My Ride or Die Baby Products (so far):

I know I'm new to this whole Mom gig, but it didn't take long for me to figure out what I liked, and what I didn't, when it comes to baby things. There is a big long list of things I still "need" and an even longer one of things I can't wait to try, but here's what's working for us so well since Maylin was born:

PUJ TUB | in looking for a baby bath, everything seemed SO BIG and SO BULKY and I was already so annoyed that babies seem to need about 25 giant contraptions that all do different things and none of them compact, and I was going to have to stub my toes on all of them for the rest of my life. so getting the puj tub meant i had at least one less thing to trip over around the house.

The puj tub fits in virtually any sink, and we've given May baths in every sink in the house, but we prefer to use it in the kitchen sink because 1) it's the biggest sink, so we can angle the tub to whatever is best for Maylin, and our kitchen sink has an extendable sprayer nozzle, which is the greatest trick for giving a baby a bath! It makes it all so easy. The tub also stores flat, so we hung a command hook in the back of the shower and hang it on the wall. Super easy to use, and I know we'll be able to use it until she grows out of it, and for future kids, too! It will last forever, and she seems to love it!

HONEST SHAMPOO & BODY WASH | I am so in love with the smell of this shampoo! It's so subtle and mild, and SO gentle. Giving a baby a bath is so tricky, and May has ended up with soap in her eyes more times then I'd admit to, but she never minds at all, because it's so gentle and I'm always able to rinse it out without bothering her one bit. I got a bunch of this at a baby shower, and learned they sell it at Costco! I'm pretty sure I have a lifetime supply, and I'm so okay with that. I am dying to try Tubby Todd next though! I keep hearing great things! Also worth noting: If we're giving her a bath before a nap or before bed, we always use the Johnson's bedtime relaxing lavender one. It smells SO GOOD and seems to actually work. She always sleeps well when we use this!

EDGEHILL COLLECTION BLANKET | One of Devin's bosses and his wife gave us this blanket as a gift, and I had never heard of the brand or anything, but this is hands down my favorite blanket for Maylin. Forever and always. It's my true love. It's stretchy knit, not too thick, but not too thin, either. It's so perfect. After searching online, I found them at Dillard's! I'm not kidding when I say this is the best blanket ever. Devin is constantly razzing me about how many baby blankets we have and I just keep using the same one over and over, but so often, I need something thicker than a swaddle and thinner than a quilt, and this blanket perfectly fits the bill. It's so soft and a great size, too! I think I will buy one for every baby we have, plus all the babies everyone I know has. Because it's just that great.

JOHNSON'S BABY LOTION | Yes, the classic pink bottle! I used this lotion on myself for years and couldn't wait to have a baby to use it on, and now I do! This lotion is such a classic baby thing to me, and I love the smell SO MUCH. I think I mostly love it just because I imagined having a real baby to use baby lotion on for oh, I don't know my whole life, and now I DO! It's a staple.

DIAPER BAG DISPENSER | These are the greatest invention ever. We've been using bags like this for years, because we have a dog and like to be responsible dog owners and pick up after him, so we've always had the version they sell at pet stores stocked in our glove boxes, but these ones are *deodorizing* and perfect for throwing dirty diapers in if you can't get to a garbage can right away (like a long car ride). It's also great when your baby has a blow out or makes some other giant mess on their clothes. I cringe at the thought of putting those soiled clothes in the diaper bag to just make a mess on everything else in there, so I love being able to throw them in this bag, and take it straight to the washer when we get home! So convenient. They're cheap, too.

MAM PACIFIERS | We are still working on getting Maylin to take a binky - it's really hit and miss, and she seems to take any binky, but does best with the Mam ones! I don't know enough about pacifiers to know why she prefers it over the soothies, or avent pacifiers we have, but we will be stocking up on these ones once she starts taking a binky more regularly because she does so well with them! I am anxious, though, to try a wubbanub. I totally see the need to have something weighted on the binky to keep it in her mouth!

