Favorite Baby Gear!!!

Here are a few of the things that Brooke and I have been loving.

1.  BOB Ironman Running Stroller.

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I used a Baby Jogger before I had the BOB and the BOB is 1,000,000 times easier to run with.   It is smooth, easy to control, Brooke is extremely comfortable in there and you have to admit… it looks really awesome.  

2.  This Graco Swing.   

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The best part about this swing is that you plug it into the wall so that you don’t have to keep buying batteries.  It plays music and has 6 different levels to choose from.    

3.  The Boppy pillow was awesome for nursing and for a little pillow for the Brooker.

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4.  The Graco SnugRider Elite.

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This is SO SO easy to use.  I absolutely love it.  It is so easy to fold up and store in the back of the car and then get it out and put the carseat directly in it.   It has made life super easy.

5.  THIS SHAMPOO is the best smelling baby shampoo in the world.  I even use it on my hair sometimes. 

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6.  Bumbo.  Brooke loves sitting in the Bumbo and I think she is pretty darn cute when she is sitting in it too.  

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7.  The book The New First Three Years of Life.  This book has been so helpful in understanding Brooke’s different developmental stages and how to help her learn and grow!

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8.  The Graco SnugRide 30 Infant Car Seat.   We actually went to the store to go buy this when I was in labor because we didn’t have a carseat yet.  We love it and I loved the little head pillows for when she was itty bitty.  I also love that it is something that color wise works for a boy or a girl;)

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 9.  We just got this high chair from Target and love it… we especially loved the price tag compared to all of the other high chairs we saw.

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10.  We also loved this velcro Swaddle for the first few months!

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11.  The Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat.   I Seriously love everything about this car seat.  I love that this car seat is made for kids to stay rear-facing until they are 40 lbs (rear-facing is the safest).  Once they reach 40 lbs you can put the seat forward-facing up to 65 lbs.    Brooke is very happy to have moved into this one because it is bigger and seems much more comfortable.

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What are some of your MUST HAVE baby gear items?!?!  What kind of stroller do you use?  High chair?  Car seat?  

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43 comments

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Is that a bag filled with candy corn. Haha.

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Yes, yes it was:)

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That Graco swing was a life saver for me when Colton was little! Life. Save. Er!

Sarah
http://www.thinfluenced.com

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The Ergo carrier. My fleece kangaroo sling. This really cool fluffy sheep skin that I put in the crib with my youngest. Man, I wish I’d had it for all of them. I don’t want people to get all up in arms about it not being safe because it is. Terry cloth bibs!!! Double as a washcloth after feeding :). I liked the My Breast Friend better than my Boppy though it wasn’t as versatile. I had that same car seat! Exersaucer! Limited in length of use but like the equally indispensable bouncy seat, a total lifesaver. I was a total stroller junkie. I had 8 at one time but now only have three. All told, I’ve owned 11. I have distinct opinions on which I prefer for certain uses but found the Pliko3 to be awesome for two kids 3 yrs apart in age. I could talk baby gear all night!

Love that first picture!

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We have the same swing. It’s amazing. My little guy goes in it when he won’t go down for a nap and he’s out cold in like ten seconds.

We have Britax car seat and stoller that are both super awesome. I need to get my hands on a jogging stroller though.

We love the Lamaze play mat and all the Lamaze line of toys. Also Aleva Naturals makes the best natural shampoos, lotions and wipes for babe. And last but not least, the Baby Hawk, that thing is a life saver!

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We most def had to have a blanket to swaddle my Bebe! She slept swaddled for the first few months of her life! As for everything else, I would say you are spot on with those particular necessities! There are so many things that people get or say you just can’t live without and really don’t need!

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We have and love just about everything on that list except for the BOB(I am expecting one this week!) and the book. I love the smell of the Mustela, too. We use the foaming shampoo and I just want to smell her sweet head all night after her bath! ;)

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Thanks for sharing your fav baby items! I’m due in a little less than 3 weeks (with a boy) and am so happy to see the exact swing that I got on your list! We just put it together the other day and I can’t wait to use it. We also got a Bumbo, Boppy, and I will definitely be adding a BOB jogging stroller to my list to buy ASAP!!

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My Moby wrap, Sleepy Wrap, and now Ergo carrier. I love, love the Ergo. My youngest turned 2 at the end of Nov and I can still use it. In fact my friend is going to get her little girl from China soon and will be using it ( she is not quite 2 ). I love my BOB Revolution single and Duallie. I love the Sunshine Radian, super narrow and great safety ratings. We use them past age 1. I am not a fan of the bucket infant carriers only because my girls could not stand them! We have this radio/ projector that my youngest falls asleep too and it literally saved me. We got it when she was 6 months old and she was still only sleeping for 45 min at a time and once we go tthat she stretched her time to 2 hours or more, love that thing!!

