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Prone to Wander

Best Baby Products Under $20

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These are seriously the best baby products under $20. They’re all mom-tested and -approved, and guaranteed to make this parenting thing a whole lot easier.

I’ve bought a lot of baby products over the last six plus years. Some I’ve loved, some I’ve hated, and some I’ve enjoyed so much I’m constantly telling others about them. If you’re looking for a roundup of must-have baby products, this isn’t it. If you want a list of items guaranteed to make your life a little easier, read on.

Best Baby Products Under $20

These are seriously the best baby products under $20. They're all mom-tested and approved, and guaranteed to make this parenting thing a whole lot easier.

 

  1. Self-Laminating Baby Bottle Labels, $9 | If your baby spends any time in a place with other babies- church, daycare, grandma’s house- you need these labels. They’re super easy to use and will hold up for months.
  2. Bandana Bibs, $5 | Q is a drooler. Big time. She’s pretty much worn a bib around the clock since she was three months old. To avoid covering all her outfits with a big, bland bib, I bought a couple sets of these bandana bibs. They’re adorable and they help hide the fact she’s actually wearing a bib. Bonus: these come in an adorable bag, perfect for gifting.
  3. Diaper Cream Brush, $10 | Okay, so I don’t own one of these, but I totally want one! I hate applying diaper cream with my fingers; the feeling and the smell never seem to go away. I would definitely use and love this brush.
  4. Mesh Feeder, $7 | These mesh feeders are ideal for when baby is first learning to self-feed. You can pack the pouch with fresh or frozen fruits or veggies and let baby suck and chew away. If you’ve ever used something like this, you know the product gets really hard to clean after a few weeks. That’s why I love this brand; you can buy replacement mesh for the feeding part.
  5. Silicone Teething Necklace, $12 | You know how babies put everything in their mouths, including whatever jewelry mom is wearing? This necklace is the perfect solution. It’s made of silicone is specifically for baby to chew on.
  6. Burpy Bib, $7 | Q was a messy eater from day one. We found these burp cloth/bib combos so convenient because they button around her neck like a bib, but then they lay flat over your shoulder like a burp cloth. They’re way more convenient than trying to keep a regular burp cloth tucked up under baby’s chin.
  7. No-Squeeze Pouch Holder, $5 | This is such a brilliant product. We love using baby food pouches, both store bought and homemade, but babies have to be pretty old before they can understand not to squeeze the pouch. With this box, the pouch goes inside and baby can’t squeeze. Perfect!
  8. Take & Toss Cups and Bowls, $3-$9 | My aunt got a set of these bowls and cups for us at G’s baby shower more than six years ago and we still have a bunch in our cabinet. They’re cheap enough to be considered disposable if necessary, but durable enough to last for six+ years and 2+ kids.
  9. Bambino Land Muslin Swaddle Blankets, $14 | There are lots of companies out there making muslin swaddle blankets, but Bambino Land is my favorite. I love their prices, their prints, and their quality. We have a ton of these and have used them as swaddles, nursing covers, burp cloths, changing table covers, floor blankets, car seat covers, and more.
  10. Munch Mitt, $18 | Q sucks and chews on her hands pretty much nonstop when she’s awake. Ever since she started teething, she’s been making them red and dry by constantly having them in her mouth. I went in search of a product to help and discovered the Munch Mitt. I initially thought I’d have to buy a second one, but I put it on one hand she uses her second hand to pull the mitt into her mouth. At first I was appalled by the price of this thing, but it’s ended up saving her poor little hands.

What would you consider the best baby products under $20?

Looking for more posts like this one? Check out what you really need for a new baby and 5 things you don’t need for a new baby.

(this post contains affiliate links; to learn more, see my disclosure policy)

What’s in My Diaper Bag

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterBottles #CollectiveBias

What’s in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

What's in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

So much has changed since I first became a mom. I remember so vividly how overwhelmed I felt when we first brought G home from the hospital. I had younger siblings and cousins, and I’d even cared for infants as part of my brief job as a daycare worker. But then we got home and it was just the three of us and the vastness of all the things I didn’t know.

I feel like I’ve come a long way in nearly six years. Baby number three, Q, is nearly four months old and, while I can’t say I’ve completely stopped texting my mom questions and consulting Dr. Google, I feel much more confident in my parenting than I did back then.

One of the dozens of things that has changed since G was born is my diaper bag packing skills. When he was a baby, I would fill a huge bag with all the “essentials”: a ton of diapers, several outfits, and way too many burp cloths and bibs. I also left out several items that would have been useful to have.

So what’s in my diaper bag now that I’m a more seasoned mom? Let’s take a look.

