1. Fisher Price Rock n' Play! This invention was a god-send. We took it everywhere with us and my little ones loved it. Its portable and collapsable. They would sleep in it at night when they were newborns and could nap in it when we were at a guest's house. My second baby, who is 5 months, has bad reflux so we still use it during the day since it sits her on an incline.

2. MamaRoo: Both of my kids did not love the swing but they did love the MamaRoo. The gentle motion would help them nap. Its an investment but worth a try if you have a baby that doesn't like the traditional swing.

3. Baby bath: Forget all the people that tell you "back when I had babies I just bathed them in the kitchen sink". Eww. I can't imagine giving my newborns a bath in a sink that I just prepared chicken over. The baby bath is something I use everyday and love it.

4. SwaddleMe swaddles and Halo Sleep Sacks: The swaddles are awesome! They helped soothe my babies even when they were going balistic. Some people (like my husband) struggle to swaddle a flailing baby in a blanket so the velcro swaddleMe blankets were a huge help. Now that my baby is older and doesn't swaddle anymore, sleep sacks are great. Since loose blankets increase the risk of SIDS, wearable blankets are the way to go!

5. For a cranky/colic baby, I would recommend the Book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. It was a game changer! His recommendations worked everytime to soothe my little ones.

~LeeAnn McCafferty