My Favorites for Baby's First Year

Each mama is different and each baby is different but these are a few of my favorite finds that we used during the first year:

1. Aden and Anais burpy bibs. It's hard to put your finger on just what is so wonderful about this burp rag - but it's just the best. I have adorable handmade ones, cute store bought ones, and these. These fit on your shoulder perfectly and are honestly worth the $10/burpy bib. They wash incredibly well and are so cute on top of that. And, they snap to be a bib for when baby is really spitty:
Check them out!

2. Music! I have loved four CDs in particular. I use them while Liam is going down for a nap or going down for the night. It's become a part of our routine but he can go down without it. I have liked setting the mood for sleep and it kind of signals to him that is sleeping time.

The Rockabye CDs are amazing! They take popular bands (we have Coldplay and U2) and do soothing instrumental versions of their biggest hits. So great!

Rockabye Coldplay: Check it out!

Rockabye U2: Check it out!

Worship music for baby: I really like having baby-friendly worship music to encourage that little spirit from the beginning. These are the two that I've used:

Praise Baby: Check it out!

and

Sing Over Me: Check it out!


3. Baby Love cookbook. If you want to make your own baby food this is such a great find. The recipes are fantastic and real food recipes. Some of our favorite recipes are banana/apple/pear, Alba's Chicken Soup, Basil Ricotta Pesto, and Macaroni and Cheese. Yeah! As a side note - I think products like the Baby Bullet are great but ultimately unnecessary. A regular food processor does the trick.
Check it out!

4. RazBaby Teether. By far Liam's favorite teething tool. With 8 teeth in the first year, he really went after it!
Check it out!

5. Earth's Best Chlorine-Free Wipes. I really don't prefer to be high maintenance in life :). But - Liam had persistent diaper rash that just wouldn't fully go away. So I decided to try these wipes and it was gone within 24 hours. If you buy them in packs of 12 through Amazon you can get them for about $3.33/pack which is comparable to other wipe prices. Definitely worth it to me!
Check it out!


6. Amazon subscribe and save products. Wow! If there is anything you buy with regularity for baby, I'd check to see if Amazon offers it on their subscribe and save option. You 'subscribe' to the product and receive it automatically every month, two months, etc (your choice). For intance, I started supplementing Liam with a little formula around 7 months because I was concerned about milk supply. He probably had about 10% formula and the rest was bm. Formula is expensive!!! I wanted something organic and went with Earth's Best. He did great with it. At Whole Foods and Buy Buy Baby, it's about $30 a container. WHEW! With Amazon subscribe and save - I got it for $23/container and didn't pay shipping. Works for me!


7. This toy has been a consistent favorite for months for Liam. It's adorable and has multiple layers of learning which I like: Check it out!

8. If you're interested in Baby Wise - this blog is so helpful: Check it out!


9. In the splurge category, I cannot skip mentioning Best Chairs. I made efforts to be budget-friendly on creating Liam's nursery (borrowing a crib, finding other furniture on Craigslist, and using a seamstress on Etsy to make the bedding which was a lot cheaper than going through a the local custom bedding options I found). BUT - I knew I wanted a great rocker/glider. A few friends had purchased their gliders from Best Chairs and I loved what I saw. Locally, I think that Buy Buy Baby has a few models but Peek A Boo Baby caries and can order all of their models. I chose the smallest model and didn't go for the recliner or ottoman - and I have been so happy with the choice. We have used it a lot and it's still in great condition! The glide is so smooth and even the smallest model chair works for both me and Zion's bodies and is very comfortable. Love it and look forward to many many more years with it.
Check it out!

10. And finally, the Miracle Blanket was one of the very best things! Little man Liam was strong from the get go and swaddling him in a standard blanket didn't work for us. This blanket has so zippers or velcro which makes loud sound if you need to adjust it when the baby is falling to sleep or already asleep. It has a pocket for the feet and a pretty great arm manuever to keep those little limbs in place. We discovered it a few weeks in but next time around it will be used from the very beginning. It really helped Liam because those little arms did not stop moving when he went to sleep. I think it's the best sleep swaddling solution because of it's unique design and no zipper/velcro. You need it!
Check it out!

I'm sure there are other things I am forgetting but these are our top ten! Happy first year mamas! I'd love to know any great finds you discovered :)