Best Baby Shower Gifts: Things to make life easier while pregnant or with a new baby

June 2, 11:17 AMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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Making life easier. That's what parents need products to do. Life gets complicated when you're pregnant and even more so once baby arrives. Here's a few products that make great gifts and will help mom and dad get even more packed into their busy, exciting days! 

The Podee is one of my all time favorite inventions. I've used them with both of my girls and will also use them with my son after he arrives this summer. I generally wait until about three months old or so to use the Podee. It's basically a bottle with a special nipple that attaches via a straw-like device. It's sooooo cool and handy. They allow baby to drink from the bottle while sitting upright, which helps eliminate ear problems and colic. I have a bunch of these and use them for at least one feeding every day. You can use them with baby in your lap with both of your hands for snuggling, you can use them with baby in a wrap/carrier or in a stroller for feeding on the go, even sitting in a shopping cart while you run errands. The beauty is baby regulates the exact amount of formula or EBM he or she wants in each sip. There's no choking. My girls have LOVED these and so have my husband and I.

The Papasan Swing by Fisher-Price has been a life saver for me. I used it with both of my girls and it had them sleeping through the night by about five weeks old until we moved them into a crib after a few months. We kept this swing near our bed so we could keep an eye on our little sleeping beauties. It's soft and has two positions - one for newborn sleeping and another for sitting up when baby is older and just wants to pay or relax in it. It's still in top shape and we'll be using it for baby number three too!

Kate Boggiano makes the best pregnancy tank top I've ever tried. It doesn't ride up or roll up, it is super long, super light-weight and maybe bet of all, after you're preggo, it will still fit perfect because they're one size fits all. Sure, you're thinking... one size fits all, I doubt it. But it's true. It stretches where it needs to and then shrinks back up. The only drawback, you have to hand wash it. Find out how to get one for FREE HERE.

The You Pillow is a unique U shaped maternity and nursing pillow. It makes breastfeeding easier once baby arrives, can be used for added support while bottle feeding and while baby is still holed up inside mom, it can be used as a pillow to comfort mom in those awkward end of pregnancy days. I like it cause it gives support while being really comfortable. It's like a Boppy but better because it has more uses. It comes in several different fillings and fabrics in different price ranges and for different needs.

There's a cool new product on the market that takes all the guessing out of the way for moms who want to have wine with dinner while breastfeeding! So cool. It's called Milkscreen. It basically looks like a little paper pregnancy test and works like one, but of course instead of peeing on this stick, you saturate it with breast milk. Wait two minutes and read the results. It will tell you if your milk has enough alcohol to irritate/disrupt/potentially harm your baby. You can find out more about them at UpSpringBaby.com or buy them at Walgreens nationwide.

Lullaby Exercises by Chicks n Chickens is not your ordinary post-natal workout video for helping moms get back in shape. It does that with stretching, toning and strengthening exercises and it ALSO lulls baby to sleep while you're doing it. Priceless! It was created by mom and exercise diva Darcy Novo Albrecht. The DVD is just over half an hour long, so it is short enough to find time to do and you can do it using a sling/wrap/baby carrier or just holding baby in your arms. Lullaby Exercises is recommended for babies 8 weeks to one year old - but mamas can do it as long as they want.

Whether you're sending a gift for baby's birth or to a shower you can't attend, Cake and A Prayer gift packs are a great choice. The cakes are a delicious lemon pound cake homemade in a Chicago bakery with love that you can taste in every bite. Especially a great treat for moms and dads who are so busy with new baby that dessert is the last thing they have time to cook up. Boy will they appreciate this treat! You can order just the cake or the cake along with a framed customized inspirational messages that can be suited to both religious or non-religious families. This will definitely be a favorite gift that they'll remember and enjoy.

For more wonderful products that make life easier once baby arrives, check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide: Cool stuff for on the go.