Plant People co-founder Hudson Davis-Ross on 7 baby essentials he’s loving as a new dad

“I love the Nanit, which is one of those baby crib cameras,” says Davis-Ross, who refers to it as “amazing.” “It’s kind of the premium baby camera situation. It has a lot of features, and it has a stand that looks over the crib.”

For anyone who loves to obsess over device-driven data and biometrics, it’s a great pick: What truly made it stand out to Davis-Ross compared to other crib cameras he was considering is how much information it could share. 

“It tells you when he wakes up,” he says. “It scans [and] basically tells if he’s breathing, etc. So, I really love that. It also tells you temperature [and] humidity. It really does say a lot of things in it, which is cool.”

One downside? Like almost everything these days, the smart device comes with a free tier and then subscription plans starting from $9 per month. The free plan offers live stream video, nursery audio, background audio, sound/motion alerts, breathing motion monitoring, and up to two user accounts. For sleep tracking, saved video, analytics, and more, users need to sign up for a paid plan, which is one thing Davis-Ross finds a “little silly.”  

Despite the subscription (and a travel stand that could be improved), Davis-Ross calls the Nanit “amazing.” And, as an important bonus for those with an eye to design, he vouches for the fact that “it’s very chic,” meaning you don’t have to sacrifice the nursery’s aesthetic for a not-so-vibey piece of tech. 

“We ended up getting this new stroller called the Nuna TRIV lx,” says Davis-Ross. 

The decision comes down to seriously clever design: “It’s compact, so you can pull one lever and it folds,” he says. “What I love about it is not only can you just fold it really quickly with one hand, but this car seat’s amazing. They basically created this thing where these arms come out, and they just lock in. So, you just pull down these arms, and the seat has these hooks in the crevice where it meets. It could take 10 seconds max, five seconds. You just pull them out.” 

And for any parents needing a little more peace of mind, the fasteners “have these little red-green colors that, when it locks in, it turns green so you know.”

It also features a canopy for optimal nap coverage on the go. “When they’re trying to sleep, or they’re going to a really bright airport during their nap time, these flaps come out,” he says. 

The downside is that the car seat’s weight limit is 30 pounds, meaning you might have to get another car seat earlier than most, says Davis-Ross, since usually the maximum limit for a car seat is 40 pounds. 

Still, the Nuna is “amazing; it’s amazing,” he says. “I was really impressed by it.”

“We use glass bottles instead of plastic, just to avoid plastics and phthalates and PFAS and all that stuff for such a little baby,” says Davis-Ross. “The brand that I use is Evenflo. They’re amazing.”

Although the glass construction is the main selling point for Davis-Ross, he also appreciates the nipple design: “They have a patented nipple where airflow goes through it for better sucking.” 

There’s only one thing Davis-Ross wishes he could change: how many ounces the bottle can handle. “The issue is they go up to 6 ounces only,” he says. Still, “I spent a lot of time researching glass bottles, and Evenflo was the best.”

However, a larger size was needed — which sent Davis-Ross back to researching for another plastic-free bottle. He found Pigeon’s 8-ounce glass bottles, and the family put those to use.  

“The nipples are silicone, so he’s not sucking on plastic or something,” he says. “[It has a] hole too, actually, for airflow.” 

As for the most important verdict between the two bottles? “Crosby didn’t really mind,” says Davis-Ross

“We use glass bottles instead of plastic, just to avoid plastics and phthalates and PFAS and all that stuff for such a little baby,” says Davis-Ross. “The brand that I use is Evenflo. They’re amazing.”

Although the glass construction is the main selling point for Davis-Ross, he also appreciates the nipple design: “They have a patented nipple where airflow goes through it for better sucking.” 

There’s only one thing Davis-Ross wishes he could change: how many ounces the bottle can handle. “The issue is they go up to 6 ounces only,” he says. Still, “I spent a lot of time researching glass bottles, and Evenflo was the best.”

However, a larger size was needed — which sent Davis-Ross back to researching for another plastic-free bottle. He found Pigeon’s 8-ounce glass bottles, and the family put those to use.  

“The nipples are silicone, so he’s not sucking on plastic or something,” he says. “[It has a] hole too, actually, for airflow.” 

As for the most important verdict between the two bottles? “Crosby didn’t really mind,” says Davis-Ross

With all those bottles in rotation comes an equally quick-paced cleaning rotation, and Davis-Ross and his wife rely on one life-saving appliance to help them keep up with the cycle. 

“We have the Momcozy auto washer that also sanitizes,” he says. “It’s pretty amazing. It’s a pretty nice hack. “It does save time and cleans them very well and dries them very well.” 

It keeps cleaning as hands-free as possible, thanks to clever design: “One thing that’s nice is it has a tube, so you don’t have to empty the dirty water,” says Davis-Ross. “It goes [right] into the sink.”

It’ll even do it while you catch some much-needed shuteye: “We usually do [the] normal [setting] and do it overnight. It’s pretty quiet,” he adds. 

Bonus? When you’re in a pinch and need a clean bottle ASAP, the Momcozy has a quick-wash cycle. “It’s around 19 [minutes],” he says. “That’s the fast version.”

With how long babies spend in diapers (pretty much all the time), Davis-Ross wanted to make a thoughtful choice when finding a brand for his son — especially since changing diapers is firmly under his domain as dad.

“I’m on diaper duty because my wife birthed him and held him for nine months,” he says. “So, this is the trade-off.”

He found Kudos diapers during his research. “They’re the only diaper brand that uses cotton in between the pelvis area, the private parts and the diaper, whereas most use plastic,” Davis-Ross says. 

“Just imagine sitting in plastic in your own pee for 11 hours at night as a child,” he says. “That type of moisture — body touching body moisture, and then plastic — can’t be good. So, that’s why we like them.”

“We’re really big on just using wooden toys and not just plastic and things with bright lights and stuff like that,” he says. “We use this company called PlanToys, and it’s all wooden toys. I just realized they have a lot of cool products.”

When it comes to toys for Crosby: “I’m really big on going deep with toys, not wide,” he says. “So, having them play with a few toys and as they grow, looking at them, framing them differently versus having too many things that have bright lights and [are] making noise. Because you can actually see when you give him a ton of toys, he goes from this toy to that toy. He’s not really focused.”

Keeping toys’ bright-and-shiny stimulation limited, Davis-Ross thinks, gives Crosby more time to engage with a toy and get more creative with how he plays: “I just feel like it’s good for him to stay focused,” he says. 

The toys he chose for Crosby have an element of movement to them so he can start working on those fine motor skills. 

“We have this [Baby] Car, which is really cute. It rolls,” he says. “We have the Dancing Alligator, which rolls, and it makes a noise as it rolls.”