Must-Have Baby Products blog series, Product Recommendations for Parents, Babies, and Kids
Britney is our CPST advocate, and an expert in child passenger safety, but to her family she’s Mom. With two kids of her own, Britney has seen first-hand how the right toys and tools enable parents to do more, better. She’s always looking for options that are reliable and functional, and goes out of her way to choose brands that make safety a priority. So when she puts her stamp on something, you know it’s going to be good quality and have high marks all around!
These are her recs:
Feeding:
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Bumkins bibs: These are something I got for my youngest that I wish I'd had for my oldest! Sometimes you just have a messy eater and you don't want to change their clothes 3 times a day. I've tried a few brands, but this bib keeps food off their body and is easy to clean/quick to dry.
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Abiie Beyond highchair: With my oldest I got a more traditional highchair, but it didn't fit my petite kid well. I bought this Abiie Beyond chair and have been really happy with it. It gives a great fit, has an adjustable footrest, is much more compact, and has transitioned into a chair that can be used right at the dining table!
Bath Time:
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Yookidoo: Does your kid love having running water in the bath but you hate the idea of wasting water and running up your utility bill? Yookidoo is here to save the day! A great bath toy, it uses water from the bath so you don't have to keep the faucet running with fresh water.
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Munchkin foam bath letters and numbers: These are an absolutely classic bath time must-have. Babies love them, toddlers love them...even my 5 year old still loves using them to practice spelling words!
Bedtime:
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LouLou Lollipop Sleep Bags: This company makes all different TOG (Thermal overall grade) weights of sleep sacks - great for comfort and temperature regulation. Really nice, soft, materials plus a two-way zipper!
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Newton mattress: We got a Newton mattress when my youngest was born and it's still going strong nearly 2 years in! It's easy to clean, breathable, and super comfy.
Potty Training:
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NextStep2 Built-in Toddler Potty Seat: Cleaning out small potties can be a pain! We ended up replacing some of our toilet seats with these and it was SO much easier, fewer steps for the child to manage, and MUCH less mess! They stay magnetized to the top of the toilet seat for adult use, but all a toddler has to do is pull them down and then the toilet is ready for them. Easy to keep clean, no extra parts to store, and no way to misplace it!
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Munchkin Faucet Extender: Toddlers have shorter arms and can have trouble comfortably reaching the water to wash their hands. This faucet extender is a great solution that helps bring the water to them and reduce mess! Easy to put on/use and fast/easy to remove if you have company coming over.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a "best parenting products" list from a CPST without a recommendation for the car! A great way to keep kids from getting fussy in the car is to have a few "car-only" toys that they only get to play with when you're on the road. Stick to soft, lightweight toys that won't become projectiles in a crash and remember not to attach anything to the car seat or harness.
Soft and Lightweight Car Seat-Friendly Toys:
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Felt busyboard: A great option for babies all the way up to toddlers! Both of my kids have loved having these as car toys basically from birth, and my 5 year old still likes it. They provide great fine motor skills practice (lacing, buckling, buttoning, etc.).
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Water Wow Books: These are a lot of fun and basically mess-free. The water stays contained in the pen and kids can "color" each page over and over again. Probably better for older toddlers who have the fine motor skills to color, though there's no need to be able to stay within the lines.
I also recommend getting an extra car seat cover for your babyark convertible car seat - whether it’s because you want a different color to vary it up or more likely, because you know that messes happen, and want the comfort of washing one while using the other.
Liked these recommendations? Check out our prior piece on recommendations from Katie, our Sales Specialist and Customer Support Manager and Mom of one, who’s had her little in a babyark since the age of 10 months.
Wondering if your favorites will make it onto our next list? Drop them or any other observations, suggestions or questions in the comments below or on social!
Look out for our next post in the Must-Have Baby Products blog series, highlighting favorite products from our babyark family.
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