10 Baby Products I Use and Love

We found out last summer at our eight week doctor's appointment that we were expecting twins. I had hoped and prayed for two munchkins, but when reality started to sink in after that first appointment, I was overwhelmed. In an effort to process the news and grasp for some semblance of control over the situation (hah!), I spent hours online looking up baby products. Figuring out what "stuff" to get helped me wrap my mind around the concept of having two infants. (Oy. I still can't believe there's two of them!)

It's funny how the tables turn in just a year, because recently a friend of mine who is expecting twins asked me for advice on her registry. I'm no expert, and this is by no means comprehensive, but I shared with her (and now am sharing with you) a few baby items I use and love. Of course, every parent is different and every baby is different, so what works for me may not work for you. With that in mind, though, I hope you'll find the info below helpful.

1. Covered Goods Multi-Use Nursing Cover. I recently did a review of these nursing covers, so you can read more about them here. 

2. Burp Cloths (the old-school, cloth diaper kind). There are all kinds of cute burp cloths out there. I have some of them. I bought some of them. At least the ones I bought don't work nearly as well as the less-expensive, old-school, cloth diapers turned burp cloths. The burp cloth is going to get puked on, so in my opinion, get one that's absorbent and that you can buy in large quantities for little money (especially if you've got a baby with reflux like we did. You go through sooooo many burp cloths!). 

3. Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddle. I've been asked if these are really worth the cost. To be honest, I registered for a set, and I'm so glad that I got them. However, because they are more expensive, I'm not sure I would have purchased them with my own money. That being said, they're great quality, breathable and stretch a little so you can wrap your baby tightly. We aren't swaddling our babies anymore, but I use these as a light blanket when it's too warm for our other blankets.

4. Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair. Especially with twins, I didn't want to have two free-standing high chairs kicking around, so these were perfect for us.

5. Wet Bag. We've been doing cloth diapers, so a waterproof bag to throw dirty diapers in is essential. However, even if we weren't doing cloth, I'd still want one or two of these. It's great to throw in your diaper bag to hold used burp cloths or dirty clothes when your kid has a blowout or whatever else mysteriously gets wet and nasty while you're out and about. You can use a plastic bag if you want to forgo the reusable wet bag, but I like the assurance of having a bag that zips completely shut, is totally waterproof and won't rip easily like a plastic bag would.

6. Boon Lawn Countertop Drying Rack. OK, I'll admit when I was registering, I thought this was going to be kind of superfluous. I was so wrong. This drying rack is awesome for bottles, nipples, breast pump parts, pacifiers, etc. It's so much better than a regular drying rack or just laying everything on a towel. We also have two of the stem accessories which are great.

7. Stroller Hooks. This may not be necessary for all parents, but I just bought these so I can hold more when shopping. When you've got two infants who can't sit in the shopping cart yet, I found it worked best to have the kids in the stroller and my reusable bags hanging from the stroller hooks. I use the bottom storage compartment of the stroller as well as bags hanging from these hooks to hold my groceries and other items. Unfortunately, this system does break down when you have to buy paper towels from Costco (or other large or heavy items).

8. Baby Jogger City Select Stroller (and Second Seat Kit if needed). Worth. Every. Penny. I've never met a Baby Jogger owner who didn't absolutely love their stroller. I could go on and on about this, so if you have questions about it, feel free to ask in the comments. You can often purchase these in used and in good condition at resale events and on sites like Craigslist. They hold up well, so you'll also likely be able to resell yours when your kids are past stroller-using age. (Note: The brand name can confuse people - the CIty Select is not a jogging stroller, but the Baby Jogger company does offer several jogging stroller options.)

9. Baby Jogger Carseat Adapters. These allow our carseats to snap right into the stroller. It's soooo convenient. Some parents swear by the Snap N Go stroller, but we didn't love the idea of having yet another stroller. Plus, we found that our carseats didn't fit in the Snap N Go as well as we would have liked. While the Snap N Go is nice because it's so light, our personal preference was just to use our Baby Jogger with the carseat adapters. 

10. Baby Jogger Parent Console. This perfectly holds all the random items I need easy access to when I'm out. For me, that's always my water bottle, coffee, keys, wallet and phone.

What products would you add to (or leave off) this list? I'd love to hear in the comments!