Lori Derrick says one of her favorite possessions is a baby wipes warmer. Her sister, Emily Evershed, relishes carrying one of the smallest diaper bags ever invented. Evershed's friend Stacy Palfreyman is thrilled finally to be able to own the kind of pacifier that hospitals use.
If you're looking for a Christmas present, you don't need to worry about offending a parent with practicality — with something like a diaper bag or baby carrier. Don't worry if the gift seems to be more for the baby than for the parent. Derrick says parents welcome such presents. "It's amazing how things like this make your life easier."
Ask Derek Crockett, and he'll say the most indispensable parenting item is a child protection handle that slips over a doorknob so a child can't open the door. His wife, Stephanie, laughs and adds, "When they are in trouble, he wants them to stay in their rooms."
Stephanie herself says she couldn't get by without a baby-carrier called a sling. "You know how carrying a pack on your front can hurt your back?" she asks. "Well this goes side-to-side." The baby can be bundled into the fabric hammock in an upright or reclining position. You can carry the baby on your hip, chest or back, leaving your hands free.
Crockett adds, "Slings are especially good if you have a colicky baby. Just slide them in and it calms them right down." The youngest of Crockett's children is nearly 2. Crockett owns two slings and keeps one in the car and one in the diaper bag.
She bought her slings online from a Centerville company at Lucky-Baby.com, where reversible models go for $30 to $50 and discontinued prints are on sale for $15.
You can also strain your back with the wrong stroller. Palfreyman says she and her husband, Morgan, shopped for a long time to find an umbrella stroller that was tall enough for him to use without scrunching. They ended up buying a Kolcraft model. (Umbrella strollers, in general, range in price from $20 to over $100.) Palfreyman, herself, is short but says she doesn't mind pushing a stroller with her arms bent a bit.
The Palfreymans also like their Baby Bjorn baby carrier and the Playtex Vent-
Aire bottles (because the nipples don't collapse). And one of Stacy's happiest times as a parent was when the big discount stores started carrying the $3.99 Soothie pacifiers, the kind her first daughter (who is now 4) came home from the hospital with, the kind she went years without being able to find again.
This time of year, says Evershed, a bunting bag makes a nice gift. The one she uses in the car seat with 4-month-old Will is a Bundle Me. The baby stays warm in the car without the need for a snowsuit and mittens. When the Evershed's oldest child, John, was a baby, he hated being stuffed inside a snowsuit, unable to bend his arms or legs. Bunting bags sell for around $25 to $50.
Evershed says her back-seat mirror is also handy. A glance in her car's rearview mirror lets her see what is going on inside the back seat's rear-facing car seat. The baby-view mirrors are made by a variety of companies and sell for $10 to $30 or more.
Evershed discovered the Land's End Little Tripper diaper bag through a friend and immediately ordered one online (where they sell for $19.50). She'd been using a bag that was bigger than the baby. "This is so compact, but it holds everything you need," she notes. She often wears it like a shoulder bag, freeing her hands for John and Will.
Meanwhile, the Derricks have freed themselves from the hassles of washing hair. For about $16, they bought a Flo Water Deflector (made by Boon). The faucet fastens over the bathtub tap and shoots water in an arc, making it easier for 3 1/2-year-old Abby to rinse out the shampoo without parental interference.
As for Derrick's other favorite: At least a dozen companies make warmers for baby wipes. They sell for $15 to $30. Derrick didn't have a warmer for Abby but got one for 15-month-old Kate and has learned warm wipes help prevent squirminess during diaper changes.
One caution, however: Halcyon WaterSpring, Safety 1st and Advance Thermo Control recalled wipes warmers in past years and some of those recalled warmers could still be on the secondhand market.
And speaking of being careful about what you buy secondhand, Evershed recommends a book called "Baby Bargains," by Denise and Alan Fields. The book not only tells you how to find bargains but rates different brands and warns of safety hazards. If, as the Fields claim, a new baby needs $6,000 worth of equipment in the first year, this $17.95 paperback (published by Windsor Peak Press) might be worth the purchase price.
One of the more expensive presents a new mom can receive is an electric double breast pump. (Women who express their milk once a day or more can benefit from a double pump, according to some lactation experts.) Medela makes a double pump for $130. Playtex, Ameda and others may cost closer to $200.
One of the least expensive gifts — but welcome in Christmas stockings or at baby showers — says Chelsea Pugh, are containers of baby wipes. The Pughs have three children, ages 8, 5 and 1. Thus, they have many sticky fingers in the home and car.
E-mail: susan@desnews.com