Mama Law: We all have our own ways of doing things, and we can't help but share them with anyone who will listen.

With all of the magazines, blogs, listservs, community groups, classes, friends and family we have bombarding us parents with helpful advice on the "best" or "right" way of doing things, the Mama Law is that really, we all have our own way of working things out. Kids have different needs, parents have different lives, families have different dynamics, and communities interact differently. Mash it all up, and I don't think you'll find any two families doing things just the same way, or even one family doing the same thing with 2 kids.

That said, there have been a few gifts of knowledge that have been passed along to me by friends and family, random tidbits I have stumbled upon while feeling my way through the unknown parts of parenting, and tips that I have tried after reading them someplace that have turned out to be golden. Since I am prepping myself for another little one, I'm finding myself reliving the search for products (which kind of grosses me out, but seems to be a necessary evil of parenting these days). I am revisiting my favorites from when Henry was a very wee one, so here a few (they worked for us!):

1. Find a gentle, baby-friendly detergent you love, and switch to it for all your clothes, etc. Cuddling won't cause rashes for the wee one, and your skin will thank you too. A good friend committed to cloth diapering passed along the recommendation of Charlie's Soap, which has become a staple in our house. We started using it before Henry was born, and still use it every load, every time. It is amazing - no scent, super clean clothes, and incredibly affordable! We bought a 5 gallon container for about $120 two years ago, and still have more than half of it left. It's good to the earth, and good to our skin.

2. One good stroller is really all you need. Barring lots of plane travel (there are special demands and needs for that kind of trek!), one seriously good stroller is very much worth it. Again on the recommendation of a friend, we managed to convince someone to buy us the BOB Revolution. It's a bit heavy, but it's perfect for just about everything. No, you can't open it with one hand, and maybe I'd love that if I ever had a stroller with that feature, but I lived without it without a problem. It handles like a dream, Henry is super comfy, and even at age 2 (and over 30 pounds) he is not even halfway to the weight max. The shocks make for a smooth ride for him no matter where we go, and the sunshade is a serious plus in Florida! The extra infant seat attachment and the cup holder for mommy and papa are completely worthwhile investments as well.

3. Find a good diaper (or more than one) that works for you and your baby. I love Huggies Supreme newborn diapers. I have the utmost respect for parents who are committed to cloth diapering, and fully respect that this (or other alternatives like Gdiapers) is way better for the environment, cheaper, and better for baby's skin, but it turned out that these were not for us. Convenience won out. I admit, I'm with Ariel Gore on the cloth diapering thing: I find it suspicious that new moms somehow have to be the first to shoulder saving the environment. Similarly, I have issues with Greenpeace asking me to sacrifice my butt and my nose, but I digress. I'm all about the Huggies Supremes. They have no scent (scent makes me crazy), they are super-absorbent, and they are very soft. You have to find the diapers that work for your baby - some will get rashes from chlorinated diapers, some will need super-stretchy sides of one brand or another, and some can just use the cheapest ones around, no sweat (oh how I envy you). For us, the Huggies Supremes were perfection.

I also love Nature Baby Care (available only at Target as far as I know) for overnight diapers. They have worked better for our big-time pee-er as a toddler than any of the diapers designed as overnights, or even overnights with doublers. And these lovely things, while still disposable and problematic in all the usual ways, are more natural and a little healthier for the environment. They're pricey, so we only use them at night when they are really needed. We didn't try them until H was older, but I will probably give them a try this time around.

4. Buttpaste. It's fantastic stuff.

I'm feeling a bit like a product whore, so I have to stop. I'm sure I will think of more, maybe even things that aren't products. And I just had to ask Henry where his pants are, so clearly it's time to get off the computer.