Shopping List - Best Stuff

This is all the stuff I could never have survived without since my son was born, in no particular order. Most, except the toys, has nothing to do with education, just my sanity! We have used all the products below extensively. I will keep posting products I love as my son keeps growing. 

BABYHOOD

Clothes

• Gerber Onesies
• Danielle Bion : Baby Collection. For rompers. So soft
• Trumpette Socks

Personal Care

• Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream (This cream is amazing to keep their skin, cheeks, and skin smooth, even if they don't have eczema)
• Vaseline
• Baby silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes. It is a non-chemical, baby-safe sunscreen. The little towels make it easy to apply without making a mess, easy for air travel (not a liquid or a gel) and for hiking
  
• Hyland Teething Pills. I have no idea why, but they work, although not so great for molars. At that stage, we used Anbesol instead.

At Home

• BABYBJÖRN BabySitter Balance. Beautiful (no ugly plastic and colors) AND quiet (no annoying electronics). You can get it with a Wooden Toy set. I love the fact that it is also soft in the back (but still supportive), so it doesn't contribute to flattening the baby's head
  
• North States Superyard 3 in 1 Metal Gate. I love the fact that it is metal with no fabric. It is super-sturdy and functions as an old-fashion play-pen (not like the play-yards that are more like beds or little cages than true play-pens). It is also modular, so you can add several units together. I say it is a must until your child is two years old, when you can't actively watch him. 
• The Ikea high chair for 'every day'. So simple and easy to clean
• Svan Signet Complete High Chair/Youth Chair - (for 6 months to adult). Gorgeous and perfect for the formal dining room.
  
• A multi-zone DVD player (very important for multi-lingual families). This one is both reasonably priced and it works, unlike some others we have tried before. 
• The Ikea Crib. About $100, simple, safe, and attractive. Seriously, why would you want to pay $800 for a crib?
• BreathableBaby Breathable Mesh Crib Liner. I know that nowadays they recommend not to use any kind of bumper, but I didn't feel comfortable with that, so this is the compromise
• Angelcare Baby Movement and Sound Monitor. Yes, it does provide peace of mind the first few months, so you know your baby is breathing. But do remember to turn it off before you take your baby out of bed, otherwise, the alarm will ring (exactly what it is supposed to do). You have to use it with that board. 
• The soft plushy baby blankets from Target. They are super-soft and very light (so good to cover a young baby, even though you are not supposed to use anything to cover them). They are also great as stroller blankets.
• Summer Infant Ultimate Crib Sheet. They are flat (so safe and easy to change) and waterproof (on the underside).
• Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker (see my review at Beaba)

Travel

• Skip Hop Studio Diaper Bag. It is such a great bag.. medium size and with a million pockets and compartments. It is the only one I have used
• Adult diapers (also known as Puppy Pads). These are GREAT to keep the changing pad at home clean (you put them on top) and to change your baby in not so clean places instead of using the changing pad that comes with a diaper bag. When you are done, instead of having to put the changing pad back in your bag, just toss these in the trash! Where did I get the idea? From a vet!
• UppaBaby 2013 G-Luxe Stroller. It is light, classy, and the only stroller we have had since Joey has been 3 month old. They have an even lighter model that is suitable for infants 6 months and older.
• Inglesina Fast Table Chair (see my review at Inglesina)
• Deuter Kid Comfort III child carrier. Top of the line and expensive, but worth
  
  every penny. Oh, and Joey loves the little bear it came with. 
• Babes in the Woods: Hiking, Camping & Boating with Babies and Young Children. We are experienced hikers, but it is a whole different deal when you are doing it with a baby who can't talk to let you know they are getting cold etc. Maintaining temperature (not too hot and not too cold) is one of major issues at that age, and the book is full of good advice.
  

TODDLERHOOD/PRESCHOOL Clothes

• American Apparel tee-shirts and karate pants (great for pre-school. I love these simple clothes without any kind of design on them).
• School uniforms. As soon as your child can fit in them. They are cheap, simple, and easy care. Example: French Toast and Dickies pants (these are completely indestructible)
• Land's End Silk underwear for cold weather
• Land's End water suits - In simple colors
• BearHands Toddler Fleece Chin Strap Hat. Your child stays warm, it has a strap that is really soft and not annoying. 
• Anything 'Columbia' and 'Molehill' for cold weather
• Shoes: anything by Timberland, include the snow boots. Many Stride-Ride and Pediped shoes, especially their washable water sandals
• Timex Kids' My First Outdoor Black Fast Wrap Velcro Strap Watch. Great first watch. It is water-resistant. A great first watch

Personal Care

• Control-It! 3 Jar ~ Fingernail Biting Treatment . This worked wonder for us to stop finger sucking (around two and a half years of age). It was like a miracle, I would have never believed it, but it solved the problem in two-three days. If only there had been something like this for potty training
• Hyland's Bumps 'n Bruises with Arnica. Same thing, or maybe they work in my head, and I feel better because I did 'something'

