I had no idea how much STUFF you needed for a baby. I read article after article about the "essentials" and so. many. blog. posts. about what you don't need. Truth be told, I just now know what I need months later. And I've decided, it's different for everyone. Baby brands and items are purely a personal (or baby) preference.
What I did know.. I didn't want a million things flooding my house that essentially do the same thing. So I focused my research and energy into only getting a few things. And this post is where I landed. I put together a couple lists of the things I'm so glad we have and then some of my favorite brands for the things you absolutely have to have! Who knew I would have a favorite kind of burp cloth.. I always though they were crated equally ;)
Warning: this has turned into one very long, yet very informative post.
1. Fisher Price Auto Rock 'n Play | 2. SwaddleMe Original | 3. MAM Anti Colic Bottle | 4. MAM Pacifiers | 5. Copper Pearl Burp Cloths | 6. Baby Bling Bows | 7. Nordstrom Baby Bodysuits | 8. Pello Lux Floor Pillow | 9. Shiloh Crib Mobile | 10. Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano Gym | 11. Aden + Anais Bibs | 12. Diaper Backpack | 13. Fisher Price Cradle 'n Swing
1. Fisher Price Auto Rock 'n Play- I've heard from so many people that you have to have a rock 'n play and I'm glad we have one BUT I don't know that Kate loves it as much as so many of her baby friends do. She sleeps in it every night so we use it all the time. Maybe she (or we) would enjoy it more if she actually "played" in it or napped there but I only put her in it at night because I don't want her getting day and night confused. The auto is great because it keeps moving and I like that it has a sound machine so you don't have to attach one to it. It's also great for travel since it folds up and it's lightweight!
2. SwaddleMe Original and Nested Bean Zen Swaddle- I didn't post a picture of the Nested Bean above but I'll link it HERE. We started off swaddling Kate in cotton receiving blankets and I loved them. They were perfect. I'm trying to find them to link. Once she started busting out we moved to the SwaddleMe Original and they were great! Then she got too big. I tried so many sacks. I just wanted a bigger size in the SwaddleMe and I couldn't find it. I think I've ordered every swaddle on the market! So many of them moved up and got too close to her mouth or bunched up in the back. I'm crazy mom and I don't want anything close to her mouth! So I tried the Nested Bean next and I really like it! The second night she went from sleeping 3-4 hour stretches to 6 hours! It has weighted pads to mimic your touch and Kate loves it! She's finally starting to not startle herself so we might be moving up to the sack option soon.
3. MAM Anti-Colic Bottle and 4. MAM Pacifiers- There's not a whole lot to say about these two except they are just my personal preference. Well.. the pacifier is Kates. This was the 4th paci we tried and the only one she would take. I like them because they are lightweight and they have a glow in the dark option which is nice for those night feedings :) If you register at Target or Babies R Us, they give you samples of both the bottle and the paci which was really nice. Try before you buy, friends! OH and the bottle-- I was getting Dr. Brown's bottles until I realized I needed wide mouth bottles for my pump so I switched gears-- MAM got great reviews and are compatible with the Spectra pump so I got them.
5. Copper Pearl Burp Cloths- Friends, there is a huge difference in burp cloths. Something that shocked me! COTTON. Get cotton. A friend recommended getting cloth diapers and that is seriously one of the best pieces of advice I got. And the more you wash them, the better they get. The size is perfect too. So many burp rags are just too small or the fabric is not absorbent. I get they are cute but they suck! Sorry, no better word. Back on track-- 2 months in, I found the Copper Pearl Cloths at the Toggery, they were adorable and I was desperate for a good cloth so I bought two packs. Best. Purchase. Ever. They are so soft, a great size, absorbent and so stinkin cute! Spend the extra money, you won't be sorry.
6. Baby Bling Bows- so. many. bow. choices! SO MANY! I subscribed to a bow subscription service before Kate was born-- CLICK HERE for Little Poppy Co. (Use my link and get 50% your first month! Or is it free shipping? I can't remember) and the bows are adorable! But my sweet little girl has a pretty good size head. The bands were leaving marks and it was making me sad. (I switched from nylon bands to alligator clips and just use larger bands we already have now-- BTW) All that leads me to this point-- Baby Bling bows are so stetchy and perfect for my little girls head. They are hands down, my favorite little girl bow. And they have so many cute options. I just linked one kind, search "Baby Bling" on the Nordstrom site and you'll find plenty!
7. Nordstrom Baby Bodysuits- not all onesies are created equally, this I have learned. These are hands down-- my favorite! They are so soft. And they get softer with every wash. And the patterns are so sweet.
8. Pello Lux Floor Pillow- Kate loves this! Brian and I love this! It's so soft and it goes anywhere! My mother in law gave this to us at one of my showers. I had never seen one before but it's really cool-- Kate can use this for so long. Check out the site and read up on them, you will definitely want one. I needed to get dinner started the other day and she did not want to be away from me. I set the Pello on the counter, put her in it and we chatted. She never fussed once. We put it in the middle of the table every night while eating dinner and it works perfect. I'll have to share those pictures soon.
9. Shiloh Crib Mobile- I am so glad my sister forced me to get a baby mobile. I was against most of them because they didn't go with my decor. She sent me article after article about the benefits. Followed by link after link of options to buy. I went with this one because it was cute and had good reviews. We started using it early on and would just lay Kate under it let the music play. So many articles said mobiles were pointless until 6 months. They lie. She loves this thing. She grooves to this thing. It keeps her occupied for a long time! It's got great music on it too. Something about it's from China and they ripped off all these songs and it's probably not legal-- who cares. It's not super obnoxious like all the other baby songs on things ;) Just get it! OH-- best part, you can remove all the hanging things and use them once she's done with the mobile. DO it.
