Babies grow so quickly that many of the adorable items we might get at a baby shower are outgrown before the first year is over. But I have a few favorite items that last and last.

Beyond a high chair
The Stokke Tripp Trapp is still going strong after about five years. Once my older son didn’t need the restraints of a standard high chair, we purchased this number from Sweden to boost him up to the table. Sometimes my husband and I sit in it, so I have every confidence it will keep on keeping on. (I’m told that the Tripp Trapp can be used from six months up though with the 5-point harness and/or baby set.)

Baby bath
The bathtub we bought for our baby Holden was good for an infant and a toddler. We used the Eurobath for three years solid until having a little brother meant we all moved to the big bath tub. The cost per use on that tub was down to a few cents. Hooray! If you want the tub to have a longer shelf-life, look for one that can seat a bigger bottom like this one.

Quality stroller
I know I’m not the only one who choked a bit on the price of a good stroller when I was first expecting. Instead of registering for the stroller of my dreams or enlisting my bike-loving husband to research different models, we cheaped out. As of this writing, I have had nine different strollers in my life. If only I had purchased the Maclaren Quest from the get-go. Whitney’s is still going strong after seven years of use. My best tip is to research a stroller as you would a new car and determine the feature set that is going to give you years of use.