new mom essentials. what do you really need?
Shopping for your first baby is the most exciting and overwhelming adventure. There are SO many things! What do you really need? Believe me, there are plenty of things that we purchased that we never used ... Below is a list of my favorite products and items that I found are truly essential when you're bringing home + raising your babe. I will continually update as P gets older :) (scroll down for older babes)
IF YOU'RE BREASTFEEDING:
Kindred Bravely nursing tanks -- sooooo soft
Ingrid & Isabel pullover nursing bras -- incredibly comfortable (I bought 4 of them because I need to wear them at night when I sleep)
Medela nursing bras - it also comes in racerback!
Milkies Milk Saver to catch the milk you leak when you nurse (I was able to store hundreds of extra ounces!)
A pump! Your insurance should be able to get you one for free. I got the Medela pump and I bought tons extra Medela bottles to pump into because I was storing a bunch.
Boppy pillow - 6+ months in and I'm still using it with my son.
Lansinoh storage bags to freeze your milk.
Lansinoh gel pads for sore nipples.
Lansinoh heat / ice packs for your boobs - I've gotten clogged milk ducts (and mastitis) and these were amazing. Heating your breast before you pump will help get more of the milk out and if you're sore, putting a cold one on after feels divine!
BOTTLES:
NUK were great to prevent gas
Tommee Tippee have been great - love the colors and P seems to like them!
Bottle warmer - love this because it gets the bottles the right temperature - you can plop the bottle in and do whatever you need to do and when it beeps, it's ready!
Medela steam sterilizing bags - soooo convenient and great for traveling.
SLEEPING ESSENTIALS:
Velcro swaddles ... because who has time to use a blanket when you're sleep deprived? Other patterns here. This style the velcro was really quiet so it didn't wake him when I had to put P back in it after he fell asleep and I had to readjust.
Sleep sack for when your babe can have their arms out - my fav lightweight one for P is an adorable hedgehog monochrome design. For cooler nights, I
Muslin blankets from aden + anais - a new baby must have. Other adorable styles - here.
Halo bassinet - what I loved about this is you can swivel it so that you don't have to get up and out of bed to pick up your babe during the night for feeds. Also, the front piece can actually fold down so you can easily have access to your little one. It has music and vibration modes to use as well!
Storage caddy for bassinet - perfect for keeping diapers, wipes and sanitizer so you don't even have to get out of the bed when you're changing the babe in the middle of the night!
White noise machine - even I need to sleep with one now because I love how it blocks out all the noise! This SkipHop elephant is amazing -- it has different sounds and the one is a heartbeat that simulates the womb! It also has a nightlight and you can have stars shine on the ceiling, which we love for our son. The only downside is that the noise is really soft, so we actually use this just as the nightlight.
PJ's that have zippers - when you're nursing / feeding + changing your baby every 2 hours, the last thing you want to do is snaps!
Rocker / glider chair with an ottoman - when we weren't using it to hold dirty clothes, it was great to sit and rock on to lull the babe to sleep ... sometimes, you just need a change of scenery when you're walking and bouncing the babe at 3am. It was also a nice place to nurse in his nursery so I wouldn't wake my wife (but those first few weeks, I stayed in our room, in our bed because he was up so often).
Video monitor - we have two and both are great. We keep this one at my parent's house (cheaper) and we use this one at our house (love this one because you can move the camera remotely from the monitor).
Black out shades or curtains so the nursery stays dark! We got ours at blinds.com and they have a fit guarantee, which is awesome!
HEALTH:
NoseFrida for stuffy noses - it sounds gross (sucking out the snot) but I'm telling you - it's a lifesaver!
Saline spray - for the stuffy noses - use before the Nosefrida to loosen things up
Little Remedies Tylenol - it is dye free. You wouldn't believe the amount of chemicals they put in baby products!
Gripe Water - we used Mommy's Bliss and it worked wonders for gas issues, which most babies have (wait until your babe is 2 weeks) - day version + night version (has chamomile and lemon balm to promote sleep)
Aquaphor - works on all. the. things. From diaper rash to dry skin, this stuff is the best.
Butt Paste for the serious diaper rashes.
Camilia Teething Drops - homeopathic.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Rock n' Play - the best. Seriously - it vibrates and relaxes the babe and is super lightweight so you can easily move it around the house. Ours would nap in it and it was great to keep downstairs to put him down. And it's a cute little puppy design!
The following are not essential but we had both and liked them because P liked a change of scenery and activity:
Bouncy seat - vibrates, plays music and is super cozy for them to sleep and relax in (and really light
Mamaroo - higher tech - different motion options and you can plug your phone in to play your own music.
Baby wearing!
