Team Smith Baby Buys: Chicco Keyfit Car Seat and Base

Choosing a car seat was one of the only things that made me genuinely worried. The idea that I could choose a "bad/worse" seat or one that was so complicated that I used it incorrectly was like an ominous bad mommy cloud hanging over me. I relied really heavily on Consumer Reports to learn that the most expensive seat isn't necessarily the safest, plus if you can't use the seat easily then it can't be safe no matter how much you spend. They gave fantastic reviews to the Chicco Keyfit Infant Car Seat, and it was cheaper than a Britax, so I decided to take a look.

Team Smith Baby Buys: Baby Bjorn Bouncer Seat

When I was pregnant with G-Man, I must've read literally hundreds of posts about the "essential" baby gear and spent hours upon hours curating the perfect registry. Even though most moms admit that every baby is different and there really aren't any magic bullet products, I was still obsessed with finding the right gear. When you're sitting around expanding with every blink and counting down to the birth of your first child, it's pretty easy to convince yourself that the right amount of research will somehow guarantee a happy little one. 

I'm saying all that to let you know that if you landed here looking for baby recommendations, I really do totally get where you're coming from. After reading so many high quality reviews when it was my turn, I decided to pay it forward into the universe and do a series on my favorite baby buys. I feel like it's time to share what I've learned and vouch for the gear that worked best for our little guy. If we're going in order of usefulness, I knew I had to open with my current lifesaver, the Baby Bjorn Bouncer.