So you or someone you know is having a baby? Congratulations!
Now what? When it comes to baby registries and shopping for baby showers—it can seem like the decision making is endless. I did a lot of research and spent a lot of time deciding between fleece or cotton sleep sacks, what bassinet was best, etc. Shortly after becoming a new mom I discovered: 1. Half of what I spent so much time deciding on didn’t matter AT ALL and 2. There were things I had forgotten (or didn’t even know existed for babies). After consulting with other new moms and through my own experiences, I compiled a list of our FAVORITES as well as things we thought we would need but didn’t. I have tried my best to organize these by category for your convenience because we all know that babies come with lots of STUFF.
the sleep stuff
I do not have statistics to back me up but my guess would be the baby sleep industry has to be one of the most booming areas of sales these days. Everyone wants the best of the best if it promises to help their little one fall asleep, stay asleep, think about sleep, etc. Well I am here to say that after 10 months of motherhood and trialing dozens of sleep products, there is not one out there that will turn your baby into a perfect sleeper. Especially for those of you out there like us, that have a little one who has never been a great sleeper. HOWEVER—don’t lose hope! There are many products that will make your life WAY easier, make your baby more comfortable and create an environment more conducive to sleep!
HERE ARE MY TOP THREE:
Want to read more about some of my favorite sleep products? Check out my bedtime post in my “Developing Daily” series co-written with Janelle Ritchie from The Play Effect by clicking HERE. I also discuss some of the products that specifically helped with my son as a fussy/colicky newborn in THIS post.
Some other tried & true sleep-related products: a “shusher” for on-the-go white noise, the boppy newborn lounger pillow, Wubbanub pacifiers, Gerber onesies/side-snap shirts (for the early days) and comfy blankets!
the eating stuff
“Eating” can be broken down into two categories: nursing/formula and solid foods.
Nursing/Pumping:
I talk a lot about my favorite nursing products in THIS blog post. If you are planning on nursing be sure to visit that post to find out all the must-haves!
Solid Foods:
When you start feeding your baby solids there are so many items out there that I didn’t know about before becoming a parent. We absolutely LOVE our EZPZ mat/bowls and Grabease forks/spoons that are easy for babies to learn to hold themselves.
Other favorites include: the “Bapron”, Burts Bee burp cloths & the Num Num “Gootensils” that promote independent eating. They make it easy for foods to stick to them so they don’t slide off while baby is learning to use utensils for the first time so that they can be successful.
the play stuff
The fun category! Where to begin? There are so many seats, tables, swings, etc. out there and I know I was overwhelmed when deciding what to purchase/put on my registry. A huge factor in my decisions was space. We were living in a condo at the time and I didn’t want to have 1 million baby seats crammed into our living room. I did some research and I found items that were multi-age, multi-purpose that we have loved and will last more than just a couple months.
Our favorites:
Fisher Price Sit-Me-Up seat– this one we used for several months to have our son sit up and we also brought it with us to travel because it folds up well. It can also be used as a travel high chair if needed (I know we’ve done it!)
Fisher Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker– starts as a seat with hanging toys for baby and turns into a rocker for toddlers to sit in
Skip Hop Activity Center– starts as a stand-up activity center for baby (we began use around 5 months) and then turns into a table for standing/seated play (chairs not included)
baby’s first play items for your baby registry
(or to gift to someone at their baby shower):
the cleaning stuff
Babies are messy between diapers and bathing. Our son was super fussy, but baths always calmed him down so we have been frequent bathers from the beginning. Just like we love Burt’s Bees burp cloths for feeding, we love their towels for bathing. I also included Boppy changing mats because I didn’t know these existed before I had a baby and I would bet there are other moms-to-be out there that don’t either! These would be a great shower gift add-on. I always keep an extra in my diaper bag too as an additional changing mat for quick, public restroom changes.
Aquaphor has been a favorite for us for diaper rash and even newborn rash/dry skin the first few weeks. The Skip Hop bath kneeler is truly an item I would have laughed at before having my son and quickly deemed unnecessary for my baby registry. However, with how frequently we bathe him this SAVES our knees and elbows!
the "leaving the house" stuff
Car Seat Cover– another thing I didn’t know existed until I had a baby. If you will have a newborn between the months of October-April and you live somewhere with weather similar to Michigan, this is a must-have!
Easy-Fold Travel Spoons- these have been the BEST to have at restaurants, parks, etc. We have even used them in the car on long road trips. You can fold them up and don’t have to worry about cleaning them right away before throwing them in the diaper bag. So many people have asked us about these!
Insulated Cooler- I also love the cooler by Medela that came with my breast pump! We have an additional one like this Skip Hop one for taller bottles and additional baby food.
Solly Baby Carrier- I talk a lot about this and how it was a lifesaver in my “Fussy Baby Club” blog post. Great to take with you or just to wear around the house. Seriously check them out!
From now until 3/2 click HERE and use the code BLOOM10 for 10% off their Spring/Summer launch!
The Sorta unnecessARY STUFF
I did a questionnaire on my social media page not too long ago asking new moms what items they received from their baby shower that they didn’t end up using. Of course this varies from person to person (and baby to baby) but it was insightful and there were some patterns. Here were the results:
MOST people stated that they didn’t end up using:
- Swings/bouncers (most babies show a preference towards just one of the sometimes many new moms receive or think they need)
- Too many swaddles (you really don’t need that many, just a variety of sizes. It depends how often you do laundry!) You also can use the good old-fashioned muslin blankets to wrap your baby up instead of the “fancy” velcro, zip-up swaddles that are out there.
- Bath seat that suctions to the sides of the tub (moms stated they just transitioned straight from baby tub to the “real deal”
- Bumbo seat
- Diaper genie
- Clothes on clothes on clothes
- Bottle warmer
When in doubt, you can’t go wrong buying a new mom or mom-to-be BOOKS or DIAPERS!
For recommendations on what books to buy the mama-to-be, check out my blog post HERE for my Top 10!
Something I missed? Let me know what your favorite items were as a new mom in the comments below!
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