Ok guys, we’ve gotten through the essentials for first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, natural birth and now… your natural new baby essentials!!

I cannot overstate the importance of utmost absolute vigilance when selecting the products you use on and around your baby.  This guide has products I have used and loved with my own baby, as well as a couple of vetted items that I didn’t get much use out of, but come highly recommended by my mommy community.

In general, there are a few things to keep in mind when selecting products for baby: safety, purity, and intention.  Little babies are so sensitive to their environment, and the choices we make in the first months of their lives set them up for a healthy and happy childhood and rest of their lives.  Choose the easy, cheap, unresearched route, and your child will likely battle issues like hormonal imbalance, allergies and asthma, behavioral issues and ADD, and even more serious long-term effects.  Maybe a few items are a little more expensive than their drugstore or box store counterparts, but when it comes to your little one, it is soooo worth it.  If budget is a concern, skip a few weekly trips to Starbucks and you will more than make up for the difference in cost.

In general, here are the rules I follow when choosing products for my baby:

• EVERYTHING must be BPA, SLS, phthalate, and paraben-free
• Wood or glass over plastic
• Organic or bamboo fibers whenever possible
• Simple items with developmental value over battery-powered products that make noise or blink lights