When you’re raising kids, you will realize that there are plenty of things you can never do without. You would need it often enough because they are handy and they can help make things easier for you and your handling of children. You would need this often enough because your kids are going to be using these a lot.

The following are things you need to stack up around the house, in your purse, or in your diaper/kiddie bag:

1. Baby wipes. Always so handy, I cannot imagine going around the house and out of the house without it. I have it in my bag even when the children are not with me. Force of habit. I use the wipes for literally everything that needs wiping. With children, it’s easier to keep them looking clean after playing in the yard or eating at a fast food restaurant.

2. Bandages or band-aids. Sometimes, I need it more than the kids need it. It’s a quick relief for cuts. When the children are out in the playground and they cut themselves, wipe the wound with baby wipes and cover it in band aid…and they’re back to playing again as if nothing happened.

3. Hair elastics and bands. This is especially true if you have girls. They always lose theirs so I don’t know what they do with it. But having this in your bag at all times is handy for quick grooming.

4. Baby powder. In this heat, a dab of baby powder can be refreshing and relieving.

Red Box Productions today announces that Baby Pack & Go is growing quickly to become one of the most popular applications in the Travel category of the US iTunes App Store since its launch on 25 June 2009. This customizable iPhone and iTouch application provides parents and caregivers a simple solution to make sure they pack and take with them everything their baby or toddler needs the next time they leave home so that they are always prepared and have peace of mind.

Baby Pack & Go helps parents and caregivers create custom checklists that are used to efficiently organize their children packing prior or during outings and trips. By using Baby Pack & Go parents will never again forget to pack a milk bottle, pacifier, or baby wipes into the diaper bag.

Baby Pack & Go is designed for ease of use so that parents and caregivers can quickly and easily use this tool when navigating their busy family lives. Parents can start managing trips instantly by using Baby Pack & Go ready-made packing lists, or can customize and personalize their own lists by adding photos, sounds or background colors. Parents will find an extensive catalog of baby and toddler related items to add to their lists. Additionally, if an item does not exist in the catalog, parents can customize the lists further by adding new item names. Baby Pack & Go helps parents manage all their baby travel needs.

Baby Pack & Go is priced at USD $1.99 and is available to download from any Apple iTunes Store worldwide.

I had never heard of a wipe warmer before I got one as a present at a shower for my first baby.  I tried to be polite, but what I was thinking was, “Now we have to warm up our baby wipes?  Come on!”  That was right up there with waiting lists for elite pre-schools and organic baby food for me–and we just weren’t the kinds of hoity-toity types to do that. 

I had to eat my words about that one, though.  In our cold and drafy student housing aparment, it was hard enough to keep our February baby warm without applying ice-cold wipes to her little exposed bottom.  I know that not everyone thinks they’re a good idea, but I became a pretty quick convert. 

The only problem I ever had with our wipe warmer was the the wipes near the bottom of the container could get dried out.  It was easy enough to wet them again with just a little water, though.  And our wipe warmer was just a simple wrap-around kind (that later got recalled, and I don’t think they make them any more), not one of these that look like a toaster oven, so that helped, too. 

I still don’t know if I ever would have bought one for myself.  But I ended really glad that my friend was thoughtful enough to buy it for me.