BABY AQUAPHOR | for everything, always. ie: chapped lips, scratches from those razor sharp finger nails, and everything in between. My sisters both rave about aquaphor and use it on themselves all the time, so I wasn't surprised when they both recommended the baby version to me when I complained about Maylin's chapped lips. A little goes a long way, and I love having a product that will last! I've started putting it on my lips every night before bed (this winter has been a beast to my skin!!) and it's made a noticeable difference!

ROTUNDA DIAPER BAG | After hearing complaints from other girls about their diaper bags being too narrow, I took a look at my Rotunda and started to worry I had made a mistake, but I have been so pleasantly surprised! I love the look of the bag and I love that it doesn't scream "diaper bag" when you see it. It's so cute and there is so much room! My favorite thing to do before leaving the house is pack Maylin's diaper bag and all the pockets (there are EIGHT compartments!) make it so easy to be organized. I can reach in the bag without looking and get exactly what I need! Little Unicorn is debuting this bag in new colors later this month (I think?), and they are also launching a few new bags and I think I may need another! I still have my eye on the Fawn Design backpack though! I don't think there's anything wrong with having a few diaper bags to switch off between whenever you feel like it, or depending on what you're doing! Another hack: I think I've completely made up my mind to get another Little Unicorn diaper bag (possibly the Rotunda again, just a different color) to be my new temple bag! Think about it - aren't I brilliant?!

STROLLER | I am in love with my stroller. It's the Graco FastAction Jogger Click Connect. It is the greatest thing we've purchased, I think! I love any chance to use it! I really wanted a jogger style stroller, because I wanted it to have bigger wheels, so we could take it with us "off roading" since we spend so much time outside. It made sense to have something that would be easy to push on grass, or a dirt road/trail. And that's exactly what we got! It rides so smooth, it folds up and has a kick stand, it has a huge storage space under the seat, and 2 cup holders for me (that was a must!). My only complaint is the phone dock! I think this was the most brilliant idea to have a dock between the cup holders for a phone, but it's too small for my iPhone 6s! (it fits an iPhone 5 like a glove, though) I'm just crossing my fingers they will release a bigger one and I can buy the attachment and replace the one I have now that's too small! The stroller brakes are so easy to use, and I love that you can lock or unlock the front wheel for stabilization. Maylin loves movement, so she's a huge fan of riding in the stroller, and I know this thing will last us forever! The one con: even though it folds up, it is still huge. It takes up almost the entire cargo of my jeep, and I would be surprised if it fit in the trunk of our Mazda, even without anything else in there!

NURSING COVER | These multi-use covers are such a popular product right now, so I'm sure everyone has heard of them, but I love that I can bring ONE thing with me that works as a carseat cover, nursing cover, and shopping car cover. Maylin isn't big enough to sit in a shopping cart yet, obviously, so we don't use it that way right now, but as a car seat and nursing cover, I couldn't ask for more! Mine is from Covered Goods (all the brands seem virtually the same, though). They have a bunch of cute patterns, that are mostly neutral, which I love. It was hard to find anything with a simple, modern design elsewhere. I love the light, jersey knit fabric! It's warm enough to block out the cold weather and wind, but totally breathable for May. I love being able to throw it on the carseat to keep strangers at bay, and I love that it's so stretchy and I can pull it down to peek on her! My favorite use by far is as a nursing cover, though! Maylin is only three months old, so while I feel solid about breastfeeding at home, where I don't need to cover up, I still stress out a little about nursing in public. Have a full 360 degrees of coverage makes it SO much easier. I am not very graceful with breastfeeding, I wouldn't say, so it's nice to not have to worry about anyone getting an eyeful if they are at the right (wrong?) angle. I feel so much more comfortable than I would if I just have a canopy style cover that only went over the front!

ROCK N PLAY | I was hesitant to get on board with this rocker at first, and I honestly don't know why. I had my my eye on the 4moms mamaroo, but it was so unrealistic for us to buy a bassinet for sleeping, and a swing or rocker for during the day. Maylin sleeps in the rock n play every night and takes at least half of her naps in it (she naps in our bed, laying on my chest, or in our arms, and even sometimes in the crib). I love how easy it is to drag around the house, so she can come with me wherever I am! We've also folded it up and taken it to Grandma's, which is so convenient! The styles are sometimes pretty bad, but they have a lot of cute ones too, and while I know Maylin would love something like a mamaroo that has motion, she still has no problems with the rock n play. It has a vibration setting, and I can't tell if she likes it or not, but it's such a nice feature to have, and she literally exists in this thing. We couldn't live without it.

