A mom I met in the waiting room of my pediatrician’s office told me about the Podee® Baby Bottle, a hands-free feeding system. Basically, babies suck on the nipple like a pacifier and the milk comes from a tube attached to the bottle. It sounded perfect for going out to dinner with family and actually being able to eat with two hands.

Another mom told me about Meeno™ Cool Mee car seat coolers. In Phoenix, keeping babies cool in the car is a legitimate concern. I keep my car seats in my house so they’re not already hot when I strap my kids in, and I start my car and run the air conditioning several minutes before we leave. But a way to keep the seats cool while traveling sounded like an awesome idea to me.

The hands-free bottle and car seat cooler are great but they’re not the things I rely on everyday. As a mother of three I’ve learned by experience and trial and error that there are things we use because they were a baby shower gift or they just looked so cute in the store we had to buy them. Then there are the things that make our lives easier, the essentials that make us wonder how mothers survived before these inventions. Here are my five must have baby products that get me through each day:

1.Boppy® pillow. I can’t imagine nursing without this. You could use a regular pillow from your bed, but do you really want your pillow to get puked and peed on? Because that does happen. The Boppy pillow is also better because it’s u-shaped and fits on your lap perfectly. Plus, they come with such cute little covers. Mine is mint green with newborn babies in pea pods.

2.Burp cloths. A baby registry might have bibs, sleepers, and blankets but a new mother cannot live without these and she can never have too many. I bought some thin pink frilly ones, then my mother gave me the thick, white ones that are actually cloth diapers. These are what you need. They’re plain but soft and super-absorbent for those, ahem, fountain-like pukes.

3.Bouncy seat. It vibrates. It plays music. It has a safety belt. It has adjustable reclining positions. What more could you ask for? It’s also great when baby is old enough to start solid food but not quite ready for a highchair.

4.Baby Neptune™ Ocean Adventure Gym, otherwise known as a playmat. This is Disneylandfor babies. It has a plush octopus that dangles a teether and rattle, a whale pillow you can use to prop them up for tummy time play, a baby-safe fish mirror, an electronic water-filled toy with music and lights, and more fun stuff. You can detach all of these things and hook them on a crib, car seat, or stroller. If you don’t buy this one, there are lots of other options out there. Google “playmats for babies.”

5.Sleep sheep. When I got one in the mail from my baby’s out-of-town grandparents, I had no idea what a treasure I was getting. It’s a soft sheep that you can hang on the crib and it plays several different soothing sounds. You can adjust the volume and it automatically times out. Years from now my son will have no idea why the sound of the ocean makes him so tired.

Now it’s your turn. Share what baby products you love.