Sanity

Clearly people have been parenting for centuries; I just don’t know how parents did it before all these awesome baby products came along. Sure, things like car seats and strollers keep children safe, but I’m talking about the products you really can’t live without. The ones that make parenting much easier! Here we go:

Exersaucers and jumpers: a must have for all parents and children. It helps babies develop their fine and gross motor skills while visually stimulating them. But the real perk is that it offers endless entertainment to your baby so you can get things done! Whether it’s cleaning, doing laundry or catching up on your DVR, just place your baby in a jumper and he/she is occupied while you do what you have to do.

The Bumbo: if you are a parent or soon to be parent and don’t have a Bumbo, get one. It is perfect to carry with you as oppose to high chairs or other big bulky seats. Babies sit upright in a Bumbo and it has a tray which is perfect for feedings or for toys. If you travel a lot with your kids and they are too little for a high chair then bring the Bumbo, it is much easier to transport!

Video monitor: I am a paranoid mess with both of my children. I have to constantly make sure they are still breathing and ok in their cribs. Luckily for me, we have a video monitor so instead of walking into the baby’s room and risking him/her waking up, I am able to watch them for hours to make sure they are still alive! (I really hope I’m not the only person who does this!!)

Mommy hook: a very practical hook that goes onto the stroller so you can have the diaper bag completely accessible at all times. If you put the diaper bag or your purse in the stroller basket, it might be difficult to get to sometimes, especially if you are out and continuously putting other bags on top. The Mommy Hook avoids this by keeping your bag out and hanging on the stroller.

And finally, drum roll please. The greatest and I do mean GREATEST invention ever for children…the Portable DVD player: aahh, the saving grace. The only way I could grasp sanity on long car rides. I remember when my brother first got his kids a portable DVD player for the car. I was in my mid 20’s and so naïve. I asked, “why the hell are you getting them a DVD player? They don’t need one,” and his very wise and very patient response was, “it’s not for them, it’s for me”. I remember thinking he was an idiot and not understanding why he couldn’t just entertain his children in the car while they went on a trip. Then I had Mikey. From the moment his little butt touched his car seat, he would let out continuous howls and let you know that he was not at all pleased about being there. One time I was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike in the pouring rain and Mikey cried the entire time. It was a 2 hour drive and he screamed all but the last 20 minutes. The minute he got into a forward facing car seat, we got him a portable DVD player. Thanks to this device and hours of The Wiggles, travelling with my son wasn’t a death sentence. Today he is much better, but I would have never survived the second year of driving with him had it not been for the DVD player.

There you have it. The baby products (and not so baby products) that have made parenting a lot easier in the Smith household.