These are a few of my favorite things....

Babies come with a lot of stuff. As a pregnant new mom, walking into a Babies 'R' Us store is enough to make you hyperventilate and send you into early labor. What the heck is a Boppy? Why are there 30 different kinds of bottles? Do I really need a Diaper Genie? Filling out your baby registry can be a scary experience and by the time you are done you have no idea how you ended up with no less than 40 bibs, 58 onsies, and 10 sets of sheets. Having a baby can certainly be an exercise in excess. But it doesn't have to be. I was really adamant about not letting my home turn into babyland - and have somewhat succeeded. But this only comes from being super picky and not buying everything in sight before the baby comes (very hard to do). Because what you think you need pre-baby, may change drastically post-baby. This is also where having other new mom friends or joining a mom group while you are still pregnant, comes in super handy. Ask lots of advice on what their favorite items were and what were a total waste of money.

These are a few of my most useful and favorite baby products thus far... (in no particular order - because that would tax my mommy brain way too much!)

1. A baby swing. This was not an item I bought before Jon Jon was born. But a Mommy friend of mine offered up hers as a loaner and I was an immediate convert. So much so that I now have two. One upstairs and one downstairs - which is also a travel swing that folds up and can go to grandma's house without too much effort. These are a great place for newborns to nap, a safe place to hold your baby when you can not, and a place they can lounge and play with small toys once their dexterity kicks in.

2. Activity center. If you've been reading my blog already, you know what a fan I am of my Baby Einstein Activity Center. From the time I finally put it together - it is by far his favorite toy! And again, it is a great place to put your baby while you are trying to get a few things done. Granted this is a rather large item and I was skeptical about having it in the middle of my living room. But it is so useful and Jon Jon loves it so much, that it now has a permanent spot. I love the fact that this one has a seat that swivels around, so he can feel he is somewhat control his destiny - and it has a lot of different level toys, that as he becomes more coordinated he can find new things to do.

3. Tivo. Ok - this is not a baby item. But if you have a baby, and you enjoy watching TV, you MUST have Tivo. Never again (unless the baby is sleeping, and sometimes not even then) will you be able to watch your favorite show, uninterrupted, from start to finish. But when you Tivo, you can make better use of your time - no commercials to sit through - and you can be sure that when you do finally have some time to collapse on the couch, you are not stuck watching whatever happens to be on. You can watch American Idol, even if it happens to be 5a.m.

4. Cheap bottles. I registered for Born Free bottles. But when I opened the box, and saw that each bottle had about 5 pieces that needed to be taken apart and put back together every time you filled or washed them, I said "Oh, no. No way." Next time I was at Walmart I bought simple, no fuss, no mess Gerber bottles, and have never looked back. Now, I do realize that some bottles may make certain babies more gassy than others, and Moms may find that these complicated bottle systems are the only way to go. But why not try the simple ones first? Maybe you'll never need anything else. They are also a lot lighter to carry around, and for baby to try and hold. Also, if you leave one somewhere you won't feel so bad about it being out ten bucks.

5. My Bugaboo stroller. I can't say enough great things about this stroller. This is an investment item for sure, and if you can get a few people to go in on one for a gift, even better. But this stroller will most likely be the only stroller you need to buy, saving you money, hassle, and garage space in the long run. From infancy, if you buy the car seat adapter and corresponding car seat, you can take baby from car and into the store or for a walk with a quick snap on the frame. We also used the bassinet portion of this stroller for the first month of Jon Jon's life. We kept it in our bedroom and wheeled him around to the side of bed to who ever was in charge of the next feeding. The seat also pops on and off very easily - so you could really use to double as an infant seat - easily plopping it on the floor or on a table. I could go on and on about this stroller.... not to mention that they look cool and come in all sorts of fun colors!

6. Portable Ipod speakers. When we started our night time routine with Jon Jon at about 6 weeks old, it included listening to a Bach for Babies CD. Then we placed small Ipod/nano speaker dock in his room and it is always cued up to Bach - press one button and you're all set. But this has also been invaluable for traveling. We have done a lot of mini vacations since Jon Jon was born, and this speaker has come everywhere with us. And no matter where he is, in a pack 'n' play or crib, at Grandma's or Nana's, as soon as he hears his favorite Bach tune, he knows its sleepy time. Our player also runs on batteries if needed, and I have used this for long car trips, to give him something familiar to listen to when he starts to get fussy.

Since Jon Jon is on the eve of his 6 month birthday, we'll stop at 6 favorites. I am sure there will still be mistaken purchases in the years to come. But in the current economy, getting the biggest bang for you baby gear buck has never been more important. So bring on the advice! What are your favorite baby items? Looking ahead to months 6-12, what do you think will help us make it through relatively stress free?? Because isn't that really the point of all this stuf?!