Lessons of motherhood, No. 9: My personal favorite baby items

By Errin Stevenson

March 6, 2008 | As you shop around local stores for all your baby goods, you will think to yourself, " What is the better product? What do I need?" Well, at least I did.

For the basic care necessities, I love Johnson's product. Starting with Johnson's head-to-toe baby wash to Johnson's baby lotion. They are not overly expensive and do the job great! I have also loved Johnson's nighttime lotion. A simple application every night is a great habit to get into to help your baby fall asleep and know it is nighttime. Winters in Utah are cold and can be very harsh to your babies skin. Cetaphil moisturizer and Burt's Bees baby buttermilk lotion helped my babies skin a lot. It is hard to find a deep moisturizer that is not too strong for your baby's face and these are very mild.

Lifesavers for my little boy and I have been just a few.

·Gerber puffs for a baby of six months plus. These are a small, light, food that are easy for little hands to pick up. My little boy loves to play with them and feed himself. We go through a can a week and he probably only eats half of them.
·A simple activity center for your baby to play in is a must have! Not only for your baby but also, for you. It creates time for yourself and time to let your hands down. They can play and learn in this inexpensive toy. They cost as low as $30.

The bébéPOD is another great item to have. This small, flexible, lightweight and easy-to-wipe up chair is perfect to sit your baby in while you work on tasks. It also helps your baby learn how to sit up. These cost around $40. I thought they seemed too expensive when I bought it but believe me it is worth it.

Here are a few things that you should make sure you have in your household at all times to save you in certain circumstances:

First, a thermometer. When my little boy broke out in his first fever just a few weeks ago, I didn't know how to accurately take my baby's temperature. Luckily, I did have a thermometer though. You can take your babies temperature three ways; mouth, armpit or bum. All my nurses recommended the bum, for it is the most accurate. So, that would be my suggestion to you and it truly is not hard at all. Directions are given to you with your thermometer.

Second, infant Tylenol and Motrin. Your baby will be getting shots, fevers, earaches, and teeth so it is great to have these medicines on hand. When your baby is hurting and crying, going to the grocery store is not fun. So have these on hand with a list of dosages from a doctor.

Third, the "nose sucker" or nasal aspirator. When you bring your infant home they could still have a lot of mucus in their internal organs and the aspirator makes a perfect tool to help get the last of the mucus out of their bodies. You will also use it plenty more as your baby gets older. When your child has a cold, it helps clear them up when they can't themselves. I also found it very useful when my little boy got his first ear infection. Clearing the mucus out of the nasal passages helps clear the ear canal clear too! You can also squeeze a couple drops of children's nasal saline into your babies nose and then clear it out with the aspirator.

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