#1 Best Baby Monitor
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor.
The Infant Optics DXR8 is the absolute best baby video monitor and camera system on the market. It is like the Lexus of baby monitors, with its feature-rich design, and its superb reliability and durability. In our testing, we found it to have very high quality digital video for both daytime and nighttime conditions, and the digital audio was great.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY MONITORS >>
#1 Best Crib Mattress
Newton Wovenaire Crib Mattress.
This Newton Wovenaire crib mattress is made right here in the USA, and has a ton of accolades: it is Greenguard GOLD certified, won the JPMA innovation award, and is recommended by Dr. Sears. And there's really good reason for all of that, including its lack of latex, springs, urethane or polyurethane foam, allergens, and glues. Instead, it uses an innovative air-puffed (90% air) food-grade polymer at its core, and has extremely low off-gassing odors and VOCs. Not to mention it's comfortable, safe, reliable, and very well made. It fit snugly into our test cribs, has a washable cover and core, and the entire thing can be recycled (if you can fit it in your recycling bin!). Given that your baby will be sleeping on it several times a day for several years, it's important to find a crib mattress that meets your high standards for chemical emissions and safety.
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SEE ALL THE BEST CRIB MATTRESSES >>
#1 Best Convertible Crib
Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible Crib.
Convertible cribs have come a long way since we were children, and for good reason. They are safer, more comfortable, more versatile, and more durable for even the monkeys out there. Babyletto has been building excellent high quality cribs that are durable, stylish, safe, and do not break the bank.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY CRIBS >>
#1 Best Bassinet
HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet.
The HALO Bassinest is an all-around excellent bassinet with some great style, sturdiness, adjustments, breathability, comfort, and features. We found that it can adjust to most bed heights to serve as a bedside bassinet, it has some cute sleep sounds, soothing vibrations, a feeding timer, and it can rotate and swivel to make the perfect position between baby and mom. We loved the mesh ventilated sides and soft fabrics.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BASSINETS >>
#1 Best Travel Crib
The Lotus Travel Crib & Portable Playard.
Travel cribs have come a long way since the original Graco Pack n Plays of the 80's and 90's, and the Lotus portable crib is a great example of innovation, quality, durability, and safety. We fell in love with its features, light-weight, portability, style, and the fact that it can fit right into an included backpack. It doesn't get any better!
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SEE ALL THE BEST TRAVEL CRIBS >>
#1 Best Baby Gate (not for stairs)
North States Supergate Baby Gate.
We separately review baby gates for placement near stairs (top or bottom) versus anywhere else in the home. This Supergate is perfectly suited for doorways and hallways, away from stairs. No assembly required for this versatile, sturdy, safe, and super simple and easy to use baby gate. Using a tension mount system, it's easy to install, and you can open and close it with one-handed operation. Great for keeping dogs and kids safe and sound where you want them, this baby gate excelled in our tests.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY GATES >>
#1 Best Baby Gate (for stairs)
Kidco Safeway Safety Baby Gate.
This Kidco baby gate is perfect for use at the top or bottom of stairs, given that it has no lower horizontal rail to trip over, and you can change its setting to swing either way (this is important for stair installations). In our testing, we found that the installation was a bit involved in that you need to mount it to adjacent walls or railings, but after that, these baby gates were easy to use, sturdy, and reliable. It doesn't swing shut on its own, which is great for near the stairs - the last thing you want is it to swing shut into baby's back at the top of the stairs. Overall, a great baby gate with only a few drawbacks.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY GATES >>
#1 Best Nursery Humidifier
TaoTronics 6L Cool Mist Humidifier.
A nursery humidifier has unique requirements relative to a regular humidifier, as it needs to be quieter, dark at night, safe, reliable, and germ-free. This TaoTronics cool mist humidifier accomplishes all of those goals. It is one of the quietest and highest-capacity humidifers we've ever tested, with a huge 6-liter water tank, and is safe and reliable in our testing, has a night light that can be turned on or off, uses ultrasonic filtering to keep things clean, and it can humidify for nearly 60 hours on a single tank of water. It is only slightly more expensive than other options on our list, but the features and reliability make it worth the cost.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY HUMIDIFIERS >>
#1 Best Nursery Glider
Storkcraft Hoop Nursery Glider.
This is a comfortable and durable nursery glider and ottoman that will leave any tired parent feeling relaxed and peaceful. For about $150 you get a solid glider and ottoman that should last you for the couple of years you'll reasonably need to use it, placing it the top of our list for bang-for-the-buck and overall comfort and reliability. We liked the smooth gliding motion, side arm pockets, included ottoman, and reasonably comfortable cushions.
