Becoming a new parent can be overwhelming in and of itself let alone all the baby stuff available these days! STUFF, STUFF AND MORE STUFF!!! You’re probably wondering “What do I REALLY need?” Well, I have a 3 1/2 year old so I’m going to share some of MY favorite things all the way from pregnancy up through the newborn and infant stage up to things we are currently using. These are my favoritey faves and hopefully you’ll love them too!
P.S. The Amazon bosses told me to let you know that these are affiliate links! 🙂
Pregnancy
My best friend bought me this maternity pillow when I was pregnant and it’s just the BEST! It’s over-sized and oh so comfy!
I SLATHERED this Body Shop Body Butter on my belly EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and I don’t know if it’s luck, genes, or this miracle cream but I walked away from pregnancy with absolutely ZERO stretch marks! Woo Hoo! I’m sure you could use any of their scents but after trying some others, I found this one to be the thickest and longest lasting.
I know, I know, I know…there are all kinds of apps that show you what your pregnancy/baby looks like every day but I still loved having this book! I left it on the dining room table and every morning with breakfast I’d flip to the next page and read all about what was going on inside my body and with my little peanut! It was 100% worth having this big book over an app!
This one is technically for BEFORE you get pregnant but I’m adding it in here just in case you’re not yet pregnant or you know a friend who might need it. This book is just EXCELLENT. We had trouble conceiving and this book really helped us to understand how to increase our chances for a healthy pregnancy and baby. After that, I recommend her next book, Brain Health from Birth.
Do yourself a favor and stock the freezer!!! This isn’t the exact model that I have as I’ve had my FoodSaver for like 15 years (and it’s still going strong!) but I HIGHLY recommend the brand! I was SO glad I took the time to meal prep before baby arrived! You know how nice it was to be so exhausted and be able to just grab a bag from the freezer and either put it right in the microwave or a pot of boiling water?! Genius.
Newborn and Infant
This has got to be my #1 baby product ever! We still use this nightlight every single night 3 years later. This is a perfect nightlight as you can make it brighter, dimmer or put it on extra-low nightlight mode. This is important for nighttime feedings because turning on regular lights may make your baby think it’s time to stay awake! And trust me, you DON’T want that! It can be made bright enough for you to change a diaper or feed but also be made dim to be used all night as a nightlight without keeping you or baby awake. It’s easy to tap on, has an auto-off timer, is easy to grab and carry and is durable so baby can play with it as he grows. It also keeps a charge for a really long time! I seriously can’t recommend it enough!
There are two types of people. Those who love their Boppy and those who never used one. I am the Boppy lover! I used it for breastfeeding, propping baby, cuddle time and STILL use it every single night for cuddling and reading books! I put the Boppy in the usual position and my 3 year old sits on top while we read. After 3 1/2 years it hasn’t flattened in the slightest! I’ve used other brands but Boppy brand has held up the best!
I loved the nursery center we used in our room before baby transitioned to her own room. It has a nightlight with sound, changing table, storage, locking wheels and 3 different sleeping positions to transition to as baby grows–newborn bassinet, full-sized bassinet and then the full playpen. The only downside was the “mattress” in the full-sized playpen. It’s rather thin but I just bought the thicker mattress shown below and it was perfect!
This is the same brand as the Pack N’ Play mattress that I have except ours is dual-sided with one side being softer and the other being firmer. The thick mattresses have since been banned so this one is the 1″ replacement. At any rate, I loved the quality and the zip-off outer liner. SO much better than the mattress that comes with the nursery centers!
Who has time to make baby food, you might ask?! You do because it is SO EASY! I would take plain veggies that we were already cooking for dinner, puree them, and put them in the freezer. (See the tray that I used to freeze them below) Then when needed, just pop out one dollop and microwave or thaw to your liking! Easy peezy! Do you know how far 1 sweet potato will go for an infant!? I loved the Beaba Babycook model because you can steam the veggies or fruits right in the canister, blend, and done!
This is the food storage container I used to freeze all of my homemade baby food. You can use ice cube trays too but I love that this has it’s own lid and larger cups for when baby starts eating larger portions. AND it’s make of food-grade silicone so the frozen portions pop right out when needed. So easy!
