We’ve officially been parents for 2 months now. Can you believe it? 2 months have already passed. Some days it feels like yesterday we were just in the hospital and other days it feels like forever ago that Elliott entered our world.
Since we are slowly starting to feel like we’re getting the hang of things and tackling this colic like pros, I thought it would be super helpful to share some of our favorite baby items we’ve absolutely loved and used a lot in the past 2 months. I remember when I was creating our baby registry that I had absolutely no idea what I needed to register for, and it was so exhausting and a bit confusing and frustrating at times trying to figure it all out, so I hope this post is super helpful for the first time mom. Here are our top items we use a lot in no particular order:
- Rock n’ play: This thing saved our lives very early on. Some nights it was the only thing we could get Elliott to calm down in and go to sleep. Yes, I know you should not let the baby sleep in anything that’s not flat, but when it’s the middle of the night and it’s the only thing that gets your colicky baby to crash out, you’ll do what it takes… so don’t judge. 😉 This auto rock n’ play is a lifesaver and it is a must have item. It rocks on its own and also plays some music and animal noises. Register for one ASAP, and if you don’t, I bet someone will buy it for you anyways. I highly recommend it.
- Baby Bjorn Bouncer: We haven’t used this one quite as much as other things because he was too tiny to use it, but now that he’s at the right weight, we’ve put him in it several times and he seems to really like it. Right now, we’re having to bounce him a little, but as soon as he gains more control of his legs/feet and is a little bigger, I know Elliott is going to really enjoy bouncing in this one. It’s definitely pricey, but we love it!
- Cloth diapers: We use these for burping, spit up, etc, and they’re really handy. I remember seeing someone online say that they use them for burping, and I thought, why? Well, now I know. They’re cheap and work great. Get some!
- Diaper changing pad: Elliott loves laying in this one. Sometimes he just wants to hang out for 10-15 minutes after his diaper change. I don’t know if it’s the sides on it that make him feel safe in there or what, but he really seems to enjoy his time there. I remember not knowing what type of changing pad we should get, so I bought this one, and luckily he feels at ease in it, and I like how it has four sides to it. It feels a little safer to this mommy!
- Dapple dish soap: I love this soap for washing bottles, pumping accessories, etc. Buy it at Target because it’s way cheaper than on Amazon unless you’re an Amazon pantry buyer.
- Swing: My mom said I loved the swing when I was a baby, so I hoped Elliott would love it too, and he does. Sometimes if he isn’t enjoying the rocker, we’ll put him in the swing, and he just hangs out. If you are only able to get a rocker or swing, then I would go with the rocker. It’s more compact and plays music and rocks on its own. The swing is quite large and takes up a lot of room in our house, but Elliott loves it, so if you have the room and money, it would be a nice option to have, but I would go with the rocker over the swing if you can only get one. If you do choose to get a swing, make sure it plugs in because you’ll get tired of changing out batteries over and over if it doesn’t have the plug in capability. This is the exact one we have.
- Ubbi Diaper Pail: Okay, this thing has turned out to be one of my favorite items ever. I know it’s a trash can but hear me out. You don’t have to buy special refills just for it like you do the diaper genie. It holds a ton of diapers, has an easy to open sliding lid, plus a locking lid and they come in cute colors! I bought our black and white one off Zulily, but you can find them on Amazon. I know they are expensive, but in my mind, it’s 100% worth it. We buy some little bags called Sassy and put the diapers in them before we put them in the trash can. We’ve never had the room become smelly from the diapers, so that little pricey trash can is worth it in my book!
- Baby Monitor: This monitor is a bit pricey, but we really, really like it. It works great throughout our house, and you can easily see and hear the baby on it, which is of course, the whole point of having one. After we moved Elliott to his crib in his room when we weren’t getting any sleep thanks to all of the little squeaks and squeals he made throughout the night, this monitor put us at ease. The picture is super clear at night, and we can see when his eyes are open. I highly recommend this monitor.
