So I like most new parents over purchased and bought things I really didn't need. I couldn't decide if I wanted the Dock-A-Tot or the Snuggle Me- so I got both! Now after using both, I realize that there's really only one that I use daily. 

Now, I did get both, but second hand so I didn't pay full price for either. I ended up buying a second Dock-A-Tot cover because when one gets dirty- and it will- you need something else to put on! I was able to get one on Etsy that was slightly cheaper (around $65), but it didn't have the exact same snug fit that the original has. Completely and totally usable though!

I just found the Dock-A-Tot easier to use around the house. I put it on the kitchen table as I made dinner so many times. I didn't want to do that with the Snuggle Me because the bottom was soft and baby would be feeling a hard table instead of a cushion. I also found it was usable for longer because the bottom unclips and baby's legs can be free-- BUT, their feet are then on the table or whatever surface the lounger is on, so it's not realllyyyy usable much longer. 

My baby is 3.5 months right now, and has outgrown BOTH! He is just too long! A long baby will not be in these until they are 9 months old- NO WAY! He is 25" long right now and his feet are past the bottom padding on the Dock-A-Tot. 

Having said that, the Dock-A-Tot has been with us since day one and we use it for soooo much of the day! I use it for changing him, plopping him next to be as I shower on the floor, on the kitchen table while I cook, and outside (Using the Cabana cover- which I also love!) I can't imagine what I will do next as baby really can't be in here much longer!! 

For us, Dock-A-Tot was the winner, but Snuggle Me I wanted to love so much because of the organic materials. In the end, functionality over material won out.  

Below is an affiliate link where you can find more information and purchase the Dock-A-Tot

What do you use when baby outgrows these items?! The search is ON!

If you're not familiar with EWG, you should be! It stands for the Environmental Working Group and they can be found at www.EWG.org. They take products and list the toxicity of every ingredient! They then give them a rating and notes if they contain any ingredients known to be an allergen, known to cause cancer, etc. ​You can't possibly know about every ingredient listed on a label! This takes out the guesswork. 
* Photo below obtained from ewg.org

Not every product looks so... green shall we say. A lot of the uber popular brands may surprise you with ratings of D and F with red splattered everyone on their page instead of the lovely green you see in this photo. It's not always brand specific either! Babyganics has some products that are great and some that are not, so you can't just say I like this brand, you have to look up every single product unfortunately. 

Laundry Powder & Stain Remover
This was a tough one to pick! I felt there were not many great natural laundry detergent options that met the high standards that they have. Every product had at least a few ingredients that were rated a C, seemingly. Perhaps I just didn't look hard enough though! I ended up with Molly's Suds. I was already using their products, but this time I bought the unscented one. FYI, their whitening one is awesome! Highly recommend for a load of white towels! 

One more thing about laundry and babies. I never understood why people got special detergent and washed baby's clothes separately. Perhaps if cost is a real factor, but I can tell you there are reasonably priced and much safer than tide anyway. No, you probably don't have coupons, but still. Why do I say this? Because, baby is laying on YOU all day correct? So shouldn't your clothing also be clean of toxins? You're holding them in your arms close to your chest, which presumably has a shirt on it, so just use the same detergent! 

The opposite of this is the all popular Dreft detergent. I won't go into details, you can see for yourself how their newborn detergent faired. 
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/6112-DreftStage1NewbornDetergent

Diapers and Wipes
I went with the Honest Company for diapers and wipes. They are eco friendly, made with plants, and I've heard they hold up pretty well! That being said, I won't always be using these. I purchased cloth wipes and will be using cloth diapers once he is out of the newborn phase. I just couldn't tackle being a new mom and figuring out cloth diapering all in the same week, so I'm compromising. I also have a few packs of water wipes that are good too.  The overnight diapers are by far my favorite! It really does last 12 hours!