Sometimes I think about the times when our parents raised us. While there are certain downsides to all the gadgets available now as aids for new parents, I can’t imagine how they managed to live, work, and not be completely exhausted.
My first child was born almost 12 years ago, in 2012. Back then, there wasn’t much information or kids’ stuff available on the internet. We relied on word-of-mouth advice from old-school forums about “how-to” and “where-to.”
Today, the number of gadgets and innovations in this field is overwhelming. Personally, I’m a big fan of videos where people showcase their Amazon purchases and review them. That’s why I decided to share my list of favorite essentials—nothing fancy or expensive, just things that have proven useful with my kids.
With each new child, I discover more advanced items. For instance, my favorite rocker can be attached to a stroller or bed, gently rocking the baby while I work or take care of other tasks. My little one absolutely loves it.
Rockers: Sleepy Troll and Rockit – which one is better?
We have two rockers: the Sleepy Troll and the Rockit. Each serves a different purpose.
Let’s dive into the details of the Sleepy Troll first.
The Sleepy Troll has two modes that the Rockit doesn’t offer: the “On” mode, where it rocks for 40 minutes after you turn it on and then automatically switches off, and the “sensor mode”. In sensor mode, it remains on standby and starts rocking when it detects motion or sounds from the baby. This feature is particularly useful during nighttime, because in sensor mode it rocks just for 3 minutes and goes off again. When stroller or bed is in motion all the time it does not allow baby to go into deep sleep usually and baby doesn’t sleep good. You can compare it with moments when you fall asleep in the car/bus and you never wake up rested.
We have a side bed next to ours, where I can attach the rocker. Its round frame allows us to slide the soft wall slightly to hang Sleepy Troll, eliminating the need for extra adapters like those required for a regular baby bed. When the baby makes a sound, the Sleepy Troll gently rocks him back to sleep. The battery lasts for about 4-5 hours, and it charges in just minutes. I usually plug it in while feeding or changing the baby at night.
Downsides of Sleepy Troll:
However, there are downsides to this rocker. It must hang strictly vertically, and the “On” mode runs for 40 minutes. Sometimes during the day, my little one sleeps lightly and needs continuous rocking. If I miss the window to restart the rocker, he won’t transition into the second sleep cycle and ends up sleeping only 40-45 minutes instead of the usual 1.5-2 hours.
Second thing that I found very annoying is charging port. There is a lock that covers charging port, and when you close it, it’s impossible to open it without thin nails. My husband can and I can not with my shellac on my nails, need to use knife or something thin to help me. But it’s not critical, I just keep this lock open at all times, since machine is hanging on the bed permanently.
We could not use it on both our stroller unfortunately, because it can be only hanging on the handle itself, but I didn’t like it, because it takes much space and makes driving of the stroller uncomfortable.
Also, compare to Rockit, Sleepy Troll is more expensive. Machine itself at 149$ on official webpage. Plus adapter for crib at 55$ for bundle and you can’t buy it on Amazon.
Now, let’s talk about the Rockit.
Rock It we use with a stroller, since the Sleepy Troll could not be installed on the side. This one has a different hanging mechanism and can be attached to any stroller. When you turn it on, it keeps working for 60 minutes, it’s 20 min more than Sleepy Troll does.
And as a big plus – you can adjust intensity of rocking on the Rockit machine with a roll on the bottom, something you can’t do with Sleepy Troll.
Battery last pretty long time, I’m not sure how long, because we never run out of it while we was outside strolling. I mostly turn it on when I need free hands instead of rocking my little one, for example to play with my older boys on playground or sitting down in a caffe and having lunch or coffee.
Lastly price of Rockit of course is half time of what Sleepy Troll costs.
Honest review on Ingenuity baby swing
One more thing that my third son absolutely loved, which gave me free hands and plenty of time when he was between two and seven months old, is our lovely swing with vibration from Ingenuity.
This swing is multidirectional and can swing both forward and backward, as well as rock side-to-side. This versatility is great because Nico, my 3-year-old boy, loved the forward and backward motion, while Toni now prefers the side-to-side rocking. What’s even more important for me is the vibration option. Nico used to have belly pain, and the gentle vibration from the swing actually calmed him a lot. Thanks to this swing, I was able to work uninterrupted for 4-5 hours a day when he was just 2 months old. He would fall asleep in it like a charm.
