Tools of the trade

A friend emailed me to ask about Sophie the Giraffe from my last post, so I thought I'd dish a bit about the "tools of the trade": the essentials that I use everyday!

1. Ergo carrier - The Ergo Baby carrier is a recent addition to my mom arsenal, but it has quickly become my favorite! I haven't had back or shoulder pain (which I've gotten from other baby carriers, including the Bjorn and a sling) and it's way less work than wrapping myself with a Moby wrap. (Loved the concept of the Moby but just couldn't get it to work for me...) Joseph loves being held, and with the Ergo I can strap him (carefully!) onto my back and do housework, walk, or just bounce around with him.
2. Singing monkey toy - This has been one of Joseph's favorite toys since birth. We strapped it onto his carrier car seat, and now when we put him in his "big boy" car seat we still play it for him. Even if he's grumpy the music and lights make him smile!
3. "Crinkly" baby books - Another all-time favorite. These are great for traveling because they have handles that can be attached with links or straps so they don't get lost. Joseph also loves to teeth on these!
4. Baby banana toothbrush - Brushing teeth doesn't sound like fun, but we make it fun with this toothbrush (no toothpaste needed yet... although at the rate he's teething we may need to start using it!) and mommy's fun toothbrush song (which I may release as a CD sometime soon... keep your eyes peeled haha). Joseph also likes to chew on this as it's more like a teether than a brush.
5. Planet Wise wet bags - For the cloth diaperer, an essential. These bags keep the diapers ready for washing, and I haven't noticed too many problems with smell (although if they aren't zipped all the way some odors do emerge!). These also could be used for dirty laundry if you're not into cloth diapers.
6. Grandma El's diaper rash cream - The best diaper rash/prevention cream we've used to date. It is safe for cloth diaper usage (shouldn't use traditional diaper rash creams with cloth as the zinc oxide and other chemicals can cause the diapers not to absorb as well), smells good, and is more natural so baby doesn't have a ton of chemicals on his booty!
7. Roobeez baby shoes - Love these! Lose the baby socks (you will lose them anyway!) and go for Roobeez or Bobux - you won't regret it! They stay on all day and allow Joseph to use his toes for gripping/learning to walk while providing protection against the environment. Plus, they are pretty darn cute!
8. Tommy Tippee bottles - The only bottle Joseph liked enough to use. We also saw a decrease in gas (and the associated spit-up) with these.
9. Infant tylenol. 'Nough said. I don't advocate drugging children, but some days this is all that will help my teething guy.
10. Fuzzibunz one-size diapers - I know I've raved about these before, but it's true: they rock! They are so easy to use and it's pretty rare to have a leak and even rare-r to have a blowout. (I don't think we've had a blowout since before starting solids!)

As Joseph continues to grow I'm sure our "must-haves" will grow with him, but for right now this is where we're at! Anyone else have any tools of the trade to share?