That’s right, it’s that time again. Time for the next in our series of parent product recommendations. This time, they're my recommendations!
I like my gadgets and gifts to be like me - multi-tasking and punching way above their weight.
✏️ Monica, babyark Content Marketing
As a mom to 2 growing girls, I have a special place in my heart for products that remain useful across more than one kid and for more than a short phase. Some of my favorites were classics and are still, and it’s for a reason that the greats stick around. Others have evolved and new players have appeared, stuff I wish I’d had when my girls were smaller.
Must-have Products blog series for Parents, Babies, and Kids
My recommendations:
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For expecting moms about to burst, planning on breastfeeding - Lansinoah Lanolin natural nipple butter is a LIFESAVER. 100% safe for baby, this cream helps relieve sore, delicate, angry skin. Because as magical as breastfeeding is, it’s not always easy. Lanolin can be used on other dry areas as well, from cuticles to toes. Go nuts.
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We loved muslin or bamboo cloths because they really are all-purpose. They’re light blankets, they block the sun in cars (make sure not to interfere with the safety of your car seat when using these!), they can be makeshift breastfeeding covers, they’re burp cloths, swaddles, whatever they need to be. Love an adaptable item. Our favorites were aden and anais because they start off super soft, and somehow get softer the more they’re washed.
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I full-on went down the rabbit hole when I was researching travel and safety - car seats, strollers, and everything required to get a baby from point A to point Z. Including carriers and wraps, which were a lifesaver especially with baby #2. You can almost never go wrong with an Ergo though for newborns the fabric wraps are clutch. My lucky Sister In Law got like 9 wraps and carriers as hand-me-downs when hers were born after mine 😂
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I wish there had been babyark when I looked for my first convertible car seat, because I’m all about safety and practicality, and a stellar car seat that never expires is exactly the kind of sustainable win I love. The fact that it’s so sleek and looks so comfortable that I wish they made them in my size (which, at five foot even is not that far off) is a bonus. Also, a company that gets that our brains are busy doing 1000 things and guides you through installation and doesn’t leave it there, but sends real-time life-saving alerts? Thank you for seeing me, babyark!
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I bought wet/dry bags when my first was barely a baby, and have used them pretty much non-stop since then, for everything from wet bathing suits to drinks and snacks. They keep liquids from leaking out, and are great for organization.
Love the rainbow pattern on this one, from a company with great reviews.
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When I discovered food-grade silicon teething necklaces, I bought multiple styles and colors for myself and to give to pretty much every young Mom I knew. When my kids were breastfeeding they would yank on them (instead of my hair, so my scalp was already grateful), they would gnaw on them to soothe their gums, play with them sometimes just for fun or sensory stimulation or distraction, try them on when they were older, and they were such a fun way to add a touch of color to any outfit that most people didn’t realize they put the FUN in functional, and thought they were a fashion accessory. Many of my pictures for a long stretch of those early days have me or my girls holding or wearing a necklace. Make sure you supervise littler children with these, and it goes without saying, but do not let them play with them alone in the car!
Katie also loves silicon teething necklaces. See this and the rest of her list on the blog of her recommendations here.
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For books to read aloud to smaller kids anything Sandra Boynton is fabulous. My girls were partial to Blue Hat, Green Hat, memorizing it quickly. We will still reference it to this day. The book Giraffes Can’t Dance was a gift from a friend, and is a forever favorite. I love how it approaches difference and inclusion and attitude and so many important themes in a fun, easy-to-understand way. It’s beautiful, for all ages. And though it has a good lesson, it’s silly and fun to read. We were always partial to books that allowed characters to have voices, like Goodnight Gorilla. Books I loved reading with my girls when they were a bit older include everything by Roald Dahl and both volumes of Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, which also make a great gift for any age - read them to them when they’re younger, and they’ll read them to themselves later. I still get thank you's for giving this to friends, years later.
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I also loved indestructible baby books like this one because it’s 6 concepts in one (sensing a pattern?) - teething, baby-friendly and non-toxic, not dangerous, “reading,” tactile, can be unsupervised, you know it won’t rip or break, it lasts forever, and all the good things.
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A gift from my best friend was a huge hit. It’s a customizable book about your child and their snugglebunny. It uses your child’s name and comes with a stuffed bunny that also stars in the story. They love the personalization of reading a book with their name in it, and the book + stuffed animal is a winner.
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Here’s one for the older kids. A spin on the marble, a classic toy as old as time, that takes it to the world of STEM with Gecko Run. Bonus? It’s made with renewable bioplastic. This toy, like babyark, was on TIME’s Innovations of 2024 list.
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My kids were never easy to put to bed, despite night-time routines and me singing every lullaby I could think of, for hours. We loved our sleep sheep which was both a white noise genie granting slumberful wishes, and a soft wonderful friend and companion. There are great new evolutions of white noise sound machines, apps, and whatnot, but I still have affinity for the OG real deal. I discovered my love for white noise through this product, so I’ll be forever grateful. Toys and comfort have no age limit.
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We loved the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy. It plays songs and flashes lights and has elements to push and play with, and is one of the few noisy toysies that didn’t make me want to poke my eyes out after a week, partially because there’s volume control, and also because it plays fun versions of classical music. My daughters were always hypnotized by this one. Just make sure you keep your eye on your kids with this one when they’re younger, because it’s got some heft.
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Trunki - Our girls absolutely loved these adorable designs, and they fit an astonishing amount inside, in a very easy-to-pack and easy-to-organize manner. They gave the girls ownership over their own bag, whether that meant it was easier to yank them along on it, let them pull each other in short spurts, or just have them drag their own adorable bag behind them in the airport instead of one of us having to carry their stuff.
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Magnatiles are an absolute power-product. Check out Shannon’s list for her recommendation of these as well.
What are Your Recommendations?
Loving the recommendations? Have your own that we missed? Let us know your can’t-live-without products and which were surprising to you in the comments below.
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