As real-life mother to daughter Rain, who turns 22 months today (happy birthday, Rain!), Marisol knows very well what it’s like to be willing to risk everything for those you love. “I never knew you could love another person as much as I love this little girl,” she explains. “It’s like having your heart outside of your body, walking around and saying ‘mommy.’”

Mamaista asked the devoted mom what her favorite baby products are and here’s her Top 10 list.

1. Fave baby ride: I loved the Micralite stroller. The ease of the seat positions is fantastic. The ease with which it folds up. The reclining of the seat that’s in there. Brilliant. And it was so comfortable for Rain. She loved it – she took all her naps in it. The only reason I’m not using it now is that she outgrew it. The one I’m using now is a Bertini stroller. The basket in the bottom is huge; it has cup-holders and a place for your keys. Rain takes her nap in it every day. It’s easy to turn, which is great because some strollers don’t turn well. I use it for traveling. It’s a truly fantastic stroller.

2. Fave crib: Her crib is from the Green Cradle. It’s wooden, non-toxic and safe for her. I love the classic look of it too; it’s traditional, classic baby – and I like that.  It’s a baby crib for the ages. It looks like something you could have used 100 years ago.

3. Fave sippy cup: Elmo Sippy Cup by Learning Curve from Toys R Us. It has Elmo all over it – that’s why Rain will drink out of it. I’ve found that some other cups were too hard and she didn’t like sipping out of them. And then some would leak. But this one is fun and cute.

4. Fave high chair:Fisher-Price Zen Collection High Chair. It’s sturdy. We’ve had it since she was little and she’s so big now – and it’s adjusted with her as she’s grown. I love it. It’s fantastic – and comfortable for her.

5. Fave nursery décor item: I love my nursery – it’s hard to decide on a favorite. There’s a mural on the wall of a tree with fairies on it, which adds a magical quality to the whole room. Otherwise, it would just be a room that’s decorated for a baby. When I was pregnant, I was reading Pixie Hollow and that’s what inspired me. I like the idea that fairies are watching over Rain while she sleeps.

6. Fave baby clothing designer: Misha Lulu. Their clothing is so original and creative and just really special. It’s completely non-traditional and has this “I sewed it myself” quality that I love! I literally bought everything I could find in Rain’s size when she was a year old.

7. Fave baby bath: I don’t use a baby bath, but I have this amazing tub bumper, the Tub-Time Bumpers. It’s been phenomenal – it sticks to the entire tub so her head is protected. And she learned her ABCs from it!.

8.  Fave car seat: I’d have to say Graco, because it’s comfortable and she can see out the window. She really likes to see outside. It makes car rides a lot more pleasant.

9.  The one essential baby item you couldn’t live without:
When she was a little baby, it was the Fisher-Price My Little Lamb™ Cradle ’n Swing. She slept in it. It was the greatest thing ever.

Now, Bobux shoes because she walks so well in them. She’s a runner, and in sandals, she scrapes her toes. The Bobux shoes fit like a sock but protect her feet. I also like See Kai Run. They have the cutest baby shoes. And Rain really likes those as well. It’s like “are you kidding?” They’re so adorable, I want to have them bronzed.

10. The one baby luxury item you wouldn’t want to live without: My Rebecca Minkoff baby bag. It’s lined and waterproof inside. It’s got tons of compartments in there so I can categorize all the things I need to bring with me: one for food, one for diaper creams, one for my keys and cell phone. It looks like a purse – you would never know it’s a diaper bag. It’s not too much and not too little; it’s the perfect size. It’s the best.

>Check out Marisol Nichols on ABC’s The Gates, Sundays at 10pm EST.

Photo: Jeff Nicholson – www.theshotphotography.com

Baby gates have solved that problem at home, but the second you get to the park, beach or friend’s house, it’s right back to “stop… wait…no…where are you going….whyeeeeee????!!!!”

Guava Family GoCrib to the rescue!

This lightweight and portable crib-in-a-backpack is powered by Rigid Inflation technology. Sold with a dual-action pump, the Go Crib by Guava Family inflates to standard size in less than a minute. Deflated, it weighs only 8.5 pounds and folds easily into an accompanying backpack.

So next time you head out on a social call, you can enjoy a grown-up conversation – maybe even a picnic – without wishing you had a staff of nannies to run after you know who.

Available at guavafamily.com.

They’re called ABC Cups and besides being ridiculously good looking, they also work on several crucial levels.

First, thanks to their cool design, ABC Cups are party decorations onto themselves. Second, the fact that each paper cup has a different letter makes it easy to remember which cup is yours (translation: fewer abandoned cups, quicker clean-up and less waste). And last but not least…what better way to learn the alphabet than while whooping it up at a party?

Available at pintsizesocial.com.

