Hiking Baby is an opinionated 10 month old, and already knows what he likes and doesn’t. What is the best baby formula? Which diaper wipes? How about bottles, play yards, toys, sheets, and more? Find out what Hiking Baby loves (and hates) when he and Hiking Lady aren’t hitting the trails!
| FEEDING | Hiking Baby’s Vote | Hiking Lady’s Comments |
| Enfamil Gentlease
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Despite every attempt to have Hiking Baby use organic formula without as much corn syrup, Hiking Baby made the ultimate decision. No more fussiness, constipation, and grumpy Hiking Baby. Go figure, he likes the sugary stuff! | |
| Enfamil Gentlease Non-GMO
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Hiking Baby liked it just as much as regular Enfamil Gentlease, but it not only costs $3 more per case, but it is just 20.4 ounces vs. 21.5 ounces in the regular tub. Notably, the Enfamil website explains that “almost all animal feed in the U.S. is genetically modified, which means that dairy-derived ingredients in our non-GMO products are likely to come from animals that were given some feed that was made with genetically engineered materials. This is common in many other non-GMO foods.” Doesn’t seem worth it to me to spend the extra $$$!
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| Earth’s Best Infant Formula
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Formula is clearly a preference individual to each baby. Ingredients seemed good, but Hiking Baby got constipated. It even looked “healthier”. Oh well. | |
| Enfamil Infant Formula
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Fussiness and gas made this a pass! | |
| Gerber Simple Start
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Oh no! Lots of gas, and Hiking Baby vomited it up day 2. Next! | |
| Honest Company Organic Formula
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Stomach aches, gas, and lots of burping for Hiking Baby! | |
| Avent Steam Sterilizer
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This is an amazing must have time saving machine! Skip boiling bottles in a spaghetti pot, or nuking them in the microwave (I hate microwaves)…just put this on the countertop and it takes about 10 minutes for your bottles to get sterilized. And ignore all the reviews about rust build-up…all I did was use distilled water instead of tap water and dried out the basin after each cycle and have not had any issues. Love this thing! | |
| Avent Natural Glass Bottles
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I looked all over to find glass bottles for Hiking Baby, because even though plastic bottles are all now BPA free, I am concerned about repeated heating of plastic and the impact on its contents. Since bottles need to be sterilized with either boiling water or a steam sterilizer, the last thing I wanted was deteriorating plastic. These are one of just a few glass options on the market, and unfortunately, (i) it is difficult to get the tops off (Hiking Baby’s Grandma really struggles with it!), and (ii) they leak about 50% of the time! You can’t put the top on too tight, or too loose. It has to be just right and that is tricky to accomplish when babies are hungry and screaming for their food! | |
| Munchkin Bottle Warmer
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Way too scary…it heats up bottles too much, and it is difficult to control the temperature. Returned! |
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| Avent Bottle Sleeves (4oz and 8oz)
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These bottle sleeves for the Avent bottles are a great design, but we never use them! I thought they’d be a lifesaver and prevent the glass from feeling to slippery, but they were unnecessary. Save your money and skip these sleeves! | |
| Avent Sippy Cup
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It was pretty easy for Hiking Baby to transition from the bottle to this sippy cup. Ours do not leak as other reviewers online have noted. | |
| OXO Tot Bottle and Accessories Drying Rack
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Strong enough to hold Hiking Baby’s glass Avent bottles, and very easy to clean unlike the “grass” mats.
