Favorite Baby Equipment

Photo by Zahed Ahmad on Unsplash

Since getting pregnant and having little Kristopher, I have received so many pieces of baby equipment - it’s actually kind of staggering. I had two closets full of swings, pack n plays, baths, walkers, and cribs. But even though it’s often bulky, when you find the baby equipment you love, it’s worth its weight in gold. So I kept everything (I had the storage space, so why not?) and decided to wait until I had a chance to try everything out.

My baby is currently nine and half months old and I’ve kind of figured out what stuff is indispensable (at least at this stage of his life). I am so blessed to have many sisters and friends who’ve given me this stuff, plus a few items purchased second hand, so I haven’t had to spend piles of money to figure out what our needs are.

Car seat This one is obvious. Mine is red (love that it can be used for a boy or girl) and was given to us by my brother and sister-in-law. If I had purchased it new, I would get a combo that connects to a stroller (for when baby is really young), but I honestly didn’t miss that feature too much.

Stroller I actually have two (one from our old neighbor, one from Kris’s coworker) and both work well. I’m saving both for when we have two little kids around.

Bumbo Before Kristopher could sit up, this was my favorite piece of baby furniture! I’d pop little man in there and set him on the counter while I cleaned or cooked and he was so happy to be near me. I have a tray so could put toys there to entertain him (could also use for snacks, but we haven’t gotten to that stage yet).

Bouncer Mine isn’t exactly a bouncer, more like a rocker. It has toys hung at his level so he can play with them. When he was little, he’d often nap in this. A swing would also work well, but I liked this because it was smaller and easier to move around (no moving parts aside from the toys)

Crib We bought our crib/toddler bed for $10 at a garage sale and love it. When Kristopher was a new baby, I removed the front panel and positioned the crib next to our bed so he could cosleep. That worked very well for a few months before we moved him across the room, then into his own room.

Pack N’ Play It’s a baby staple.

Baby Carrier I’ve used four different wraps and carriers and my favorite by far is the Ergo. It’s easy to put on (and take off) and comfortable for both me and baby. When little Kristopher was smaller, I liked the moby wrap since it had better neck support for him. It was really comfortable to wear, but it took a long time to wrap around myself (and a long time to learn how to wrap it, too)

Breast Pump This isn’t baby equipment per say, but it is invaluable. We bought ours - one with over $200 value - second hand for $40. I haven’t had to use it too much, but it’s very reassuring knowing that I have it nearby.

High Chair Again, a no brainer. Aside from eating in there, he will also play with toys while seated and strapped while I work in the kitchen. We also set him in there and push it up to the table while we eat so he can be near us.

Exer-saucer This is the newest edition to our home and mom and baby love this thing. It’s like a walker, but with a saucer at the bottom so baby can rock back and forth, bounce, and play with all the fun toys at his level. This is perfect for little Kristopher right now since he’s in the scooting-all-over-the-house stage. This keeps him nice and contained when I am working on other things.

Baby Gates We keep our kitty’s food and water in the kitchen and those are one of Kristopher’s favorite things to play with. So to help with the problem, we have a plastic gate in the kitchen door that easily pops in and out of place. As our little man gets bigger, we’ll be adding one to the base of the stairs.

None of this stuff is revolutionary - it’s all the basic things that have been around for years.

I’m sure I will be adding to this list as little Kristopher continues to grow.