This post is part of a series of posts intended to help my sister with her baby registry. Please see the other posts here and chime in with your advice!
Going anywhere with little ones can seem like a circus. They need so much stuff. Just this past Sunday I took the diaper bag to church, but forgot Michael’s bag. So Garrett had to run to the drug store to get diapers for him to have in the church nursery.
Besides having to remember all the stuff, it can be emotionally draining to leave the house with the baby. I was terrified to go anywhere alone with Michael when he was a newborn. I hated having him so far away from me in the car seat. I drove super careful since I had precious cargo. And he hated the car seat for the first few months, so he cried a lot. My mother’s heart was weary by the time I got to my destination. If a product can make any of that better, I’m all for it.
- Diaper Bag – something that you can wipe clean and that has lots of pockets. Keep in mind that no matter how cute or expensive the bag is, it will one day hold a poopy diaper and burp cloths drenched in spit-up and drool. Awesome.
- Diaper Baggies – I really like this since I can hang it from the diaper bag and don’t have to dig around looking for baggies.
- Travel system – We have (and like) the Graco car base, infant carrier, and stroller frame. We tend to like Graco products in general.
- Car seat cover – These are so nice-looking and well-made. They’re great for keeping the sun out of baby’s eyes and for keeping strangers’ hands off of your little one while out and about. She also has a variety of prints. I have a brown and green one and have received so many compliments on it.
- Soft mirror – It can be reassuring to glance back and see baby’s sleeping (or crying) face while driving. They can just be a real pain to set up.
- Shopping cart cover – Even if you’re not worried about germs on shopping cart handles, it’s nice for your little one to have a nice place to sit. The one I have also has a place to hang a toy, which is nice when your little one cares about that.
What are the must-have items in your diaper bag? What else would you not leave the house without?
(Facebook friends, please remember to comment on the blog and not in Facebook so that everyone can benefit from your advice. Thanks!)
2 thoughts on “Baby Products That Make My Life Easier: Leaving the House”
love the diaper baggies too.
like I mentioned under feeding, but I always make sure we have the booster seat in the car…as well as the tiny diner mat (can be spread on teh table so they can eat off of it). We also leave extra (sample) bags of formula and bottled water in the car.
Never thought I would love them so much, but my two favorite strollers of my 5-6 are the Maclaren single umbrella stroller (worth every penny because of its high handles, storage basket, super lightweight, closeable with one hand, and overall quality) and my sit and stand double stroller by Graco. Mainly good (of course) if you need a double stroller, but so small that it stores in a smaller space than my single travel system stroller. My Graco single travel system is great for long walks with only one baby though!
I highly recommend the Evenflo Triumph carseat though. We have used 2 different Graco ones in the past too and only the Evenflo is super easy to use both backward and forward. It is pretty easy to put in rear-facing which is a huge accomplishment, and even easier to put in forward facing. It also has a system that allows you to raise and lower the straps as necessary without taking it apart. And the best part, the straps tighten with a few clicks to a knob and they tighten evenly. Anyone who has used a normal carseat knows what I am talking about…the frustration with tightening the straps and having one side tighten far more than the other side and the headache of fixing that. It is large (a down side if you have a tiny car) but can also be used for a very long time without cramping the kid.
Thanks for the recommendations! We still need to get a double stroller, so I’ll be checking out the Graco one you recommended.