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My sling (HotSlings brand from Target)! I didn’t use one with my first 2–couldn’t find one that I liked–but #3 LIVED in that thing. Even after he could toddle around, I’d use it to “sit” him on my hip, leaving my hands free. I don’t think I put it away until he was over 2 years old, LOL!

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I have no kiddies BUT I did enjoy looking at pictures of brooker!

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Ditto on the Bumbo – we use ours all of the time. We even take it to restaurants with us sometimes because she likes to sit in the booth with us, but can’t handle a regular booster seat.

Now that Ella is teething, we swear by ChewBeads. You have to get a set, Brooke will love them!

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Lists like these are great as they remind me of how different parents and kids are.

What we have that you have (mostly): Graco SnugRide 35 (and yes, we love it!), Boppy pillow (Susanna has a love me-love me not relationship with them), and BOB Ironman jogger (once our REI rebate comes this month)

Other things we love:

*bumGenius elementals 4.0 (we bought them 1 week prior to the new ones- who knew?)- they are easy, environmentally friendly, and it’s one less thing to have to buy every so often from the store

*the cloth wipes my Mom made and the homemade wipes solution we use- we can control the moisture level and the wipes are so soft. More info. here- http://www.newmomstalk.com/2013/02/11/diy-baby-wipes-and-solution

*books- the milk memos by Cate Colburn-Smith and Andrea Serrette is great for anyone (my hub learned a ton), Hello, Bugs! & Hello, Animals!, and The Mother’s Almanac Revised

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Aw you included the scrapbook picture! My friend has this thing called the nap nanny and she swears by it! I never had one for Noah but I want one for the next baby :-)

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I want to ride around in a stroller and be swaddled. She is too cute.

The Kidless Kronicles

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My girls lived in their bumbos, they were so fun! I never had a BOB because I didn’t get into running until about 1.5 years ago and the girls were out of strollers. Swaddle blankets are hands down the best, my daughter Katherine still loves to be swaddled and she is 4 LOL! I agree with the swing being plugged in, we had two swings because of the twins and one would run off batteries only and I went through suckers like crazy, so Jess rigged it so we could plug it in! It was hilarious! Total redneck swing, but we didn’t have to keep buying batteries!

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Great post! My sister is pregnant and due in July:) I am going to show her this post so she can register for some of these things for her baby shower. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

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Fave baby gear:

– Chariot Jogging/Biking/stroller (I finally get to use the bike attachment this year YAAAAAY)
– Jolly Jumper
– Bouncer chair
– Graco Snugride (I miss not having to buckle Max in every single time)
– Scout stuffed musical doggy that you can program to say the baby’s name (Max loves his scout)

Other than that, we didn’t use much baby gear. I just purchased a used high chair as for whatever reason most high chairs are crazy-stupid expensive. We now have a Britax Marathon car seat!

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My baby girl is 7 weeks old :-). My running group at work chipped in and bought me a BOB and I can’t wait to use it! Our swing has been a life saver when she is congested…it helps her to be sitting up a bit. I also really loved Carter’s newborn clothing…Annabelle was less than 6 pounds when we brought her home and this was the only stuff that came close to fitting her well.

How old was Brooke when you first used a jogging stroller? Did you have to support her head at first?

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I started using my BOB when my baby was 4 weeks old. I got the carseat attachment and would go carefully over bumps. I just now have gotten him out of the carseat and into the stroller seat at 10 months.

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Thanks Beth!

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Linda! That is so so awesome that your running group got you a BOB!!! We first started her at 4 months. We also never went over any bumps and just went on the smooth bike trail that does not have curbs etc. Enjoy your BOB Beth and Linda… it is the best!

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Has anyone used the BOB Revolution SE running? I sort of want a one-stop-shop and was hoping it’s as good for bumming around town as it would be for running. And did you use it running while the baby was still in the carseat attachment, or have to wait until they could sit in the main stroller part? Please and thank you :)

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Zip-out sheets! Or they may be called QuickZip. They were the #1 thing ever! I believe they are put out by Clouds and Stars (or something like that). I registered at Buy Buy Baby and they had them online and I was so happy when I got them at my shower. So to all you expecting mommies: look them up! I am never one tell other moms what to do or what to get, but this is my one exception. The crib mattress actually goes into the “base” sheet and then you can have multiple “top sheets” that zip right out. The zipper tucks in so there is no worry about that. So you don’t have to pull out that mattress every time you need to change the sheet for spit-up, explosive diaper, etc. You just zip out the top. That’s it!
My daughter is now 4 and I wasn’t into running as much when she was born. After looking at your BOB I really want one, but I am thinking it is too late. I saw one on my local craigslist and I am thinking about it. It is only $100 and it does go up to 75 pounds–she is only 33 pounds right now. Hmmmm.

