Friday Faves: Just the Essentials

This week, I've decided just to focus on baby essentials.  Keep in mind that I am not Consumer Reports (though I am an e-subscriber) and I haven't necessarily tried every option.  With that said, these are some of the essentials that worked for me.

Essential Disposable Diaper: Huggies Snug & Dry

Now, you should know that Maisy is a blowout baby.  When she was a peanut, I did loads and loads of laundry a day just keeping up with the onesies she blew threw.  I wouldn't even throw in a load of laundry in the morning - I'd just wait for the first blowout and take care of it then.  Blowouts decreased in frequency after Maisy began eating more solid foods, but they still happen occasionally (and are waaaay yuckier than before!!!).  

Anyway... as you might guess, finding the right diaper was important to us.

For the first few months, we were a Pampers Swaddlers kind of family.  We didn't like the Huggies Little Snugglers, so we stuck with the Pampers through Newborn, Size 1, and a very short-lived (holy growth spurt!!!) Size 2.  Then, we went on a diaper quest.  We tried Pampers Cruisers, Huggies Little Movers, Pampers Baby Dry, Luvs, the Target brand, the Walmart brand, and on, and on.  Well, not really.  That's pretty much all we tried.  Some diapers leaked #1.  They all leaked #2.

The best, by far, has been Huggies Snug & Dry.  It's the only diaper I've found with elastic in the back.  Elastic in the back is key with a blowout baby.  I'm not saying we're blowout-free, but it's a definite improvement.  

The other benefit to Snug & Dry diapers?  I have never failed to find a $3 off coupon at Target.com, coupons.com, etc.  So they're a pretty good deal, too!

Essential Swaddling Blanket - Newborn: Carter's Receiving Blankets

When we put Maisy down to sleep, we frequently swaddle her below her arms.  When she was itsy bitsy, we ALWAYS swaddled her before putting her down at night.  For one thing, it was February and chilly.  For another, she was so tiny she just seemed to need a little extra bundling at first.  When she had her fussy week (week 7), swaddling helped her to calm down, too.  

Our favorite swaddling blankets at first were these from Carter's.  They were thin, easily washable, and small enough that they were easy to put in the diaper bag if we wanted.  I still like these blankets because of how easy they are to transport.  If we're going somewhere and I think it might get chilly later, I toss one of these in the bag and go.  

Essential Swaddling Blanket - Bigger Baby: Koala Baby Thermal Blankets

Since Maisy's grown bigger, my favorite blanket for swaddling her has changed, too.  Now, I love these stretchy thermal blankets from Koala Baby.  They're big and stretchy enough to still tuck all around her to help keep her warm and cozied in.  

As a bonus, they made super cute backgrounds for picture taking, too.

Essential Pacifier: The Gerber Nuk

Nothing fancy about these classic Nuks.  Maisy started using a pacifier to fall asleep and soothe herself when she was still teeny tiny.  Now that she's older and grabbier, her Nuks have basically become toys to pop out of her mouth.  They only work as distractions now, and her thumb has become the ultimate soothe-myself-to-sleep tool. In the early months, though, the Nuk was king.  Maisy didn't need anything fancy.  The classic latex Nuks always worked best.

Essential Onesies: Carter's Bodysuits

Besides having the cutest patterns, Carter's onesies were my favorite.  For a fussy time, the ones with snaps in the front were best, because nothing had to go over the head of a crying infant.  For day-to-day use, though, the Carter's bodysuits suited us well. They seemed sized more accurately too.  For the record?  Gerber's onesies run waaaay small.  

I had a few more ideas in mind, but Maisy wants some attention now.  So long!