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As soon as you find out you are about to have a child people immediately tell you things that you need to buy. They will also give you lots of advice that will end up having various degrees of helpfulness. You’ll have a registry and people will continue giving you advice on things you need. Once you have the child the pendulum switches, the people that were telling you what to buy will now most likely buy you things that are useless to you and as no 2 situations are the same you will need to find the products that you like to work for your family. Throughout this process I was able to find a few things that were able to help out a lot so I wanted to share them with you.
Lovevery Subscription
Lovevery is the best! They send you age appropriate toys every few months with instructions and other activities to do during that period of their lives. There is nothing more fun then opening up the box and having your child discover the toys. It’s also incredible seeing their evolution with the toys, when they first get the box they might not be able to do the activity but then over the course of the coming weeks they master the skill. So get the subscription and tell people to not buy you stupid toys!
Smart Home Device
With a kid you will have your hands full, so it was a huge help having something that you bark commands at to make your life easier. Sync it with all your whatever you can! We have both a good morning and good night routines that operate the lights in the room and the sounds machine and I also made a fun routine to prepare him for Oregon Ducks games, it turns his lights green and yellow and plays the fight song.
Smart Light Bulbs
If you don’t want an entire smart home at the minimum you need to get smart light bulbs. With lots of lamps and lots of need to dim/brighten lights. You can control them from your phone (in addition to a smart device) so it’s easy to set them. Also some of the more expensive bulbs let you set them to different colors.
Child Carrier Backpack
After a few stroller walks where I had to end up carrying the little guy for half a mile while pushing the stroller I needed an alternative. My parents were backpack enthusiasts in their day so I went ahead in getting one and have never looked back. My son takes the best naps in it and always loves being up high so he can see everything. This also helped me get back in shape as I could do 4/5 mile walks with him happy and me getting the benefit of carrying an extra 20 pounds. I went with the Osprey Poco Plus and it has been amazing.
Push Car
The first time my son saw this he went up and carjacked the kid in the car. He refused to get out of its, so immediately went on Amazon to get one! He loves going out in it and will even push it around the house himself. It has 3 cup holders and a frunk (front trunk) so you can store some snacks when you go out. Went with the Step2 Whisper Ride II and it was pretty easy assembly as well which is key for me as patience is not a strength.
Clipping Chew Toys
They will love to chew everything and anything! You will have chewing things for them, but it needs to have a clip! The clip is easy to just attach to their shirt or yourself so it doesn’t get lost! You can also get some fun designs as well! My personal choice is the Oreo design, but choose your own adventure.
Millions of Bibs
Yes, you most likely have bibs, but you will need more!!! You can never have enough! With bottle feedings then teething and just general drooling. Put one on them when you leave the house so they aren’t drenched by the time you reach the destination. Bonus for the ones that have little chewable aspects.
Easy Swaddlers
For those first few months you will be rotating through swaddles all day and night. However the ability to actually do it properly and make it so they can’t easily break out of it is nearly impossible. Get something with Velcro so you can make it an easy process! Work smarter, not harder.
Stroller Fan
During the summer a stroller walk can have them heating up pretty quickly. Getting a stroller fan was great and you can detach and give yourself a quick cool down as well. Now we also use it to cool down his food! You can attach it to your desk if needed as well.
The Park Chair!!!
The portable chair has been a game changer! We spend a lot of time out at the park or beach and it’s great to pull it out and set up lunch. The fabric can go in the laundry and the tray can go in the dishwasher. It’s easy to attach to a regular chair or bar chair when you’re over at people’s house. You will get stopped in public with it because it is that amazing. I also like it makes my son and his little homies look like grumpy old men.
