Kay Dudley Shares Her Favorite Baby Products

Dudley calls the Doona her “top item for Sutton” (her newest addition, born in October.) Designed to transition from car seat to stroller in seconds, this streamlined design eliminates the need to carry a separate stroller while on the go.

As an all-in-one travel system, the Doona allows parents to move easily between the car and walking without disturbing a sleeping baby. It folds and unfolds quickly and is designed to be easy to maneuver in tight or crowded spaces—something Dudley found especially helpful while traveling. “It came in so handy for that first year for the plane,” she says.

This battery-operated nail trimmer made at-home nail care feel less stressful for Dudley. “It’s battery operated and you can’t hurt their fingers,” she says. “It gives me so much peace of mind being able to just file them.”

Designed with adjustable speeds and interchangeable filing pads, the trimmer allows parents to tailor nail care as baby grows. A built-in light helps with visibility and its quiet operation makes it easier to use while little ones are resting. Dudley has used the trimmer on both of her daughters—her newborn Sutton and her 2-year-old, Ellie—and points to its longevity. “I could even use it on my nails,” she adds. “I still use Ellie’s on her.”

Dudley says the Nanit camera has been especially helpful when she's out of the house and Ellie is home with family. “Even when we are away, we can look at our phone on the app and see that she’s in bed,” Dudley says.

The wall-mounted smart monitor connects to an app that allows parents to check in remotely and review sleep activity over time. Dudley also appreciates having that insight at home, particularly during the night. “Even being home I like having that one because it records the entire night,” she says. “If she wakes up crying, we can look back and see what happened.”

In addition to app-based monitoring, Dudley likes having a simple handheld monitor at home. “I would say [this is] one of my favorites if I’m not traveling because I like to have a physical monitor.”

The Babysense 5” HD split-screen baby monitor features a split-screen display that allows parents to view multiple cameras at once, along with night vision and a secure, WiFi-free connection. It also includes remote pan-and-tilt viewing, two-way audio, and sound-activated alerts, making it easy to check in throughout the day and night. While Dudley didn’t use this monitor with Ellie, she added it after welcoming Sutton so she could keep an eye on both kids at once. While it’s not packed with extra features, Dudley says that’s part of the appeal. It’s “not fancy,” she notes, but “so convenient.”

For Dudley, Coterie diapers have been great for both of her daughters. “They are totally chlorine free,” she says, noting that while they’re on the pricier side, they’ve been worth it for her family. “They’re the only ones that haven’t given us diaper rashes.”

Hypoallergenic and made without added fragrance, these diapers are especially helpful for babies with sensitive skin. That focus on gentler materials has made them a reliable everyday option in the Dudley household.

Sleep safety was an important consideration for Dudley during the newborn stage. She was drawn to the Newton Baby Bassinet & Bedside Sleeper because of its breathable design, a feature she says helped ease common night time fears in those early months.

Designed to sit close to the bed, this bassinet features a breathable, washable mattress intended to allow airflow through the sleep surface. Dudley also appreciated how easy it is to maintain. “The bassinet is great, super easy to clean,” she says, adding that it doesn’t take up too much space. “It’s very low profile so it’s not super bulky and doesn’t take up a lot of space next to your bed.”

From the team behind Taking Cara Babies—founded by neonatal nurse and mom of four Cara Dumaplin—this next pick from Dudley is designed with sleep in mind, especially during overnight diaper changes. “It’s not traditional Velcro, so when you open it up in the middle of the night to do diaper changes or feeds, it doesn’t make any noise,” she says.

“It closes like Velcro and stays together,” Dudley adds, but doesn’t “catch on everything.” Looking back, she says it’s one product she wishes she’d had with her older daughter, Ellie.

This affordable bath essential is a favorite of Dudley’s for the newborn stage. “It’s like twenty bucks. I love it,” she says, adding that her baby seems comfortable using it. To help keep her daughter warm during bath time, Dudley says that she places a wet washcloth over her while bathing.

Designed for newborns up to about six months, the bath support fits directly into a standard tub and cradles baby securely, leaving parents’ hands free. Made with a soft-touch mesh material, it also drains easily and dries fast between uses. As for Dudley, bath time has become a fun part of the routine: “She just loves kicking her little feet in the water—it’s the cutest thing!”

For many parents, the early newborn months come with nighttime nerves—and the Owlet Dream Sock is one product Dudley found reassuring. “We just put it on her little foot,” she says, and it alerts parents if baby’s heart rate falls outside of preset ranges. She used one with Ellie for her first year, and says, “I would recommend this to any of my pregnant mom friends.”

