My Favorite Baby and Toddler Gear:
If you know me personally you know one of my favorite things is to geek out on the coolest baby gear and recommend it to anyone I know.
So with all the times I have basically written this blog post in someones DM's or text's I figured I should finally just write it in blog form this time.
Questions about baby gear are probably my second most asked question, just under "Where do you sell your honey?" Which I detail in THIS BLOG POST.
(AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some links are affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission if you buy from my link, at no additional cost to you. A lot of people ask which ones specifically because they want to make sure they buy from my link if I get a commission and that is so sweet. I'll mark any ones that are affiliate with an asterisk.
Also, note that Amazon prices vary a lot so when you click on the link of what I post it may not be the same price as it was when I posted so be sure to look around at other amazon sellers or even other sites to find the best price).
I have divided the items into the following sections and all of these are my own opinions. If there is not a specific item listed you want to ask my opinion on you can leave a comment or DM me on MY INSTAGRAM. I either forgot it on the list or more likely I didn't feel super strongly about any specific brand of item under that category. This is not comprehensive just a bunch of stuff that I LOVE and LOVE to share about!
Lastly if you're looking for afterbirth mama favorites you can check out the blog post I did about this on SAGE'S BIRTH STORY BLOG.
Here is a list of the categories so you can scroll to a specific section if you just want to look for one thing specifically:
Part 1
EVERYDAY
IN THE KITCHEN
CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES
Part 2 **Coming Soon**
TOYS
BEDDING AND AROUND THE HOUSE
DIAPERS AND HYGIENE
TRAVEL (my fav to share because ANYTHING to make traveling with baby/toddlers easier).
EVERYDAY:
DIAPER BAG:
Fawn design bag. Before I had Sage I reached out to my instagram followers and asked what the best diaper bag was that didn't make me feel like I was carrying around a diaper bag. This was the number one suggestion. I have THIS LARGE ONE and THIS MINI ONE. I definitely needed the big one during the burp, wrap, 3 millions diapers, wipes, creams, extra clothes, nursing covers, blankets phase. But now I mostly just use the smaller one unless we are traveling.
WRAPS:
My babies both loved being held and would cry if I set them down. Having a wrap was a lifesaver. I have tried TONS of kinds. My favorites are: the Moby wrap and the Behold Baby Wrap which is a locally owned company who just updated their material and it is seriously the best combination of sturdy and light weight. If they had this material before I would probably just have that one. If you don't live in the flaming hot desert though the Moby is a great option especially if your baby is born in winter.
DAD GEAR:
Trent often felt helpless in the newborns stage with Brighten and always talked about how he wished he could do more and feel more involved. With Sage I got him this DAD SHIRT. He and Sage went Viral with it on IG getting over 2.5 Million views. We got like enough points to get their entire inventory in free stuff with all the people who used my referral code... But I didn't realize it expires... so that's sad haha. The Dad Shirt can be worn till baby is 15lbs which seems like a short life span for the price but for how much it saved my back and involved Trent it was worth it for us. Also, Sage didn't weigh 15lbs until she was 6 months old so it has about the same lifespan as the swings and bassinets and stuff like that. GET 20% OFF WITH MY REFERRAL LINK . Seriously love this and so did Trent. It was one of Trent's favorite things gift-away items a few years back for our IG Christmas time giveaways.
IN THE KITCHEN:
Highchair:
I love the ANTILOP from IKEA. Yes the legs poke out a little but this is the perfect small home, minimalist highchair. No frills. I swear I got mine for only $26 at Ikea now they're $29 - still not bad at all. The best advice I got before Brighty was born was 1) my sister telling when I go to the store to park as close as I can to a cart coral not the door. and 2) My friend Avi telling me about this highchair. I also love that it's not super tall so it is actual the same height as our table! Bonus for Moms of multiples they stack! So you can store them away after meal time!
Dish-ware and Cutlery:
You probably know by now that we don't do plastic. But we also try to stay away from silicone. It can be made with a lot of the same petroleum byproducts as plastic and I not a fan of 'totally harmless until proven guilty' I prefer 'lets just be safe if we can find a reasonably convenient alternatice' And you totally can! Silicone is also a lot more porous than stainless steal so stainless is so much easier to keep sanitary. We us: Stainless Straw Cups, Plates, Bowls, and Coconut Bowls and Coconut Wood Forks and Spoons
Stainless Steel 'Sippy Cups':
I use to have a smoothie water bottle for Brighten and a water - water bottle but too often they got switched or lost (and a moldy smoothie found in the car a month later). We recently got the girls a designated Smoothie Cup. Only for their morning Smoothies or fresh pressed juice and it has been working out great. (And so many less dishes!)
Here are the combo we use:
20 oz Stanley Tumbler for Smoothies and Juice and Kids Hydroflask Water Bottles for water (both my kids transitioned straight from nursing to drinking from this water bottle).
Manual Breast Pump:
I tried pumping with Brighten and I hated it. I tried this hand pump with Sage that a friend recommended and I got more out in 5 min than I got in 45 min with the machine. I only pumped a handful of times but I much preferred this one over any electric. I only used it to make “boobie pops” which I froze in some fancy brand tray that was pretty underwhelming and over priced . You can find stuff like it on Amazon.
Montessori Knife:
Brighten LOVES cooking and helping in the kitchen. This WOODEN TRANSITION KNIFE helps her feel included and me feel at ease. It chops a variety of fruits and vegetables. She does a lot f zucchini and carrots and apples and strawberries with it.
CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES:
Brighty and Sage wear mostly organic clothing. And this comes at a little bit extra of a cost so it's REALLY important to me that the clothes last! If you want to learn more about why we dress them in organic you can listen to THIS PODCAST EPISODE from my podcast Haws Talks Health.
