Baby Product Must Have List...The Second Time Around

Hi Friends. You've heard me rant and rave about how many baby products and brands out there. It's very overwhelming and can cause a first time mom to over analyze, panic, and/or stress out. With the second one, I definitely didn't fall into that marketing trap, especially since we already had most everything. However, often times I've heard expectant first time mothers ask, "what's on your 'must have' list?" For some reason, when I only had one I found it kind of hard to answer that questions. But now with my second, I can tell you there are 3 things, yes 3 items that I MUST have. Perhaps it's the need to simplify with subsequent children which makes that question easier to answer. Of course bear in mind, that my must have list might look a lot different from yours depending on your preferences and situation. But for what it's worth, here are my MUST haves:

A Pack N Play - this items wouldn't have ranked as high had we not moved into a two story house with all the kids bedrooms being upstairs. With Savannah, we really only used the pack and play when we traveled and S needed a place to sleep. Now it serves as a changing station, a place to put Caleb so he can be out of Savannah's reach, sleeping quarters and all around storage area. It's a wonderful invention. Before I said you didn't really need one with bells and whistles, but if you have a two story house and don't want to be running up and down the stairs to change diapers, etc, I would at least recommend one with a changing area and built in bassinet up top.

The Miracle Blanket - I raved about this product before and I'll rave about it again; it's WONDERFUL. There are tons of other swaddling blankets out there, but none of them can compare to this genius invention. If you are one of those moms who can swaddle their babies as well as they can in the hospital, you might consider skipping it, but if you are like me and cannot master this, this blanket is for you. A lot of people think their babies don't like to be wrapped up, but really if you give them a chance, I think you'll see a drastic improvement in their sleep. All babies will seem to struggle when you put them in a tight swaddle, but that's just because their nervous systems are still immature or they are always trying to toot (like my Caleb!). Haha! You can read about and buy the Miracle blanket HERE. It's pricey, yes, but worth every penny. Someone was nice enough to give me two as a gift, but now I would buy one myself if I didn't have one. And it's been great to have known about this product from the get-go. Caleb sleeps so well with it. We use it at night and during some naps. With the blanket, he is now sleeping for 3 to 4 hour stretches.

A Boppy - It's simple, yes, but I cannot live without a Boppy. It too serves multiple purposes. A nursing pillow, a portable baby seat, and prop for sitting babies, it's well worth the money if you don't have one. With Savannah, I used to try and tote along way to many baby items when traveling. Now, as long as we're not spending the night anywhere, I just bring my diaper bag and my Boppy and we're ready to go!

Nuk Pacifiers - Ok, I said 3 items, and this is the 4th....this one only counts for half. Savannah didn't really use a paci, and I'm not an advocate of using them for a long time, but Caleb likes to suck more that she did. A lot of times he'll just want to suck for awhile after he nurses or just just calmed by the pacifier. If you have a baby like this, try out the Nuk pacifiers. I love Nuk bottles too. The main reason why I love them is because they actually STAY IN. I HATE having to constantly put the paci back in. I'm sure it's because of the orthodontically-freindly shape. Anyway, I've tried several brands and he can hang on to these better than any of them.

Well there's my two cents...take it with a grain of salt!