I’ve received many requests since my sister-in-law, Emily, and her husband, Dave, welcomed baby Grace into our family this past May for Emily’s Top Baby Items.  I asked Emily if she’d be interested in sharing a list of her favorite picks.  She not only provided a list with links, but also her own detailed explanation of what she likes about each item!  I made a mood board to coordinate with her list so you can see photos of these products.  Please note that all of the image sources coordinate with the links posted for each item.  The following text is in Emily’s own words.  Enjoy! 

These are the items that have worked for me and my baby but every parent has to find what is best for them and their baby. These are only suggestions for other parents. Everyone told me the same thing when recommending baby stuff and before I had a baby I thought that was kind of an unnecessary disclaimer but it is good to remember.

1. Wubba Nub – It not only helps keep the pacifier from falling out of baby’s mouth, it also makes the pacifier easier for them to hold themselves. The plush animal is also a toy good for grabbing and playing.

2. Sassy bugs (Jitter Bug & Go Go Bugs) – The jitter bug is especially great and my baby likes the other bugs as well. They are easy to see and engage with. I put them on her car seat and hang them over her bassinet.

3. Angel Dear Burp Cloths – The size and thickness of these burp cloths makes them worth the money. They actually cover your whole shoulder and down your back. And they absorb the spit up!

4. Tiny Love Take-Along Arch Sunny Stroll – This toy arch comes in two other colors/varieties and this is the least expensive version for $15.29 by about $4. I highly recommend it for over the bassinet because it has a handle that baby can pull and make the flower spin.

5. Dream On Me Bassinet – Everything you need in a bassinet for under $60. It has wheels and the bassinet part is detachable from the stand. I wheel it around from room to room in the house during the day. It is available at Babies R Us but Amazon has a larger color selection. The sheet that comes with this bassinet is basically plastic and so not that great, but bassinet sheets are easy to find.

6. Petunia Pickle Bottom City Carryall Diaper bag – This bag is spacious and has a lot of pockets, inside and out, which is great. The glazed fabric is also very durable. The zip down and fold out changing pad is the most useful of all. It creates a safe, clean place to change your baby anywhere.

7. Evenflo Glass Bottles – This is not one of the mainstream brands but I did a lot of research and I choose these because they were glass, had storage caps and fit directly onto my Medela electric breast pump. Although it is impossible to avoid plastic these days and almost all plastic used for baby items is BPA free, I still thought it would be safest to use glass where possible. I read that plastic leeches the most chemicals when it changes temperatures so I though if I could freeze and reheat my breast milk in the same glass container that would be ideal. It has worked great. However, glass bottles do take up a lot of room in the fridge/freezer. There have been instances where I have used the plastic freezer milk storage bags, but overall I use these glass bottles for pumping, storage and feeding.  All of their parts are available on Amazon. I have an assortment of 4oz and 8oz bottles, storage caps and the bottle brushes.

8. Kirkland Wipes – Available at Costco (and on Amazon although they are more expensive) and truly a superior wipe. It actually is fragrance free. Other popular brands say they are fragrance free but I think they have a distinct smell. Another plus is that they are good for the environment and free of chlorine, alcohol and all the other things you don’t want in your wipes.

9. Burt’s Bees Bath Towel and Wash Cloth – Very soft, thick and absorbent. Worth the few extra bucks for sure. Available at Babies R Us (and on Amazon, but way less expensive at Babies R Us).

10. Burt’s Bees Baby Wash Tear free and Fragrance Free – This wash is very mild and moisturizing and actually is fragrance free as well. I am also glad to know that is 99.9% natural since my baby loves to open her mouth for the washcloth and put her hands immediately in her mouth after soaping so I don’t have to worry about her ingesting tons of chemicals.

11. Summer Infant Right Height Bath Tub – I love that this sling covers the whole tub and that the bath comes with a bench to sit on. This makes giving my baby a bath very easy.

12. Sopora Premium Plus Crib Mattress – There are so many options for crib mattresses it can be overwhelming. I ended up choosing a brand that was offered at the store where we bought our nursery furniture. It was not cheap, but I decided to spend the extra money here because my baby would be using it every night. It is a very nice mattress and I am extremely satisfied with the purchase.  If you get a chance to feel it in person you can tell that the inside foam is firm but not hard and that the outside covering is durable yet still soft to the touch. This brand has even more expensive versions but I thought the cheapest one of a good brand would do. The store didn’t carry all of the versions on the Sopora website. They had three. Of those three I chose the Sopora Premium Plus.

13. Pottery Barn Kids Crib Sheets – These sheets are very soft and organic. They have washed well, too. I think they are worth the few extra bucks.

Big thanks to Emily for providing a list and her own explanations of why she loves each of these products.  I hope this is helpful to those of you out there who are interested!

*Neither I nor my sister-in-law Emily are affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post.  All opinions are Emily’s own.*