Baby Products for the First Year, Part 1

by Kimberly Ward, designer at Kimberly + Cameron Interiors and author of the blog Lavender Gloss

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on recommended baby products.

Each of the items below made a huge difference in the success of my first year as a mother. I wish that I could say that I was so prepared that I knew to ask for them from the beginning. I did not. They were all suggestions from moms (friends) who used them and love them.

1. Itzbeen Baby Timer. OMG. I had no idea.  Trust me, This should be at the top of your registry right below diapers. With a push of a button, you can track diaper changes, feeding, and naps.  There’s a miscellaneous button that I found helpful when tracking time between medicine doses.  There’s even a night light!  This product deserves to be in the hall of fame.

2. Classical Music. I know that you’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve  dismissed it as not a big deal but trust me, having these soothing sounds playing will create a calm environment for your baby. My baby not only loved it as an infant, but could be entranced by it as she progressed throughout her first year.  I put on HBO’s Classical Baby DVD while I am doing her hair now and she barely moves a muscle.

3.Boppy Pillow. I can’t say enough about this pillow and the success I experienced while using it with my daughter.  I did not have my boppy at the hospital so I tried propping pillow up to aid in breast feeding.  Using the Boppy was like night and day.  I believe so much in this breastfeeding aid, that I have donated several to teen mothers.

4. Mommy Bear with Womb Sounds.  In all fairness, I had a calm baby, thanks in part to a product that will appear later in the list, but I was able to entertain her with this bear and it’s soothing sounds when were out and about.

Check out some nursery design tips from Kimberly on our blog.