Okay, so when I decided to do this post I thought, "How in the heck am I going to pick my favorite things, I can only think of like two things?!?" But once I started to take pictures I realized that we had A LOT more favorite then we first thought. I don't think that we had enough to do monthly favorites, as some people do, but we certainly had quite a few. Also, I kept thinking of more, so this is a short list. I was thinking about doing themed favorites such as, "traveling essentials with baby," or "bath essentials for baby." What do you think?
Also I will not be talking about my favorite gear, the Ergo and the Bob Stroller, if you guys want to know more about those then PLEASE let me know and I can make singular posts for those, there is just too much to include about those in this post!
Onto the favorites, I have not numbered them in any sort of order and I have linked everything at the bottom of each item! Enjoy!
1. California Baby Calendula Cream
Okay this stuff is amazing! I registered for it and got it for my baby shower but we have purchased it again! I am not really the type of person who uses entire bottles of stuff so trust me, that means its good! This cream, which is really textured like a lotion smells amazing, like lavender and is the perfect after bath lotion especially when babe is headed to bed afterwards. I actually used this as diaper cream when Soren was really little and it worked amazingly. The calendula and lavender are soothing for sore and irritated skin. I have used this on Soren's vaccination sites, his little pimples, scrapes, I have even used it on my dog. It is magic! If Soren has a sore or pimple I put this stuff on it and the next day I notice a major difference. calendula is amazing for the skin, especially for dry skin or eczema so I would definitely recommend this product for those babies who have sensitive skin! I have linked California Baby's website below but we have bought this product at Target primarily because it is in store. It has been hard to find on Amazon.
2. Weleda Calendula Oil
So aside from just using calendula cream, we also use calendula oil for when Soren's skin is really dry. This usually happens when we are swimming a lot, or taking a lot of baths which we try not to do. For a while I was just using the oil for after bath but then I fell back in love with the cream because my dog ate our bottle... seriously you can tell how beat up it is in the picture. But there was some left when I took this picture that we were still using (gotta be resourceful), and then it spilled all over my bag when I took all the stuff back inside. Of course! I won't say too much about this oil since it has many of the same benefits as the cream does but it is the plain calendula oil so you can use it in recipes if you make your own skin products!
3. Zarbee's Baby Cough Syrup + Mucus
I am one of those people that REALLY does not like to treat the symptoms of a cold. I don't like to suffer but I feel like all of those symptoms are what the body needs to do to heal itself so preventing them is just prolonging the cold. Now of course if I have a 103* fever I will be popping some Tylenol.
Turns out when you have a baby you don't like to see them suffer, like at all. So when Soren got hit with a winter cold it was everything I could do to not stuff him full of children's cold meds. THEN I found this stuff. It is made with Ivy Leaf Extract, which I have never heard of before and I have heard of a lot of herbs and extracts... It is also made with Agave Nectar which gave Soren a SUPER sugar high whenever he had this, for about 10-15 minutes and then he could calm down, stop sniffling and coughing and go to sleep. I would highly recommend this product to any mama who is very hesitant about giving meds to their children as it is "natural" has very clear ingredients and doesn't have a bunch of artificial dyes or colors. Don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself! (Also I couldn't find this product on Zarbee's website unless it was in a little multi-pack with some of their other products so I linked where they have it on Target's website!)
4. Milkbarn Bamboo Kerchief Bib
We don't use bibs all the time. Honestly I won't use them if Soren is snacking or eating something that doesn't really make a mess. Also he is really good at getting ALL the food into his mouth, like every last drop. But I do have a lot of bibs and these ones are by far my favorite! Milk Barn has a traditional bib and the bamboo bib and the bamboo one is definitely the one to get. I don't know if anyone else has noticed but kerchief bibs can sit weird and ride up and really not do much in the way of preventing food from getting on your little one's clothes. The bamboo material is heavier than normal cotton and is almost weighted. It sits on Soren's chest and covers a larger area then his other kerchief bibs do. Also their prints are adorable! Check out all their products below!