What’s in My Diaper Bag

The biggest mistake I made when packing G’s diaper bag was filling it with stuff for him- more stuff than he’d ever need in one outing- and nothing for me. Now, when I pack Q’s bag, I focus on both of us.

What's in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

For Baby

Basically, baby just needs food and a clean diaper. I toss in a clean outfit or two, but mostly everything other than food and diapers is inessential. I pack one diaper for every hour or two we plan to be away from home, plus wipes and a changing pad. Unless we’re in the middle of fighting a rash, I leave the creams and powders at home. They just take up precious space in the diaper bag and I don’t need them. Same goes for extra clothes; one outfit is all you need, unless your little one is known for spitting up or blowing out.

I exclusively pump for Q, so I have to pack bottles and pumped breast milk. Finding bottles that worked for her was a little tricky this time around; she didn’t care for the two expensive brands we used for G and B. We ended up discovering that she prefers more affordable options, like these Playtex Baby™ VentAire® bottles (how fitting is it that my infant daughter is as frugal as I am? Do you think she knows that 3-packs of  Playtex Nurser 8 oz., VentAire 9 oz., and VentAire Color sat Walmart have a $3 off coupon on them?)

What's in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

We’re enjoying these bottles for a few reasons. Some of the reasons are obvious, like the way the Anti-Colic Bottom Vent soothes Q’s tummy troubles, or the way the angled design promotes semi-upright feeding, which I just learned is supposed to help prevent ear infections (yes, please!). We also like them because the wide mouth makes it so easy to pour in breast milk or scoop in formula. That same wide opening makes the whole thing a breeze to clean, so much more so than some of those other bottles that seem to have a gazillion different parts.

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What You Really Need for a New Baby

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As an expectant mom, it can be tough to wade through all the commercials and suggestions to figure out what’s a necessity and what’s a gimmick. Here’s one experienced mom’s list of what you really need for a new baby.

As an expectant mom, it can be tough to wade through all the commercials and suggestions to figure out what's a necessity and what's a gimmick. Here's one experienced mom's list of what you really need for a new baby.

This list, of course, is not meant to be an exhaustive compilation of everything you’ll need when welcoming a baby. These are just my favorite products, the things that I would recommend to a friend if I only had a few minutes to answer the question, “hey, what do I need for this kid?”

What You Really Need For a New Baby

rock ‘n’ play sleeper

As an expectant mom, it can be tough to wade through all the commercials and suggestions to figure out what's a necessity and what's a gimmick. Here's one experienced mom's list of what you really need for a new baby.

I mentioned in my post about stuff you don’t need for baby that it isn’t necessary to have all the baby-holding devices that manufacturers offer. When you’re narrowing down your list, trying to decide which ones to buy, I cannot recommend a rock ‘n’ play sleeper highly enough.

For the first nine months of B’s life, she slept exclusively in her rock ‘n’ play sleeper. A few of the things we love about it: 1. the back is slightly elevated, like a baby swing, so for babies, like B, who don’t want to lay flat, this is an ideal alternative. 2. The sleeper folds flat and is so much lighter and easier to store and transport than a pack ‘n’ play. I dare say that it isn’t even necessary to own both until baby outgrows the rock ‘n’ play. 3. As the name implies, the sleeper rocks, so at times B would wake up during the night, but we think her squirming rocked the sleeper and lulled her back to sleep.

receiving blankets

G. with one of our many receiving blankets.

G with one of our many receiving blankets.

My Mom didn’t dish out too much advice to us as we prepared for our first baby- even though she’s raised five herself- so maybe that’s why the few things she mentioned stuck with me. One thing she said several times was “you can never have too many receiving blankets.” I believed her (see the whole “five kids” thing I mentioned above), so we stocked up before G was born.

Let me tell you, my mom was right. We used receiving blankets for everything. We did use them for blankets, both to lay G on and to swaddle him in, but we also used them for so much more. Burp clothes don’t provide enough coverage? Use receiving blankets. Don’t want to buy expensive changing pad covers? Use receiving blankets. Forgot your nursing cover? Use receiving blankets. We owned at least 15-20 of them with G and loved them so much that we made sure to be stocked up for B, too.

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5 things you don’t need for a new baby

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With all the information out there insisting parents need so much stuff, here’s a list of things you don’t need for a new baby.

With all the information out there insisting parents need so much stuff, here's a list of things you don't need for a new baby.

Here’s the thing about parenting: only you can decide what’s right for your family. There are so many voices out there and they’re all eager to explain to you why their point of view is the best point of view.

But here’s the other thing about parenting: you can quickly become overwhelmed by the

Things You Don’t Need For a New Baby

shoes

Tiny babies and cute shoes don’t mix. Not only is it nearly impossible to find shoes small enough to fit a newborn, but the shoes rarely stay on, either (I guess that’s because they’re often too big). Baby feet are unnaturally skinny and they just aren’t meant to wear shoes.

