My Top Baby Products
Alright, mamas! Here are the products we used and loved. I personally think everyone is different. You have to consider your own preferences, how your home functions and what’s actually going to be convenient for you! We knew we didn’t really need a wipe warmer, but for some that’s a necessity! These are just the items that worked for us and our lifestyle. Hope it’s helpful!
For You:
Hospital Bag:
If you’re choosing to have a hospital or birth center birth, below are the items that I had in my bag.
Toiletries (hair ties, makeup wipes, toothbrush)
Comfortable clothes (I had a set like this)
BIG underwear you don’t care about (I bought a pack of Hanes)
Slippers or flip-flops ( I had something like this)
Birthing Affirmation Cards (Mine were made by my family, but these look great)
Music ( I had a birthing playlist on my phone)
Snacks (though I couldn’t manage to eat through contractions, still not a bad idea)
Your own pillow/blanket
Baby’s first outfit home
Any fun photo props
Any documents you need (I had to submit for maternity leave)
Postpartum:
Vagina popsicles - if you’re planning for a vaginal birth I can’t recommend this enough. You and your vagina can thank me later.
Adult pull-ups- Yup….the hospital gives you some, but these were fantastic and worked great with the vagina pop.
Nipple Cream - your nipples will hurt. Give them some love.
Nipple shield - give your nipples a break. Also helps with latching. Not a bad idea to put in your hospital bag.
Nursing Pads - Once your milk comes in you don’t want to be soaking through everything. Oh - isn’t motherhood beautiful?
Lactation Cookies - alright, this is when breastfeeding is amazing. Eating a cookie is good for the baby! I loved the store bought ones linked HERE. or I also use this recipe HERE.
Lactation Supplements - When I went back to work my supply dropped dramatically and I started taking these. AMAZING!
Sunflower Lecithin - I struggled with mastitis A LOT. I started taking these to thin out my milk - I was practically producing buttermilk which was contributing to my clogged ducts.
Nursing Tanks - I lived in these. I wore them under everything, which made whipping out my boob at any given moment that more convenient.
Mendela Pump - There’s a lot of fancy pumps out there now. I just used what my insurance would cover. It worked and was easy to clean.
Haakaa Manual Pump - Okay - best invention ever. Great for helping with mastitis AND when nursing you place it on your other boob so you can catch all the letdown milk.
For the Babe:
Feeding:
Note: I strictly breastfed for the first 4 months. We didn’t introduce the bottle until she was getting ready to go to daycare. She weaned herself at just over 2-years-old
Microwave Bags - these make sterilizing SO easy! Just pop in the microwave.
Munchkin Bottles - My daughter wasn’t picky about her bottles. This was the one and only we used. Since we were doing both breastfeeding and bottle, we stayed at the “newborn” size nipple so she always had to work a little harder for it. I didn’t want her to prefer the bottle over me.
Pacifier/Binkie - We tried a few different pacifiers and this was the one she liked the most. She got less picky the older she got.
Gas Drops - Our girl always had the hiccups, which caused access gas and discomfort. These were great.
Vitamin D - Pediatricians often recommend Vitamin D supplements for breastfed babies since it’s not naturally produced in breastmilk. Of course - consult your pediatrician.
Baby-Led Weaning - Around 6 months we decided to do Baby-led Weaning and used this book. It was super helpful and I think contributed to her being a great, not-picky eater.
Munch Mitt - a teething must-have!
IKEA Highchair - There are SOOOO many expensive high chairs out there. We spent the $20 and got this one. My only complaint is the legs come out super wide and we were constantly tripping on them.
Sleep:
Note: there are lots of opinions about co-sleeping. For many reasons, co-sleeping was the best for us. Babe slept in our room until she was about 9-months old. She had her own bassinet, but for ease of breastfeeding she often went to-and-from her bed and ours.
Dock-a-tot - We loved this and even upgraded to the larger when when she got older.
Moses Basket & Stand- I won’t lie, aesthetically I LOVE this basket. But I have to say it was very convenient as we had her in it while in the living room, and then could easily carry her to our bedroom when it was time for bed. We also traveled with it, so no matter where we were it felt the same to her. Now, obviously she’s outgrown it, but it holds all her stuffies and I plan on making it an heirloom to pass on to her.
Mamaroo Infant Seat - We purchased this second-hand and we loved it.
Sleep Swaddle - We tried a lot of swaddles and finally landed on this one.
This YouTube Video - alright, I know it’s weird but this shit actually works and you need it in your toolbox. Anytime we were having a hard time getting her to sleep we would play this and it would instantly knock her out. Evidently, the sound of a vacuum is very similar to the sounds from in the womb. Who knew?!
Diapering:
Pampers - great for newborns but once she got to eating solids we switched to Honest.
Honest Co. - we got them delivered monthly and it was great. Also the prints are just too cute.
Bath
Blooming Bath -We used this one when she was really little just because we felt we had more control and she was so cute in the sink!
4 Moms Baby Bath - As she got older we transitioned into this one. I liked that it has the temperature gauge
Clothing:
Zutano Booties - these were the best! Never fell off and so cute.
Pjs with zippers - you don’t need to be messing with buttons in the middle of the night.
Transportation:
Carseat & Stroller - Chicco Keyfit
Lillebaby - Loved this structured carrier. Tons of different ways to wear and it grows with the babe.
Moby - Loved this wrap carrier for when she was super little and around the house.
Travel Sound Machine - It vibrates and makes music. I attached it to the car seat and it was a lifesaver when little miss would lose her ever-loving mind anytime I was stopped at a red light. I buy this for any baby shower I go to.
What I never used or Don’t Recommend:
The NoseFrida - okay, so in theory this thing is great. But let me tell you how disgusting it is AND unsanitary. Every time my daughter would get sick we would use this, and EVERY TIME my husband and I would get sick. Because we were literally inhaling her germs. It’s worth it for some, but suck at your own risk!
A nursing pillow - I had one and I used maybe a handful of times. Pillows just worked better for me.
For the Stepkid(s):
These items might depend on the age of your kiddo(s), but this is what we did for our boy.
Daniel Tiger - Daniel becomes a big brother and they do an amazing job of creating a storyline that teacher what being a big sibling is all about.
This site might be helpful if you have varying ages.