5. Milk Barn Swaddle
This was a gift for my baby shower that I did not register for but absolutely loved! This swaddle is the MOST adorable print and feels so soft and thin. It is muslin, but I'm not sure because I can't find the original product on their website anymore. This swaddle is huge and we used it when Soren was really little and when he would actually let us swaddle him. His announcement photos were actually taken in this blanket (which you can see in one of my earlier posts). I don't have too much to say about this swaddle because I know that if you want to swaddle you will, if you don't then you won't! But if you do swaddle, check out milk barn! Also since I can't find this product on their website I've linked their bamboo swaddle (drool) below!
6. Flap Happy Hats
It is no secret that Soren is super pale. He get's that from his mama, it goes along with the ginger hair. So during summertime we have had to work really hard on keeping him protected from the sun (anyone know any full body length swimsuits that are actually cute?!). Along with my next product we found Flap Happy hats to be a life saver! In February we went to Arizona to visit family and ended up buying a flap hat last minute from another brand on Amazon. I was greatly disappointed. The price was similar but the material felt cheap, it wasn't cute and it also stained really easily which is not fun when you're playing in the water. After searching endlessly online I found this brand. The blue hat on the left is actually a swimsuit material and is has UPF 50. I love it for pool time because I know that it will dry easily, like his swimsuit, and it will keep him protected. It's lightweight and he doesn't try to pull it off. Also even though the neck flap hangs loose, the front cap stays up and out of his face, protecting his eyes from the sun. The one on the right is what we use one sunny days when we are out of the water, although it can get wet too. It is one of the original styles but also has UPF 50. In fact I believe that all of their hats are available with UPF. Both these hats are the same size, they definitely vary. If I had known how the original was going to be a little larger I would have gone with a smaller size. However it does still work because there is a massive amount of elastic in the back ensuring that it will fit your babe for a WHILE (and we all know how important that is as a mom)!
7. Babyganics Mineral-Based Sunscreen
Sunscreen... the bane of my existence. For years I have slathered on sunscreen, not even just in Summer but whenever the sun reared its bright head. For years I just bought whatever sunscreen was cheapest because that stuff is expensive, especially when you use it as much as I do. Then I learned about all the disgusting chemicals in most sunscreens that are actually CARCINOGENS! I mean isn't this stuff supposed to be preventing cancer?!? So I started using sunscreen with one active ingredient- Zinc Oxide. This stuff also has Titanium Dioxide which is NOT one of the carcinogenic ones so I'm into it. We were using The Honest Company sunscreen but that stuff was SO DRYING and had a few more ingredients then I was happy with. Yes this stuff will make your baby look like a little ghost but it works and it's safe. I truly trust this brand and would not put this on Soren if I didn't. It can be a little pricey, but we actually got it on Amazon with a coupon that they may still have, so if you want to get some be sure to check it out on there!
For more info on the product and it's ingredients click on the link below!
8. Little Unicorn Brookside Tote
This bag has been a life saver! Before I had Soren I thought I didn't need a special bag just to carry all our stuff. I got a bag with no interior pockets for super cheap at Target and thought that it would be perfect. HA! I quickly realized that I was in dire need one something with some organization. A mom friend of mine had a Little Unicorn backpack and she turned me onto the brand. For months I drooled over the Brookside Tote in a dark maroon color, but wasn't sure if I would use it past winter, so I decided instead to get this brown color. I am so happy with my decision. This bag works for every season, every outfit and always makes me look and feel put-together. I absolutely love the stripes on the inside and the seaming on the leather is beautiful. It comes with four metal stands (?!) on the bottom so the bag always sits upright. It does zip close, but I never use the zipper unless I have the bag hooked to my stroller. The bag came with a changing pad, which I took out, and stroller hooks that match the color of the bag. The bag is made of vegan faux leather that looks like the real thing. It is structured beautifully and can hold a boat load! The shoulder straps are very wide and I am able to carry the bag easily when I have Soren in the ergo. The straps are large enough to fit over the thick ergo strap and my shoulder.