Ahhhh, the great debate…to use a Diaper Genie or not… Well I, for one, do not like the smell of poop in my trash can! We used our Diaper Genie all the way up until our child was potty trained. It REALLY DOES hold in the smell and is totally worth having! But do yourself a favor and get the hands-free foot pedal model shown here. I have both the “claw” opening version and this one (because I didn’t know any better!) and this one is SOOOO much more convenient when you have a baby in one arm and a poop-filled diaper in the other!
We have the Graco 6 in 1 highchair and it has been perfect for our needs! This highchair and booster will be the only one you’ll ever need as it grows with your child and can even accommodate 2 children if you have another! I love that it has a lift off top tray that can go right in the dishwasher. Easy to clean and has locking wheels so you can roll it right out of sight.
After using many different sound machines, I finally found one that I love! I love the Yogasleep Dohm Classic sound machine because the sound fills the room rather than a small, pinpointed sound. If you’ve ever used a small white noise machine then you’ll know what I mean! With this one you can change the sound tone, pitch and speed. I bought the 3 pack so I could have one in the nursery, my studio and my office and it is perfect for all 3!
Some say you don’t need a changing table but I strongly disagree! I used mine for every single diaper and clothing change up until baby literally wouldn’t fit anymore, which was well over a year old! I like this one because it has 3 soft drawers, a hamper and plenty of room up top to put wipes and creams to the side. It was easy to put together too. I put mine together at about 7 months pregnant!
TRUST ME ON THIS ONE! These waterproof crib pad covers are a great low cost essential item! And do yourself a favor now…get the 2 pack! That way you can layer mattress pad, then crib sheet then another mattress pad and other crib sheet all together! Then, if there is an “incident” in the middle of the night, you just peel back the layers and a fresh sheet and pad is already in place! You can thank me later. 😉
Everyone knows baby socks DO NOT stay on but these Zutano fleece booties do! I can’t recommend these enough! I had my baby in the winter so socks were a must! I would put baby in her sleeper and put these booties right over the top and voila, no more socks coming off inside the jammies! Once baby is ready for the walking size, I love that these have skid-proof dots on the bottom to keep baby safe from slipping and keep tootsies warm all winter long!
Newborn babies LOVE to be swaddled and these velcro swaddles are the perfect combination of snug and soft! And they are SO much easier than wrapping in a receiving blanket! I didn’t know that I needed this until one was gifted to me but it was a serious game changer! My baby slept so much better when swaddled…thank goodness!!!
Once baby outgrows his or her swaddle, these sleep sacs are a must! As you know, babies can’t sleep with blankets in their bed so these are perfect to keep baby warm and cozy! I’ve had other sleep sacs that shrunk with the very first wash but not these! They are super soft and thin so you can layer them right over light or warm jammies making them great all year round!
OK, this is a really good one! These are magnetic locks to baby-proof your cabinets and drawers and I have been SO, SO happy with them! Once installed, (which is really easy to do!) you just wave the enclosed magnet over the door to unlock it and then it locks again on it’s own when you close it. SO SIMPLE! You can even “turn it off” if you want that one to stay unlocked. We installed ours with the enclosed adhesive and our toddler has yet to pull one off, and we all know how hard toddlers try to open the kitchen cabinets!
Ahhhh the things I wish I had known earlier! One of those things is to not even waste time with normal baby bibs! These are my favorite! The silicone part stays open catching all the mess! They can even roll up and hold it in if you use it away from home. They are super easy to wipe or rinse clean too!
Ok, so I never had this car seat/stroller combo but had I known about this (maybe it wasn’t even available yet at the time?) I TOTALLY would have gotten it! I have some clients who have it and they all rave about it! If you don’t know, this is the Doona infant car seat that, like magic, converts right into a stroller when you take it out of the car! Pure genius! I mean, why don’t they ALL do that?! It is a bit pricier than other car seats but in my opinion, totally worth the price tag.
I’ll be adding more items soon but this is a good place to start if you are starting a registry or could use one of these items!