- White Noise Machine: This thing is amazing! We turn it on every night we put Elliott in his crib, and it works great. Of course you can use apps or Alexa, etc but having this thing is easy breezy and stays on until we turn it off. I really think it’s helped Elliott fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Baby Shusher: I had no idea this thing existed when my mom purchased it for me, but holy smokes does it work great! I didn’t realize shushing a baby was a good idea until we read it in a book (more on that in a minute), but goodness, this thing works wonders!! It’s definitely a must have. We turn it on every night along with the white noise machine, and it puts Elliott to sleep very quickly. It does take batteries, but we’ve used it a ton and have not had to replace batteries yet! Seriously, you’re missing out if you don’t pick this one up.
- Happiest Baby on the Block: A friend recommended this book to me, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone having a baby. Elliott has not been easy for us due to his colic, but this book helped out so much when we just couldn’t figure out how to get him to stop crying. You don’t have to read the entire book if you don’t want to, but chapter 8 will save your life. It is a MUST READ, and if you only have one book to read, it’s this one… or at least just check out chapter 8. You can thank me later. I like ice cream and cheese dip. 😉
- Magnetic outfits: These things are lifesavers for middle of the night changings! I’m not even kidding about that one. We have a few magnetic outfits (gowns, footies, etc), and I highly recommend them. Not having to fuss with snaps in the middle of the night is so nice! While they are a bit pricey, I seriously recommend picking up one or two to use as pjs. They have a ton of cute prints, so the hard part will be deciding which one(s) to purchase. I may or may not be picking up a few more for Elliott as he gets older. We absolutely love them that much!!
- Diaper rash cream: This stuff is awesome! Anytime we think Elliott might be getting a little diaper rash, we put this on, and it’s gone by the next day if not later that same day. It works so, so well! A friend recommended it, so I ordered some, and we love it. It’s very thick to put on, but seriously it works! Grab a tube or 7 and keep them everywhere you change your little one. We have a few different options when it comes to diaper rash cream, but this one has been our go to hands down.
- Cradle cap shampoo: Our little one has some cradle cap going on and this shampoo helps out so much! We can usually already see a difference after just one wash with it. I found it at Target and I highly recommend it along with a cradle cap brush. Oh, and if your little one suffers from cradle cap on the scalp or face, olive oil, coconut oil and petroleum jelly all work great, especially on the face. We’ve used it a time or two on his face, and it usually clears up by the next day.
- Baby bibs: I didn’t really realize how much we would use bibs until we started bottle feeding breastmilk. Our little one likes to make a mess, so bibs are a must over here. We don’t use anything fancy, just regular bibs that have been around for ages. We tried the cute bandanna ones, but these simple ones worked much better for us.
Two final things we highly recommend:
Qeepsake App: You can download this on your phone, and the app will send you a text every day at whatever time you choose to answer a question about your little one. It’s a great way for a busy mom to journal, and you can even add pictures to each post through the app if you pay for the other versions. I’ve never been one to really journal, but I really liked the idea of this app, and you can order a book of all of your journal posts too for an extra cost. Check it out! This app was recommended by the same friend that recommended the book and diaper rash cream. She’s on a roll! Oh, I’m paying for the $2.99 version, and I’ve really been enjoying the questions they send. I’ll be sure to post an update later on when I get the journal printed.
Last but not least, download a baby noise app on your phone! We downloaded one called just that… Baby Noise… and it has helped us out so much! There’s a ton of options on it, like a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, white noise, rain, etc. Sometimes we just turn that app on and Elliott falls asleep for a little nap all by himself. It’s free on Google Play just saying! And you can probably find it on itunes as well.
That’s our list! If you’re an expecting mom, I definitely recommend any and all of those items. Of course you don’t need a swing, rocker and bouncer, but we love options here, especially with our colicky little one. If you only choose to get one, like I said earlier, go with the rocker. It is amazing! The rest of the items are all things we’ve been using non-stop. I really hope our list helps. I know when you’re starting a registry especially as a first time mom, it’s really hard to know what you truly need and what is just extra. A lot of these items are probably just extras to others, but for us, they’ve worked really great, and we highly recommend everything on this list! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about anything. I’m hoping to write a post about what products I loved during my pregnancy and after delivery very soon.
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