Tired of wasting money on products that don’t work for your fussy, colicky or high need baby or toddler?
Already have a mountain of useless toys and soothing products gathering dust in the corner?
Of course, the things that tend to work the best with fussy babies are those that aren’t actually toys: for instance: cell phones, TV remotes, plastic bowls, and of course, boobs.
But the thing is, you never know when something is actually going to help your baby sleep or keep him occupied for more than 5 minutes.
And that’s why I surveyed members of our private Facebook groups to find out just which products ACTUALLY work for fussy and spirited babies and kids!
Following are the results of the 238 responses we received. For each section, I have included an overall winner, a category winner, and at least one runner-up (when the numbers were pretty close).
A few words of clarification:
- Many of the product links below are affiliate links. This means if you click on them and then make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.
- For each product, I’ve stated the percentage of respondents who rated the item as “very effective” or “extremely effective”. This percentage is based on how many people responded in the overall category; not out of all survey respondents.
- In some sections, I’ve included an Editor’s Choice award. This is based on a number of factors including my personal experience with the product, as well as what I’ve heard anecdotally from parents.
Best Infant Gas Drops, Gripe Water & Probiotics
Overall Winner: Infants’ Mylicon Gas Relief
37.4% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Gas Drops Category: Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops
23% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Gripe Water Category: Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water
29.3% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Gripe Water Category: Little Remedies Gripe Water
12.6% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Infant Probiotic Category: Gerber Soothe Probiotic Drops
20.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Probiotics Category: BioGaia Infant Probiotic Drops
13.8% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
Ovol drops, Infacol colic drops, Colief infant drops, Hyland’s Baby Colic Tablets, Hyland’s Baby Calming Tablets, Colic Calm gripe water, Wellements organic gripe water, Colic Ease gripe water, Mommy’s Bliss probiotic drops, Mylicon Infant probiotic drops
Best Swaddles and Sleep Sacks
Overall Winner: The Halo Sleep Sack
31.8% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Sleep Sack Category: Zipadee-Zip
17.9% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Swaddle Category: SwaddleMe Swaddle
27.4% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Swaddle Category: Love to Dream Swaddle
23.5% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Swaddling Blankets: Aden + Anais Swaddling Blankets
15.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Editor’s Choice in Sleep Sack Category: Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleep Sack
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
The Woombie, The Swaddle Strap, The Miracle Blanket, The Zen Swaddle, The Zen sleep sack, Ergobaby swaddler, Happiest Baby 5-Second Swaddle, SwaddleMe Pod
Best Baby Swings, Bouncers and Seats
Overall winner: Fisher Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat
21% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Rocker Category: The Mamaroo
17.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
(Editor’s note: I was surprised by this one as it has not ranked well in previous years’ surveys, nor did I find it to be fast enough when I tested it. I would recommend the Fisher Price Cradle ‘n Swing (below) as a better option).
Runner up in Rocker Category: Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker
10.5% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner (Tie) in Bouncer Category: Exercise or yoga ball (any brand)
18.2% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner (Tie) in Bouncer category: Fisher Price Bouncer
18.2% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Swing Category: Fisher Price Cradle ‘n Swing (any model). Also Editor’s Choice.
13.3% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Swing Category: Graco Duet Soothe
9.4% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Editor’s Choice: The Snoo
Please note: The Snoo is now available for rental, which is what I recommend for most parents. Buying it is very pricey!!
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
Ingenuity bouncer, Baby Bjorn bouncer, Bright Starts rocker, Graco Simple Sway baby swing, Graco cradle swing, Graco DreamGlider, The Babocush, Fisher Price 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother, Fisher Price Takealong swing, Ingenuity Swing ‘n Go
Best White Noise Machines and Products
Overall winner: Hatch Rest Sound Machine. Also Editor’s Choice.
38.5% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up: Marpac Dohm Sound Machine
10.9% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: LectroFan Classic White Noise Machine
7.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Winner in Portable White Noise Device Category: The Baby Shusher
9% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up in Portable White Noise Device Category: Baby Sleep Soother Sound Machine
7.7% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
Yogasleep portable white noise machine, DreamEgg white noise machine, Baby Got Colic on YouTube, Cloud B Sleep Sheep, Marpac Hushh portable white noise machine, My Baby Sound Spa On-the-go portable white noise machine
Best Fussy Baby Books
Overall Winner: The Wonder Weeks
53.7% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up: Happiest Baby on the Block. Also Editor’s Choice.
24.3% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: What to Expect the First Year
19.9% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: The Fussy Baby Book
13.2% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, The Baby Book, The Contented Little Baby Book, Solve your Child’s Sleep Problems, The Attachment Parenting Book, The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight, The SleepEasy Solution, The Happy Sleeper, The Fussy Baby Survival Guide, Sleep Training and High Need Babies, Everything You Need to Know About Colic, Precious Little Sleep, It’s Never Too Late to Sleep Train, The No-Cry Sleep Solution, The Gentle Sleep Book, Safe Infant Sleep
Best Sleep Training Programs
Overall winner: Taking Cara Babies
50.8% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up: Sleep Sense Program
6.3% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
The Baby Sleep Site Express Sleep Plan, The Happy Sleepers program, The Sleep Lady Video e-Course
Best Co-sleepers and Bassinets
Overall winner: Dockatot
27.6% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner Up: Halo Bassinet Swivel Sleeper
22.9% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner up: Arms Reach Cosleeper
18.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
SwaddleMe By Your Side Sleeper, Mika Micky Bedside Sleeper, Snuggle Me co-sleeper, Lulybook bassinet, Baby Bjorn cradle
Best Slings, Wraps and Baby Carriers
Overall Winner: Ergo Baby Carrier
26% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner-Up: Lillebaby Carrier
21.4% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Moby Wrap
19.7% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Tula Carrier
15.6% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
Baby K’Tan, Baby Bjorn, Sling (any brand), Mei-Tai, Solly Baby wrap, Boba wrap, Acrabros wrap
Best Toys and Activity Centers
Overall Winner: Fisher Price Jumperoo
48.6% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner Up: Water Table (any brand)
43.5% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Fisher Price Deluxe Kick & Play Piano Gym
33.9% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Sand Table (any brand)
20.3% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Jolly Jumper
15.8% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Skip Hop Baby Activity Center.
14.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Editor’s Choice: Baby Einstein Takealong Radio
Editor’s Choice: Spark Kitchen Sink
Editor’s Choice: Foam Playset (Nugget, ECR4Kids, Softscape, etc.)
Best Subscriptions
Overall Winner: Huckleberry Sleep App
58% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner Up: Lovevery Subscription Box
50% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Other items in this category that were included in the survey:
Kiwi Co., Bitsy Box, Huckleberry app
Best Miscellaneous Fussy Baby Products
Overall Winner: Blackout Blinds (any brand)
67.3% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Runner Up: Exercise/Yoga Ball (any brand)
31.6% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: The Windi Gas and Colic Reliever
25.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Honorable Mention: Amber Necklace for Teething (any brand)
21.1% of respondents rated this as “very effective” or “extremely effective”.
Need more ideas?
Check out last year’s Christmas gift guide: 50 Best Toys and Products for Spirited Kids 0-5.