Show us Your Life Friday, Baby Gear edition

This week over at Kelly's blog, baby gear is being featured. I mean goodness, you think babies need all of that stuff??? Here is my little list of what I like and don't like.

Play Area:

This picture is funny. Can you see that Belle is sleeping. HA! If you have hardwood floors, this is a must, I think. You can buy these foam blocks at Toys R US and they are great at protecting little Lauren's head. When she was that little, she would always roll over and hit her head so this has been great for us.

Jogging Stroller:

This is a Jeep brand stroller that you can get at Babies R Us. We don't actually use this for a lot of jogging. We enjoy taking this downtown Chattanooga on the Walnut Street Bridge (pedestrian bridge only) as it's a smoother ride. We looked at getting the BOB stroller but really, who wants to pay $400 for a stroller??? Not me, especially when the Chicco travel system is like $350!
Chicco Travel System:

Yes, it super expensive and one of, if not the most, expensive travel system at Babies R Us. But it really is that great. It snaps into place, ride smooth, great handle bar, etc. It's worth the money to us.

Shopping Cart Cover:

This is a must for us. Lauren feels the need to eat everything in site (besides food, go figure) and I get horribly disgusted by her eating the handle on the shopping cart. These are cute, portable, and you can attach toys.
Mr. Bath time ducky:

I love this duck. It makes bath time 500 times easier. I tried bathing her in a bath tub without this and she was all over the place. She is even trying to escape in the picture but 9 times out of 10, it's great.
Baby Bjorn or a different brand infant carrier:

This is Todd's favorite baby gift. He loves this thing. We have taken it downtown when we haven't wanted to mess with the stroller, to ball games, shopping, etc.
Mini boppy for tummy time/Tummy Time mat

I could go either way on this. Lauren loved it when she was little but I feel like it was a short lived purchase. She used it until she became mobile and now it's packed away waiting for a sibling.
Jumper thing :)

Whoever invented this is a genius! This darn thing will keep her entertained forever. BUT, warning...you can get this at consignment sales for like $15-$20 versus a whopping $70-$100 price tag at Babies R Us. It now sits in our bathroom so she can safely entertain herself while I take a shower & get ready in the morning.

Ahhh, the bumbo:

Everyone seems to get them and they are great BUT Lauren is so short that she never fit in it very well. She would slide to one side and then her back never quite hit at the right place. When she did get old enough to fit into it, she would turn around and try to escape.

Infant bath tub WITH a swing

The swing just makes it so much easier to bath my girly girl. Can you believe she was that little at once??? Me either. I really don't understand why baby bath tubs are even made without a swing. It just makes it hard when they can't hold their head up yet.
Boppy Pillow

Ahhhh the boppy pillow. Who doesn't have one of these?? It makes nursing easier, chatting when they hold their head up easier, just everything easier. You can buy this at Tj Maxx or a store like that usually for a lot cheaper. My pink one was only $20.
Bassinet

Lauren could not stand this thing. Granted, she is sleeping in the picture BUT that picture was taken the day she came home from the hospital. She did suffer from reflux so perhaps this is why she didn't like it.

The beloved swing

I'm sad to say that our swing is retired now but it was fabulous while it lasted. Lauren would sleep for hours in that thing. The only negative is that it ate batteries up like there's no tomorrow. We got rechargeable batteries but I swear I charged those darn things every other day.

Other Must Haves:

• Good smelling bags for stinky diapers. These are at Babies R Us. Best Purchase for the diaper bag E.V.E.R.
• Formula Dispenser. Fabulous if you need formula on the go.
• Car Seat Cover. Great for those chilly winter days.

I could make this post even longer but I'm stopping now. I hope this helped at least 1 person, ha!