Hi Friends! One of my favorite things to do when I was pregnant was to research all things baby. I would bet if you are pregnant you may be in a similar boat. I would find myself sucked into youtube videos, and reading blog posts for hours upon hours. I’m talking stroller comparisons, what are the best bottles for breastfed babies, “what’s in my diaper bag” videos, swing vs bouncer, doc-a-tot vs snuggleme. I hope you get the picture. So I wanted to make a compiled list of everything that we purchased and have gotten good use out of in our babies’ first 3 months. Some items you won’t use right when you’re little one comes home from the hospital. But babies develop so quickly. So here is my compiled list of most of the helpful things we got for our newborn.
Travel Essentials
Our travel system was by far the thing I researched the most. I would spend hours reading about different strollers and car seats and comparisons. After all of that research, I came to the conclusion that I had my heart set on the Uppababy Mesa car seat and the Vista V2 stroller. However.. babies are so expensive and you are already buying so many products in preparation I wasn’t feeling the hefty price tag. Through my scavenging the internet I found on some forum or another that Uppababy Headquarters and their warehouse is located in Massachusetts. And what’s even better than that is that the warehouse has a cool program when they can’t fit their overflow product in the warehouse they offer it for a complete steal. Best bargain hunt of my life… I was able to get my dream stroller and car seat (out of box brand new with no defects) for almost half the price… Honestly, it is still a pretty pricey travel system but the quality is superb. I also knew I wanted a stroller that could convert into a double stroller if the Lord sees fit for baby #3. Something to consider when making a stroller purchase also being able to use the stroller with the car seat is also useful. We also didn’t buy a bassinet and used the one that came with our stroller.
Another thing you’ll want to consider and one of the best mom hacks of all time is babywearing. I bought a bunch of different carriers and use them all, they all serve a different purpose. I guess if I could only buy one I would have to go with the Baby Bjorn or the Ergo Baby because they are the carriers you can probably use the longest and they are husband approved.
Play Time
Next up is playtime! One of my all-time favorite purchases for our little guy was the Lovevery Play Gym. We use it almost every day from tummy time to learning different textures and sounds. I really do believe in the Lovevery brand and think their designs are very well thought out when it comes to child development. We also signed up for their subscription service which sends a box of toys that go with the corresponding age. If this is something you are interested in I recommend skipping the first box (0-3 months) and starting at 3-4 months if you get the play gym because the play gym comes with a lot of similar things to the first box.
The Swing.. will probably become your best friend. It’s like it comes from Jesus himself as a gift to all mamas. Facts about the swing. 1. It is big 2. It is ugly. 3. It will provide much-needed rest and a safe place for baby so you can make dinner or just be for a minute. I know that not all babies are fans of swings some prefer bouncers so just something to be aware of, maybe don’t throw the box away just yet. We also didn’t start using the swing until around 5-6 weeks to not overstimulate. Just food for thought.
Fed is Best
As far as feeding your baby, I think this is something that is figured out along the way. For example, I thought I was going to exclusively breastfeed for my entire maternity leave and pump in between to create this huge stash to use when I went back to work and it was going to be so great… and it didn’t really work like that. With struggling to build up a consistent milk supply and my baby having a tongue tie that affected latching and nursing, and mom guilt and stress about my baby’s weight gain. We had to take a different approach. One of the doctors in the hospital said fed is best and that really took some of the pressure off, some things are not in your control. And breastfeeding is hard at first and beautiful and amazing but sometimes it isn’t for every mama or every situation and that’s ok.
I would recommend not getting a huge bottle system and picking up a few singles to see which one your baby likes. We found that Dr. Brown’s bottles worked well especially if you are also breastfeeding. But at the end of the day, we typically reach for the Philips Avent glass bottles. We also use the Como Tomo bottles. Our baby isn’t too picky when it comes to getting fed haha.
Sleep Time
The best thing you can do for yourself and your baby is signup for a sleep course. The Taking Cara Babies course has been such a game-changer in understanding how to help develop good sleep habits and read sleep ques. It is one of the best things I’ve purchased overall. Anything I write here about sleep would really be deriving from that.
I have included my favorite pjs and knotted gowns. They are a little on the pricey side but the quality is unlike any other.
We have also used our Snuggleme every day such a great purchase.
Swaddles are another thing we purchased so many of the ones that have worked best for us are the Lovetodream (if your baby like to sleep with their arms up. I also really liked the stretchy swaddles and use them for a multitude of different things, as a blanket, nursing cover, care seat cover. They are just very multifunctional. The Copper and Pearl ones are very cozy. My husband liked the Aden and Anais velcro swaddles very user friendly.
Tubby Time
Bath time, splash time. In the begging I would recommend just bathing your baby in your sink its alot easier on baby and on you. I found the bath flower to be great because it is padded and soft. The only downside is washing the thing and making a mad dash to the washer with the thing full of water, because it is literally like a huge sponge. When you graduate to the big tub I would highly suggest getting a kneeling pad, this is something I didn’t even know I needed but got as a gift and it is a knee saver.. literally.
Changing Station
One of the top things I would recommend for baby changing is a diaper pail (like this is a must-have) no need to say more. I like the Ubbi because it uses regular trash bags, unlike others that require specific bags. I also really love the Gathr mats which are just leather mats great for easy wipe down. The last big recommendation I have is making portable diaper caddies especially if you live in a multi-level house. You can also use a decorative basket and fill it with diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and a changing pad keep it in the most used spaces in your home and it keeps it organized as well as a little less of an eyesore.
Miscellaneous
This section is just the miscellaneous things are we found useful. Babies tend to get a lot of mucus and don’t have a way of getting it out themselves. I think the Nose Frida works great but if sucking the boogers out of your little one’s nose totally grosses you out you could use one of the bulb-like suckers they give you at the hospital. The Oogie Boogie Bear nose picker also helps with the pesky bats. Gripe water also is helpful in the bigging to help relieve gas pains, gassy babies are so sad and so challenging. Paci clips are also helpful especially to clip onto your baby carrier so they don’t launch their paci across the whole of Target. Nail filer and baby thermometer are just an absolute must.