I gave birth in 2020 during a pandemic winter, when we couldn’t visit stores safely, so instead we read countless reviews. Granted, this is probably what I would have done anyway—I am the type of obsessive creative to read every single expert article and customer review about a baby item before deciding it’s still not good enough. (Yes I’m in therapy, why do you ask?).
My unhinged process starts with reading all the negative reviews first, cross-checking with expert articles and trusted friends, and then creating an Excel sheet listing pros and cons. (I’m exhausted just reading this).
The good news? My insane is your gain. The following gift guide is brought to you by bleary-eyed middle of the nights scouring Internet forums, Facebook groups, enthusiastic Amazon reviews, and of course—momfluencers.
There are some sick sadists in the world, and for some reason, they have chosen to spend their time making baby clothes with snaps. As someone who can button her flannels correctly 60% of the time, I will never understand why baby brands decided to create a footsie with loud, difficult snaps running down both legs like an ultimate jigsaw puzzle. We are a footsie family—why would you spend time putting on an entire exhausting outfit (shirt, pants, mittens, AND socks?!)—when you have one hardworking PJ do it all? And there’s nothing better than these certified organic, supersoft Burt’s Bees footsies. Nadia lived in these day and night, no matter the season, but they were especially perfect for her first New York winter. Most importantly, they have a sexy easy double-sided zipper that doesn’t quit. They also last forever because they are HUGE, so they’ll need a few hot washes if your baby was wee like ours.
Our baby had eczema and Aquaphor is a dermatologist-recommended miracle ointment that we lathered all over her body and diaper area. We were fools at first who bought the squeeze bottle but quickly realized how difficult it was to squeeze the thick, sticky elixir in the middle of a diaper change, where inevitably the bottle gets slathered in its own goo. (My thumbs have still not recovered.) The jar style is so much easier and you will be using so much of it that you have to go big or go to Duane Reade at 4 a.m. We have it on auto-subscribe. Keep in mind that Aquaphor contains lanolin which wouldn’t work for a wool allergy, so we eventually switched to Vaseline at some point.
I was probably the only one left on Planet Earth that still used headphones with disgusting wires, but having a baby finally forced me to take the plunge into the 21st century. These tiny little wonders—recommended by a fellow pandemic mom—saved me during a very lonely Corona maternity leave. My husband made fun of me for inevitably losing them (and trust me, there were maybe 13 close calls), but they are still somehow intact (or you know their replacements are…) and made daily family FaceTimes in a one-bedroom that much easier. Also, the last thing you want while multitasking is an annoying headphone knot you can’t untangle. They work for distracted nursing sessions and binging Real Housewives while pumping. I avoided the upgrade forever, but this was a splurge that really carried me through that hard time.
SkipHop Little Traveler Reversible Playmat
This dual-sided powerhorse of a playmat is an elevated alternative to the cheap rubber alphabet floor that can work in baby’s room or the living room depending on the side you choose to display. Our newborn (and now toddler) loves the fantastical llamas on air balloons and elephants on scooters in gorgeous mint pastels—we didn’t need to add toys for tummy time. This mat is soft enough for her inevitable falls and comfy enough for me to squeeze in some downward dogs. We didn’t decorate her room at all because this mat does all the adorable heavy lifting.
There are endless baby nail products and they’re all crap! Ahem, a major fail for FridaMom (we ended up cutting her finger and are still processing the trauma), but this Australian-based innovation is dummy-proof! You literally just glide it across baby’s fingernails with zero nicks as she stares mesmerized at the snail. Genius. I will say it’s better for the newborn era when they are less wriggly. That said, we still use it on our four-year-old but with a screen for distraction.
Another hidden gem for sore nipples most people haven’t heard of. They’re expensive, but worth their weight in silver, literally. The @MamasteFit doulas love it for their natural antibacterial properties.
If you insist on outfitting your babe like an adorable mini person, these name-says-it-all Sock Ons are a clever way of, well, keeping those pesky socks on during your newborn’s inevitable Cirque-du-Soleil kicks.
Another Australian wonder product - this lets baby sleep with a more natural arms-up position (like how they were in the womb) while still keeping them nice and snug to avoid the startle reflex waking them up.
Seventh Generation Free & Clear Detergent
We went through so many detergents during our eczema crisis. Beware of the heavily-marketed Dreft (which got an F from the Environmental Working Group!) and even organic go-tos like Babyganics (whose “natural” ingredients can cause allergic flares). Seventh Generation is both pediatric derm-approved and EWG-recommended.
The only wearable blanket that’s Car Seat Lady approved! And great for strollers too. No need for a whole winter outfit when you have this comfy furry cloud.
Yelena Shuster
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