Clara was born on November 24, 2008.

Since her birth, I've spent hundreds of HOURS for the best, safest, and most affordable baby products.

It's now August 2010 and Clara is 20 months. Many products I purchased are no longer in use. Baby products have a VERY short lifespan. For example, the UPPAbaby Bubble car seat cover below.

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(Added 04/17/2009) I also have gotten stopped several times when I stroll Clara around in the UPPAbaby Bubble car seat cover.

If you are interested a cover for your infant car seat (instead of using a blanket that flaps around in the wind), then try the UPPAbaby Bubble car seat cover. It has a 50 UPF sun protection cover. But do be careful with the mesh, it's a really good windbreaker and it can warm up really quick inside the car seat. So on a hot day I don't zip it up.

The UPPAbaby car seat cover fits over my Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 easily. I also use the Infantino Car Seat Cover at the same time. I purchased the Pink Chocolate Swirls Infantino Car Seat Cover. Currently, Clara is traveling very stylish and comfortably at 4 months old.

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Picking a product that will last and have future uses is difficult. Also I don't like to toss things away just because my baby outgrew it in 2 months but then storage is in short supply.

Therefore I'm always on the lookout for the BEST products on the market for my princess that will LAST!

For example, as of August 2010 I use the following:

There are other organic products I use too, like 7th Generation Glass Cleaner.

Also if you haven't watched Food, Inc. yet. It's a good time to start. It'll help you make good healthy decisions on organic vs. non-organic foods.

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For diapers I started out with Pampers Swaddlers, until they stopped at size 2~3. That's right, Swaddlers only come in Size 1, Size 2, and Size 2~3. After that you have to look for the next level. Hint: Clara being born at 8 pounds and grew out of the Newborn size within one week of age. So don't stock up too much on one size.

Newborns go through 12 to 15 diapers a day. Then that number drastically drop by 6 weeks, 3 months, and at every physical check-up. At 19-months Clara used ~6 diapers a day.

By planning ahead I've only wasted about 3 diapers because Clara outgrew them. So I just turned those 3 into warm compression packs!

Starting in June 2010 I've switched to Pampers Baby Dry. That's after I tried Whole Foods 365 Diapers, Costco Diapers, Pampers Cruisers, and Huggies Little Movers. I settled on Pampers Baby Dry for my water bucket daughter. Click here for the story behind the switch on my Amazon Review.

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For summer time there are lots of cute swim suits, but I'm concerned about sun burn and Clara being cold. I use Sun Smarties 50+ UPF Surf Suit from One Step Ahead when possible. I purchased an 18-month size when Clara was just 9 months old. See photo on right ------>

Clara is now 19 months and she can still wear it again this summer! I stretch my dollar where I can!

The hat in the picture is also a Sun Smarties Hat. But this year I found a Speedo Baby Hat at Target! Its material very close to that of a swim suit therefore it's better than the Sun Smarties Hat in the water.

For sunscreen, I use a few. I like Johnson & Johnson Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 40, it's also rated as safe by EWG because it doesn't contain oxybenzone. Another brand I trust is California Baby SPF 30. It's more expensive but it also doesn't contain oxybenzone and is also deemed safe by the EWG.

I do cheat because my princess doesn't always hold still so I use BareMinerals Sunscreen SPF 30 with brush when I'm on the go. It's powder form so it's not considered safe because of it's high ZINC OXIDE and MICA content. Otherwise if I know Clara is going to the beach or the pool, I'll use J&J or California Baby.

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CONCLUSION

The baby market is constantly changing because many parents have now entered into the product invention market. For example, TWO stay-at-home dads created the BabyGanics Company!

Many wonderful new baby products are coming out each month so always be on the lookout for something new and useful! Go ahead and BROWSE this site for product ideas for your precious baby!

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