​At home we really liked the Baby K'Tan carrier - it's really lightweight and (once you figure it out) easy to put on -- and you can do it yourself, you don't need someone else to put it on you. We preferred this over many of the others because it didn't require tons of wrapping.
On the go, we use the LilleBaby. It offers 6 different ways to wear and it has back support, which is so important as your little gets bigger! It's also safe for your babe's hips!
Jumper! Our son is obsessed with this - like seriously, he is so happy and it's making his legs so strong! We started using this around 4 months. It has 3 settings for height, so your baby can grow with it. We have the Rainforest option and it's super colorful and bright to stimulate him and the music on it is actually not annoying lol
Walker - we started using this around 6 months because we needed more "stations" + activities for him. Infant's attention span is not very long, so we liked to rotate between activity toys. Plus, we wanted to have this help him learn walking motions :) We got the Mickey Silo one - I loved the colors and it's our first Disney toy (I love all things Disney!).
Pacifiers - along with the person who invented the epidural, I want to hug the person who invented pacis. We LOVED the Wubbanub's when P was little - it makes
​Pacifier clips - trust me, you'll want to clip one on your car seat, stroller and your kids clothing because they spit them out and throw them everywhere!
Download on your phone the Sound Sleeper app - the womb sound was so calming for P when he was little and as he got older, we used the rain sound. It would help him fall asleep and was great getting him to nap when we were out on the go.
Obviously a stroller! We got the Chicco Bravo Travel System - it came with an infant car seat, stroller that you can use with the car seat and also is a toddler stroller and a base for the car. It got great safety ratings and is sturdy without being too bulky or heavy. It has an easy latch to be able to fold it up and put it in the car.
Car seat toys - this is cute because they have different textures + fabrics for your babe to explore (and chew on!)
Wipes -- we use two different kinds - Pampers Sensitive for when he is irritated as they are hypoallergenic and fragrance free (especially in the beginning since he was so new!) and Huggies One & Done (cucumber & green tea scented - smells so fresh) for when things need a little more heavy duty as they are thicker!
Diapers - my favorite is actually Target brand (up & up). We use regular as well as the night time (they hold a lot of pee which is great for when they sleep long stretches).
Ubbi Diaper Pail - love this one - it's really pretty + keeps the smell contained!
SkipHop Diaper Bag - we wanted a backpack so that the weight would be distributed more evenly on our shoulders - we went with the and love it! While I like some of the other fancier bags, I knew this one would get beat up, so this material is easy to clean.
Food - when you get to foods, we love the Beech-Nut brand. It's organic and they only ingredients are the actual fruits & veggies, which is so important for their little bellies! I would get 1 - 2 jars of each different food (and combos) to try. We also use Plum Organics and a few of the Earth's Best (if they're organic).
Now that P is 11 months, there are a lot of new things we use!
COOKBOOKS:
I almost exclusively cook for Parker and it's my favorite thing ever! I wrote a whole post here on cooking for Parker, but here are my fav cookbooks + blogs:
Weelicious: 140 Fast, Fresh and Easy Recipes
The Happy Family Organic Cookbook for Baby & Toddler
First Bites: Homemade, Nourishing Recipes from Baby Spoonfuls to Toddler Treats
I also love the weelicious blog as well as babyfoode. I do make up a lot of my own recipes with whatever fruits + veggies we have lying around - and I've definitely experimented with things if foods are about to go bad!
TOYS:
Play Kitchen! Parker is obsessed with this and the toys that we've added to it:
Melissa & Doug Cookie Set
Melissa & Doug Coffee Maker (obvi I need to teach Parker how to make me coffee early on hehe)
Melissa & Doug Cake Mixer
Refrigerator - matching one by Hape (bc obvi!)
Markers - non-toxic + washable - P is still too little to use these (I've tried and he only wants to eat them) but I'm excited we have them!
Crayons - non-toxic pure beeswax (they went right in P's mouth, so we had to put them away for now but I'm glad we found something safe as I'm sure we'll be making lots of art projects in the coming years!)
FOOD ITEMS:
Munchkin Straw Sippy Cup - LOVE this cup because it's weighted, so the straw follows the liquid. Yes, it does leak a little bit (I'm finding they all do - especially when your kid throws it off the high chair 10 times in a row -- see below for amazing strap that keeps cup attached to chair) and you have to make sure it click-locks so it won't leak all over!
GENIUS STRAPS to keep your kids cup attached to the highchair - we also use it on our stroller.
* Disclaimer (bc I am a lawyer!): I am an Amazon affiliate for these products and may receive compensation if you purchase through my link. Everything I am sharing I have used personally and have loved / made my life easier!