Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!

E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!

Discover

Baby & Kids Gifts That Actually Get Used

20 items

Nadiah Nahdah

As a mom, I've gone through way too many baby “gadgets” that end up unused in a drawer. This is my running list of baby and kids gifts that actually get used every single day — the ones friends and family always ask me about after they see them in ac...

Sections

All 20 Everyday-Use Gifts

Every single item here has earned its spot through actual daily use in our house, not just a good unboxing. Sorted loosely by how often you'll reach for them: sleep and monitoring, feeding, carrying and soothing, and finally the toys and gear that ac...

This is the one baby gift I recommend to literally every new parent. It tracks heart rate and oxygen right from a little sock, so you actually get to sleep instead of checking on the baby every hour.

Owlet Dream Sock Smart Baby Monitor

Every friend I've bought this for uses it nightly, not just for their baby but for themselves too. Great white noise, and the night light is soft enough it won't fully wake anyone up.

YOGASLEEP Duet Sound Machine & Night Light

This one saves so much time at 3am. It warms and mixes the bottle for you in under two minutes, no more shaking formula half asleep in the dark.

Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced Dispenser

These were the only bottles that helped with my baby's gas and colic. The internal vent system really does make a difference in fussiness after feeding.

Dr. Brown's Options+ Anti-Colic Baby Bottles

This is the carrier we actually grabbed on our way out the door, every time. Four ways to wear it means it keeps working as your baby grows, so it doesn't get outgrown in a month.

Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Carrier

Used this for every single feeding for months, and later as tummy time support. Honestly one of the most versatile things in the nursery.

Boppy Nursing Pillow

Sounds gross, works incredibly well. This is the one baby item that made me a believer even before I had a baby of my own, every parent I know swears by it during cold and flu season.

Frida Baby NoseFrida The Snotsucker

This kept my baby entertained solo for way longer than I expected, and it grows with them through three different stages so it's not a one-month toy.

Skip Hop Baby Activity Center, 3-Stage, 4mo+

This was the only thing that reliably calmed my baby during the witching hour. It moves in these odd little patterns that actually mimic being held, which sounds silly until you see it work.

UPPAbaby Mamaroo Smart Baby Swing

We used this for naps downstairs, travel, and grandma's house. It folds down small enough to actually fit in a car trunk, unlike most playards this size.

Graco Pack 'n Play Day2Dream Bassinet

Zero spills, even upside down in the diaper bag. This is the cup that finally got my toddler off the bottle without me mopping up puddles every day.

Munchkin Miracle 360 Sippy Cup

The wide, squishy silicone shape made bottle refusal a non-issue for us. Closest thing to a breast that I found, which made switching between feeding methods so much easier.

Comotomo Natural Feel Silicone Baby Bottle

The Velcro wrap design meant I could actually swaddle my baby correctly on the first try, unlike traditional swaddle blankets which always came loose.

SwaddleMe by Ingenuity Adjustable Infant Wrap

It's pricier than most play mats, but the pieces are designed by child development experts, so it grows through actual play stages instead of just sitting there as background noise.

Lovevery Play Gym, 5-Stage Baby Development

Simple, no batteries, and still the toy my kids reach for years later. Open-ended play like this tends to hold attention way longer than anything electronic.

Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Blocks Set

This one taught my toddler her ABCs and numbers basically on her own, she'd climb into it constantly. The songs are catchy enough that I still catch myself humming them.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair

This was our backup monitor for the second floor since Wi-Fi didn't reach well there. It doesn't need an app or internet at all, just a solid, reliable video signal, which is honestly refreshing.

VTech Video Baby Monitor

This one actually contains the smell, which felt impossible before we had it. The refill cassettes aren't cheap, but compared to running to the outside bin with every diaper, it's worth every penny.

Diaper Genie Complete Diaper Pail

The only wipes gentle enough for my baby's eczema-prone skin. 99.9% water and nothing else, so no reactions, no weird smell, just clean.

WaterWipes Sensitive Baby Wipes

This bouncer was the safe place to put the baby down when I needed two free hands. It's simple, doesn't need batteries, and folds completely flat for storage or travel.

BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss