Among This Mom’s Top 10 Baby Products: Mittens for Claws and a Giraffe for Gnashing

My friends must have been busy in the spring because all of a sudden I’ve received a slew of baby shower announcements. Having to return to baby stores, both in person and online, got me thinking about my top-10 baby products.

It’s important to have this list these days because when I was pregnant I was thisclose to crazy. I needed everything, from a very special swaddling blanket that Quinn actually despised to a specially crafted bottle allegedly made to emulate an actual human breast while simultaneously ticking off your baby.

Sophie the Giraffe

Ah, Sophie the Giraffe.

She looks innocent enough until you see how very happy your sweet little baby is gnawing on her neck. Seriously – check out the slightly disturbing photos posted on Amazon by proud parents.

Since purchasing Sophie almost two years ago, I’ve seen her at on Fletcher Parkway, at the San Diego Zoo and on the shelves of most chic baby boutiques.

While Sophie may not be necessary right away, when a newly teething infant starts screaming, it’s nice to have a soft friend for her (and her frazzled mom’s) relief. 

Mittens

When a friend told me I’d need mittens for my newborn Quinn, I thought they were crazy. Why would a tiny baby need mittens in springtime San Diego?

Little did I know it wasn’t for warm hands. Instead, mittens help keep those sharp little baby claws away from maiming their faces.

And it seems babies scratch their faces for any old reason.

“Mom, I’m hungry!” *scratch*

“I’m wet, Dad!” *scratch*

“White walls confuse me!” *scratch*

Save yourself the pain and invest in a pair or two of infant mittens.

Diaper rash cream

Diaper rash happens. The best thing to do is treat it immediately and forget it along with the rest of Baby’s dirty diapers. Our personal favorite, for its name and effectiveness, is Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.

Diaper rash is bad enough. Wielding a tube of “Butt Paste” will at least put a smile on your face.

My Brest Friend pillow

I credit the Brest Friend pillow for helping me breast feed past the recommended year. I learned about it from a lactation consultant who patiently talked me through different things I could do to tweak my routine.

Designed by a male engineer, My Brest Friend actually makes it easier for a mom to breast feed by providing more postural support. I loved it so much I forgave its awkward spelling.

Boppy

Another pillow, the Boppy is still among my favorite shower gifts. The best thing about the Boppy is Quinn still loves it. She lays on it, hangs out on it and has adopted an almost blankie-worthy affection for it.

Temporal thermometer

When Derek’s cousins gave us a temporal thermometer for our baby shower, I thought, “Wow, this is pretty high tech, but we could’ve used the regular thermometer we all grew up with.”

Boy, was I wrong. When Quinn got sick, the last thing I wanted to figure out was how to get the thermometer in her back end. Thankfully, the temporal thermometer merely required a quick touch to her temple. 

Clothes for a growing baby

At Quinn’s shower, we received a wardrobe’s worth of 12-month-old clothes. At her first birthday, we received clothes for an 18-month-old and a 2-year-old.

These gifts threw me for a loop. “Why weren’t people giving us clothes that fit Quinn now?” I thought.

They knew, as do I now, that babies grow almost as quickly as sponge toys in a bowlful of water. It was nice not to have to run to Target at night to buy an emergency outfit for a child who seemed to grow inches overnight.

Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom

Clearly this book is not for the new baby. It’s for the new mom – or at least for her sanity.

When my supermom friend, Crystalin, gave me this book, she said, “Read it – you’ll feel better.” At the time I was taking turns crying about how bad I was at breast-feeding and why water didn’t boil in under a minute.

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is a wonderful writer who’ll have you smiling through your hormonally affected tears.

This book is for the times a mom feels like she’s completely failed her crying, constantly hungry bundle of joy.

Baby wash

If only our adult products were as efficient. Hair and body wash in one, we still favor the lightly scented California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo and Body Wash.

You go through this stuff pretty fast once Baby is older so it’s always a welcome surprise to have a bottle in storage.

Gift Cards

When all else fails, gift cards are the way to go. Derek and I really appreciated the gift cards to , Costco and .

I also want to put in a plug for local La Mesan Linda Byerline’s store, Baby Frenzy, in El Cajon. Having just bought Quinn several natural trainers for potty training, I can tell you Byerline’s store has a lot of products to please new parents. She also stocks cloth diapers, which may be within a new parent’s plan.

The best part about buying gift cards is it doesn’t matter if you don’t know a parent’s preference. Gift cards take the guesswork out of gifting. Call it lazy if you want, but one of the worst things you can do is give a parent a box of those new denim-style baby diapers if the family is going au naturel.