Baby Stuff: Towels and Blankets

For general burp cloth usage and other things, these Gerber organic cotton cloth diapers are the best. Easy to use, very soft and absorbent. Inexpensive to replace. $10 for 6. We also have these Gerber burp towels - very thin, so they're easy to tuck under baby's chin.

For swaddling, we started out with these by Swaddle Me by Summer Infant - $11 each. Get 1 to try, then if you like it, get 2 or 3 more. Target has them too for about the same price - might be a good option, since it's easier to return to Target. They come in cotton jersey or microfleece. Our baby busted out of any kind of blanket swaddling, so we had to get ones with velcro fasteners. The only down side is that the velcro doesn't last that long (even just with a few months of use, ours wore out) and baby might be awakened by the velcro sound sometimes. Also be careful to fasten the velcro during washing so it doesn't grab other stuff. At 3 months, we moved on to the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle - $20 each. They give her a bit more legroom and have stronger velcro (she still breaks out of it by morning). These also come in cotton jersey or microfleece. They tend to run a bit large (wide). You can get a set of 2 for $30. For fastener-free swaddling, several friends recommend the Miracle Blanket - $32 (a bit pricier than the others). It's a popular option, although I'm not sure it would be strong enough to contain our baby.

When it comes to little baby blankets, you really can't have too many. I think we have tons and they all serve various purposes or stay in different places. You need options and different sizes… Babies can't regulate their temperature well when they're little, so you will be changing their clothes/blankets a lot to help compensate. Here is what we have and what we use them for:

• Aden + Anais cotton muslin swaddle blankets: 4 for ~ $40. Used for summer time swaddling, for early baths (pre-bathtub) as towel/swaddle, stroller blanket for shade. We have 8 and at any given time, 3 are in use (1 in the car, 1 on the carseat/stroller, 1 somewhere else). Target has them also (slightly cheaper), although the patterns from the ones on Amazon are cuter.
• Fleece blankets: We have 3 - different "weights" - used in the baby's beds and sometimes in the carseat/car. One is like the n-a-p blankets from Brookstone.
• Hand knitted/crochet blankets: We were given 2: Used in crib/pack-n-play and sometimes out travelling.

Hooded towels for bath time - are they really necessary? Well, probably not... but if a little flap of cotton helps keep the towel on a squirmy baby and helps keep them warm (and not crying), then I think it's worth an extra couple of bucks. Besides, babies look so cute in them - the photo opportunities alone are worth it. Here are my thoughts on the 3 hooded towels we have:

• Bebe Au Lait - $40 (got as gift). Very nice because the hood is on the side, so it lasts longer. Very thick and plush - almost too thick - I don't use it much yet, but I will when baby gets bigger. Also, comes in pretty trims that match other Bebe Au Lait gear (burp towels, nursing covers).
• Circo (Target) - $14.99. Cute but cheaply made and not super durable. Also not as soft as the other 2. Not quite as thick as the Bebe Au Lait. Drops lint like crazy. Would use as a beach/pool towel.
• Little Bamboo - $25.99. Super soft and absorbent, perfect thickness for little babies. Poorly knitted - mine sprung loose threads after 1 wash on gentle cycle. Overall, it's still my favorite - just wish it were more durable. I don't wash it after every use (otherwise it would be shredded into nothing) - more like every 3rd use.