We’ve welcomed three little girls into our world in the last three and a half years. This has provided us the opportunity to try out a great many of the latest & greatest baby/toddler gear. I thought about writing lengthy descriptions of why I love this stuff and exactly what makes it a “must-have” item, but that would delay the post by months, if not years, so for what it’s worth, here are our top items (okay, so I ended up with more than 10) – the ones that are truly worth the investment and I would never question buying again:

Transport

1. bob duallie stroller (or a single to get you started) and combi tandem double
2. zolowear ring sling and ergo baby carrier

Feeding

1. nursing shawl and quality nursing bras
   
2. fisher price booster
   
3. sassy bibs & dexbaby bibs

Entertainment

In general, I tend to favor classic toys so if a manufacturer has a classic section on their website, that is where I naturally go. I also like wooden toys and if it requires batteries for lights & sounds, it really has to stand out. Of course, every child needs a bookshelf full of books, plenty of art supplies, and balls to take outside, too.

for baby:

1. cradle swing and jumperoo (if you have to pick, go with the swing, if you have the option of a nearby grandparent, by all means choose them!)
   
2. tiny love crib mobile and I really thought the clip n go musical mobile was awesome, but I had two and had problems with both of them and had to return them, so I’m not sure . . . but I LOVE the concept and plan to try again with the next baby to see if they’ve improved the design.
3. I’m adding this several months later after realizing I left it off the list the first time around. We have LOVED our simple vibrating baby seat/baby bouncer. Every one of the girls was so happy in it as a tiny babe – for naps, for playtime, for watching the family activities. A very inexpensive, easy way to keep a little baby happy. I don’t think they even make them as simple as our is anymore, but this was the closest I found. Funny story about the bouncy seat & my first Craig’s List purchase. Our original motor went out on the bouncy seat, so I bought a $5 bouncy seat off Craig’s list. I made the error of purchasing without a photo! Turns out the woman had used it for her cats & it was awful, so JR just switched out the motors and we threw the “new” seat away!
4. Another late addition! We LOVE our Skip Hop Pronto. Almost eliminates the need for a diaper bag. Here is the review I left on Baby Earth’s website: The Skip Hop Pronto has been everything I’d hoped it would be. The changing pad is large & easily wipes down. The wipes & 2 diapers fit nicely in the upper compartments & the looped handle even has a buckle to attach it to a stroller or purse or whatever you already have with you. Once you’re beyond the “everything & the kitchen sink” in your diaper bag stage, this is just what you need to get in & out of the grocery store, Church, etc.

for toddler & preschooler:

1. melissa & doug puzzles, wooden blocks (and/or duplo blocks), etc.
2. kidkraft kitchen
3. rody inflatable horse and bounce & spin zebra
4. Ikea toy storage
   

There are plenty of other things that we’ve enjoyed, but these are the things we use over and over and over. I also really like the book Bright Start by Richard Woolfson for wonderful, detailed (but not overly detailed) descriptions of children’s abilities at each stage of development (newborn through 5 years) and practical suggestions for helping your child develop hand-eye coordination, language, learning, movement and social skills, including lists of basic, classic inexpensive toys for each age.

I also found this list on-line and it was so good, I thought I’d share it, too.

Top 10 Gifts for a Toddler

And now you tell me – what should we be looking at for the next few years – what gadgets & gizmos, toys & games are best for “big” kids?? We’re basically going to be running our own preschool around here so how shall we get ourselves set up?