Over the past year, we've accumulated A LOT of baby items in our house. Some of it is essential and some of it is a big, fat waste of money. Here are our essential baby items for surviving the first year:

1. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets - Swaddling rocks. Newborns tend to wake themselves up by flailing their arms in the middle of the night. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets keep those arms to their sides and they do not move so you can get a whole two hours of sleep in a row! The swaddlers are made of muslin, so the blanket clings to itself when you wrap up your little burrito. They're also lightweight, so when your baby has outgrown swaddling they are great blankets for covering babies when the weather is sort-of warm. Plus, they're huge enough to drape one over a stroller as a shade for a sleeping punkin.

2. The Baby Book - Whoa! Put your judgment away right now. I am not advocating attachment parenting (do whatever works for you!) but I am a huge fan of Dr. Sears' The Baby Book. There is a ton of helpful advice about all sorts of medical issues. The information about spotting a cold or an earache or gas is invaluable and will save you from panicked calls to the pediatrician (I still called the pediatrician, but I wasn't freaking out). And the chapters about baby's development are wonderful so parents can recognize and help babies practice their new skills.

3. Baby Trend Snap 'n Go stroller - Little babies sleep a lot and new mommies like to keep them sleeping, which is why the Snap 'n Go stroller was worth every penny. Elliot would always fall asleep in the car, so I would just take her infant seat from the car and snap it into the carseat carriage. This also frees you from having to buy the giant, ugly "travel system" that fits your carseat. Get the stroller you want, dammit. Graco makes a similar snap-on stroller- both of them will take any carseat.

4. The BOB - What can I say? I'm a stroller snob. But the BOB is just so darn great. It's sturdy as hell and is a joy to use when exercising or going for a long walk in the park/neighborhood. I actually run with this stroller. We have the SUV fixed wheel version since I have another stroller for trips to the store/mall/downtown. The BOB has rubber, air-filled tires that make for a comfortable ride on any terrain.

5. Triple Paste diaper cream - What do you do when your child has diarrhea so bad that it begins to burn her butt? You turn to the Triple Paste and skip the other crap (like Boudreaux's Butt Paste). This stuff is medicated diaper cream and it was the only thing that healed her poor, little singed bottom during that bout of explosive diarrhea. It's expensive, but who the hell cares?

6. Baby Signing Time DVD - We pretty much stick to the "no television for babies" rule except for this DVD. Signing Time is hosted by a woman named Rachel Coleman, whose daughter is deaf. She writes and performs original songs to help kiddos learn the signs. Why would we want Elliot, a hearing child, to learn sign language? Because it's a great way for her to communicate with us since she is only just learning to speak. And she really learns from watching Rachel and the kids sign on this DVD. So far, Elliot signs: fish, cat, more, mom, dad, grandpa, and cracker. We practice with her, of course. Also? It's a great way for mom to get 20 minutes to herself on those rough days.

7. Happiest Baby on the Block DVD - The book version of this drove me bonkers because it was so repetitive. I didn't have the patience to read it, so I bought the DVD version and I'm positive that it's way better than the book. This way, you actually get to see these techniques work. Watch this BEFORE the baby arrives to learn calming techniques for newborns. While I was recovering from a c-section, Jason was using the techniques to calm Elliot in the hospital. And they really do work. It's astounding. I don't think we would've survived without it.

8. A good rocking chair - You need a chair you can sit in for long periods of time, and can even sleep in while holding a newborn baby. We have a good rocking chair and a bad rocking chair. Our good one is in our living room. It is wide, reclines, swivels, and rocks on a fixed base. It is made by Best. Our bad one is the same brand and it is upstairs in Elliot's room. Instead of a fixed base, it's on two sliders, like a real rocking chair. Only, it slides all over the carpet and is always bumping into the wall when I rock her (no matter how far away from the wall I pull it when I sit down).

9. A friend who has been there - Having someone to call when you don't know what the hell is going on is invaluable. I was lucky enough that I had two friends who had "been there". There are moments--many of them--when you and your partner do not know what is going on and you need reassurance from another mother that everything is OK. For instance, when Elliot went through her two-week growth spurt where she nursed every hour, I was convinced I didn't have enough milk to give her. I almost gave her formula until I talked to a friend who told me to hang in there for 24 hours. She was right. My boobs got gigantic and Elliot was satisfied.

10. A loving and supportive partner - I don't know how single parents do it. They must be super-human or know a secret to adding hours to the day. My husband was a huge help from the moment Elliot was born. There wasn't a lot he could do for Elliot, but there was a heck of a lot he could do for me- like get me water or food when baby was nursing or zonked out on me.

What are your essential items for the first year?

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