Bath and Body Products

California Baby 加州宝宝

Recommended: the California Baby calendula cream (purchase link) and California Baby bug repellent (purchase link). Both have a natural plant-based scent, so they feel especially safe for babies. Note: California Baby products are usually more expensive on Amazon, so it’s recommended to buy them from Target or Walmart.

Mustela 妙思乐

A French brand with excellent moisturizing performance. The best-known product is this Mustela Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream (purchase link), which is very effective at helping prevent baby eczema.

Aveeno

A fairly standard brand. If you’re buying a gift, consider the Aveeno baby daily bath time solutions gift set (purchase link) or the Aveeno baby Mommy & Me gift set (purchase link). The packaging is pretty nice too, and the price is even nicer.

The Honest Company

A brand dedicated to producing non-toxic children’s products. Its bath and body products have a mild, non-irritating scent, and it’s also a fairly standard brand. Its official website offers a free trial for diapers and bath products; you only need to pay $5.95 for shipping to receive the sample, sample link

Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment 屁屁霜/护肤霜

A product recommended by pediatricians in the US. It can not only effectively relieve baby diaper rash within 6 hours, but also help with dryness, cracking, irritation, and similar issues on other parts of the body. Its principle is that the clear ointment texture stays on the baby’s skin longer than cream products, helping separate the skin from irritants so the skin can repair itself more quickly. purchase link

Eucerin Baby Body Lotion 身体乳

Eucerin is a brand favored by both pediatricians and dermatologists in the US. Its Pro-Vitamin B5 helps nourish and moisturize baby skin, and it also contains natural shea butter to keep skin smooth and soft. Suitable for daily use. purchase link

Babyganics

The most popular product from this brand is its Babyganics Foaming Dish and Bottle Soap, which contains natural plant-based cleaning ingredients such as coconut oil, corn, and palm kernel, is fragrance-free, and leaves no residue after washing. purchase link

Toys

【Manhattan ball 曼哈顿球】One of the toys that’s quite popular in China and often bought abroad by moms. This ball comes in rich colors and makes sounds when shaken, which can stimulate a baby’s senses. It’s also made of non-toxic, harmless materials that are safe for babies to chew on, and the clever design prevents it from reaching too far into the throat and triggering vomiting. Suitable age: 0+ purchase link

【Fisher-Price Piano Gym 费雪钢琴毯】A baby’s first gym mat, suitable for babies who can’t yet roll over or crawl (babies who can usually don’t like lying still). Babies can lie on it, kick the piano to make music while reaching for the hanging toys above, or detach the toys and attach them to the mat below for tummy time. Suitable age: 0+ purchase link

【Baby Einstein 爱因斯坦音乐播放器】Includes 7 classical tunes. When the music plays, the small screen on top flashes colored lights. It’s compact, easy to carry, and easy for babies to hold. Suitable age: 3 months+ purchase link

【VTech rhyme and discovery book 音乐书】VTech’s musical book has different nursery rhymes on each page and interactive parts that babies can move themselves. The animals on the side also light up with the music, fully encouraging babies to explore on their own. Suitable age: 6 months+ purchase link

【Melissa & Doug 音乐农场】Each of the four sides features a different animal. Pressing each animal’s nose plays a series of musical animal sounds. Each side also has some “3D” parts for babies to grasp, such as a lamb’s fuzzy ears and a calf’s protruding nose. The top side is a small mirror with petals around it. In short, this toy has many features that attract babies to explore. Suitable age: 6 months+ purchase link

【Fisher-Price Dance and Move Beatbelle 音乐兔子】A singing, dancing bunny whose head and body move with the music. The bunny’s belly has LED lights that flash along with the music. It also has a recording playback feature, so you can record mom and dad’s voices into the music. Suitable age: 9 months+ purchase link

【VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker 学步机】 This toy is packed with features, including piano keys, gears, rollers, a phone, and more. Each one makes a different sound or tune, so little ones will absolutely love it. Before baby can stand, they can sit and play; once they can stand, they can use it to practice walking. Great value for money. Recommended age: 9 months and up Purchase link

Apparel

Carter's ;OshKosh

A classic American kids' clothing brand. It’s inexpensive, almost always on sale, with very deep discounts, a wide range of styles, and stores widely available. The quality, however, is average.

Gymboree

A brand similar to Carter's. Aside from being a bit more expensive, the fabric is average and the quality is average.

Aden+Anais

A brand that specializes in muslin products. The fabric is soft, absorbent, and breathable, making it especially suitable for summer wear, and it gets softer with every wash. If you're buying for a newborn, I strongly recommend their swaddles. They’re large enough (120cm*120cm), come in many designs, and can be used in multiple ways (swaddle, sunshade, burp cloth, small blanket).

Burt's bees baby

A baby and children's clothing brand from the same company as Burt's Bees. It mainly offers 100% organic cotton products and is much better quality than Carter's. The downside is that the styles and patterns are relatively simple, but the clothes are very practical and not expensive. They’re cheaper than Aden+Anais. The official site occasionally offers 15%-20% off, but the free-shipping threshold of $75 is a bit high, so you may want to buy from Kohl's instead (ordering through Kohl's app at Kohl's can qualify for free shipping).

Other brands

【Gap Baby】 Gap Baby is also a great place to buy baby clothes. The designs are more stylish than Carter's, the styles are more varied than Burt's bees baby, and it also has a dedicated 100% organic cotton line. Discounts of 30%-40% off are common, and Thanksgiving 2016 was apparently 50% off storewide. Returns are also very easy.

【Children's Place】 Although the discounts are often very deep and the prices are tempting, the fabric quality really needs improvement. Compared with it, Carter's fabric is still better.

【Zara baby】【H&M baby】 The strengths of these two brands are lots of stylish designs and fast updates. The downside is average quality, so people who care a lot about fabric comfort may not like them.

【Childhoods Clothing】 A young brand founded by an American mom. It started as an Etsy shop and now has its own brand and official website. The styles are simple, the fabric is comfortable, and the clothes are very practical. It feels similar to Burt's bees baby.

【Ralph Lauren baby】 A very high-end brand — in terms of price. If you’re not specifically after the brand name, there are actually many cheaper alternatives with similar quality.

My Picks

  • Because my baby often has eczema flare-ups, I try to choose sensitive products for bath and body care. I recommend starting with sample sizes to see whether they suit your baby, and then buying the full-size bottles if they work well — that’s usually more cost-effective.
  • For toys, I first bought the products mentioned above that babies generally tend to love, then I watched what my baby liked to play with at the supermarket or at other people’s homes, and bought more selectively from there.
  • For clothes, I prefer Aden+Anais and Burt's bees baby loungewear. Although they’re not as colorful as some other brands, they feel soft and comfortable, and they don’t lose shape much even after many washes. I buy a little Carter's and Gap too, but my baby wears them less often. I once found a Ralph Lauren baby cashmere sweater and pants at TJ Max, and the quality really was excellent.

Buying Guide

If you want to buy the products above on Amazon, you can first set up an Amazon Baby Registry. You can get sample gifts and also receive a 15% off coupon.

If you plan to buy from Amazon long term, you may want to sign up for Amazon Family. It includes all Prime membership benefits, plus up to 20% off diapers. The price is still $99 per year.

If you’re not in a hurry for certain bath and body products, you can use Subscribe and Save to save on shipping. With S&S, orders of more than 5 items also get an extra 15% off.