The smart sock pairs with an app to track oxygen levels and pulse rate using pulse oximetry technology and is FDA-cleared for at-home use. Dudley says it helped ease what she describes as “the universal feeling those first few months,” referring to the nighttime worry many parents experience in the early newborn weeks.

A true part of Dudley’s daily routine, the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss has become a go-to spot for her 3-month-old. “It really is in my day-to-day,” she says. “Her first smile was in this product!” Dudley adds that Sutton is content simply sitting in it and watching the world around her. “She’ll just sit in it and look up at us. She loves to look at everything that’s going on.”

The lightweight bouncer is designed to gently rock with a caregiver’s movement rather than swinging automatically, something that Dudley says she appreciates. “I love that one. It’s not going to swing for you—you have to keep it going with your foot,” she explains. The ergonomic seat is made to support baby’s head, neck and back, and the bouncer adjusts as baby grows. It also folds flat, making it easy to bring along when traveling. As Dudley puts it, there have been “lots of cute moments with her in that bouncer.”

The Brest Friend nursing pillow stood out to Dudley for the support it provides. While she didn’t have this product for her first two children, she tells us it was a game-changer with her youngest, Sutton. The wraparound design made a huge difference to her. “Anything that doesn’t go all the way around your back doesn’t offer that support,” she says.

Designed with a firm cushion and built-in back support, the pillow fastens securely around the waist to help keep baby positioned during feeds. Dudley notes that it was useful beyond nursing as well. “It’s a good way to prop,” she says, adding that she used it for bottle-feeding and simply holding her baby. To save packing space while traveling, she’s even ordered one to her destination. “When we travel, I would order one on Amazon to wherever I was going,” she says, showing just how much of a must-have this is for the mom of three.

The Spectra S1 was Dudley’s go-to pump across her recent breastfeeding experiences with both Ellie and Sutton. “My all-time favorite pump that I used [both times] was the Spectra S1, which is the one where you don’t have to be connected to the wall,” she says. After trying a few different options, she found it worked best for her body. “Out of all the pumps I’ve tried, it is the one that empties me the best.”

A well-loved option among many pumping parents, this rechargeable pump offers hospital-grade suction strength in a portable design, allowing parents to pump without staying tethered to an outlet. It can be used as a single or double pump and features adjustable settings so moms can tailor the speed and rhythm to what feels most effective and comfortable for their unique needs. For Dudley, that combination of flexibility and performance made it the pump she most consistently relied on.

This sound soother is one Dudley reaches for during especially fussy moments. “I learned about it with my photographer when we were doing a newborn shoot with Ellie,” she says, adding that she prefers the newer Firefly version over the original. “Firefly is better than the OG one in my opinion.”

The portable device plays a rhythmic shushing sound and includes a built-in-timer–one feature Dudley shares she uses often. “In those first couple months with Sutton, even now, if she’s really fussy I can turn it on and it almost always calms her down,” she says. While she acknowledges that every baby is different, Dudley says both the original Baby Shusher and the Firefly version have worked well for soothing both her girls.

This pacifier works differently than most, and for Dudley, that’s exactly the point. Unlike traditional pacifiers, this one requires baby to maintain a proper latch, something she says was a recommendation from her lactation consultant.

Made from medical-grade silicone, the pacifier is shaped to support natural sucking and oral development for both breastfed and bottle-fed babies. Dudley notes that its design can be confusing at first. “A lot of people think it’s not working because it’s falling out,” she says, “but it just means baby hasn’t perfected their latch yet.”

After trying plenty of burp cloths, these are the ones Dudley reaches for most—she says they're an essential to have on hand for when baby arrives. “You can’t have too many,” she says, noting that these are “the only ones that don’t hold that milk smell.” She keeps them stashed throughout her house in diaper caddies for easy access.

Made from soft cotton muslin, these burp cloths from Mushie are designed with a curved shape that sits comfortably on the shoulder, offering better coverage. Dudley says the way they lay makes a difference, especially during spit-ups. “If baby spits up down your back, it catches it,” she explains. These cloths are machine washable and stay soft over time, even with frequent use.

“Sutton loves this mat!” Dudley says of this activity gym, which features a black-and-white high-contrast design meant to engage babies during early tummy time and sensory play.

The gym includes a variety of removable toys that encourage hands-on exploration, along with a padded, machine-washable mat that offers baby a comfortable space to stretch, kick and play. It’s easy to set up, fold away and gives plenty of room for baby to move freely.