Labels

When Max started to attend daycare, I thought I would have to buy and sew little labels with his name on them in his clothes. Things have changed since the 70's and name tags are now super cute and easy to use stickers. I love one company so much that I am now pushing their products for a fundraising to benefit Max's daycare. Order super-resistant and adorable labels from http://www.lejardin.mabel.ca/ and never have your kids' stuff "borrowed" again!

Baby signs books

Very cute and fun:

Baby signs DVD

We used the baby signs which Max seemed to ingnore forever until he reached 18 months and used all signs at once!

We loved the classes at Sign-a-Song. You get to learn some gooffy songs and sign along.

And this DVD was well done:

Adorable

Very cute pictures and scented (scratch-and-sniff) book.

Perfect 1st birthday present

Available here

Max first favorite toy

Note the tags -- babies love them.

The nursing pillow

Boppy or Breastfriend? I never used my nursing pillow for nursing. But it was great for tummy time and for propping Max up.

For those long nursing nights

The first few weeks with a newborn are a blur. I remember watching lots of Law and Order while Max was cluster feeding -- I wish I had had something more relaxing to watch. So plan ahead and get your favorite series ready!

Keeping a log

With a newborn, you obsess about the number of wet diapers. With a toddler, you obsess about food and naps. We have been keeping a daily log on a template you can see here. You can modify it for your needs, print a stack of them and keep them in a folder. Or you can buy a ready-made version:

Bath toys

You will end up with far too much baby bath toys. But they will all fit in this. Max loves to play with it.

Hanging toys

Perfect for the car seat or stroller

First activity center

Ride-on

Finding the perfect ride on turned into an obsession. After returning not one but 2 models, I finally found a good oldie: the Corn-Popper. It comes already assembled, it has a push-along bar and a secret compartiment (where we recently found our phone that had mysteriously disappeared). Additionnaly, it does not make annoying sounds.

Note: Amazon does not sell it anymore, but it should cost $20 to 40.

Play yard

At some point, you will need to limit baby's moves:

First toys

Note the links, which are always a hit when attached to the stroller. The bear and the fish are good teething toys.

Perfect first spoons

Best bottle

It does not leak EVER and keeps water cold. And did I mention cars? Toddlers are obsessed with them.

Putting a leash on baby

Max loves this bagpack and it comes with a harness.

Slippers

Cute designs, easy to put on, impossible for baby to put off, and non-slippery. We love the Robeez slippers.

Booties

Newborns are very good at one thing: taking off their socks. It is still a mystery as how they do it. One solution to keep their feet warm: those cozy booties by Zutano.

Pregnancy bras

Some women do need to change bra sizes several times during pregnancy. Personally, I went from a 34B to a 34DD. In about 3 months. My advice is to get a professionnal to help you pick something comfortable and in your size. Otherwise, you will suffer through a very uncomfortable pregnancy.

I like the relatively cheap Bali bras (Seductive Curves) available at Onehanesplace. For the end of my pregnancy, I invested in beautiful Chantelle bras -- no cheap, but perfect!

The crib

A crib with drop sides is easier on the back, but Consumer Reports say they can be dangerous. Once again, Ikea offers some unexpensive ones, that can be turned into toddler beds.

The Sleepi looks cool, comes with wheels and can be transformed into a kid bed:

Notes:

- Standard crib sheets fit the Stokke -- no need to buy the special oval sheets

- The bassinet is very cute but a waste of money: the baby will outgrow it in a matter of months

Changing table

I really don't understand people who change their babies on the floor or on a bed. After the birth, I could hardly move for weeks, even less knell on the floor with the baby. And I don't think I could have waken up Hubby every time I had to change Max in the middle of the night.

So, invest in a changing table, your back (and your Hubby) will thank you.

In the US, the baby will be on his side. In Europe, the baby will be facing you. I liked the Ikea Hemnes cabinet: it is so big, you can have the baby either facing you or on his side.

Stokke offers a changing table that faces the parents.

Note: According to BabyCenter, Consumer Reports Guide to Baby Products says the flip-open tops changing tables can cause the entire chest to topple when you place a baby's weight on the outer edge.

The chair

It is highly recommended you get a chair to breastfeed in comfortably. The back should be tall and firm. I am still using mine to cuddle with Max before bedtime.

I found the gliders huge and ugly. I am very happy withe simple chair I got from Ikea:

Saying no to circumcision

The debate rages on: for or against it?

In the US, all little boys used to be circumcised but now, less and less of them are. It is important to keep in mind that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend circumsicion and that for this reason, insurance plans do not cover it.

Diaper pail

They come with all sorts of fanciness. Be wary of the ones that only accept one type of bags: you will spend a fortune on those!

I chose a cheap basic one, that does the trick:

Preparing the birth

Books in French

Pregnancy classes

We loved the classes at Realbirth:

- newborn care

- comprehensive childbirth preparation

- breastfeeding

I also took the CPR class at Littlehearts and learned a lot about safety.

