My favorite tried and true products!

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

Shows you how to set up good sleep habits for your baby, working with their natural sleep rhythms.

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Teaches you how to turn on an infant's "calming reflex" even if you have a colicky baby.

On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep

This can be a controversial book at times. I don't personally love the idea of super rigid schedules, but it was still extremely helpful to me to see sample schedules for each stage of infancy so I knew what to aim for. I learned SO much about infant sleep and how to troubleshoot sleep issues from this book!

Nicetown Blackout Curtains

These are the only ones I've found where the white curtains actually do an effective job blacking out light. They also have tons of other color options!

Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine, Night Light, and Time-to-Rise

I love that there's an app where you can set up schedules for when it should turn on, off, or change colors. I set the sound machine and a soft, warm glow to automatically turn on at their bedtime. At the time I'm ok with them up playing quietly in their room I set it to change to a blue color (but still the sound machine in case they are still sleeping). And then when they are allowed to go out of the room I change it to a purple color with bird noises to signal it's morning. There's tons of light/sound/color customizations! You can also have other programs set for nap time, etc.

Mirari Ok to Wake Clock

Another simpler, cheaper option. It often goes on sale. It can be plugged in or just use batteries. You can set one time for the morning wake and one nap time wake setting.

Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor

Easy to use infant monitor so you can rest easy knowing you have eyes and ears on the baby all night. I love that you can buy and add on another camera and it will scan between the rooms all night so you will hear if someone is up/crying no matter which room. It's also lightweight with a good picture and night vision.

Marpac Dohm White Noise Machine

A good white noise machine is one of the most important tools you can possibly buy to support your baby (and child!) sleeping. This is one of the all-time most recommended brands. Even my husband and I now love sleeping with one and I sleep much more soundly.

Echo Dot

I use this for everything. "Alexa, play baby shark song!" to keep the toddler amused. "Alexa, how many tablespoons are in 1/8th cup?" while cooking. My 7 year old, who is into writing stories but needs help spelling, asks, "Alexa, how do you spell 'actually'"?

Bentgo Kids Bento-Style Lunch Box

I love these lunch boxes for my kids! They make it easy to pack a lunch without having to use any plastic baggies - great for the environment! They are solid quality and come in super cute designs too!

Zak Designs 16 oz Kids Water Bottle

This is one of our favorite kids water bottles. Easy to throw in the dishwasher and so many cute designs!

Simple Modern Kids Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle

These are great for keeping their water cold for longer and they have countless cute designs!

Secura 7.5-inch Visual Timer

Visual timers can be incredibly helpful with kids and adults alike! We use ours to set expectations of how much playtime is left before getting ready for bed and then to see who can race the clock to get pajamas on before the timer goes off. My husband and I will sometimes set the timer for a quick 15 minute power clean if we are dragging our feet. So many uses!

Retract-a-Gate by Smart Retract

There's lots of retractable baby gates out there but there's mixed reviews on the durability of the cheaper options. This is worth the money! We've had ours for four years and it has put up with four kids plus a golden retriever who always jumps on it, trying to knock it down. It is tough! I love that when it's closed/retracted, most friends don't even realize we have a baby gate there until we open it. There's three color options and two sizes. You can also buy extra wall attachments so you can move it around your house to another location easily or at a family member's house when you visit.

ChooMee Reusable Food Pouches with 2 SoftSip Pouch Tops

These save SO much money! Buy a big jar of applesauce or yogurt and put in these pouches for each on-the-go snacks. It doesn't hurt that they are super cute too! I love the pouch tops that have a flow-control valve to help prevent spills with your littlest of littles. Then you can remove that part for older kids.

Boon Sprig Countertop Drying Rack

This worked great for bottles and now it's working great for sippy cups! Ours are never completely dry after the dishwasher so we put them on this to finish drying. If something has to be sitting out on my countertop it needs to look cute!

3-Pack Recycled Milk Jug, BPA-free Plates

These are by far our favorite plates! Super sturdy (5 years and counting, still going strong) and I love the divided sections on them. Lots of color options to choose from. Occasionally you can find them cheaper at Target or Walmart but obviously there's more color options online if you're picky like me about aesthetics!

Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Reusable, washable cloths to clean up all your kids' messes as well as cleaning around the house. Need I say more? This was life-changing for me and I very quickly recouped the cost that I would have spent on paper towels. Two years later and they are still going strong!

Mifold Grab-and-Go Booster Seat

This folds up super small and lightweight! I can fit it in my purse. We always bring these while traveling for my older kids so we don't have to carry bulky carseats seats through the airport. It is just as safe as other seats as long as you install and use it correctly! Approved for use worldwide other than Australia and Taiwan. Ages 4+, 40-100 lbs, and 40-59 in tall.

Pro Packing Cubes - Suitcase Organizer Set

These were game-changing for us. They have lots of different color options but if you have multiple kids, get a variety of colors so you can assign a different color to each kid's clothes! Then if they are staying in different rooms you can just grab their pack and put where it needs to go. Keeps everything organized and helps you fit even more into your suitcase!

Yogasleep Hushh Portable White Noise Machine

This tiny (3.5'') white noise machine is great for traveling or to put in your stroller for on-the-go naps! It is USB rechargable. There's 3 sounds plus a night light. It can last 6 hours on a single charge so it's great for errands, but bring the charger to plug it in if using overnight while traveling.

Foldable Travel Potty with Travel Bag

This was super helpful while potty training our kids. It folds up small into a bag so it can fit in your diaper bag or purse. The parts that touch the toilet fold in so it isn't even touching the travel bag which makes it easy to wait until you get home to clean it fully.

Melissa & Doug Water Wow!

These are one of our favorite traveling activities. It's mess-free since it just uses a bit of water inside the brush. It air-dries so your kid can reuse it as many times as they want.

Disposable Stick-on Placemats

These are great to put down for babies at a restaurant table so you have a clean surface for them to eat on. Wrap it over the edge for babies who like to chew on tables. For older kids its great for putting on airplane tray tables or picnic tables at the park if you don't want to bring plates.