10 Must-Have Baby Products ( 1 That Will Save Your Sanity)

10. Swaddle - For babies, especially newborns, who are having trouble sleeping through the night a swaddle is a god-send. Not only will it keep your baby from waking himself up with flailing arms, it will remind him of the comfy, cozy and warm womb where he spent the last 9 months. This is enough to soothe him to sleep and keep him that way!

9. Bottle Sterilizer - This is perhaps my most-often used baby item (and I'm still breastfeeding at 10 months). There are several bottle sterilizers on the market each a little different. Fill it with the recommended amount of water, load in the bottles and put it in the microwave. It's good for not only bottles, but nipples, binkies and breastpump gear. Say good-bye to boiling bottles on the stovetop.

8. Travel Swing - Most new parents get the regular size swing which is fine. But if you don't want to be carrying it up and down the stairs all the time, get a low, travel swing. Boppy makes a great one. It's collapsable, portable, and comfy. I keep mine in the master bedroom and strap my daughter in while I get ready or take a shower. She's still using it at 10 months...meantime the regular size swing is already packed away. (Oh, I should also point out I still haven't changed the batteries in it!!! And that's saying something!)

7. Baby Carrier/Sling- It may seem like a baby product you can do without, but when your baby just wants to be held and your third arm has already been claimed, a baby carrier is perfect. Baby Bjorn is a popular brand if you're looking for a "front baby backpack." There are also lots of variations on baby slings that work well if your baby likes to sleep or nurse while being carried around.

6. High Chair with Extra Seat Cover - When I got my Gracco high chair I thought the extra seat cover was a nice touch. I really added it to my baby registry because it can fold up small enough to fit between my fridge and the wall. Little did I know just how messy a t-1 year old could be! I change the seat cover at least once every two or three days. I throw it in the washer (line dry, never dryer) and slip the spare on. Since I have an extra there's no rush to get it washed before the next meal when it's likely to pick up even more missed baby food.

5. Bundle Me- The Bundle Me is essential if you have even the slightest encounter with winter. Have you ever tried putting a winter coat, a hat, and snow pants on a baby just to go from the house to the car? Then have you tried buckling them in the car seat only to realize your baby needs a diaper change? The Bundle Me will change your life! Imagine the warmest, coziest sleeping bag slipped over your baby's carseat. Just put your baby in the carseat like normal and zip the Bundle Me around them. It totally eliminates the need for a coat or snowsuit.

4. Pack 'n Play Portable Crib - Whether you're going to Grandma's, a hotel or you just need a safe place your baby to play this is the answer! I've used it as a changing table station, playpen (I think that concept was outlawed in 1999, but nonetheless), a portable crib and for sleep training (that's a whole other lens). The best part about it is when you're not using it, it packs up small enough to fit in the bottom of even the smallest closet.

3. Hyland's Teething Tablets - I'm mentioning these by name because they are the only thing that worked when my daughter was teething. Tylenol wasn't strong enough, Orajel got everywhere but the gums and with a Motrin allergy my daughter only found relief with these homeopathic tablets. They're teeny tiny tabs that dissolve on the tongue very quickly.

2. Binky and Binky Leash - The binky goes hand-in-hand with the swaddle. Newborns need to suck and sucking on a binky turns on the calming reflex (read: stop crying). Babies often get so attached to their pacifiers they use them for a year or more (much to the dismay of some parents and the relief of others.) But if you've got the binky (or 5), you need a way to keep them from hitting the ground and that's the binky leash. So for their helpfulness in turning off the crying and soothing babies everywhere to sleep through the night I call the Binky and the Binky leash (never to be used with a sleeping baby) a baby gear must have!

1. The Flip Video Camera - How often do you lug around your palm cam or pull it out when your baby is doing something cute? Not often enough, I bet! I rarely used mine but I wanted to make sure I had home videos of my daughter. So I got the The Flip Video Camera . I use it almost every day. It's the perfect size to throw in my purse or the diaper bag. There's no fumbling around with tapes and loading the video on the computer and emailing Flip video couldn't be easier or faster! You can get a basic Flip camera for under $50 or get more recording space and a higher quality picture for around $200! It's totally worth the money and all the priceless smiles it captures!

BONUS: Baby Einstein DVDs - When all else fails Baby Einstein to the rescue. I highly recommend Baby Einstein: Baby Mozart and Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven. You'll look at these dvds and wonder what in the world is so great about some random dots on the screen and a homemade puppet? Then you'll watch your baby watch them and you'll just say "whatever works!"