Baby Bests

I was wrapping a gift for a baby shower, and that got me thinking... I know a number of people right now who are expecting their first child. Showers, gift registries, all that jazz. I remember when we were cooking Amanda, I had a list a mile long of all the stuff we "needed" for the baby. Of course, I didn't really know a thing.

Take, for example, the $300 "travel system" I just had to have. That cursed stroller became the bain of my motherhood existence-- the airline lost it on the first flight we took with the baby; the replacement stroller broke, yes, just went on strike and the wheels quit turning, in the middle of Mall of America; the d#@* thing weighed 30 pounds and hardly fit into the trunk of our car. I finally wrote a nasty letter to the company and spent $65 to ship it back to them-- in pieces.

Now, that is just one experience... But, when you fit it into the picture of having three children in four years, I've become something of an expert in the baby gear arena. Yes, we went through seven car seats to find the best one, but, now we definitely know the best car seat. I sometimes have to bite my tongue in the baby section of Target, to keep from telling young Mrs. Big Belly, "Don't do it!" Of course, some shoppers, when they spy my cart full of graham-cracker-encrusted urchins, actually do ask my advice. And, since this is my blog, I will offer my opinions wholly unsolicited.

Best Baby Gifts
*Bumbo-- If you don't know what this is, check it out! ($40)
*inexpensive, lightweight, folding stroller with a shade and a storage basket (about $30)
*plain white t-shirts-- short-sleeved Onesies, long-sleeved Onesies, a few of those side snappers for the first week with the umbilical cord stump; white is gender-neutral and easily bleached ($10 for pack of 5)
*good baby nail clipper ($3)
*Robeez shoes ($25)
*blue or pink receiving blanket-- you can put a baby in anything as long as you throw over the gender-appropriate blanket
*hand blender and other accessories to make your own baby food (Trust me, it's better than the jar stuff and not at all hard to do.)
*Baby Bjorn baby carrier-- pricier than other brands, but worth it ($80)
*zip-front sleep-and-play one-piece outfits
*Tiny Love Symphony-in-Motion mobile-- looks weird, but babies love it! ($35)
*bibs the size of hand towels-- best are those made from hand towels
*Boppy nursing pillow, with slipcover ($35)
*Tupperware Shape-O toy-- did not just throw this in for my M.I.L.... didn't you have one when you were a baby? ($25)
*temporal lobe scanning thermometer ($50)
*plastic links-- baby toys that double as bag hooks for strollers ($3)
*A & D Original Ointment
*hand sanitizer
*Little Tikes Cozy Coupe a.k.a. "The Bubble Car"-- all right, it's something to look forward to when the baby is about a year old, and it may take that long to assemble it ($60)
*one-dish meal in a disposable pan, with directions on how to freeze and reheat
*offers to clean house, fold laundry, babysit siblings-- and don't take "no" for an answer

p.s. These companies are not paying me... but they should.