10 Baby Items I WISH I had!

Kathryn Porter
Jan 28, 2017
6 min read

It's been a big week for our girl.

Annie turned 5 months (I know...biiiig milestone) on Sunday, moved into her own room that same weekend, started sleep training for the second time, was going six hours without eating and only waking up once or twice a night, AND...started teething.

GRRRRRRRR! Way to undo everything we've been working for her whole life! I mean I THINK she's teething, but I'm the rookie here so...who knows!? Just looking at way she attacks her own fist (or anything for that matter) and has a horrible diaper rash and WAILS, for no apparent reason--it's all gotta mean something. What has happened to our sweet baby that would smile, laugh even, when getting her diaper changed? It better be teething so that there can be SOME explanation as to why our child has all of a sudden become a Tyrannosaurus Rex crier.

Tyrannosaurus Rex crying. In a big box of pink packing peanuts.

Granted, I know this is a good thing. Who would want to go their whole life without teeth? But why oh why must it be so painful??? For EVERYONE. Those big crocodile tears would melt the abominable snowman.

This teething thing has reminded me of a mental list I started months ago: 10 Baby items I WISH I had. Some of them are actual products, others are just wishes I'm throwing out to the universe begging for some brilliant inventor to create. If such a product has been created, please fellow Mamas! Point me in the right direction and save my sanity!

Here's the list:

1. Teething ANYTHING: Not just the teething toys that keep them busy while they drool their weight in spit. We've got plenty of those and they do their job. I'm looking for a teething product that soothes, tampers the pain, and gives me my baby back! I've read a couple of articles that discourage the use of any oral medication including tablets or gels. Thoughts moms? or doctors? or anyone? Help!

2. Socks and Mittens that STAY ON. This is a real issue. And there's not a single brand I've tried that I love. I might as well dress her in tights...on her legs and her arms.

"Ha! And you thought these Mitts would stay on..."

3. Swaddles 2.0. So Annie has a strange relationship with Swaddles. As an infant she despised having her arms tucked in and not being able to stretch, so we mostly used the swaddles just to keep her torso warm. Now that she's supposed to be growing out of the swaddle phase, being wrapped tight is the only way she'll fall asleep. What?? The problem is she's big and smart enough to wriggle her arms out of the wrap which makes her A) wake up and B) scratch her face in the middle of the night when we can't save her from herself. So we are in need of Swaddles version 2.0...whether it' a Miracle Blanket, SwaddleMe, Flying Squirrel, or Zipadee Zip. I need Something here!! (Finished this paragraph while wrestling my half-awake daughter's rouge arms back into the swaddle. The need is real.)

This is the best Zipadee Do Dah day of my liiiiiiiiiife!

I first heard of the Zipadee Zip on Shark Tank and thought it was the most ridiculous product name ever. Jokes on me, I want one.

4. Big burp cloths. Has anyone else noticed that burp cloths are ridiculously undersized and useless when it comes to saving your shirt? Baby will miss the burp cloth 9 out of 10 times so, what's the point!? I started using T-shirts instead and, sure it's more laundry, but you're doing a load a day anyway. And they worked like a dream.

5. Cover Me Nursing Cover Poncho: Anyone else notice that most nursing covers completely ignore the exposed back issue? Granted, the covers that double as car seat covers do hide every side, but Annie doesn't love eating underneath those. Well this may be a very fashionable solution and I'm dying to try it!

6. Boon Grass drying mat. I'm a closet germaphobe. I'm trying to stop. Well, trying to find the happy medium that will give my kid enough antibodies to keep her alive while avoiding enough germs to...keep her alive. One of the things that gets me most germaphobic is bottles, breast pumps, binkies, and anything that holds the milk or touches her mouth.

Enter Boon Grass drying mat. This DARLING counter-top drying mat will air dry all of those aforementioned baby products without the risk of smelly drying mats, yucky used towels, or cloth residue infecting anything. The grass blades will easily hold objects of all shapes and sizes in place. And it's pretty clear that this is baby-ONLY space. No drying yesterday's lunch's tupperware here. Added bonus: easy to wash so I don't have to worry about it becoming it's own petri dish of disease. My inner germaphobe is happy!

7. Different Carrier. I was under the gun and desperate when I bought our carrier. It's a Lille Baby All Seasons and it's OK. I let the sales clerk talk me into it. Things I like: tons of support for me and baby, allows for six different positions, versatile for "all seasons," and you don't need to buy an extra insert for infant support--just use a rolled blanket. Though sometimes I'd rather have the insert...

Things I don't like: Annie basically has to do the splits to sit forward. Yep that's the only problem. And that's the only way she wants to sit. Should have gone with an ErgoBaby or Baby Bjorn. Or maybe someone out has a different carrier that they and their baby loves, that allows baby to sit face out comfortably without slowly losing circulation to their legs. Please, hook a sister up!

Ouch.

8. Different Car Seat. Shopping for a car seat is one of the more stressful baby items on the list. Kinda important for your baby's assured continuation of life. There are a lot of elements to look at and this is one that I would definitely encourage researching thoroughly. When I was looking for a car seat I was also looking for a jogger to go with it--a "Travel System". Having a good jogger with great suspension, only one front swivel wheel, blah blah blah, was super important to me. So I didn't pay as much attention to the carseat itself. WRONG-O!

I ended up going with the Baby Trend Expedition Travel system. LOVE the jogger! It's FANTASTIC! The carseat however...subpar. The seat is at an angle that sits the baby up way more than other seats I've seen. Combine that with a slanted back seat in our car and our baby was forced to sit more "up" and "forward" than I felt comfortable with. I was constantly scared about her airway being pinched off from her head falling too far forward. I dreaded driving by myself without anyone back their to literally hold her head up so I hardly left the house for two months! Also, there is not a lot of cushioning around the head which even now sometimes results in uncomfortable sleeping positions. Everything else (...ehhhh besides the color scheme) I actually really like about the carseat. But if I could do it again, I'd get a different one. Maybe a Britax or Graco. Well, as long as I could keep the same jogger :).

9. Car seat inserts: Babies, especially newborns, need a lot more cushioning than most carseats provide. See previous post. Do your baby and yourself a favor and go ahead and get something like this before baby is even born:

Another car seat insert that I NEEEEEEED:

This thing is like an infant car seat Snuggie. I want, I need!

10. Have you SEEN this carseat!?!?!?

Doona Infant Car Seat Stroller

I mean, it's no Jogger, but this would have drastically changed my airport experience, as well as, oh you know...just my LIFE!!!! Baby gadget inventors are genius!

All in all, we really are doing well. T-Rex cries and all. We have plenty of diapers, blankets, and snuggles to keep this mama and baby smiling...well, most of the time. And you don't need more stuff to be happy. Though some of this stuff sure wouldn't hurt :)

Happy Friday ya'll!