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#1 Best Baby Bath Tub
The First Years Sure Comfort Bath Tub.
Another important baby essential, a great baby registry gift, and a piece of baby gear that will get tons of use. The right baby tub will keep baby safe and comfortable, and make bathtime easy and fuss-free for parents. And with some bath toys and bubbles, it can be really fun for both of you! The First Years bath tub has been around for decades and has proven itself as a clear winner. It uses an infant hammock for newborns that suspends them up the tub.
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY BATH TUBS >>
#1 Best Bandage for Babies
Nexcare Waterproof Clear Bandages.
Nicks, cuts, and scrapes can be traumatic for babies and parents alike, but this awesome bandage will help keep things safe and sound. These Nexcare bandages were the best we could find for their levels of waterproofing, comfort and flexibility, and their super strong adhesive. They are also latex-free, and do a great job keeping germs out of a cut. We were so impressed with them that we ended up buying ourselves several different sizes for use in babies and adults! Putting them on is a little different from regular Band-Aids, but you'll quickly figure it out.
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SEE ALL THE BEST KIDS BAND-AIDS >>
#1 Best Baby Lotion
The Honest Company Organic All-Purpose Baby Balm.
Once you start bathing your baby, you'll realize that he or she will have a little drier skin, sensitive skin, and maybe even some eczema or rashes. You'll need to find a baby lotion that is both sensitive and effective, and has ingredients that won't make you worry about hazards associated with long-term use or a little bit of it getting into your baby's mouth or other mucous membranes. This baby balm is a super thick, super gentle, and super effective baby moisturizer that please even our toughest test parents! We use it on dry skin, baby rashes, eczema, diaper rash, and anything else that needs a little soothing moisture. A little pricier than most other baby lotions, but a little really goes a long way! And we love the Honest Company for its organic products and solid business philosophy; and the fact that it was founded by Jessica Alba doesn't hurt!
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SEE ALL THE BEST BABY LOTIONS >>
#1 Best Baby Laundry Detergent
Mama Bear Gentle Baby Laundry Detergent.
We put 15 different sensitive baby laundry detergents through hands-on testing for sensitivity, stain-fighting, fragrance, cost, and ingredient safety. In the end, the Mama Bear Gentle laundry detergent was a clear winner, with its high sensitivity, decent stain-fighting abilities, lack of fragrance, reasonable cost of about $0.22/load, and decent ingredient safety profile that stem from it being 95% biobased. Check out our reviews of 10 front-runners!.
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#1 Best Kids Probiotics
Hyperbiotics PRO-Kids Probiotics.
Prebiotics and probiotics are becoming increasingly popular for babies, children, and adults. And the effect of probiotics on developing brains and bodies is becoming increasingly complex, pointing at bidirectional relationships between gut health and brain health. In other words, keeping a healthy gut is important for the brain, and a stressed brain can influence the guy. These Hyperbiotics probiotics are specially made for kids using small pearls that can be easily swallowed and maintain their structure and function all the way down into the lower areas of the GI tract. That means that they will slowly release the prebiotics and probiotics when the pills have made it to the area of the stomach where they can be most useful. They are vegetarian, lactose-free, non-GMO, all natural, and contain no nuts, sugar, soy, or artificial ingredients. So you can feel pretty good about these kids probiotics, not to mention that they also contain a prebiotic to help with absorption.
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SEE ALL THE BEST KIDS PROBIOTICS >>
#1 Best Baby Thermometer
iProven Oral and Rectal Thermometer.
Another baby essential, but not one you'll need to keep in your diaper bag. This one goes in the bathroom, linen closet, or kitchen drawer (as long as you clean it well!). We tested oral thermometers, rectal thermometers, and forehead (temporal) thermometers, and still believe that rectal and oral are definitely the most accurate way to go with a baby. In our testing, we found that this iProven baby thermometer was awesome in several regards.
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SEE ALL BEST BABY THERMOMETERS >>
#1 Best Sound-only Baby Monitor
Philips Avent DECT Audio Baby Monitor.
If you're more traditional or simply looking to save a little bit of money, you might be considering simpler baby gear, including an audio-only baby monitor without all the fancy digital video features. This Philips Avent DECT model has some of the clearest and most reliable baby monitor reception we've ever seen, and a ton of features to boot - including two-way intercom, nursery temperature monitoring, remotely-controlled nightlight, lullabies, and a rechargeable battery that lasts nearly 18 hours! For about $100 it's a bit steep for an audio-only baby monitor, but we think it's well worth the cost!.
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