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I loved my Moby Wrap for when my babies were little and my Babyhawk Mei Tai carrier when they were a little older. Loved the Bumbo and our swing. We never did buy a high chair. We lived in a small apartment and a highchair would have taken up too much space so we bought a little chair thing that hooks on the edge of the table and then we upgraded later to a booster seat that we strapped to a regular dining chair. They both worked super well.

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Love this post!!!thanks

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Did you run with the car seat attachment? Or just walk…the manual says not to run and I’m trying to figure out if people think its safe and the BOB people have to put that so they don’t get sued :)

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Hey! I did not. The manual for our Bob Ironman actually says that you can start using the stroller (without the car seat) at 6 weeks old. We did not start using it until she was over 4 months old and just did not go over any bumps (we always run on the smooth bike trail with no curbs) and it has worked out perfectly.

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Thank you! You’re such an inspiration! I had a baby boy 8 weeks ago and have been walking since the first week but just started running again last week. It sure does feel good to get back at it!

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LOVE my ergo & CANNOT wait for my BOB :D

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THANK YOU for this post!! I’m registering off and on and LOVE hearing what items active mamas need! LOVE!

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I do not have any must haves yet, but you are not helping my baby fever!

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All I managed to see was the candy corn. Now I’m craving it!

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I forgot how cute Brooke’s hair was with all the spikes at the beginning.

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I just found out I’m pregnant (due around Halloween) and this post was so helpful! I pinned a bunch of stuff for my (secret) Pinterest baby board. I’m a big runner, like you, so your posts about running while pregnant and after the baby comes are a great resource.

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When she gets a bit older you’ll have to download some talking apps on the iPhone/iPad. My niece’s and nephew’s favorite are either Talking Tom, Talking Ben, or the evening news with Tom and Ben. It’s a program that repeats sounds it hears. I’m sure your nieces and nephews would get a kick out of it. My niece had it opened once when my dog started barking, which caused the cat to bark and my niece to nearly not make it to the restroom. It’s very annoying at first, but so much fun once the kids get into cause they just laugh and laugh.

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I’m just curious – are you using the Bob as your regular stroller? I can see that you had one of those sets of wheels that the car seat clipped into, but once Brooke is in a big-girl seat will you just use the Bob? Or is it too big/annoying? I’m just wondering how versatile the Bob is :) Thanks! (Brooke is potentially the cutest baby I’ve ever seen! SO adorable!)

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Thank you!!! I do use it for non running things too! I use the bob and an umbrella stroller!

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I’m a new follower to your blog, and I LOVE it! I’m going back through your posts to catch up :)

My Lydia was born 9/1, so just a few weeks younger than your Brooke.

My favorite is my ergo. All other baby “holders” do not impress this girl. She screamed when swaddled, climbs out of the bumbo, didn’t like the movement of any swing or the mamaroo we borrowed from a friend.

I’m just starting to run, my goal is a half marathon in October. So I’m thinking if I’m serious about this running business a BOB is needed!

Thanks so much!

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My daughter was so happy when she switched to the convertible seat at around 7m (shes 15m now! ahh). Also, she has awesome hair like Brooke. They remind me of each other.

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My 4 year old is still in his Britax Marathon car seat, as he’s still only 34 pounds. We didn’t turn him around in his car seat until he was 2 ish. We will probably switch him to a Graco Nautilus (or the like) seat in the next year so that we can convert to a high backed booster when he’s ready.

My 9 year old is in a Graco Nautilus/Graco Turbo Booster, depending on the car. I love the Nautilus because you can use it as a car seat, high back booster and backless booster (last car seat she should ever need). She doesn’t weigh enough and isn’t tall enough yet to just sit on the seat in the car.

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Oh my word! That baby swaddle looks adorable!

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You need to tighten the straps on your daughter’s car seat. The chest clip should be at armpit level always. I could be mistaken, but is the car seat in the last picture installed with the forward-facing belt path?
Please read the owner’s manual and install the convertible car seat in the rear-facing belt path. If you have questions about any of this, please join https://www.facebook.com/groups/CarSeatsForTheLittles/?fref=ts
Car Seats for the Littles facebook group. You can post a picture of your daughter in the car seat and they will help you make sure it is installed correctly and that she is strapped in right.
Good job for keeping her rear-facing to the limits of the seat (and as close to 4 years old as possible).

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