Top Baby Essentials (A+D Diaper Cream Review +Giveaway)

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{This is Chloe, Oma & I at my grandparents house in 2007. Chloe is almost 24 hours old here; & I’m a new mom! Excuse the quality; it was taken with Gram’s not-so-new camera and then scanned in.}

When I was a first time mom, writing out a baby necessity list would have taken pages. We bought all sorts of things we thought we needed. With baby number two, I realized that ‘need’ is a relative term.

So what is on my top baby essentials?

Diapering

Diapers takes the number one spot. With my first, we used and loved Huggies. With my second, I discovered cloth diapers (a mixture of Fuzzibunz, BumGenius, MotherEase and Grobaby). I love them. There are also prefolds which are more economical or of course there are diaper services for those who value convenience.

Along with diapers comes wipes and cream. We’ve been blessed to have very few issues involving diaper rash but I know for some, it’s something that they have to deal with on a regular basis. A+D Diaper cream is now available in Canada! I had the opportunity to review both their ointment (preventative) and their cream (treatment). The timing was perfect. Using disposables for convenience this past week during VBS, John developed a bit of redness. I used the cream and it cleared right up quickly. It goes on smoothly and doesn’t feel really greasy. It has a light fragrance. I’m generally opposed to fragrance, especially in the nether-regions however it isn’t overpowering. One thing that I especially love about it is that it doesn’t have a screw cap but a flip top. This makes it much easier to open and apply. Good job A+D Diaper.

Sleeping

Babies need a lot of sleep. Never again in their life will they grow as much as they do in their first year (percentage-wise anyway). You can buy an expensive crib, a playpen or have baby sleep with you. Honestly, your new baby can sleep almost anywhere. That will change as they get older but initially, almost anything will do.

They make the most wonderful sleep sacks now. I just used oversized (home made) receiving blankets to swaddle baby but if we have the opportunity to have another little one, I’d look into these sleep sacks. No worries about baby getting cold or tangled in blankets.

Feeding

Baby needs to eat in order to fill all those diapers we just talked about. I was blessed to be able to nurse both my babies and thus the only thing required was a couple of good supportive nursing bras. {Which will also do wonders for a new mom’s self image if they are supportive and fit right}I did buy some nursing tops with my first but when John came along, I just wore whatever. If you are unable to nurse, there is quite a selection of formulas out there; many companies will provide you with a sample for baby to try.

Clothing

Again, with Chloe we bought dresses, matching sweaters, and the whole nine yards. With John we realized that baby is happiest when wearing something soft and comfortable. Sleepers work well for the first few months and how many you need will depend on your baby and how often you do laundry. We wash daily or every second day since we cloth diaper so we don’t need as many as someone who washes once a week obviously. Also, some babies are drool-y and prone to spit-ups.

Entertainment

Babies are pretty low maintenance. A swing is nice if you have a fussy baby and as they get older, a jumperoo is awesome. My little ones LOVED their jumperoo and we used it much more than the swing for sure. A few well chosen rattles and maybe a play mat. Simplicity is the key because honestly your baby’s favorite entertainment and toy is you!

Transport

A car seat is obviously an essential. They type you purchase depends on where you are located and what your local laws are. We used a Graco SafeSeat with John. It’s the “picnic basket” kind of seat that you can carry around which I found particularly convenient since you then do not have to wake a sleeping baby when you arrive at your destination. With the safeseat, it accommodates a larger baby as well so you can use it longer. When they outgrew that, we put them into Britax Cowmooflage Marathon car seats which we love. The only drawback for us with these was the price.

We had a Graco stroller to begin with but I was unhappy with the size of it (even folded) and how it pushed. We tried several strollers and the one I have been very happy with is the Peg Pramette Pliko 3. Since Chloe was 18 months when John arrived, I liked that there were little standing spots for her on the back. We tried a double stroller but it was too train-like. I did like our Baby Jogger Switchback Hybrid which is perfect for walking trails and around the neighborhood but I think that if I were to do it over again, I would just buy a simple (cheap) umbrella stroller and spend the money on an Ergo Baby Carrier. I love my Ergo. John is 2 and Chloe is 3 1/2 and they still like to ride in it. John grew really fast and at 3 months was wearing 12 month clothing so I never had the chance to try out the baby insert but the carrier is so comfortable and convenient, I think I could go stroller-less.

So those are my thoughts on baby essentials. Simplicity is my new motto and I think that sometimes all the stuff gets in the way of enjoying our little bundles.

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A+D Information

“The A+D line-up consists of an assortment of diaper rash products: One line for everyday prevention (A+D Diaper Rash Ointment) and one for the treatment of diaper rash, if it occurs(A+D Diaper Rash Cream). The A+D Diaper Rash Ointment, offered in 3 convenient sizes (42g, 113g and 454g), contains a special combination of active ingredients lanolin and petrolatum which help prevent diaper rash every day and is also enriched with moisturizing vitamins A and D. The ointment creates a protective barrier between baby’s skin and diaper moisture that can cause diaper irritations. The A+D Diaper Rash Cream, offered in one size (113g), is formulated with zinc oxide and dimethicone to provide effective relief if diaper rash does occur. Also enriched with moisturizing vitamins A and D and soothing Aloe Vera, the A+D Diaper Rash Cream is a welcome addition to a new mother’s baby care tool box. Both A+D Diaper Rash Ointment and Cream are dermatologist tested.”

Win It!

One lucky winner will receive 3 tubes of A+D Diaper Rash Ointment and 3 tubes of A+D Diaper Rash Cream. A significant value = significant savings for you! It’s easy to enter!

  1. Simply leave a comment with your top baby essential.
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RT Win an awesome #AplusD diaper cream gift pack  #giveaway @Beautifulcall @MC_Canada here:  http://tiny.cc/eh93k ends 8/31 Canada Only

  • As a reminder, readers can enter on as many blogs as they like that are
    participating in the tour, but are only eligible to win once.
  • Contests open to Canadians only. (Sorry my International friends)
  • Closes August 30, 2010.
  • I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central and received a MomCentral gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. As per my disclosure policy, all fabulous opinions expressed are entirely my own!
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100 Comments

  1. So many to choose from, but what stands out are baby scissors. Very important to keep them from scratching themself…:D

  2. My top essential was a swing. I would not have made it through the first 4 months without one!!

  7. My top baby essential is my baby’s favourite blanket! It will help her to feel secure and sleep well!

  16. My top baby essential was the cradle swing. It gave me a few moments to be hands free and get stuff done while ds took a nap or amused himself.

  28. My top baby essential was a walker. She loved it and could follow me everywhere. We had no stairs so it was perfect.

  51. My top baby essential would be baby wipes! I can clean her nose face, hands and of course her bum when needed from anywhere! They are true lifesavers 🙂

  52. Baby wipes! Not only are they for the tushy but to wipe face, nose, hands. Also great for when you drop food on yourself. Wipes help get it out. Oh and when on a long travel they are great for wiping away sweat and feeling cleaner.

  56. my top baby essential is the swing–it has helped put my son to sleep many times and gave my arms a break!! 🙂

  62. My top baby essential? Would probably be baby wipes – I don’t know what I’d do without ’em! Thanks!

  63. My top baby essential for my grandchildren is musical toys.

    janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

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