To complement my personal “favorite things” list, I thought I’d come up with a few more – one for babies and another one for tots. This list, for the most part, is meant for newborns or infants and some of the things listed can grow with kiddos.
Ben was never really into the pacifier, but sometimes he’d like the Wubanub version. They are so sweet and you can pick from a variety of different animals. Someone told me that when you’re trying to wean off the pacifier you can cut the stuffed animal off so the child can keep it {also – there are similar stuffed animals made by Jelly Cat}. Hannah LOOOOVES her wubanub!
These little booties are so cute and keep tiny toes warm in chilly weather. There are so many colors to choose from and you can’t go wrong with the matching bear hats. Hannah lives in these right now!
I’ve gotten so many compliments about how darn cute Hannah looks in this hat – super bonus: it’s majorly on sale right now.
These are my absolute favorite sleep sacks because of the quality and how the zipper works. It has two zippers and they’re both two way and they start/end on the bottom. I honestly don’t understand how the Halo sleep sacks are so popular – they’re so annoying to zip! Swaddle Designs were actually designed by parents who use sleep sacks.
I mean, when you have a newborn {or a baby all the way up to age one in my case!} you go through a ton of burp cloths, or “milk scarves” as we dubbed them. These were my favorite – we have the big pack of plain white ones.
PJs get run through the wringer in the washing machine time and time again and Hanna Andersson jammies can live up to the test of time. They are so, so soft and the quality is unbeatable. Try to find them on sale, though. P.S. their socks are the absolute best for infants, too!
Patagonia lasts forever and is usually so cute! We love their little kids coats and buntings. Note: their sizing runs SO BIG, so be sure to size down at least one, if not two, sizes.
I love the Honest Company diapers – they are SO cute! They offer diaper bundles that include diapers and wipes that you can ship directly to the new mama. Their wipes are my favorite. A super, super nice gift! Note: these usually fit the more slender babies a bit better.
Jellycat Stuffed Animals & Toys
Jellycat’s plush toys are SO soft. I absolutely love their stuffed animals and lovies – and so does Ben. They also make some fun crinkle + interactive books and touch & feel books, which have all been hits in my house.
This was our go-to toy if Ben was upset – he LOVED hearing the music from this adorable bilingual octopus. If you squeeze the head it plays songs and something about it calmed Ben right down.
I’m not sure when Ben started to love these – maybe around 4 or 5 months? These little egg shakers are one of the best baby toys around!
Lamaze makes some really fun, bright plush toys that have crinkle paper and teething elements. Ben loved some of these when he was a wee one.
These are great stroller or car seat toys for little ones. They provide lengthy distractions!
I loved this with Ben and can’t wait to get Hannah into solid foods. I like the divided plates for tots for the sole reason that they’re cute. This one is silicone and you can easily wash it.
Hannah is obsessed with her crinkle book. She has the “Tails” version and tries to eat the little animal tails.
There are SO many memory books to choose from. I have the whale one for Ben for his first year and then I just got the toddler “little years” for him for the next few years. I liked how these were organized and they weren’t too “babyish” – I just liked the style. This is pretty personal, though, so I wouldn’t suggest this as a gift – more just hey, new moms, check this out.
These are soooo soft and cozy and stretchy and cute. I absolutely loved them when Hannah was a newborn.
Ok, these are mostly boring and really practical, but they’re so nice to have when you’re organizing a brand new baby’s closet, if you opt to hang things. For the first year, they go through sizes so quickly and it’s nice to have clothes from the next size on hand. Enter closet dividers!
These make super sweet gifts – make sure, though, that you get an age-appropriate book. Most of the personalized books are for older kids. They do make some board books, which are perfect for babies.
Books {these were some of Ben’s favorites until age 1 – some still remain on the favorite list}
- Barnyard Dance
- Pout Pout Fish
- Silhouette books {black and white pictures with one picture per page}
- Crinkle books (there are sooooo many}
- Indestructables books {these are made with special paper and are very thin – babies can’t destroy them!}