OLD NAVY SOCKS | Baby socks are the world's biggest joke. They are the tiniest article of clothing in the world, and I can't believe we haven't lost any yet, but they are also notorious for not staying on baby's feet. That's where Old Navy comes in. Their socks are thicker and more fitted and they really do stay on Maylin's feet! I'd be lying if I said I never had to adjust or tug at them, because I still do, but only sometimes, and they have never once fallen off. Plus, they always come in the cutest prints because Old Navy is the best. We bought these exact socks in 0-3, and went back and bought them in 3-6 as well to use as her feet grow!

HAPPINESS LIVES HERE HEADBANDS | I love baby headbands as much as the next mom, and I quickly found a favorite. I gathered headbands for months while I was pregnant, and eventually ended up winning a giveaway from HLH's etsy shop. I got I think 8 different headbands and They are my FAVORITE. I know the big trend right now is nylon bands because they are stretchy and one size fits all, but they still manage to leave a dent in May's head, and I don't like how the nylon curls, plus I don't think every bow looks cute with a tan elastic band! I'm not crazy about them. Enter: Happiness Lives Here. The elastic they use is SO SOFT and get this: EVERY HEADBAND IS ADJUSTABLE. It's a little tricky to get the size right (we find Maylin with the headband over her eyes sometimes, haha!) but they are never too tight, and they will fit for AGES. I love the felt boy style, and have several colors in both sizes. I plan on going back and buying her entire collection (all 20 colors in the same style bow) because I love them that much. Her bow is such a simple classic style and I will never get sick of it! These are the best. My problem: the shop seems to go "on vacation" a lot as she catches up on orders, which is a little annoying, but not a deal breaker. I mean, I can't imagine having a headband emergency.

EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY NIPPLE CREAM | I was given this nipple cream, and I'm SO GLAD I WAS, because I don't think I would have ever bought it myself. When I first opened up the bottle, I thought it was so weird and gross, but it smelled so good and it's my favorite, favorite cream. It's so gentle, and since it's oil based, it breaks down and really absorbs into the skin instead of just laying on top. I love the Lansinoh lanolin because I feel like it's heavy duty, but it's so tacky and thick that it's sometimes hard to use. Honorable mention: The Medela Tender Care Lanolin - it's the perfect middle ground.

LACTATION LINK BREASTFEEDING BASICS CLASS | The number one reason I have been successful at breastfeeding. You can read more about why I loved this class so much here.

GIRLIE GLUE | Maylin has a little hair, but not much, so I love sticking bow on her head that aren't attached to a headband. I don't do this as much now that she's getting older and starting to use her hands more, but this was definitely my favorite bow option when she was a newborn and her head was too small for headbands (and too small proportionally for the adjustable ones). Girlie glue is all natural, super gentle and lasts all day long. It wipes off easy with a baby wipe, and doesn't make a huge mess! It's made out of corn syrup, sugar and agave nectar - that's it!

OLD NAVY & CARTER'S CLOTHES | Target is too hit & miss, but when their $5 stuff is good, it's so good. In fact, that $5 section is where I've found all my favorite baby leggings for Maylin! (I shop the girls and boys sides). Old Navy and Carter's are my favorite places to get clothes, but I have never once paid full price. Carter's is always having a sale, and you can find coupon codes for both stores 100% of the time online. Also, I know spam emails are a pain, but if you sign up for their email lists, it's worth it to get the discount codes! I have shopped H&M a bunch of times, but have never come away with any clothes I really truly loved (but by the looks of it, that will change once we graduate to toddler sizes). I just feel like Old Navy & Carter's both have cute clothes that are totally my style, lots of options, good sales, and good fit. They are my go-to's!