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| Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair
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Hiking Baby loves this high chair! It enables him to sit at the table right next to Mommy and Daddy, the chair “grows” with him (it is adjustable so that eventually even an adult could sit in it), it is easy to get him in an out, and it is very durable. Pricey but it is a nice piece of furniture and a good investment since it is a chair that will last forever. | |
| PLAY TIME! | ||
| Munchkin Mozart Cube
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Music! Hiking Baby loves pressing each button, which triggers a different instrument. | |
Fisher Price Frog Chair |
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Hiking Baby loves to sit next to Mommy…until he turned 9 months old! |
| Playyard
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This is durable, looks cute, and is fun for very little babies…but not the 10 month old Hiking Baby! He liked it until about 2 months ago, when he realized crawling gave him access to the entire house! | |
| Regalo Easy Step Gate | Hiking Baby has this on the door to his room… and it does its job well! He stays inside while Mommy chases him to get his hiking clothes on! | |
| IN THE NURSERY! | ||
| Diaper Genie | Stinky diapers go away! Down they go…and for the most part you don’t smell them. The refills are expensive, but have not leaked or torn so we’ll keep using them. | |
| Pampers Swaddlers Diapers (Sensitive)
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Give Hiking Baby the regular ones please. Ironically the “Sensitive” diapers caused irritation on his tender thighs. | |
| Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
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Yay! Keeps everything in! | |
| Huggies Overnight Diapers
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These are a lifesaver. A good friend told me about them and they are far better than the Pampers Swaddlers Overnight diapers because they seem to be able to absorb more. These Huggies Overnight diapers played a big role in helping Hiking Baby stay asleep all night…so he could be refreshed for a morning hike with Mommy and Daddy! | |
| Cetaphil Baby Diaper Cream
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Love this stuff. Works well to heal diaper rashes. | |
| Desitin
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Thicker than Cetaphil Baby, and I only use this when Hiking Baby has a big diaper rash (only once so far thankfully!). | |
| Prince Lionheart Travel Diaper Wipe Warmer
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Hiking Baby is spoiled…he gets warm wipes on his bum. The travel sized is best because the wipes won’t dry out. | |
| Munchkin Changing Table Liners
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These are way better than the Boppy branded liners, which are not only more expensive, but cannot be dried in a dryer! When you’re doing laundry all the time, the last thing you need are items that can only be air dried. Go for the Munchkin liners! | |
| Earth Mama Angel Baby Cleanser
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When the poop comes, so does the cleaning crew. I love how this foams up (unlike Aveeno baby wash). Check out the Hiking Baby full review of Earth Mama Angel Baby Body Wash! | |
| Honest Company Baby Wipes
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These are pricey, but do not irritate Hiking Baby. We take them everywhere and I use them to clean his bum, hands, feet, and any other body parts that get dirty at home or on the trail. | |
| Babyganics Baby Wipes
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Smelled pretty bad and they were very thin. Check out the Hiking Baby article: Honest vs. Babyganics Wipes. The Babyganics laundry detergent is great though – we love it! | |
| Naturepedic Changing Pad Cover | This is very soft and washable, so it protects our changing pad. | |
| Regal Crib Mattress | Hiking Baby sleeps well, so no complaints! | |
| Quick Zip Sheets | These are amazing…it makes changing sheets easy. You simply put the base over the mattress, and then zip on and off the top piece. Because it is so easy to do, Hiking Baby regularly has his linens changed 🙂 | |
| Halo Sleepsacks, Cotton and Microfleece
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Safe, cozy, and perfect for fall and winter nights. Hiking Baby likes having his arms free and I like knowing that he won’t potentially get trapped under a blanket. | |
| Safety 1st Brush and Comb Set
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Hiking Baby loves his locks to look good! | |
| TL Organic Terry Wash Cloths and Hooded Towels | Soft enough for Hiking Baby, and durable enough to last washings every other day. | |
| Safety 1st Nail Care Set
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Completely useless; the nail clippers aren’t strong enough to cut any nails! | |
| FOR MOMMY! | ||
| What to Expect When You’re Expecting
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Great book for first time Moms. | |
| What to Expect in the First Year
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Equally as helpful as the above book. | |
| Natural Calm
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Mommy – do you need some help with constipation after giving birth? This stuff is amazing! It is basically just a lot of magnesium, and it works quite well. | |
| Storksak Diaper Bag
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Stylish, roomy, and plenty of pockets for all of Hiking Baby’s needs when we are on the trail, out running errands, or visiting a relative. | |
| Prince Lionheart Car Seatsaver
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Got to protect the backseat from Hiking Baby’s active toes! Easy to install and remove, and it also protects the car from the car seat. | |
| UNDER THE WEATHER | ||
| Infant Tylenol
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This is what all of the doctors seem to recommend for a fever. | |
| Little Remedies Saline Drops
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This, combined with the Nose Frida, are great when Hiking Baby is sick. He doesn’t like it, but I do! | |
| Vicks Baby Rub
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I’m not sure if this works, but everyone tells me to rub it on his chest when he’s sick. | |
| STAYING SAFE AT HOME | ||
| CarterBee Cabinet Locks
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So far they are still keeping Hiking Baby out of the cabinets, and because they are adhesive we did not have to drill into furniture/cabinets. | |
| Safety 1st SecureTech Cabinet Locks
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Hiking Baby loves holding on to these, but he doesn’t know how to open them :). They are easy for Mommy and Daddy to take on and off. | |
| Safety 1st Edge Kit
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I bought a pack at Target, but they use adhesive to attach to furniture. They are supposed to prevent baby from hitting his head on sharp furniture, but adhesive strips wood of its finish…so we opted to move dangerous furniture out of the way instead. |
Hope this list is helpful to you and your little one! Happy trails!