I post for Chrissie whose head is spinning a bit.

So this post is dedicated to my dear friend/ maid of honor in my wedding Chrissie who I love even though she had the audacity to move to the West Coast. She is currently expecting her first baby and trying to figure out what she needs.

So Chrissie let me start by saying what you've heard a million times. All babies are so different that no matter what people tell you including me there are no baby products that are miraculous for all babies. That said here are my comments on some common ones and the short list of best loved.

Common ones
Vibrators: We had the Ocean Weaves one for Elijah. Used it some mostly so he could watch baby Einstein DVDs (yes I'm the kind of person who put her baby in front of the TV again with the mother of the year campaign) he didn't love it then we put it in the attic and it got nasty so we threw it away before we moved. Emily has the boppey 2 position one it looks comfy and was a good place to put her down when she was little. This is totally something I would borrow or get used unless someone buys it for you.

Swings: We borrowed both times. Neither baby loved them. Some do though.

Things WE have really liked

The Miracle Blanket: Not the swaddle blankets they sell everywhere. This one has littler arm shackles, a leg area, and is near impossible to get out of. Seriously we paid for 2 day shipping for this thing when she started getting out of her regular blankets and it was $40 well spent. She slept in it till she moved to her crib.
http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm

The Amby but you know that already

I love all my baby carriers but I'll post about those separately as that is a different topic.
Neil says beer and wine.

I like Northern Essence Diaper Salve.

Gosh truth be told we (Neil and I ) can't think of much me love. Really we've got so much gear but nothing that makes me think gosh I couldn't live without it except the carriers. We have a swing, a saucer (both borrowed), a jump and play, a swat gym (both kids have liked those a lot for about 2 months), a changing table and so on. Emily mostly likes to play with empty propel bottles and random plastic stuff. She's also a big fan of wadding up junk mail as was Elijah. So I guess my list isn't that helpful but I guess my advice is get some stuff that looks cool and have a go with it. Angela and I agree that our fav baby book is The Baby Owners Manuel and I really liked The Girlfriend Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood. Have fun shopping. Wish I could come to your shower.