Sunday, March 1, 2009

Top Ten

Some of the products that make my life easier...and some I cannot live without.

Here are my top ten parenting products in no particular order:

1. Tri fold diapers. I added a panel of colorful fabric to the middle and voila it became my most favorite burp cloth. I use it for wiping up messes, catching breast feeding leakage, cleaning up spit up and everything under the sun. They hold up well, stay soft and absorbent. I love them.
2. A baby wrap. I copied a friend's wrap that looks like this one and I love it! It is a must if you have more than one. It is how I get dinner made when the baby is fussy and wants to be held. It is also nice to use if I don't want to haul out the stroller.

3. Speaking of strollers. I got the Baby Trend Sit and Stand when I was pregnant with number 2 and I really like it. It is less bulky than a double stroller and my four year old loves that he can just ride along without having to be strapped in. He gets in by himself which is a plus for me too.



4. I am a clean freak, so hand sanitizers are a life saver for me. We use it all the time. It is especially nice to have my preschooler use it after going potty (#1) so I don't have to follow him to the bathroom every time to remind him to wash his hands and turn the faucet on for him because ours sticks. It cleans his hands better than if he used soap and water by himself too.

5. Mild cleaner. I love this spray. It is mild enough to use around children but gets the job done.
I use it to spray down toys every once in a while and wiping them afterward is optional if you don't mind letting it air dry.

6. Ikea toddler plates, cups, bowls, and utensils. I love these. They are so cute and fun to eat out of. My son likes picking what color he wants each thing to be. It makes meal time and snack time fun.
7. Vinegar. It is pungent but great for many things. I use white vinegar in laundry to help my towels regain absorbency, to help get urine smell out of things, and as a child safe cleaner for mirrors, windows, and in the kitchen.
8. I also love hydrogen peroxide as a cleaner. Careful - it will bleach clothes. It is safer than other household cleaners for use around children and when you are pregnant. I use it in laundry to brighten whites as well.
9. Equate version of Eucerin cream. My oldest has sensitive and dry skin. He suffered from exczema for the first 3 1/2 year of his life and still does from time to time. This did the trick. I just slather it on him from head to toe after bathtime and it keeps his dry skin at bay (didn't go away but didn't get cracked or worse). It kept us from having to treat him with steroid creams all the time.
10. My favorite diaper bag - a nice big fake leather purse. They don't break like diaper bags do...Well not as easily. A lot of them have plenty of pockets to hold everything and they look nicer than the typical diaper bag.

These were a few of my favorites. Now...
What are your favorites?

10 comments:

Cara Jones said...

Thanks for doing this Delia. I hope this will be a good place for new mom's!!

I really love the Graco Safe-Seat (or Snug Ride). Our little girl loves how roomy it is. She regularly sleeps in it while we are out and about!

Also, the Carter's onesies are amazing! They are durable and super soft!!! We LOVE Carter's!

Another item I like is the Munchkin soft foam bath mat. Easy to clean up and store. It also is MUCH less expensive then buying one of those big baby bathes (I think it cost us $5).

Kelly A. said...

My very favorite thing when my daughter was little was my boppy pillow! I loved that thing!! I also highly recommend nursing covers, bumbo chairs, and Aquaphor/Eucerin cream!

Spring said...

Fun blog Delia! I enjoyed reading your top 10! The plastic dinner ware looks fun!

Diane Bohn said...

Can I get a copy of your pattern for the baby wrap? Love the cleaning ideas! I look forward to trying them out! :)
My favorites: *I also love the cloth diapers for burp rags, but don't use the pre-folded ones, just the plain square ones, they also work well as a sun shield on a hot day! (I just covered up Hunter while he was asleep in the baby bjorn, and they kept him covered and cool.)

Megan said...

The Ikea dinner ware is awesome. It is one of the best thins I know of. The other product I really love is my high chair. I bought a Graco Contempo high chair and it is fabulous. I have a tiny kitchen and don't have room for a big high chair, this high chair folds down really flat and fits between my stove and counter tops when not in use. If you have a small kitchen and can afford it, it is awesome.

Ruby in the Rough said...

I plan on getting a stroller like that after our third kid. For now, I really love my InStep swivel wheel stroller.

I use those same cloth diapers to absorb Liesl's accidents! They work wonders soaking everything up!

Also, the Downeast poncho works very very well as a nursing cover. I've nursed Mira while shopping (very early on) and not been embarassed!

Erin said...

ok where did you find plain square cloth diapers? The only ones I have found are the prefold ones.

Erin said...

PS I just love that almost half of your items are cleaning items! :D

Jared and Delia said...

Walmart has them, they are just all jumbled and mixed together. Look for Birds Eye - I think. But...don't put it past Walmart to be out of them right now. They had them once upon a time - I know I saw them there.

Smith's Marketplace has them for about $4-5 more dollars. You could do site to store for Walmart IF you are really interested.

Nick said...

I recently discoverd a homeopathic cough syrup for my kids. I can't remember the name now, but it's in a yellow box and has a bear on it-maybe Hylands? Anyway, it has natural grape flavoring and is made with honey and worked way better than any other brands I've tried before to keep my son cough free all night long. I also love Aquaphor for chapped skin and diaper owies. My kids were really sensitive to Desitin, so after my first I never used it again. Another favorite is File Folder Fun for chuch. There are a couple of different books at Desert Book. They are full of activities that you copy off, color, and glue inside a folder and velcro or magnet the matches. For example, there is a fish one where each fish is a different color and then the folder has the matching color fish with the word spelled out. There are counting, alphabet, money, colors, and matching games. They are awesome for keeping little ones occupied, but learning at church.