Speaking of Shiloh products, my sister got us this, Shiloh Baby Activity Spiral and it's awesome. We aren't currently using it wrapped around the crib or car seat but if you look closely, all of the things that hang down are removable (like the mobile) and can attach to anything. We use one that makes noise on her carseat and usually we have a couple laying in the Pello that she likes to play with. They are the softest toys and make noises that she loves.
10. Fisher Price Kick 'n Play Piano Gym- This is so fun! One of my friends told me to get it because when her daughter plays on it, she plays so hard that she sleeps all night. That was reason enough for me. That didn't happen for us but Kate does get a lot of energy out while staring at herself in the mirror attached to it. It's a great toy and the music from the piano keeps her going. It's also pretty small so it's easy to move from room to room and keep hidden when not being used.
11. Aden + Anais Bibs- bibs are another thing that I didn't realize I would have such an opinion on. First of all, I am not a fan of bandanna bibs. I might be only 1% of the population on this one. They just don't fit Kate right at the moment. And they bunch up and cover her face/mouth-- again, see #2 on this one. Do you know how hard it is to find regular bibs?! These are my favorite. I like the muslin. The milk/drool doesn't just run off of these and land on their clothes anyway like so many do. Again, I found these at the Toggery in Little Rock but I've linked them to the Target website also. They are a little more expensive than some but are worth the added dollars. I'm really learning, you get what you pay for.
12. Diaper Backpack- It's crazy how many options for diaper bags there are! I knew a couple things, I wanted one with lots of pockets, preferably exterior pockets, one that was unisex that Brian wouldn't mind carrying and I knew I wanted a backpack. I originally picked out a navy Columbia backpack but it was just so blah. One day I stumbled upon this one and it was a match made in diaper bag heaven. This bag is great. Brian doesn't mind carrying it. It has an insulated spot for bottles in the front, easy access zipper opening in the back, pockets on the side for my phone, keys and whatever else and plenty of sectioned off spots in the inside. It also fits a lot! I've received so many compliments and questions about where to buy!
13. Fisher Price Cradle 'n Rock Swing- this thing is so cute. I love the little pup ears that stick up over Kate's head. We used this a lot in the first few weeks and then she wasn't into it as much and then she was in love with it again! She's obsessed with the mobile on it. I put her in this the other night while I was working on something-- silence! After a while she started fussing, I went over to talk with her and realized the mobile stopped spinning, I turned it back on and she went back to doing her happy jig. So funny. 15 minutes after that she had put herself to sleep. This is seriously not the same baby!! She also likes looking at herself in the mirror at the top. The swing is so soft too!
And since I'm a breastfeeding mama, I couldn't make my favorites/must haves list without including these things. But before I forget-- nursing wardrobe! No one told me this and I definitely didn't think about it until after Kate arrived! I was totally unprepared. I spent 12 weeks at the house with Kate before returning to work so much time was spent in relaxing clothes. I finally got it all figured out.. the back to work wardrobe.. not so much!!
Some of my favorites:
the best nightgown | the best long sleeve nightgown | nursing tank | wireless nursing bra | sleep bra | nightgown | clip & pump nursing bra
And for the essentials...
1. Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads | 2. Coconut Oil | 3. My Brest Friend | 4. Lactation Cookie Recipe | 5. NatureBond Silicone Hand Pump
1. Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads- these are the best! Buy the big pack.. actually buy two of the big packs. They are so super soft. If you are into the disposable kinds, I found the Lansinoh Stay Dry and Ultra Soft are my favorites.
2. Coconut Oil- I've tried them all. Coconut oil for nipple cream is the best. Best price and highest quantity too! My second favorite is the Motherlove brand cream. Added bonus on coconut oil-- it's a natural anti fungal and moisturizer, I prefer it any day over every other cream!
3. My Brest Friend- The one I have linked has the best cover on it! I originally ordered a different one and didn't like it. The fabric kept bleeding on my chair. So I ordered this one because the color was calm. I didn't realize how soft it would be! It's perfect and I know Kate is comfy when we're doing skin to skin. And the pillow-- get it! I had friends tell me it was a must have over the boppy and I agree! My lactation consultant commended me on a job well shopped for before leaving the hospital.
4. Lactation Cookies- if you are crazy like me and swear you lose your supply every other day when you really don't... eat these. Or if you really are having supply issues. I feel like they work great. They taste SO GOOD. They are seriously addicting. I usually cut the sugar way down, you can definitely use less. I've also made them without chocolate chips. So. Good.
5. NatureBond Silicone Hand Pump- I don't even know where to start. You have to buy this if you are nursing. Don't wait 13 weeks like me to get it. Just buy it. I only use it to catch wasted milk when feeding Kate. I get 1-2 ounces each time! That's a whole bottle in less than 24 hours. In 2 days I've gone from no milk in the freezer to 12 ounces of supply. It's not much but it's more than I had 2 days ago.
So there you have it. A super long post with lots of info and personal preferences. I have more but figured I would start with the essentials. I'll be back at some point to talk about baby monitors, pumps, bath essentials, toys, etc, etc. Can't wait can you?? :)
XOXO
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