In my opinion, until your baby begins to walk, shoes are superfluous. With all the adorable socks, leg warmers, and booties available, shoes that will fall off- or be pulled off by baby- are an unnecessary purchase.

cute newborn-size outfits

Here’s the thing about newborn size clothes: many babies don’t even need them, ever. And for the ones that do, it’s a brief period of time when baby is still so fresh that you aren’t really leaving the house anyway. That means those frilly dresses and denim overalls are wasted on pretty much everyone except your Instagram followers.

While I definitely think splurging on an adorable coming-home-from-the-hospital outfit is a fun idea, the rest of your newborn clothes might as well be onesies and sleepers, if you buy any at all. Save the cutest clothes for size 0-3 months and up.

toys

5 things you don't need for baby | winstead wandering

Sure, it’s fun to buy toys for baby, especially when you want her to have things to “open” on Christmas. But, speaking from my own experience, toys are not a necessity until baby is closer to a year old. For the first several months, babies are mostly content checking out their new world, especially if they have a mobile above their swing or bed, or if they spend time on a play mat.

Once they become more mobile, babies are fascinated with whatever they can get their hands on. For mine, even when they had access to toys, household items like kitchen spatulas, washcloths, and plastic cups were much more interesting. This is especially true if your baby has older siblings. When my daughter was an infant- and even now, when she’s three- big brother’s toys were far more appealing than any of her own. She instinctively knew what things were his and those were the toys she went after.

[Read more…]

Baby Boy & Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

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This post contains affiliate links; to learn more, see my disclosure policy

We might not know the gender of the baby yet- at least not for another week or two- but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming of nursery decor.

As I begin to prepare for baby number three’s nursery, I really want to be intentional about creating a mellow space. I don’t want a room that screams “baby!”- the crib and diapers will take care of that- and I want to purchase and create pieces that can be used as the baby grows, or in other rooms in our house.

Baby Boy Nursery Inspiration

For a boy room, I love the idea of loosely following an adventure theme with a travel/global direction rather than a wilderness/camping vein. I’m not talking matching mobile and bumpers and wall art, but more of a sprinkling of perfect pieces.

Baby Boy Nursery Inspiration

  1. Adventure Awaits Sign | Signs from the Pines // I might have a mild obsession with globes and maps, which makes this pallet wood sign a perfect addition to a baby boy nursery
  2. Map Alphabet & Numbers | Cheeky Albi // No character prints in this room. These map pictures can easily be used down the road in the kids’ playroom
  3. Adventure is Out There Print | Wall Art Printables // This piece will grow with baby and be right at home in a kid’s room
  4. Upholstered Glider | Wayfair // I’ve known since baby number one that I wanted a chair like this in the nursery. I’ve yet to get one, but with two toddlers and a perpetually-noisy house, I’m making it a priority this time
  5. 4 Cubby Wall Shelf | Wayfair // I can’t take credit for this idea; I saw it in the beautiful nursery at Sloan and Co. and knew I wanted to incorporate something similar in mine
  6. Moutains Crib Sheet | Finley Baby // I fell in love with the unique colors in this crib sheet, as well as with the understated pattern
  7. Arrows Crib Sheet | Feather Their Nest // I’ve loved arrows for a while, but I feel like they’re becoming a little overdone. I don’t want to make the dominant theme in the nursery, but I would like to incorporate them in a small way

Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

I’ve given a lot of thought to using to a few specific colors in a girl nursery, but in the end I decided I prefer dainty floral patterns. The walls in what will be the baby’s room are already gray, making them the perfect backdrop for whatever fun prints we decide to use.

Baby Girl Nursery Inspiration

 

 

 

  1. Mama & Baby Giraffe | Be Wild & Free // How precious is this floral watercolor print? The Etsy shop was similar ones with elephants, but these giraffes are my favorite
  2. Tassel Banner | Hobby Lobby // I know the colors of these tassels might not match perfectly with the other colors I’m likely to include in the room, but I can’t stop picturing it draped over the crib or hanging from a bookshelf
  3. Upholstered Glider | Target // This is the other glider I’m considering. I know I want gray, so now it’s about looking at price and reviews
  4. Run Wild My Child Sign | Handy Gerl // I loved this sign from the minute I saw it. I’d love to include several pops of gold in the nursery
  5. Floral Crib Sheet | Fox Hill Baby // This is the perfect crib sheet. I love that it’s pretty and dainty, but it doesn’t have stereotypical pastel colors
  6. Floral Pouf | Target // Initially, I just wanted a cute pouf to go with the glider. Then I found this beauty. I think it’s perfect, with it’s subtle floral theme and unexpected color