【Melodrama Archives】

First things first: You are Melodrama Archivesan amazing mom. You are an incredible dad. And you are doing a great job.

The early days of becoming a parent are hard — like, really hard. When my daughter was first born, it was a months-long haze where I was merely just surviving. I had no idea what I was doing and she had such a hard time sleeping.

I have a very vivid memory of being up with her in the middle of the night (every night) and scrolling through Amazon, shopping for the latest thing I needed that would most definitely change my life as a parent and get her to magically sleep through the night.

Then when the boxes arrived at my door over the next few days, it was as if they'd been ordered in a fever dream — I could hardly remember even buying anything in the first place.

The truth is that there is no such magical product that will make parenting easy, but through trial and error, I did find a collection of gear that made things easier. When my son was born last year, I knew which items were worth doubling down on, and even discovered a few new things to add to my parenting arsenal.

As Mashable's former Shopping Editor, I have spent the better part of the last nine years studying deals and guiding our Prime Day coverage across the site. This year, I'm jumping back in to help assist with coverage and have put together this list of the best Prime Day deals for parents, based on years of expertise.

Best for late-night diaper changes: Touch light

Opens in a new window Credit: MediAcous / Amazon Dimmable touch-control night light $19.19 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $10.80

These rechargeable lights have quickly become the workhorse of our family.

When the babies were brand-new, I used these dimmable, touch-control lights to illuminate middle-of-the-night diaper changes and feeding sessions. Then as the kids have gotten into the toddler years, these sweet little lights (which toggle between white and multi-color outputs) have become a mainstay for couch cushion forts, as travel night lights, and are a must-have for nighttime car rides.

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We recently lost power during a storm, and I grabbed these lights instead of candles to illuminate our staircase. It's also the thing I most often gift to friends as they have new babies of their own.

Best for finding your lost keys: Tile Trackers

Opens in a new window Credit: Tile Tile Trackers (set of 3) $47.99 at Amazon
$70.46 Save $22.47

After packing up the entire car on our way out the door for one of our first vacations as a family of four, my husband and I realized we couldn't find the car keys.

Anyone with kids knows that departure timing is an art: Both kids were packed into their car seats, we had coordinated the drive to align with their shared nap time, and we had our podcast all queued up so we could spend the drive decompressing. Except when we couldn't find the keys, we were stuck. We actually had to delay our trip, they were that lost.

In the end, it turned out that the keys were in the diaper bag, which we located hours later. This incident prompted us to immediately invest in Tile trackers, which we attached to just about everything we owned and which are paired with our smartphones so we can find commonly lost items in a pinch. (Highly recommend putting the Tile Sticker one on your TV remote, as both kids like to squirrel it away in the most unexpected of places.)

Best deal for getting things done: BabyBjorn Carrier

Opens in a new window Credit: BabyBjorn BabyBjorn Carrier $77.99
$99.99 Save $22

My daughter has a hard time sleeping, so for the first year of her life, she took almost every single nap in a carrier. And because I work from home, this meant that she was often strapped to me as I worked, taking calls and editing stories with her for hours at a time. Hey, you do what you have to do.

During particularly tough nights when she just wouldn't settle, I would strap her into this BabyBjorn carrier (which works for newborns all the way up to approximately 12 months) and walk circles around my house, listening to podcasts or watching reality TV. (Shoutout to the entire RuPaul's Drag Race universe of shows, which kept me company through my second post-partum experience.)

As she got bigger, my husband would use this same carrier facing out to keep our daughter contained and entertained while doing laundry and other things around the house. I truly don't know how anyone can parent without a baby carrier, and that is the honest truth. This one from BabyBjorn, which we have used for both kids, is on sale during Prime Day for $22 off.

Best for taking kids everywhere: Osprey Poco Plus

Opens in a new window Credit: Osprey Osprey Poco Plus Child Carrier $240 at Amazon
$320 Save $80

After the kids outgrew the baby carrier, my husband and I graduated them to this backpack-style carrier from Osprey. We have used this to hike with the kids and during family vacations walking around new cities, plus I've used it to get things done around the house, have schlepped both kids (at one time or another) while working in the garden, and have even popped them in it while I made dinner. (It's especially good for that post-5 p.m. time when they just want to be close to you, but you have so many things to get done.)

During one particularly epic mom moment when I was home alone with both kids, I wore one of them in this backpack while carrying the other in my arms to fall asleep for a nap. Am I bragging? Yes. It was badass.

A spacious pocket underneath can stow an impressive amount of gear, plus a removable shade that they can't rip off keeps the sun off their delicate skin. The best part is that it folds down almost completely flat so you can easily pack it in the car or store it away when not in use. Snag it for $80 off during Prime Day.

Best for nipple care: Medela hydrogel pads

Opens in a new window Credit: Medela Medela hydrogel pads $7.99 at Amazon
$11.19 Save $3.20

If breastfeeding is a part of your parenting journey, then it might be helpful to know that there is an adjustment period when your body adapts to this new situation. After going through it with my daughter, I didn't give it much thought the second time around with my son. I figured that my body had already adapted and it would be super easy the next time.

Dear reader, I was wrong. The second time was just as painful, and I frantically stocked up on these soothing gel pads to alleviate the pain. Take it from me: the pain is temporary and you will get through it, but you definitely need these. During Prime Day, you can knock off a few bucks from each package, so stocking up is wise.

Topics Prime Day Family & Parenting