My Top Baby Products (in no particular order)

Last night I was solo parenting. K is on a business trip until Wednesday night and M is at her grandparents. So it was just me and little Z. This meant I had a HUGE chunk of time to focus on nothing in particular after Z went to bed at 7:00pm.

Did I...
a) reorganize the living room closet as I'd planned?
b) clean the kitchen and unload the dishwasher as I'd planned?
c) read a few chapters of the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market book as I'd planned?
d) sit on my ass and surf the internet

Take a wild guess.

Anyway, I started thinking about a friend who is relocating back to the states with her husband and two kids in a few months. They've been living in Paris for the past few years and decided, after the arrival of kid #2, that it was time to return to the mother ship for the additional support of family and friends.

N sent me an email last week asking for advice on baby products. She had both her kids in France and so is completely out of the loop in terms of what brands are good (and not so good). I decided to throw a quick list together here. And if you know of a product you highly recommend (cost doesn't have to be an issue), please toss it in the comment section.

Baby Formula
Yes, I know "breast is best." I'm not here to lure unwitting mothers to the dark side. However, some moms choose to stop breast feeding at some point before their child's first birthday. And when they do, they need to find a high-quality formula. If this sounds like you, allow me to recommend Baby's Only by Nature's One. I researched the hell out of formulas before M was born (in the event that the whole breast feeding thing didn't pan out as planned....and it didn't). I knew whatever I used had to be a) organic b) relatively easy to find c) made of the highest quality ingredients out there and d) stay on top of the latest and greatest infant nutrition requirements. After looking at a variety of other organic formulas, this one made the grade. Trust me when I say it rocks. It comes in three varieties: dairy, lactose-free dairy, and soy. Like mainstream formulas, it has DHA and RHA included. And if you want to give your child an added immune boost, similar to what he/she might get with breast milk, Nature's One also carries separate "Probiotic" packs to add to the bottles as needed.
CONS: This is not the cheapest formula around. It's available at Whole Foods for a pretty penny. You can typically get it cheaper by ordering it in bulk direct from the manufacturer's website.

Baby Food
Of course the best (and cheapest) baby food to give your child is the kind you make yourself using fresh fruits and veggies. However it's just not always possible. I made most of M's baby food myself from scratch. I resolved to do the same for Z. But after a few false starts, I decided to hell with it. I made my way to Whole Foods and began supplementing my home baby food with frozen stuff. Some brands are regional only....and some are found nation-wide. The best nation-wide brands I've found are:
Tasty Baby
Plum Organics
Happy Baby
Happy Baby and Plum Organics do more than frozen baby food. They also make frozen toddler food, baby cereals, and baby snacks. You can find some of the Happy Baby cereal and snack products at most Target stores and Babies R' Us. You can also order Tasty Baby in bulk at Amazon.com.

Bottles
Unless you've been living underground, you have likely heard the news about bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastics and how it's unsafe for young children. Thankfully, there are a ton of bottles out there without BPA. My favorite is the Born Free brand. You can buy these in plastic or glass and they offer "staged" nipples depending on the age of your child. They are available with other Born Free products at Whole Foods and Babies R' Us. But do yourself a favor and don't bother buying the Born Free trainer cups. They REALLY suck. Instead, I recommend SIGG or Foogo by Thermos (available online, at Whole Foods, and sometimes at Target).

Diapers
I like the idea of cloth, really I do. But I can't be bothered. However I still have a conscience. So in order to make myself feel less guilty, I tracked down and tested every brand of "eco" diaper I could find. Many of them are too expensive (Seventh Generation), some of them just aren't that great (Huggies Pure and Natural), a few are relatively inexpensive and do the trick just fine (Whole Food's 365-brand, Earth's Best), and one really did not work...though I liked the idea (G-Diapers). Then I found Nature's Babycare. These frigging ROCK. They are incredibly durable, soft, and--if they carry them at your local Target or Babies R' Us--affordable. This brand, like most others mentioned above, also carries wipes (unscented and lightly fragranced), pull-ups, and soaps/lotions.

Baby Body Products
When I first had M, I was all about the fragrance when I'd buy baby lotions and soaps. After I took some time to educate myself here, I quickly changed my tune. Now I generally purchase fragrance- and dye-free soaps and lotions. My favorites are California Baby (we use their sensitive skin shampoo, conditioner, and sunscreen), Nature's Baby Organics, and Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion (fragrance free). Unlike a lot of "natural" products, these work well and won't cost you an arm and a leg. All are usually available at Target or Babies R' Us.

That's it for now. If you have anything to contribute to the list (doesn't have to be organic...as long as it's good quality and works well), please do.