Diaper bags

You will need that kind of diaper bag too:

Cheap decor

There are lovely things out there, but they cost an arm and a leg. You can always go the cheap route and print or reproduce drawings you love, frame them yourself (Ikea offers a good selection of frames) and voila!

My mum copied for me some of those pictures:

Nursery decor

Nice and unexpensive products from Babylicious:

The sleeping bag

Blankets and sheets are dangerous for babies but what the French call "Turbulettes" or sleepsacks are difficult to find in the US. I love this cute one by Babylicious:

Harry the dirty dog

Adorable and retro:

Fantastic oldie

Beautiful illustrations showing Nicolas the Bunny enjoying the seasons

Nursing cover

Cute and easy to use

Lazy afternoon

Sometimes, all you need is a sidewalk and chalk

Toddler stories

We love Leslie Patricelli!

Perfect bib

And my nanny loves them!

Laundry

We still often do a wash a day -- what with Max changing his clothes after each meal and each walk to the park (the kid loves poddles!). 

Baby's pharmacy

You will need them at some point:

Best cream

Mustela products smell nice but Max was badly allergic to their perfume. We had to switch to their perfume-free range:

Adios cradle cap!

2 days after starting this cream, the annoying cradle cap was gone forever!

Nursing bible

Favorite blankie

Max won't sleep without his "doudou" or blankie:

Because babies LOVE being swaddled

The best ones are the uncomplicated ones like those, in muslin (extensible and light enough for the New York summers):

Car seat

Compatible with the Stokke (with adaptors), not ugly and fits airplaine seats:

Bath tub

This miraculous tub can actually fits in the sink, and has a hole in the bottom to empty it without having to push the whole thing over. 

Max rocks!

Max LOVES going to his ASL class mainly to watch the guitarist play. He is absolutly obsessed with air guitar. We found the perfect toy -- non fragile and not too annoying:

Favorite bed companion

Cute and its sounds (waves crashing, rain falling, etc) are ultra relaxing -- for mums and babies.

Crayons

Those crayons are unbreakable by toddlers and easy to use:

Music

Love this little player:

The pregnancy

I loved reading about the pregnancy development, week by week:

Favorite parenting books

Swimming

Max loves the water. We started taking him to swimming classes at the Y when he was under a year, and he loves splashing around. Bonus: he is so exhausted after the half-hour class, he has a very good nap afterwards!

ASL

I have been fascinated with the possibility to communicate with babies through sign language. I bought a method based on ASL (the American Sign Language) but I wanted to join a class too. I know that classes for babies are all the rage, even though most are totally useless. And granted, when I went to try it out, Max spent most of the class munching on my watch, staring at a nanny who looked a lot like his own nanny (who was on vacation), and sucking pensively on his fingers. 

Max started to use all the signs I had been teaching him at the same time, around 17 months. He was so happy to communicate! He has also made up his own signs, that we use together.

Epilator

OK, it is not for the baby, but you need some grooming tool that makes your life easier. And this is THE BEST THING EVER. I can't stop obsessing about it. It is nearly silent, painless to the point where I actually wondered if it was working, and best of all, it has a small super-powerful light to illuminate your hair. I know! How clever is that?

When the baby is not gaining weight...

The author's theory is simple: your job as a parent is to offer good and nutritious food to the child. The child's job is to eat. You can't do anything more than offer the food. You can't force or bribe the child. It is important to share normal meals with children and she warns about the perils of cooking for the child. We have been trying to follow those rules by having diner all together, and it seems to work. It is hard not to congratulate Max on each thing he tries, or tonot  push him to have just another bite, but once it becomes an habit, it makes meals much more enjoyable. I also suspect that since we are less stressed around food, Max eats more.

Breastfeeding essentials

Good, supportive bras and breast pads: 

Sling

I bought a Hotsling but I was never really comfortable with it and ended up giving it away. It turns out slings can be dangerous. Positional asphyxia used to worry me a lot because Max did not have a neck for a long time, and I was always afraid his head was too close to his body when slumped in a seat.

Bumpers

Yes, I know, bumpers ARE awfully cute. But they are dangerous. Better get the mesh kind so that baby won't get a arm or a leg stuck!

Play mat

I read that some parents were growing frustrated with jigsaws mats so I bought a simple one made of large pieces:

Baby food

Max inhales Earth's Best jars (by the way they do a fantastic prunes & oatmeal combo, miraculous for constipation)

Breast crawl

During our Newborn Care class we watched a video, The Amazing Talents of the Newborn, that totally blew us away. It showed the breast crawl: every newborn, when placed on her mother’s abdomen, soon after birth, has the ability to find her mother’s breast all on her own and to decide when to take the first breastfeed. The UNICEF recommends delaying all intervention on the baby (washing, vitamin K shot, eye anointment...) until the newborn has breastfed. More details here.

