Well folks, it was only a matter of time. After nearly a decade of service transporting five babies — not to mention toddlers on buggy boards, groceries, dry cleaning and, ahem, more than a few of mommy’s shopping bags — my beloved stroller finally sprung a flat tire.

Pin for later!

It took me by surprise, but the experience made me realize just how much I’ve relied on that stroller over the years. It’s one of the key items of Babydom I’ll be bidding farewell to soon now that my youngest is 20-months-old.  After all this trial and error — the time we spent together  and the experience we’ve shared — I’ll be very sad to bid farewell to my favorite baby products!  In tribute, here are my favorite essential baby items:

The top five products that saw me through babies:

Full-Featured Stroller: That beloved Bugaboo Frog was a BIG investment at the time (back in 2004 it seems like a Cadillac), although compared to stroller prices these days it now seems like a steal!  But I did learn that if you plan to have a few children and you do a lot of walking, you really need a trusty, durable stroller with a great sun shield, generous storage space, and a nice recline option. Even though I got a lot of raised eyebrows as I pushed that vehicle through the supermarket and into small cafes, I’d buy the same stroller again in a heartbeat (unfortunately Bugaboo discontinued my model, but click here for all my stroller reviews).  Apart from my broken wheel during season nine of my stroller, I never had one single issue, not one!  What other product could you say that about?

Pack N’ Play: This item makes my list even though I’ve thrown more than a few tantrums of my own over assembling it. The Pack N’ Play serves so many purposes and is once again an item that has lasted me through all five kids. It doubles as a bassinet for a newborn, is of course ideal for travel, and is a great place for baby to play. I know some people are anti-playpen, but for me it was essential to have a safe place to put my littlest one down so she wouldn’t get trampled by her siblings while I attempted to make dinner/do laundry/go to the bathroom!  We moms need every opportunity we can get to escape!

Hospital Burp Cloth: This is the quintessential baby product, as far as I’m concerned — and it’s free! These are not only the best, most absorbent burp clothes, they are also excellent receiving blankets, swaddling blankets, and for my kids, security blankets. I could go on and on, or I could just tell you to watch this video where I profess my undying love for this item.

Blackout Shades: When you’re a new mom, it’s all about maximizing the time baby is asleep, so that YOU can get some shut-eye! That’s why I could not have lived without the blackout shades in my baby’s nursery, which have helped all my kids sleep better at nap time and sleep later in the mornings. Those 5 a.m. wake-ups are a killer, and these really do help. I believe in them so much that I also create make-shift ones when we travel.

Front-Snap Pajamas:  An item of baby clothes might seem like an obvious choice, but my life as a mom got a lot easier once I stopped trying to dress my babies in fancy outfits!  The last thing you want to be doing when you’re changing a new baby seven times a day is spend time on tiny buttons, gowns that go over the head or items that require flipping your babe onto her stomach to do the fastening!  Thus, my love for front-snap PJ’s (important they have snaps, not buttons, right moms?!).  And yes, I used them all day long — from morning through lunch through the night.  If these babies sleep all throughout the day and night, why not outfit them for that? They’ll have plenty of time later in life to stuff themselves into uncomfortable outfits…especially the girls!

So there you have it! Oh, and as for my stroller, a quick trip to the bike store and she’s as good as new – ready for the next five babies (just kidding, dear husband!)

Enough from me, what are YOUR most valuable baby products?  How are you getting ready for baby? What were your favorite new baby products? I want to know so please tell me in the comments below!