A Trendy Place for Expectant Mothers

I seem to be constantly receiving lists of suggested “Baby Must-Haves” from various celebrities and quasi-celebrities. I find it annoying. Does having a baby combined with being famous somehow make you authority on what expecting moms must buy? Fergie has never had a baby before–why in the world should I buy what she’s buying?

So, it occurred to me I should publish my own list of Top Ten Baby Must-Haves as summer approaches. I am not a celebrity, but this is a hard-earned list. It’s culled from years of traveling the world and living in various desperately hot countries with numerous babies. Oh and also, trial and error–lots of trial and error. One summer, I had four babies under the age of two and a half. So, when it comes to what kind of baby powder you need to treat a summer diaper rash–or four diaper rashes–I am somewhat of an expert, at least more so than Fergie.

1. Cetaphil Skin Cleanser. Don’t spend a fortune on organic baby washes. I know, they are packaged nicely and they look so very healthy and appealing and make you feel like you are doing really good things for your baby. I bought into the marketing with my first baby and in the end, I realized what I should have done from the start is order Cetaphil cleanser in bulk. And it would have saved me a lot of money. All of my children suffer from mild eczema so I’ve seen dermatologists in New York, Washington, the Middle East, and the UK. Every single one of them told me to use Cetaphil–in fact, a dermatologist in Israel asked me if I could order some for him, because it was so much more expensive there. Cetaphil doesn’t smell particularly fragrant and it doesn’t create a lot of fun bubbles for baby’s bath, but it is the best possible soap you can use for a baby, especially when the baby has sensitive skin. You’ll end up using it yourself.

2. Ammens Medicated Powder–This stuff works real miracles. It is very hard to find and very old school. But if you put this powder on your baby’s butt each and every time you change him/her, you will almost completely avoid diaper rashes. If a diaper rash does occur, this medicated powder will heal it. You need to be diligent about changing the diaper regularly, but this powder works better than any fancy diaper creme or ointment. A baby nurse with over 40 years of experience taking care of baby’s butts introduced me to it, and I have not purchased any other product since.

3. Kickee Pants Baby Pajamas–I just love these pajamas. I actually only discovered them last summer, but they are simply the perfect summer pajamas for babies. They are made from organic bamboo fabric and are tremendously stretchy and forgiving without any buttons or snaps. They are very fitted, and I just love watching Posey toddle around in them with her baby belly jutting out. I also like that they have long pants–even on the hottest of nights, I like having her legs covered so the mosquitoes can’t get at her legs. They wash very well and due to the elasticity, last for a few months.

4. Jeepers Creepers In Organic Cotton–Once you try these Hanna Andersson onesies, you’ll wonder what you were thinking spending money on any others. Honestly, buy one to try it out if you don’t trust me. Right now, they are on sale for a mere $9.80, reduced from $14. These things last forever. You’ll end up throwing them out because they are stained way before you need to throw them out because they are stretched out, torn or missing snaps.

5. Sesame Street Table Topper Disposable Stick-on Placemats –I always find that summer involves lots of impromptu outside eating and in an effort to prevent my babies from eating off filthy tables, I always carry these stick-on placemats with me in my diaper bag. You can use them in the fanciest of restaurants, or you can stick them on an old, plastic picnic table–either way, you have a clean surface on which to place baby’s finger food

6. i play. Babywear Brim Hat –There are so many baby cute sun hats to pick from, it’s tempting to go for the most impossibly adorable one and assume you’ll somehow figure out a way to outwit your baby and keep it on her head. That will not happen. You need one sunhat with a very wide brim to keep baby’s entire face covered and it must, must, must have a chin strap. The iplay. Babywear Brim Hat is the most practical sun hat I’ve ever encountered and, whether out of vanity or necessity, I’ve easily purchased 20 different types of sun hats over the past 5 years. This one cannot be beat, and it also only costs $11, which is quite appealing.

7. ECCO T-Strap Sandals. As hot as it might be, it doesn’t seem right to put newly walking babies in open-toed sandals for summer. I just never felt like it gave their little feet and ankles enough support, so I always buy from ECCO’s First Walkers collection, particularly the close-toed sandals, such as the ECCO Infant/Toddler Crescent Sandal or the ECCO Toddler Wahoo Sandal. I swear by ECCO’s for support and durability, as they are just about the only pairs of walking shoes I have been able to use as hand-me-downs.

8. Tickle Time Sunblock For Kids. Remember Anne Heche? I didn’t remember her either. That was, until I was browsing a trashy tabloid magazine on an airplane, and read about her brand new brush-on sunscreen for kids. It turns out Anne Heche is brilliant because a brush-on sunscreen for kids is a really, really good idea, as anyone who has tried to put sunscreen on a baby or a toddler or a preschooler or a kindergartener knows. Tickle Time, Anne’s clever invention, only has SPF 20, isn’t very waterproof, and costs $35. But I do not care. I bought it and my children happily let me put it on their faces–not having to engage in hand-to-hand combat each and every summer morning is well worth $35.

9. Aden & Anais Classic Sleeping Bags. It’s hard to find a stroller that isn’t draped with an Aden & Anais muslin blanket these days. What you may not know is that Aden & Anais also makes baby sleepsacks in the same lightweight, natural muslin fabric. These sleepsacks are perfect for baby during the warm, summer months. I will warn you that, as much as I love these sleepsacks, and continue to purchase them with each baby, Aden & Anais for some inexplicable reason uses really crappy zippers. The zippers break almost immediately. So when I buy them, I immediately take them to the tailor and have the zippers replaced. I know, it sounds vaguely ridiculous. But I haven’t found a summer sleepsack I like nearly as much, so it’s worth a bit of extra effort (and the extra $10), to make sure these last as long as possible.

10. Tiffany Rose Nursing Gown. And no list of Baby Must-Haves is complete without something for mom. Tiffany Rose recently released several pieces of luxury nursing wear and they are simply gorgeous. I have been so happy with my numerous Tiffany Rose purchases that I ordered one of these gowns. Nursing or not, this is a lovely nightgown, definitely worthy of a position on your Mother’s Day wish list.

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