Toddler favorites, really, but I can't bring myself to type that.
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But! As you know if you've ever talked to me for five seconds, I'm still one million percent obsessed with baby gear. When we think about having a second kid I'm disappointed that 1. we already have everything we need and 2. we didn't "need" nearly as much as people said we did, obviously. Beck is nearing a year and a half, which I just can't believe, and here are some of our current favorites and things we use all the time.
- Baby Jogger City Mini. We've had this stroller from the beginning, and still love it. It's super affordable, easy to push, folds to fairly small, and and has a big-enough space for junk in the bottom of it. I have the parent console and tray to go with it, and can't say enough good things about it! Disclaimer, though. If I were to do it over, I'd get the model (GT I think) that allows for a second seat. If you end up with 2 kids close together in age it's nice to only have one stroller. That may or may not be an issue for us, but with this model adding on isn't an option.
- Hanna Andersson dresses. And pjs! As seen in this picture, Hanna clothes are super comfy, wash well, and are cute but without sparkles or words or other things that I detest. I keep an eye out for sales and have stocked up a few times. We've started asking Beck what she wants to wear some days, and the answer is ALWAYS "dress!" I don't know what the deal is there, but she looks ridiculously cute in dresses so we go with it. I also did pajamas as gifts for friends' babies last year and they were a hit! According to the people who said it to my face.
- Phillips Avent Naturals bottles. We still use the same bottles Beck has used from the beginning - I bought spouts to swap out for the nipples at about a year, and they are great! I was pleased to not have to buy all new stuff, and I like the small size - we've only ever used the 4 ounce version and, now that Beck only drinks milk, I like them more because you aren't carting around and potentially wasting large amounts of milk if it gets forgotten in a bag overnight or something. Plus, 4 ounces is kind of all that a baby needs in one sitting, per our pediatrician. Keeps me honest about portion control.
- Chicco Nextfit 65 convertible car seat. We switched to this seat at 5 months (because we were giving our infant car seat away and the baby had been born), and have loved it. We have 2 and they are safety rated for rear-facing to 40 pounds and front facing to 65. Beck has never fussed being in a car seat (unless she's pissed, but not about the seat itself), and these had great reviews and are super easy to install, which was key for us. Also, re: why we ditched the infant seat so soon, convertible seats are generally safer than infant seats, so the current recommendation is to get baby into a convertible seat as soon as you feel comfortable doing so. These have infant inserts that allow for 5-pound babies, so we could have never had an infant seat if not for the ease of carrying Beck around in it.
- Pampers Baby Dry diapers + Huggies wipes. We've tried tons of other diapers, and find that these by far have the fewest leaks and best (within reason) smell. Baby Dry is technically for overnight, but Beck drinks a lot of water and I don't like to go through 10 diapers per day, so this was my solution: nighttime diapers all the time, fewer changes necessary. The wipes were something we got in a massive box at a shower when I was pregnant, and we've tried Pampers and some other brands but like the weight of Huggies better. So, I buy them on sale in large quantities and call it a day.
- Ergobaby 360. Still! I've talked about this before but there are so many times when we find wearing Beck is easier than carrying, letting her walk, or navigating the stroller. She is mostly amenable to flapping around in it and it's nice to have her facing inward when she's sleepy. Although. Now that her legs are getting longer Jay has been having some ... issues with her kicking. Heh.
- Olivia the Pig. This is a new book for us and honestly I should write an entire post about Beck's affinity for reading, but I LOVE this book and am dying to get the other board versions. It's so sweet, simple, wonderfully illustrated, I just can't say enough about the story.
And those are the highlights! We get a ton of clothes and shoes from Marshalls/TJ Maxx types of places and aren't very brand loyal, and Beck eats food that we eat now so there isn't a ton to say about that. It seems that baby gear needs shifts pretty quickly to activities and lessons and omg. We're looking for a tricycle type of deal that she can grow into - I'd love any recommendations you have!
None of this is sponsored, but there are some affiliate links! I'm much obliged.
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