Stroller canopy

Whatever your stroller is, you need one of those. I like this one by Protect-a-bub, an Australian brand:

Sunglasses

Max got great Banz sunglasses, but I wish I had gotten those really cool ones instead.

Mother's day gift

I got this cute necklace as my first Mother's day gift. And Hubby could not resist these cuff links. Something I can not fathom is this NICU baby necklace. Who needs to be reminded of this dreadful place?

Summer sandals

All the yummy mummies at the park wear Salt-Waters sandals. They look uncomfortable but the sole is flexible. And they cost less than $40! And they are water resistant! I love mine, even though they are said to be the next Uggs.

Sunscreen

Supernanny has asked me to check that Max's sunglasses protected both against UVA and UVB. And yesterday she gave me an article that recommended to make sure the sunscreen contained zinc and titanium. Turns out there is a sunscreen controversy about chemical-based sunscreens, which would be photocarcinogic of all things. This being America, there is already lawsuits brewing.
For info about the risks associated with beauty products, see the Environmental Working Group website.

Babycook

The Babycook made it to the US! My French friends are raving about it and insisted I had to get one, which was not possible until now.

High chair

Of course, Max had to have the Tripp Trapp, and its baby seat and special cushion. How do you say money pit in Norwegian?

Musical toys

Babies and toddlers love noisy toys. especially if they come with bright lights. Our favorites:

Teething

We swear of course by Tylenol Baby and those teething toys:

Bouncer

Max will usually wake up, have his breakfast, be changed and once propped in his bouncer, he will relax in his clean diaper and..

Eye exam

We took Max to SUNY State College of Optometry for a free preventive eye exam. We were not overly worried about his eyesight but about "bad genes" or as I said it in my Pepe-le-Pew accent before Hubby corrected: "She means bad genetics".

Exercise ball

When Max is overtired, I use my exercise ball. I bounce and bounce until he falls asleep in my arms.

Humidifier

The baby was a bit congested but things got better with a (real cute) humidifier. The pediatrician advised us to leave the baby in the bathroom when taking a hot shower or to use Vicks Baby on his chest. She is very much against the nose pumps which can damage the fragile baby's nose vessels.

Bottles

I love this gadget to dry bottles. It makes washing all those pump parts and bottles and nipples a much nicer experience. And the brush is great!

Stroller

I insisted on getting the Xplory. I wanted a sturdy and easy to maneuver stroller, that could double up as a bassinet on wheels. The Xplory allows the baby to be high up and therefore far away from dogs (I am very fearful of them. My little bro was attacked by one when were kids and I don't trust those beasts) and car exhaust (Max might inherit my asthma). And let's not forget it looks totally cool. I get lots of admirative comments. It comes with all kind of stuff (a rain cover, a grocery bag, etc) that other strollers are not sold with. So far, I am very happy we bought it. I guess that feeling is compounded by the fact that we scored it at a huge discount. $1,000 seems an insane amount of money to throw in for a stroller, but all the big ones are about the same price.
We used it as a bassinet for the first 2 months, as I wanted Max to sleep in our room but not in our bed (I love the idea of co-sleeping, at least for a little while but I am too scared of smothering him). When he was too fussy, I would just roll him to the living room so that Hubby could sleep. Cheap standard bassinet sheets fit the mattress. While my baby's daddy was against the idea of spending so much money on it, he loves that the stroller is big enough to handle the crooked sidewalks of Brooklyn without the baby being jerked around too much. We also like the fact that it cannot be used with a big child. Where we are from, toddlers walk and are not pushed around, and we don't want to be tempted to leave the kid in the stroller for too long.

Night lights

My friend A gave me some really coolnight lights: they are cute and great to use when you can't even remember your name because you are so sleep deprived. (I remember once waking up so out of it that when I heard Max crying I thought "Why is this kid crying? Why is his mum not taking care of him?" before realizing that I was the mum. Duh).

Diapering

I am proud to announce we have now found the holy grail in the most unlikely place: Seventh Generation. No cute critters on those ones, nor perfume to hide the smell of excrements. In fact, because they are chlorine-free, they have a brownish color and look like something you could have found in the USSR before the Wall fell. But they have "Super-stretchy resealable closure tabs" and everything stays in.

Pumping

When pumping, it is important to get a top-of-the-range pump. I loved the Avent Duo. Pumping both sides at the same time was easy and fast.
No need for hands-free bras: all you need is 4 elastics to make it work beautifully.

Cord blood

Cord banking companies are pressuring parents to bank their babies' cords even though it is still very experimental (read the AAP statement). I was interested in donating the cord blood to a public bank for research and/or treatment but was turned down because I lived in Europe at the time of the mad cow disease epidemy.

Baby carrier

We picked the ERGO baby carriers, which absolutely rocks.

Bjorn type carriers are hard on the back (the Ergo is borne on the hips, so there is no shoulder strain). Some also believe that a baby should not be suspended by the groin -- it could be bad for her hips.