Our Top 8 Baby Products
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Hello, and welcome to one of our first ever posts from the newly founded Baby section of the blog. We’re starting off by answering one of the most frequent questions we get via our social media channels: what are the baby products that we love and recommend. Right from the get go, we tried to keep things to a minimum and we avoided buying certain products we felt would only be of use for a very limited amount of time, namely toys and accessories. Say, a bathtub thermometer, for instance. We chose not to get one and we were right to do so… when it comes to water temperature, we go by the rule: ‘if it’s good for mama, it’s good for baby'! Most of the products we included in this list are still used on a daily basis and we’re super happy we how they’ve served us.
1. Shnuggle Bath Tub and Stand
Let’s begin with the one thing that surprised us the most – the Shnuggle bath tub and its respective high stand. We decided pretty early on that we wanted to go for a bathtub that would allow our baby to sit comfortably during bath time, right from the beginning. This tub is ergonomic and can be used up until the baby is 12 months of age. Simão will gladly sit and lean back on the lumbar support and won’t slide down thanks to the bump in the bottom of the tub. He loves how independent he is allowed to be during his baths and since he feels pretty safe, he began playing with the water and exploring his little body at a very early age. For our backs and necks, it’s an absolute relief not having to hold him at all times, even more so since the tub sits fairly high on the stand. In case you’re wondering if this stand is sturdy enough, rest assured – Simão kicks away when he’s in the bathtub and it doesn’t even tremble! If there is one single negative aspect to name about this product, it’s that the grey rubber in the lumbar support has become stained yellow… we suppose that’s due to bath oils we use to give our bub his daily massages.
2. Friendly Faces in the Forest: Baby's First Soft Book
This one may seem pretty unnecessary to some people, but it was such a big hit for us that we could not not mention it: a soft book with high contrast black and white friendly faces of different woodland animals. In their first few weeks of life, babies will show a preference towards shapes and objects with contrasting colours (they can see those clearer), and that’s why this book became such a well loved toy around here. We bought it when Simão was around 2-3 weeks old, after noticing he would not stop staring at the closet doors (half are painted white and half are still dark stained wood… it’s a WIP). Right now, at 6 months old, he still has a blast looking at it, squeezing it with his little fingers and gnawing at it.
3. Leander Matty changing mat in grey
We searched long and hard for a changing mat that would fit our needs and we picked a damn perfect one – the Leander Matty in grey. We wanted something comfortable for the baby, aesthetically pleasing and practical to use and clean, and this surely ticks all of those boxes. The rubber feels very soft and not too cold against baby’s skin and whenever there’s an pee or poo related accident (which happens pretty often), one wipe down and it is as good as new, no need for extra laundry.
4. Ergobaby Carrier Omni 360
There’s a wide variety of babywearing products (we own a few different options) and the one we’ve used the most over the past few months is our Ergobaby carrier. I (Rita) used wraps during the first three months, but now that baby Simão is getting bigger and feistier, he prefers being carried facing forward, and the Omni 360 allows for just that (front facing, rear facing, on our bellies or our backs). We got the classic one (they also sell this model in a cooler mesh fabric) and we particularly loved that it does not require extra accessories and inserts should you wish to use it with a newborn baby. This really is a life-saving (or should we say, back-saving) product, because it allows us to run a few errands around the house while we carry Simão (he is happiest being held, as he should!). And of course, he LOVES going outside for walks in this.
5. BabyBjörn Balance Bouncer
While we bought some of these products during our pregnancy, after researching thoroughly, others were bought only after our baby’s arrival, when we actually felt the need to. This was the case with our BabyBjorn bouncer. It hadn’t crossed our minds that something like this would come in handy… until we realised that it was absolutely crucial to be able to sit little 4/5 week old Simão safely and comfortably, somewhere near us, while we ran some tasks (like, erm, enjoying meals). We bought the BabyBjörn Balance Bouncer with a cool, mesh fabric, but you can go for the traditional cotton ones. We love how simple this bouncer is and looks, it’s not at all invasive in terms of home decor and Simão really like it right from the start.
6. Marpac Rohm White Noise Machine
Our white noise machine was one of the things we packed in our hospital bag and it was used for every nap and nighttime sleep for the first 8 weeks. It features 4 different soothing sounds, it’s portable and chargeable via USB cable. This is such a great choice, because we can take it wherever we go and put it in Simão’s stroller if he’s napping on the go. Now, we must say – Simão is not fond of sleeping AT ALL, and this machine is no miracle worker (neither is any of the tricks and tips we’ve tried so far), but we believe it has helped him feel comfortable, specially during those first few days and weeks.
Seguem-se os dois artigos em que mais gastámos dinheiro, mas talvez os que mais recomendamos. Estas foram compras mais dispendiosas pois ambos os artigos vieram dos EUA e, como tal, tivemos de pagar as taxas aduaneiras para os desalfandegar.
The following products were our only true splurges, and they’re also the ones we truly do recommend. These were so much more expensive because they came from the United States and we’ve had to pay customs fees.
7. The Ollie World Swaddles
The swaddles from The Ollie World are absolutely fantastic. Before we finally went ahead and purchased these, we tried several other swaddles and ways of comforting and getting our baby to sleep and nap on his own, and none worked for us because they were overly complicated to put baby in. He would wake before we were able to fasten the swaddle (yes, BEFORE, because it is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to swaddle him while he’s wide awake, and would get truly offended to realise what we were doing. The Ollie swaddle was a big game changer. We keep it open and ready to use on our bed and, as soon as Simão falls asleep, we lay him over the swaddle and fasten it – it’s super simple, fold the right side over and tuck it behind baby’s right side; then pull the left side over and attach the velcro fasteners. Tie the elastic loop right below baby’s feet and that’s it! He is super snug, won’t be bothered by the Moro Reflex and sleeps much longer – he’s slept up to 2.30, 3 hour, although that’s still unusual. Who needs sleep, amirite. Hah.
8. Snuggle Me Organic Infant Lounger
The Snuggle Me Organic Infant Lounger was surely bought on a whim. We could have gone for a far cheaper version… but it is worth every single penny! We used it for all of Simão’s naps during the first few weeks and we still use it for that same purpose (sometimes, combined with the Ollie Swaddle). It’s as comfortable as you’d imagine, and the only flaw is… they still haven’t created an adult sized lounger.
