After two babies we’re up to our elbows in baby gear at the Eby house. We tried so many great products (and a few that we didn’t love). Today I’m sharing my absolute favorite products for baby’s first year strictly based on what worked best for us. These may not end up being your favorites, but they were ours’ and we highly recommend them. Jed will chime in and share his thoughts on a few items as well. This post is not sponsored in any way, and all opinions are our own. It does contain affiliate links, and purchasing through those links costs you nothing but helps support the Bare Feet on the Dashboard blog and family. Our favorite cloth diaper products are not on this list, but you can read more about those here. You can read our ideas on saving money with a baby here.
Our Favorite Baby Products for the First Year of Life
These are organized by category rather than importance. We are not paid endorsers of any of these products, though a few of them are sponsoring the big giveaway you can enter at the bottom of this post.
Sleeping Favorites
1) Woombie
We loved the Woombie so much with the Bear that we brought it to the hospital when Pearl Girl was born. With one zip your baby feels safe and swaddled and sleeps so much better. Read our full review of the Woombie here. You don’t have to struggle with swaddling. I will say that I adore muslin swaddle blankets as well, but the Woombie is my all time favorite. Jed would say this is his favorite baby product because it takes all of the work out of swaddling, and works so well.
2) Angel Dear
Both of our kids use Angel Dear loveys because we chose them intentionally. We bought several of the same lovey for each kid and swap them out regularly so that they don’t get gross and wear out equally. I recommend buying the pair and a spare 3 pack so you always have one ready. If your kid becomes attached to some toy that can only be found at a sketchy mall kiosk that goes out of business, heaven help you. We started giving both kids a lovey to sleep with at 6 months, and it worked like a charm.
3) Halo SleepSack
Pearl Girl is in the Aden + Anais muslin sleeping bag in the photo above. These are really perfect for summer. We love all three brands and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. Sleep sacks are much safer than using blankets, as pediatricians don’t recommend loose blankets until well after age 1. We use sleep sacks after our kids are done swaddling until they move out of the crib.
4) Summer Infant
I would say this is my number one baby must have. My lovely baby shower hostesses bought it for us, and it is a total lifesaver. You can look to make sure baby is sleeping soundly, use it to keep a wandering toddler in his big boy bed, and have peace of mind that your babes are sleeping soundly. My sister has a newer model you can move remotely and talk through. So cool. Summer Infant also has phenomenal customer service. They’ve come through for us on several occasions.
We have real sound machine in one child’s room and an old radio with the antenna ripped out in the other, creating soft and gentle white noise. It helps the kids to sleep soundly and blocks out noise so that we can still live life in the house after our kids go to bed at 7 pm. We also keep white noise apps on our phone for stroller and car nap help.
This one is just a fun product, but we both really love it. Both kids have one as their night light, and it stays on for 45 minutes and projects real constellations on the ceiling.
Feeding Favorites
7) Medela
Not everyone needs to pump, but the pump and hands free pumping bra were lifesavers for me when I struggled with supply issues while nursing the Bear. If plan on nursing and going back to work (or leaving the house without your baby), pumping is essential. I grabbed the Pumpease bra on Zulily and at one point I called it the best $20 I ever spent. It allows you to pump hands free so you can eat your lunch, entertain a toddler, type an email, etc. I loved our Medela pump because it worked well and the company gave us great customer service.
8) Boppy
I love using a nursing pillow when breastfeeding, but also when babies wanted to sleep on my lap, during play, and tummy time. Just look at that sweet milk drunk baby sleeping the day away on her Boppy on my lap.
9) Aden + Anais
I’m a big Aden + Anais fan because of the quality of their products. We received Burpy Bibs as baby shower gifts with both kids and really love them. They are a great size, can be used interchangeably as a burp cloth or snap on bib, and come in adorable designs.
Travel, Bath, and Play Favorites
We used the pack n play as a bassinet with both kids, for travel, and as a play space. We didn’t buy a fancy one with a lot of bells and whistles, but kept it simple. We will take this summer as we travel for Pearl Girl to sleep in. We do add a mattress pad and sheet to make it more comfortable, and use this hack when we share a hotel room.
11) Ergobaby
Jed and I both would say the Ergo is in our top 3. I won it from another blogger’s giveaway when the Bear was about 9 months old, and it has been our favorite for babywearing ever since. We carry our kids all over the place in it, and the Bear can still ride at almost 3 and 40 pounds. They both LOVE it. With Pearl Girl I used the infant insert from her earliest days. She went on her first hike at one week old (thank you VBAC) and slept peacefully the whole time in the Ergo.
12) Little Giraffe
This was a gift from my sister & her family and is their favorite baby product. We love it so much. It is a total splurge but so luxoriously soft and fluffy and absorbant. The cute little ears on top of the hood are a total bonus.
13) Strollers – We love our Graco
This is our absolute favorite book to read to our kids. You can read more about why and how we try to bring Jesus in to our kids’ daily lives here.
15) Bumbo Seat
You can see the Bumbo in use above, while Jed reads the Jesus Storybook Bible. The Bumbo is perfect for kids who are just learning to sit and for keeping wiggle worms in place. Do not ever use it on an elevated surface.
What are your favorite baby products? Read about more baby must haves from my fellow Ultimate Baby bloggers below.
Follow Dayna :: Lemon Lime Adventures’s board Everything Baby on Pinterest.
Ultimate Guide to Baby Must Haves ~ Lemon Lime Adventures
Baby Must Haves for Newborn to 12 Weeks ~ Powerful Mothering
The Perfect Registry – what you do and don’t need for the first year ~ Mom Favorites
Baby Products I Couldn’t Have Lived Without ~ Trust Me, I’m a Mom
Baby Products that Helped Me Survive the First Year ~ The Jenny Evolution
The Ultimate Guide of Essentials for the Natural Baby ~ Natural Beach Living
Best Board Books That Will Encourage Singing with Your Baby ~ Growing Book by Book
Best Board Books for Baby ~ Wildflower Ramblings
Minimalist’s Guide to Baby Must Haves ~ ALLterNATIVElearning
Exploring the World Without a Stroller ~ Let the Journey Begin
Repurposing Baby Items for Play Beyond the First Year ~ Still Playing School
Twin Essentials ~ Bambini Travel