Little Unicorn has a ton of super cute bags, like super cute! This diaper bag is definitely not the cheapest but the quality is excellent and I would purchase again in a heartbeat. I am thinking about getting a backpack soon too...
That's all I will say about the bag now, IF you want a full bag review, like a whole post about this bad boy, let me know!
9. Schleich/Papo Toy Animals
Okay so we didn't really fall in love with these until recently. A few months back my mom bought a Schliech cougar for Soren from a Seattle toy store. He LOVED that thing, and I mean LOVED. He would play with it for minutes at a time and hold onto it in the car. I think he liked it because it was a kitty. Well one day our dog, Indy the eating champion, chewed it up. It was so sad, Soren saw it, faceless and pawless and wanted to play with it still, but it was destroyed. We were all a little heartbroken at that loss. But we found http://www.happyhentoys.com/ and all was right with the world again. My mom ordered him 15 or so new animals for his birthday and he loves to play with them and set them up. His favorite are hands-down the hens and chicks, probably because we have chickens in our backyard. The best part about these toys is when my nanny kids come over my 7-year old plays with them NONSTOP for the few hours that the boys are napping! Happy Hen Toys has great prices on them but I have paid up to $10 for one animal figurine in-store. I figure that it's worth it since Soren and his siblings will probably be playing with them well into their childhood. Possibly the best part about these toys is that there are so so many different animals. They have forest animals, african savanna animals, farm animals, imaginary animals, dinosaurs, and the list goes on and on. We really really want to collect them all right now but we're going to wait, who knows if Indy will want another Papo snack...
10. Burt's Bees Organic Cotton Pajamas
These suckers are the cutest! I have been putting Soren in Burt's Bees pajamas since he was a newborn because I trust them. Even though this company has been bought out, I really believe that the values at their core have remained the same. Plus how could you go wrong with organic cotton? We like both the zip-up pajamas and the top and bottom sets. I have been LOVING how adorable the sets are on Soren and when he wears them I have trouble taking them off in the morning! These pajamas fit true-to-size and will stretch and wear longer than most. We also got matching pajamas for Christmas morning from Burt's Bees and those were a real hit :) We will definitely be doing that again this Christmas! These pajamas can be a little pricey, I think the sets come in at around $17 full price. But watch out for a sale and you can score them for more like $12 which is a steal for organic cotton.
As you can see in the picture, the footed pajamas have an adorable little bee pattern on the bottom that is made of tiny dots of traction material. This is perfect for those babes that are walking or learning to walk, especially if you have hardwood floors like we do! Soren has trouble finding his footing at times!
We also ordered an adorable tree print for fall and they have their Halloween Prints up! I think we will be ordering one of those the next time a sale comes along!
11. Starry Knight Design Moccasins
Okay this is a a little embarrassing but you can see how well-loved these shoes are! I knew moccasins were great for babies because of how easily they slip on and off, they aren't restricting and they are so dang adorable, but I didn't know HOW wonderful these would be. These moccasins are so cute! I got them in a size 12-18m when Soren was 6 months old and I had trouble waiting to put them on him. He first wore them about two months ago and has pretty much worn them every other day since. He has a lot of shoes but I keep coming back to these. Little ones learning to walk should really be barefoot because it allows them to feel the ground beneath their feet and not rely on a shoe to keep their feet flat on the ground.
I like THESE moccasins specifically because of their look. The leather is not shiny and is worn in a really beautiful way, I also love the cutouts on the top. Their fall line just came out and the colors are out of this world beautiful. I'm not sure how she makes them so gorgeous, but she does and it's amazing! I don't think that this style is available anymore, but there are many many comparable styles and more for little girls and boys! I personally can't wait to order his next pair :)
Alright, I think that about rounds out my favorite products for Soren's first year. Again, please let me know if you have any questions about any of the items and if you are interested in any of the posts I mentioned about! Leave in the comments what a few of your diehard favorite products were for your baby's first year, or first month, or first few months! I would love to know in case we are missing out on. Thanks for visiting my blog!
-Kaitlyn
