Top Five Things in Every House with a Baby or Toddler

I've babysat well over 10 years, and even though I'm in my mid-twenties and have a good job, it's still one of my favorite things to do. Why? Kids are full of surprises, people want someone responsible to watch their children, it's easy money, and parents can have a night out.

That being said, here are five things you will find in EVERY house with a baby (aside from a crib and changing table...those are a given):


1. A baby swing: They had these when I was a baby, duh, but they've made drastic improvements.
   Some even have soothing vibrations on the bottom to help ease a fussy baby. Typically the Graco  
   brand, everyone has a baby swing that plays the same rounds of classical music (or some baby
   song) that you'll eventually have memorized in which order it belongs.

2. A lovey: When I was a baby, they just had stuffed animals and blankets . Now the geniuses at the
   baby toy companies created a stuffed animal with an attached blanket that makes babies look like
   cuddling cutie pies. Soft to the touch, any sleepy baby you see these days is holding one of these
   things close to the face.

3. High chairs: This is a duh, but here me out. Back when I first babysat, and even when I was a kid,
    high chairs were plastic or wood. That's it. No cushions. Now? Let's keep baby comfortable while
    eating. While the tops are easily wipeable, let's be real: food will get squished on the fabric, and
    what was once a pink, vibrant high chair is now full of smashed sweet potatoes and spit up. So \
    even though the it looks all cute now, just remember: it's not for long.

4. Bumbos: I thought this was some kind of torture device the first time I saw this while babysitting
   (roughly three years ago). However, it's an absolute life saver when you want to plop down the
   baby to rescue her three-year-old sister who got her head stuck in a helmet. In a bumbo, babies can
   sit up without having the wiggles. AKA, this is a wonderful, overpriced piece of plastic.

5. Pack'n Play: The biggest lifesaver for little crawlers. I noticed this as a growing trend roughly five
   years ago. They are wonderful. Plop baby in when you have to run to the loo and have your only
   worry be a cry for loneliness. The one linked even has a top part that's really awesome for living
   rooms and has a changing table included. Don't want to endure a stinky diaper smell trailing  
   through your house? No problem. Need to turn down the roast on the stove and grab a glass of
   water? Set the kid in.