Family over 7 years ago by Liz Adams

Our Favorite Baby/Toddler Products After 2 Years of Motherhood

One of my most frequently asked questions is about our favorite baby products that we’ve used and loved with Charlie. Obviously things have changed as Charlie has gotten older but there are a few items that we have used since day one (and we plan to use for baby #2). You can see more posts about Charlie/baby here

Electronics

Dohm sound machine. The very best white noise machine. Dave and I actually struggle to sleep without one too. It’s portable, subtle, drowns out sound and stays on in our house 24/7. 

First Years Quick Serve Bottle Warmer. Yes, Charlie still gets warm milk before his nap/sleep. Yes, he is high maintenance. Until we bought this, we used to warm his bottle on the stove (crazy). This ensures a luke warm bottle every single time.

Motorola Portable Baby Monitor. We actually just upgraded to the 2 cameras (so we can view both of our kiddos on one screen) and love it! The picture is super clear and it has amazing range. 

Bedroom

Serena & Lily Bumpers. Let me start by saying that I do not condone using bumpers on your child’s bed until they are fully rolling over, standing up, etc. We initially used these mesh crib bumpers when Charlie was around 9 months old because he kept getting him limbs stuck in between his crib railings. At one year we opted for something a little softer and moved to these Serena & Lily bumpers. They are so soft and easy to clean, too. 

Ubbi Steal Diaper Pail. The only diaper pail that was not only highly recommended to me to reduce smell but actually works! It’s been two years and we are just getting rid of Charlie’s diaper pail and buying a new one for baby #2. 

Feeding

Re-Play Plates, Cups and Utensils. Made from recycled plastics, dishwasher safe and free of anything harmful. We love these colorful dishes for Charlie! 

NUK Silicone Spout Active Cup. This was the only bottle that worked to transition Charlie from actual bottles and remains the only one we use for his milk. We still call it a “baba” because Charlie knows that “baba” means milk and bedtime. Separating his milk “bottle” from the rest of his water cups has made a big difference in our sleep routines.

CamelBak Kids Cup. Our favorite sippy cup! Charlie throws everything and these have proved the most durable. 

OXO Tot Highchair. You guys are always asking about this high chair on my social channels and I can’t recommend it enough! It is easy to clean, comfortable, converts to a youth chair and comes in a bunch of different color ways.

Sleep

Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit. I talked about how we used the Merlin suit here but I swear this thing taught Charlie how to sleep soundly. You should read more about it here! We used it from 3-6 months and plan on using it for baby #2 too. 

doTERRA Petal Diffuser. Charlie sleeps with essential oils every night. When he was younger we would use Young Living’s Gentle Baby oil but now we just use lavender oil. The petal diffuser is easy to use, stays on for 4 hours and creates a subtle scent throughout the room. 

*I’m really interested in trying the SNOO and the DockATot for baby #2! Any other sleep favorites? 

Play

Melissa & Doug Wooden Activity Board. We have upgraded from puzzles to this activity board and Charlie is obsessed!

Hape City Cafe Play Kitchen. Charlie loves this little kitchen because he can cook eggs like mama and mama likes this kitchen because it is small and compact! If you live in a small space then I highly recommend!

Step2 Cruiser Push Car. We take this thing for a ride at least 5 times per day. Charlie loves it!

Stroller/Car Seat

City Mini GT. We use this stroller daily. It stays in the trunk of my car but is by far the easiest to use and maneuver. Lightweight, easy to unfold and fold up and incredibly durable. 

Bugaboo Donkey Duo Stroller. This is definitely our “nice” stroller which isn’t used as often as I’d like (it is so pretty!). We do use this stroller with just Charlie but will be using it more with the arrival of #2. I love that it can easily extend from one to two kiddos and you can utilize both the seat and the bassinet. It was tough to use downtown because it is heavy/doesn’t fold up easily (and we lived on the third floor of a walk up) but much easier to use now that we have a garage!

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible Car Seat. I loooooove this car seat. Mostly because Charlie loves it, too! It is safe, comfortable and a great size. I had originally bought a Maxi Cosi seat which in my opinion was wayyyyy too bulky. I can’t recommend the Peg Perego enough! We used the Nuna Pipa infant car seat (for those interested!). 

Did I forget something? Probably! If you have any specific questions feel free to leave them in the comments. I’m obviously no-pro but we have used and loved all of these products! 

Outfit Details:
On Liz: The Great Stripe Tee, Citizens of Humanity Maternity Jeans, Rebecca Minkoff Slides, Sonix Sunglasses
On Charlie: Camera Tee, Petit Bateau Leggings, Native Shoes

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  1. Does the moniter do split screen? I hate our older moterolla but this one has great reviews. We are due 1 week ahead of you with baby 2 and also have a toddler. Thanks!

  2. These are great recs! Lately, I’ve been noticing some bloggers doing detailed posts on baby products before their baby is even born! As the mother of a 14 month old, that’s insane to me because half of the products we were excited about, our daughter hated or never ended up using. There’s so much trial and error when it comes to baby products 🙂

    We also just purchased the Peg Perego car seat and love it so far, especially since we have a petite toddler like you, and it reclines back. Also a huge fan of the keekaroo for diaper changing!

  3. Great picks, Liz! We are expecting our first (due around the same time as your baby #2) so it’s helpful to read other mom’s favorites. I’m really on the fence about whether or not we’ll actually need a bottle warmer, but the one you linked is so affordable, it almost seems like a no brainer. Thanks for sharing!
    Britney | http://www.starryeyedblonde.com/

  4. My little guy is about the same age as Charlie, so I love when you do posts about your favorites – I can cross-check with mine to make sure I’m not missing anything awesome 🙂 I just found out I’m expecting #2 and would love to see a post/list of some of your favorite maternity clothes/products, too!

  5. What toys do you recommend at this stage for boys? I’ve kind of forgotten what all they like to do at this stage and am struggling! Plus my first was a girl, so we don’t have as much stuff that moves or that my son is drawn to! He’s a couple of months younger than Charlie- will be 2 in January.

    Granted he just wants to play with his sister’s tiny legos, so getting age appropriate toys may be a hopeless cause!

  6. Liz, the Dock-A-Tot is God’s gift to parents. Run, don’t walk (well, carefully at 30 weeks) … best purchase ever.

  7. We use the same sound machine and my husband and I can’t sleep without one now either! I highly recommend the DockATot. We used it in our bed from about 2 months-4 months which isn’t for everyone but worked for us. Our son slept better in that than a basssinet or the Rock N Play. What I loved even more about it is that we were able to use it to easily transition him to his crib. P

  8. Liz,

    I always love your posts about your favorite baby products because I always agonize over what products to choose. Can you comment a little more on why you like the Peg Perego over the Maxi Cosi? I am currently torn between the two, so I am curious to hear your thoughts on the two.

    Thanks,
    Jennifer

    1. Hi Jennifer! Charlie was not comfortable in the Maxi Cosi. I personally think it had a little too much cushion around the head and didn’t allow him to move. It was also incredibly bulky and didn’t fit well in our car (especially anticipating another car seat in the back soon!). The Peg Perego came highly recommended from a few friends and I am so happy we made the switch!

      1. Did you look into the Nuna convertible car seat? My son is only 4 months old but starting to research now! I love Nuna and Peg brands so it’ll most likely be between the two. Thanks!