At Home

• Museum Gel for vases in your house that are within reach of your toddler. OK, whoever invented this does deserve the Nobel Prize. 
• Kidscraft Toy Box . Perfect to clear the living room. 
• The Marbulous game
• Perplexus balls. We have all of them, except for the one for 'younger children', which is a total bore. The others, on the other hand are amazing, self-contained toys. 
• GeoPuzzle (great for practicing puzzles AND learning geography). They have a 'world' one, but also individual continents and the U.S.
• Ravensburger puzzles (100 piece and above)
• Fascinations AntWorks Colors of Life. See my review of this product here. 
• Richard Scarry's books
• Untangled Living Anyware Collection Children's Stainless Steel Dish Set. Great first dining set
• TILTY Sippy Cup (see my review at Tilty)
• Clarus Tritan Prism Rocks Tumbler -Beautiful and unbreakable, so the perfect transition from the sippy to a real glass
• A clear Tzedakkah box: perfect to practice estimating
• Maze books to occupy Joey in restaurants. Great for kids with good fine motor skills
• For home use: BABYBJORN Toilet Trainer
• Philips Sonicare for Kids. For those neat-freak Moms like me
• Kaboost Portable Chair Booster . Great when you don't want to use a high chair or a junior chair anymore

Travel

• Britax Pioneer 70 Harness-2-Booster Car Seat. When your child is done with convertible carseat but not ready for a regular booster (this is our case because our child is tall and thin, so he is too tall for the convertible seat but not 40 lbs yet). Britax is the cadillac of carseats and boosters. There is no buts about it. 
• Before the above, Britax Advocate 70 CS Click and Safe Convertible Car Seat. Bulky, but your child feels protected
• Before the Britax, we had the Combi Coccoro Convertible Car Seat - Licorice, which is awesome and so light. We still use dit facing forward for air travel until Joey was too heavy. 
• Talking about air-travel, this device (Baby / Child Gogo Babyz Kidz Travelmate); great to pull the carseat at the airport (with your child in it). This way, you don't need a separate stroller. Instead, we order a super cheap umbrella stroller (usually from diapers.com) to be shipped to our destination and then we donate it to the hotel for other travelling families when we leave. 
• For travel: North States Superyard Play Yard. We had this playpen shipped to hotel rooms. Well worth the cost every time because it allows you to take a shower without wondering what your toddler is messing with in the hotel room. Of course, this is too flimsy for a pre-schooler. At home, we used a metal playpen until my son was two, at which point we did away with playpens and used room gates instead. Again, when we leave, we donate it to the hotel to be used by other families.
• Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus. This thing is so awesome when you start potty training (or even later if you have a girl), for use around town 
• For sleeping while traveling: Gocrib Portable Baby Travel Crib and Play Yard. It is great because you can carry it as a backback on the plane. It is not good as a playpen for the active child, though
• LittleLife Alpine 4 Kids Daysack. Cute little bag to start for your lil' hiker
• Deuter Junior (Coolblue/Check). The first real hiking pack for the 4-7 year olds. As the Deuter child carriers, there is nothing not to like about these packs
• Travel Doodle Sketch . Mess-free, self-contained, and a favorite. It lives in my diaper bag
• Nature babycare ECO Disposable Bibs. Great for around town
• For restaurants: Baby / Child Portable Prince Lionheart Soft Light Density Foam And Waterproof Booster Seat. It is bulky, but so easy to clean and better than using the nasty boosters they have in restaurants.
• Before the above booster seat (which does not have restraints), we used the Baby / Child The First Years On-The-Go Lightweight Self-Inflate Booster Seat W/ Adjustable Safety Belt
• Bento Boxes for school. The one in the link is great, although probably not a 'starter model'. The dividers are removable (they look kind of sharp, so I didn't want to use them). Instead, I use Silicone Baking Cups. What I love about Bento boxes is that you can use it to reproduce the new USDA Plate. And it makes it easy to avoid always having to give a sandwich, something that very small kids are too young to handle well anyway. 
• We love the FlashMaster: Handheld computer for mastering math operations. It is like a gameboy (and very quiet at that!) for geeky kids (I mean that in a good way). Great for restaurants, not too big, not loud at all (just a faint beep when you get a question right), and they practice additions, subtractions, multiplications, and divisions, at different levels and permutations (question sign can move position... a good prep for algebra). 

About Links to Retailers

I am no longer trying to monetize this site (not even for coffee money). The links with Amazon pictures are just for your convenience. In the state that I am in, I cannot be an official Amazon Associate. I have been rejected twice by Google Adsense - due to insufficient content.

In any event... We have definitely used and loved all the products I mention on the site and in most cases, these products were purchased from the retailer that I used for the link. I do use Amazon a lot (because I work full time, design a home-school program for my son, and oh yes, now I also write this blog?). I don't like to run all over town to find stuff, so delivery is really great. Also, they have so many things..., and most days, good customer service..

Another site which I used a lot in the first few years is onestepahead.com and diapers.com (such reliable delivery!). Regarding onestepahead, they have really great, problem-solving products, which are thoroughly reviewed by customers.