MOSTLY ORGANIC CLOTHING:
Here is a list and links to my favorite brands
Simple folk (Love all their stuff but one of my favorites is the panties. If you buy ONE clothing piece organic let it be kids underwear).
Mebie baby- Their "Organic Cotton Basics" Section is GOLD. My favorite is the Top/Shorts sets for $28. An amazing price for an organic set and super great quaintly that holds up and stretches as kids grow (up to 4T. You'll find a lot of clothes are hard to find organic once its out of baby sizing)
Make Make Organics - moderately priced. Again, nice thick material that lasts. I love their prints because a lot of organic stuff has no prints. We love their dresses and Jammies the most.
H&M - specifically their organic cotton line for babies. Pro's Very affordable, Con's not as durable and have to dig and sometimes. Also they use a blend of non-organic and organic fibers to make the fabric. I just search 'Organic' in the search bar and see what comes up.My go to from H&M is their Sets of Organic Onsies in neutral colors 5 for $25 that will match anything.
Burts Bees Baby Organic Jammie’s (sold at target or online) Brighten really likes the bug patterns and has a lady bug print and a butterfly print. We also get our annual Christmas family jammies here I suggest sizing UP and then getting the snug fit. They will fit like the loose fit at first but then last longer and fit as the true snug fit when they get into that size. Just to draw out the life of the jammies! That's what we do!
TIP: They usually have a sale on FamJams around halloween. Last year we got 50% off!.
Tenth and Pine (they have so many honey puns we love their stuff) they are know for the typewriter print tees. ...Now I want that smiley face onsie.
Jamie Kay Such is good quality and lasts so many wears! Probably THE sturdiest baby brand I have found ever. MY girls have several sweaters and the iconic Jamie Kay Corduroy Overalls and they still look the same as the day we got them in the mail! Even their knit fabrics hold up well. Not entirely organic they do have a lot of control over their items and strong brightly colored led filled dyes is less of a worry because of the muted color palate.
TIP: They are based in New Zealand so their seasons are swapped for those of us in the northern hemisphere. So they have winter clothes on sale when we are in winter a lot of the time and summer clothes on sale when we are in summer! So check the sale section.
Bailey’s Blossoms for unique trendy stuff. Not organic but I usually get a few trendy outfits here before vacation or some sort of photoshoot. If you have ever died of adorableness over something you've seen Brighten or Sage wear it was probably from this website.
AMBER NECKLACES: Each of the girls wore an Amber teething necklace from a young age! Make sure you get it from a reputable source that you know uses real Amber because it is really easy to fake since the weight and texture is very similar to plastic. You're looking for real Baltic Amber. It's fossilized tree sap from the baltic region and it helps reduce inflammation! It's great for any teething kid. I even use one for my inflammation! The heat of the skin activates the anti-inflamitory properties of the amber. People always ask me if it really works and all I can say is both my girls would drool so so much when they didn't have it on. That's the only visible difference I could see. The other question is "Do I get break away or screw tighten?" I would say whichever you feel most comfortable with. We got the break away with Brighten and as soon as she learned she could pop if off we lost it. Some people who aren't comfortable with them on babies neck put them on their wrist or ankle. (I also suggest taking them off before you go to a Dr. appointment so you don't get read the riot act even though their shirt collar could do the exact same thing they're freaking you out about the necklace doing).The only thing you need to be 100% sure of is that you get individually knotted (this means if the necklace breaks all the potentially choke-inducing-beads don't spill off because they're all individually knotted on). Sage's is from Joss and J a local store and their online shop has several different cute options. I trust their sourcing most. You can find them cheaper on amazon but you can not really tell a fake easily so I personally don't buy them on amazon.
GOLD-FILLED BRACELETS:
Rainbow row is our go-to for bracelets. A fellow local business that we befriended at a pop-up. We have a few other brands that we love and have tried a TON but this one in particular has stood the test of time and toddler. Other brands last anywhere from the car ride home after buying the (true, and sad story) to a few weeks or months after purchase. I'm not gonna lie and say we have never broken these but the last one we had break was one I gave Brighten just before Sage was born. Almost exactly 2 years ago. They're sturdy. Did I mention we never take them off? Because they're gold filled they can go in water and be fine. We leave them on for baths and pool time and the girls and I all sleep in them. I'm low maintenance. I want to look good but not put in a lot of effort. For me its these bracelets. As for my girls, they just love them. It's a fun holiday tradition to add to their 'stacks'. I just need to break down and sign up for their affiliate program because I am always referring people anyway. I just don't like filling out forms haha.
PUDDLE-JUMPER... BUT MAKE IT CUTE: Sweet pea baby co swimmers are my favorite 'swimmies' as we like to call them in our family. I know these can be controversial but both my girls know how to swim and this is fun for them when they want to socialize. Or for Brighten when I was nursing Sage watching her swim and couldn't get to her quickly if she needed help. I know the argument that it 'teaches kids to drown' by holding them upright but so do life jackets when we go to the lake I guess. I feel comfortable switching them back and forth from swimming without to floating with. They know rescue floats, swimming to the side etc. too. THIS BRAND in particular is my favorite because so many other brands are so loud with the colors and maybe I'm OCD but it 's just not that cute in pictures and they are hard to match with their swimsuits. I also like that they are a tad LESS supportive than the Puddle Jumper Brand because my girls can lear forward and get around a little faster than with the OG PJ we have.
WANT MORE? STAY TUNED FOR MY FAVORITES IN THESE CATEGORIES NEXT TIME!...
TOYS
BEDDING AND AROUND THE HOUSE
DIAPERS AND HYGIENE
TRAVEL (my fav!!)
See ya in part 2!...