Must-Have Baby Gear

Baby stores are stocked with stuff, a lot of it unnecessary. Here are a few products that can make your life with baby a little easier.

By Meagan Francis

When it comes to the stuff babies need, my philosophy has always been "babies need something to poop in, something to keep them warm, and something to eat..and that's about it". But a few well-chosen products can certainly make Mom's life easier, and that's a worthwhile investment. I'm a baby-product skeptic and have whittled away at the amount of "stuff" we have around the house, but there are a few products that have really earned their keep around here. Here are the three baby products I'm loving right now: 

• The Blessed Nest Organic Nesting Pillow I spent literally years of my life being squeezed around the middle by an unforgiving c-shaped nursing pillow, which was at that time, the best option on the market as far as I was concerned. The Organic Nesting Pillow is a huge improvement on just about everything in those early-model nursing pillows. First of all, it's filled with buckwheat hulls, not foam or polyester filling. That means it easily conforms to your shape, you can plump it up to bring the baby higher (and avoid that hunched-over nursing posture), and it's comfy and breathable. It's plenty big enough for an older baby, and covers your whole lap. Because it's so easy to re-shape, you can use it in bed, at the computer, in an easy chair...etc. And it's pretty.
• The Graco SweetPeace. If there's anything I'm really, really skeptical about, it's electronic baby stuff. First of all, the various seats and swings are often ugly as sin, secondly, they tend to make loud, obnoxious noises, and third, I've always wondered how necessary any of it is. The SweetPeace may not be a "need to have", but I am definitely loving ours.--while I'm making dinner or helping an older child with homework, it's nice to have a safe, comfy place to put Clara that calms her down instead of getting her more riled up. It's attractive enough to sit in the living room and look like a piece of furniture (plus those calm neutral colors are supposedly more soothing to the baby); quiet enough that you can actually hear the music coming from the iPod hookup (that's what sold my husband on it) and instead of launching your baby to and fro like a swing, it's meant to mimic what moms do naturally as they hold their babies--rock gently back and forth.
• Moby Wrap When I was pregnant with Isaac (going on 10) there were basically three or four slings available on the market. One of those was an expensive foreign model that basically consisted of a long piece of fabric you could tie around your body in a variety of wraps. It cost around $100, far too rich for my blood in those days. I wound up with a Maya Pouch, which was a good sling but had its limitations, particularly for heavy newborns who'd wind up all balled up in the pouch and hang too low on my body, making my shoulders hurt. I got my SIL a Moby Wrap on the recommendation of several other moms during her last pregnancy, and now she's passed it back to me. I am in love. I've only used it one way so far, but the carry I'm using (the Hug Wrap) perfectly distributes the weight across my shoulders and back. The fabric is stretchy for a little "give" but not too so stretchy--the baby stays close enough to avoid straining Mom's back. It's the same basic concept of the "long piece of cloth" sling I couldn't afford many years ago, but at about half the price ($40 or so).