>>GIVEAWAY ALERT: Tell us how you’d use your ABC Cups on our Facebook Wall and you’ll be entered to win a set for your next event – whatever that may be!

If anything, quite the opposite.

With the rugrats running amuck, parents in search of a little peace and quiet may want to check out Suvi Ainoa and the transformative power of understated chic. The cool, subdued linen pieces that make up the Suvi Ainoa children’s wear collection are meant for sophisticated little ladies and gents.

Suvi Ainoa fitted blazers, tailored dresses and suspender pants and skirts come in a palette of white, navy and natural linen – so your retinas can smile even when your eardrums are sobbing.

Available at suviainoa.com.

>>Babble Double Take: Check out more photos from this amazing collection at Mamaista’s Babble Blog.

No two ways about it, books, movies and TV shows help us get in the globe-trotting spirit.

Too bad your little critters have no such motivation. Or don’t they? Thanks to Look Out World, Here I Come play-along DVD and activity book sets, you can start to inspire your kids with a sense of adventure, open-mindedness and curiosity from the age of two.

The Look Out World adventure kits will get your kids excited about different destinations – which will translate into a lot less whining when you’re finally pounding that Parisian pavement.

Available at lookoutworldhereicome.com.

>>GIVEAWAY ALERT: Post on our Facebook Wall about which destination you’d like Look Out World, Here I Come to cover next and you can win an adventure set for your little traveler.

Which leaves you with a dilemma commonly known as “writing thank-you notes.”

Groan is right, but how else to properly thank all the good people who spent hours trolling the aisles of Toys “R” Us to find the perfect gift for his royal highness?

Thanks for Everything is how. The wordsmiths at Thanks for Everything need only a few bits of information to express your gratitude in the warmest, most thoughtful way possible. You may even get thank-you notes for your thank-you notes, that’s how good they’ll be.

Best of all, the cards are written in ultra-realistic, handwriting fonts…so no one need be the wiser.

Available at thanksforeverything.net.

>>BABBLE ALERT: Want something else to be thankful for? How about Mamaista’s Fluf Lunch Bag giveaway on Babble? Comment and you could win one of the three new designs!

Jessica Park I curse the #$!% who just stole my Cameleon. May your hands burn with regret until you can no longer push my awesome Bugaboo down the block, you dirty dirty person.

What is the world coming to? What kind of person would steal a stroller? You’ll have plenty of time to ponder these and other questions after you buy yourself some peace of mind with the BuggyGuard stroller lock.

Invented by a mom who got tired of keeping one eye on her child and another on her stroller, the BuggyGuard stroller lock secures your baby buggy with a retractable cable and comes in cute animal shapes to both adorn and protect your precious Orbit Baby.

Available at joggingstroller.com.

>>GIVEAWAY ALERT: Post about where you’ll be using your BuggyGuard on our Facebook Wall and you could be one of two people to win a BuggyGuard as well as the company’s B-Hook, which secures your bags to the stroller.

Translation: Those of you who already spent a bundle on nursery and playroom furniture can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s time to introduce a few low-cost, high-impact items into the mix – items like the Toytoy Cardboard Armchair.

The Toytoy Cardboard Armchair looks just like it sounds – absolutely adorable. Available in small, medium and large sizes, the chair is lightweight, sturdy and entirely recyclable. Best of all, it comes complete with a little storage compartment and costs only $19.99.

What better way to compliment your Jonathan Adler Junior anchor rug?

Available at toytoy.ca. Enter code TOYS2010-26.07 and get a one free chair for every two you buy. Must buy three chairs. Refund for one chair will be provided after checkout.

Those of you who knew the answer are either spending way too much time on TMZ or have twins of your own.

If it’s the latter, you’re in luck because today, we’re talking about Tot-a-Lot – the single cutest concept to ever hit the world of twin dressing. Sold in sets of two, Tot-a-Lot twins’ clothes feature designs that work together. One set pictures a child holding a string on one shirt and a flying kite on the second shirt, another features a soccer player kicking a ball on the first shirt and a goalie on the other.

Talk about genius! Can you think of a better way to cut your shopping time in half without resorting to look-a-like outfits?

Yup…didn’t think so.

Available at tot-a-lot.com.

>>EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT: Tot-a-Lot is created and sold online from France. Fortunately, the designer is cutting shipping fees for Mamaista readers by half. Visit our blog on Babble.com for an exclusive shipping discount!

Fortunately, with My First Autobahn, you won’t have to worry about any of that. My First Autobahn is simple adhesive tape marked with road stripes and divider lines to look like a racetrack. There’s even a little car to get them started (as if they don’t have hundreds already!). With 108 feet of tape, you can create a motor speedway so long that it will keep the kiddos occupied and out of your hair for hours.

Not that that’s why you’re doing it.

Available at sleekidentity.com.