In general, this swing is easy to assemble and has six speeds for swinging. It operates using a cable. However, keep in mind that for the vibration feature, you’ll need two large batteries, and it has a manual switch for turning it on and off. Be sure to switch it off when you take the baby out; otherwise, it will drain the batteries.
Some significant advantages of this swing include a timer with options for 30, 45, and 60 minutes, white noise as a sound option, and a variety of melodies and sounds. The seat pad is washable, and you can easily pop off the seat to use it as a rocker separately from the base. Additionally, you can replace the hanging toys with ones you prefer, as the original toys that come with the chair can be a bit dull. The price for the color we have (for some reason) is $119 on Amazon.com, while other colors are priced at $99. Compared to other swings, this one is a bit pricey, but it will provide you with plenty of hands-free time!
Best swaddle for big newborn?
Two of my boys also couldn’t sleep without a good swaddle. Of course, you need to assess whether your baby needs it. But two out of our four children were scaring themselves during the first two months with their own arms while sleeping. So, I had to use swaddles and sleeping bags to get some rest at night and some work done during day. Now, my six-weeks-old baby sleeps for a straight 5 hours when swaddled at night.
When it comes to swaddles, I’ve tested most of them with all of my kids. I firmly believe that a swaddled baby is calmer and happier. Until a baby is 2 months old, swaddling is just a bonus. I started with ordinary blankets 12 years ago, then moved on to swaddles with Velcro and swaddle sacks. My last boy is big and strong, and by 4 weeks, his arms could escape from pretty much everything—except for this Woombie swaddle with a zipper (on pictures). It’s our absolute favorite by far. I love the material, appreciate the double zipper for easy diaper changes, and am thrilled that my boy can move his arms freely inside it. At the same time, he can’t startle himself in his sleep. Plus, the price is very reasonable.
The only thing to bear in mind is the size. I’m unsure how small the “0-3 month” size is because my 6-week-old is currently in the “3-6 month” size that I bought, thinking it would last a bit into the future. So if you have a big baby like mine (he was born at 4.2 kg and now weighs 5.8 kg at 6 weeks old), it’s better to go for the 3-6 month size right away. At least with Woombie “Dream On” model as we have.
Baby Bjorn Move carrier – is it worth the money?
Let’s talk about the Baby Bjorn carrier, specifically the model called “Move.” I’m in love with how it’s designed—you put it on yourself first, close it in front, and then slide the baby in. As a bonus, this carrier has a mesh material option that’s perfect for summer. Not once have I noticed my baby sweating in it. I should say that Pappa is absolutely loving to carry our newborn in that.
Nevertheless, Toni doesn’t want to be carried in any other carriers. For comparison, we have the Manduca carrier (which, by the way, has amazing quality—I’ve had it for 11 years and used it with all three kids) and the Ergo Baby Aura wrap. Initially, I thought I would use the wrap at home, but Toni simply didn’t like sitting in it. The wrap, I found, is super impractical and time-consuming to put on yourself. In contrast, the Baby Bjorn takes just 5 seconds to clip together. Starting from 3 months old, you can turn the baby around, which dads love to do a lot. Our Pappa can’t wait to try it.
Humidifier for better baby sleep
Now, onto last essential item for us: the humidifier. When Antonio was born, around the second week of his life, he started having a stuffy nose at 3-4 am every night. He wouldn’t nurse and would wake up crying. After some research, I discovered that it wasn’t due to cold or any illness—it was a physiological process of adaptation that babies go through. The big help during that period was maintaining the bedroom air humidity at 50-60%. Once I started using the humidifier, the problem was completely solved on the same night. Later, I noticed that when the air wasn’t humid enough, he’d experience a clogged nose again. We have this model, good value for the money. It has timer for 2, 4 and 8 hours and also nice ambient lighting.
PS: This article was written while Sleepy troll rocks my little one in bed 🙂
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Maria Markes 