My Favorite Baby Items

If you are expecting a baby and starting to put together your registry, or if there’s someone in your life expecting a baby I wanted to share a few of the things we use A LOT for our little guy. Some of these things are convenience items that make life a little easier and some of these things have just been plain lifesavers.

When I was building our registry I read a ton of websites–every “must have list” for baby registries I could find. A lot of the stuff seemed unnecessary and I didn’t register for a ton of stuff, mostly practical things I thought we’d really need. I found some gems and then people gave us things I never thought we’d need or want that turned out to be great, too. It’s helpful when someone shares something that helped them out a lot. So this post is just a few things that I’ve really liked so far.

Pumping Bra

I raved about this thing in a previous post but I can’t stress enough just how helpful it was and how much I wish I had had this bra from the beginning! For any new moms I know this is going to be the item I buy them as a gift. So helpful!

Woodland Tales Musical Mobile

When I was working on Logan’s nursery theme (woodland creatures and foxes), I found a lot of mobiles that I LOVED–especially on etsy. But they were insanely expensive. Then I found this one on Amazon and it was around $45. It turned out to be one of the best things we bought because he LOVES this thing. He is so fascinated by the mobile and will talk to the creatures. It’s so cute. It also calms him down if he’s fussy. It’s been a great thing.

Brest Friend Nursing Pillow

A friend got this for me for my baby shower and it’s been a fantastic help with feeding the baby. It helps a lot with positioning, whether I’m breastfeeding or giving him a bottle. It saves my arms and back from straining to hold him for long periods of time and it’s really comfortable. Plus there’s a little pocket in the front to hold things–bottles, burp rags, etc.

Dr. Brown’s Bottles

Go to any baby chat group/website and there is much debate on what the best bottle is for a baby. I don’t know if this is the “Best” but I like it so far. I have three different kinds of bottles and the Dr. Brown’s came recommended by the Lactation Consultants we saw and I noticed that they seemed better for Logan’s tummy. The other bottles I had were a little too fast and I think it was giving him gas and making him spit up. But the Dr. Brown’s bottles are really slow and it takes Logan awhile to finish drinking from it. Supposedly these bottles help with gas and colic. So far I’m a fan but I haven’t tried everything out there.

Swaddle Me Infant Wrap 

Whomever invented these things is BRILLIANT! When we got home from the hospital we tried to swaddle Logan with the blankets we had but we never had the right touch. He’d always manage to break free and no matter how hard we tried to get it right, it never worked. A friend gave us two of these Swaddle Me wraps that she used for her daughter and they were seriously the best things ever. We use them at night and it helps put the baby to sleep and keep him asleep. I notice that on nights that I didn’t use the swaddle he’d flail around, struggle to fall asleep and then he’d wake himself up repeatedly during the night flailing around. But with the Swaddle Me wraps he zonks out. The nice thing about these babies? They are velcro. Basically fool proof!

Update: at 7 weeks he literally grew out of the sack overnight. One day it fit–the next day not so much! We have since bought the next size up!

Wraps

There are a lot of baby wraps out there and it’s hard to figure out what is the “best one”. What I’ve discovered reading blogs and chat boards is that wraps and baby carriers are very personal and what works for one person may not work for another. Like many baby things, you don’t know if your baby will like it until you give it a try. And sometimes “the best ___ in the world” is not something your baby likes.

A coworker gave me a hand-me-down Moby Wrap that they never used. I have to admit, I was bit baffled by it. I tried watching Youtube videos and it looked easy enough but when you have a fussy baby struggling with a wrap that is like 10 steps is frustrating.

A friend gifted us a Baby K’Tan wrap. This one was much better than the Moby Wrap. It was less steps and after a few times practicing it was easier to use. The one downside, I don’t feel quite comfortable using this outside. It’s perfect for inside the house when I’m trying to do something (like work on the computer) and he’s fussy and just wants to be held. I just don’t feel like it’s secure enough to go for walks or something using it.

That brings me to the Ergo, with the newborn insert. It is SO simple to use and definitely feels more secure than the Baby K’Tan. I feel more comfortable using this one on walks and soon I will use it hiking.  I love that it’s basically a few snaps and you’re done. You don’t have to watch Youtube videos and practice using it like other options out there. You just slip it on and buckle it. Love this one! This is the newborn insert:

Rock and Play Sleeper

Michael’s mom got us this for our baby shower and it’s been so fabulous. We use it as his bassinet and he sleeps next to me at night. I like that it’s at a slight angle. The best part? It vibrates! I know that that has helped Logan fall asleep and stay asleep at night. It’s wonderful! The downside is that at two months he’s growing out of it. But it’s been a great baby item that we were so grateful to have in those early weeks.

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We got so many great things from our friends. Logan was definitely spoiled in that department. 🙂

I hope some of these recommendations help new moms out there trying to navigate those massive “must buy” lists. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Do you have any recommendations for baby items that actually were “must have”?

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