Best Baby Brands to Stick With.

We've all felt that mix of guilt and disloyalty when wearing Nike shoes and Under Armor shorts or sipping a Starbucks latte while shoving a Dunkin Donut in our mouths. While baby gear tends to have about a million different options for every item your favorite influencer told you was a must-have, there are some brands out there that just stand the test of...well, babies!

While everything in this post is 100% and totally my opinion, I feel like many moms would agree with me here. The most confusing part of making a baby registry as a first time mom is trying to taper down all the suggestions into a list of things you actually need and don't mind asking others to buy you. I watched about 1,000 "Baby Registry Must Have" videos and read about 1,000 more articles while trying to get my registry together for the arrival of baby Jack. My biggest struggle was my unhealthy relationship with product reviews. Don't act like you don't know what I mean. That YouTuber swore by it, but that lady in Michigan only gave it one star and brought up a really good point about a situation you will most likely never encounter. But who am I to disregard a real life anecdote? What if I buy it and that one in a million, completely random, and insanely specific scenario happens to me? Yeah, I have toxic review behavior.

Anyway, there are some one-off products where one brand just nailed it above the others. However, most of the time, each brand has its own version of a product and, regardless of the hundreds of reviews swearing one is better than the others, they're all basically the same. For people like me who obsess over decisions, this doesn't bode well. So, my recommendation is to find brands you like and practice a little faith. There are many great baby brands out there. There are many products I love that aren't from the brands I'll mention here, but here are a few brands that I've found I can always trust to be good quality, a great price, and pretty cute to boot.

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Frida

The Frida brand has gifted us with some exceptional products ranging from baby gear to postpartum care for mom.

Frida Mom

As a first time mom without experience or context for what postpartum would be like, I honestly didn't think much about it before delivery day. It's so easy to get swept up in making sure the nursery is ready and you've read every book on how to change a diaper, but totally disregard how you'll be feeling as a mom when you come home for the first time.

I was obviously set up in the hospital with the standard mesh underwear, giant pads, and witchhazel like they give to every new mom. It all worked fine and I was used to the process by the time we were sent home. I was given the Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit at one of my showers from a friend who'd just had a baby. It was one of those things I smiled and thanked her for, but didn't really appreciate until I was crying in the shower over how uncomfortable I was. We've all been there...right? I took home a ton of supplies they gave me at the hospital and honestly didn't think there was much point in cracking open a fancy box full of more of the supplies I already had. I was so so wrong.

The moment I used the Frida Peri bottle alone the difference become glaringly clear. Frida Mom was clearly created by moms who'd been there. They'd been in the pain and discomfort as they healed and decided to make products geared right at making that tough time a little easier. Their products were easier to layer in the ole' postpartum sub sandwhich because they combined many of the elements. They worked better and were more comfortable. All around, it was just comforting to use a product that you could feel the care behind.

Above it all, the kit comes in a really convenient little caddy so you can have everything organized and within reach.

Frida Baby

There's an endless list of products from Frida Baby that I could recommend. The main reason they're on my list of brands to trust is just because they were clearly made by moms, for moms. Much like their products for mothers, Frida's baby products all seem to improve on basic baby essentials we all look for. From medical supplies to gear, they make thoughtful and effective products.

While I would trust anything from Frida, here are a few specific items we use and love:

1) Snotsucker

2) Breathe Easy Kit

3) Grow With Me Bathtub

Cloud Island By Target

I may be biased here by how darn cute my little man looked in all their onsies, but I am proudly claiming that bias. But it isn't just the sleepers that I'm partial to. It really happened over time. As I used more items of all different brands, like burp clothes, crib sheets, and clothes, I started to realize that all my favorites happened to be the Cloud Island brand.

All their products have a cottony softness that makes you feel good about using them on a baby's sensitive skin. The sleepers have a reversed zipper, letting you unzip just the bottom half for those late night diaper changes. The burp clothes are soft but durable. Their products aren't anything innovative, they're just a reliably consistent and cute across the board.

As we began to realize what little things we needed more of as our kiddo grew, I found myself always turning to Cloud Island for the quality of the items and convenience of being able to order what I needed or run to my local Target. The only downside is, we all know how dangerous a 'quick' trip to Target can be!

We even had Jack's newborn pictures taken with their adorable Doodle Security Blanket. How cute it that!

OxoTot

Oxo has been making incredible houseware for a long time. Check out their whisk...seriously its amazing. I never thought I could get so hype over a kitchen utensil. Their baby items are just as remarkable. Simple, solid, and easy to use, that's their MO. Not too much to say here since its hard to write an emotional sonnet about a dishwasher basket, but they are a brand to trust. That's all you need to know.

Here are a few of our favorites:

1) Bottle Brush

2) Space Saving Drying Rack

Itzy Ritzy

I stumbled across my loyalty to this brand mostly by accident. I'd seen some things by them throughout my registry research but I didn't think much of it. On my registry, I ended up getting a variety pacifier box so we could try a few different kinds without buying too many of one. From the get-go, Jack liked the Itzy Ritzy silicone pacis and the Bibs pacifiers. As he got a little bigger and started moving around more, he began to gravitate more towards the Bibs pacis as they stayed in his mouth a little better. When I went to go buy home some so we had a little stash, I realized how expensive they were!

Being the frugal gal that I am, I went in search of another option, landing me right back with Itzy Ritzy. They make a great paci that is just like the Bibs paci, but easier on the pocketbook.

When I went down the Amazon rabbit hole I discovered Itzy Ritzy has a wide variety of baby gear and accessories that are all adorable and affordable. Now, whenever I need toys, carseat accessories, pacis, or other gear, they are my first go-to.

1) Rubber Pacifiers

2) Silicone Pacifiers

3) Stroller Caddy

These are just a few brands that I've come to know and trust. Instead of reading review after review and drying out your eyes watching every registry must-have video out there, hopefully you can find a few brands you trust and make shopping for your little kiddo a little less overwhelming.