! Trust me, it’s worth it!
The Snot Sucker
Ok, I nearly gagged when a mom recommended a snot sucker. It sounded gross and the picture on the box just grossed me out. I pictured me sucking the snot out of my baby and it accidentally going into my mouth. Yuck! No thanks!
Then my baby got sick and the bulb just wasn’t doing it. I gave in and got the snot sucker and it worked 10 times better! Rest assured though, there is no way that their snot can end up in your mouth and I’ve breathed in super hard.
You can also get a battery-operated nose respirator which does the same thing but without you having to suck it out! Personally, I’ve never used one as many moms have said that the snot sucker works better as you can control the “power” of the suck!
Diaper Backpack
When I had my first baby, shoulder diaper bags were “the thing”. It sucked!! My bag was bulky and was constantly falling off my shoulder! It was just a nightmare to use. There was also no sectioning so organizing your diaper bag was a disaster.
Then the backpack started to become a thing and boy am I glad! It’s so much easier and there are some really cute diaper backpacks on the market. I picked this one as I loved all the compartments and looked good.
Check out this post on how you can pack your diaper bag so you can just grab it and go without worrying if you’ve forgotten something important!
Baby Tracking App or Journal
When you have a newborn, you will be going in for well checks pretty often. Every time you go, your pediatrician will ask you questions like “How many wet diapers did your baby have?”, “How many dirty diapers?”, “How much is your baby eating?”, “How often?”, etc.
These questions can be tough to answer when you’re sleep-deprived and you aren’t recording this information. This journal was seriously amazing with my first baby. It’s still nice to take a look at to remember her milestones and baby information.
I then used a baby tracker app for my next two babies. The app I used worked with my watch which made it so much easier to record the information I needed.
Microwave Sterilizer Bags
So you don’t really need a fancy sterilizer machine. Your dishwasher sterilizes your bottles so you don’t need to worry. If you do need to sterilize your bottles though, these microwave bottle sterilizer bags are amazing. Just add water and it works in just over 3 minutes. The big machines take 10-20 minutes and take up a lot of kitchen space.
Each bag can be used up to 20 times (they have the numbers on the back to cross off so you know how many times you’ve used it!).
These bags are also perfect for on the go as they are small and compact.
Diaper Trash Bag Holder
So I got this trash bag holder as a gift and at first, I was like… thanks but I don’t need this! Turned out I did!! It was so useful! I was out for the day with my baby and I had to change my baby in the car. I then had a stinky dirty diaper and no trash can nearby.
Time to get out those trash bags! I got one out and secured the dirty diaper. It didn’t smell! The smell was gone! It was awesome! Now I could put it in my bag until I came across a trash can without the stench of a dirty diaper!
They have also come in handy when my kids’ clothes got wet and I didn’t want my bag getting wet. Just put them in this trash bag and it will keep your things dry! Perfect!
Baby Pajamas With Zippers
Ok, I’ll be honest here, sometimes I struggle to button up a shirt. I mismatch a button and hole and I just have to start again. Now try doing something similar but with snappers. Add in midnight changes and sleep deprivation and it becomes a really challenging puzzle that you struggle to complete.
Zippers!! Just get the PJs with zippers. So much easier and you don’t have to worry about snapping them on the right way. If you’re living somewhere cold, purchase the double zippers so you only have to unzip the bottom leg when doing diaper changes so your baby can stay as warm as possible.
Travel System
I could not live without my stroller travel system and the Graco is one of the best out there. It made my life so much easier! The travel system comes with a stroller, car seat base, and car seat. The base goes in your car and is very easy to install. Then the car seat goes with you wherever you need to go. The seat easily snaps into the stroller and car seat base so you can easily transfer your baby without having to unbuckle/buckle and wake them up in the process. I love this travel system as the stroller can be used for toddlers so it can last a lot longer.
Camera Monitors
I don’t know where I would be without my baby monitor. Just being able to see your baby and know what they are doing, gave me peace of mind.
The most useful time though is when your toddler is transitioning to a bed. I can see when he gets out of bed and I can use the talk function to get him back in. He’d then look at the camera and get back to bed. If I didn’t have a camera, I’d have no idea what he was doing!
A Baby Breezer
If you decide to feed your baby with formula, this Baby Breezer is for you! I was unable to breastfeed my first baby and heating a bottle in the middle of the night with a screaming baby is not fun nor practical.
In comes the Baby Breezer that instantly mixes and heats your formula in no time at all. I like to think of it as a baby Keurig but instead of coffee, it’s baby formula. You can use any type of formula and put it in the tray. Set your preferences and press the button to start. It mixes the right amount of formula with water and it’s heated to your preference.
So there you have it! Here are the baby products that have really helped me through parenting and hopefully you’ll find them helpful too.
