Newborn Must Haves
I recently became a mama to our sweet little boy, Levi James. And as a first-time mom, like many of us, I had no clue what I was doing. The moment you are discharged from the hospital, and you are sitting in the wheelchair, the nurse just put the car seat in your lap with your new baby in it and they wheel you to your car and just leave you there, hands down one of the scariest moments of my life. But we are figuring it one day at a time and have had major help from the products in this post.
I was pregnant, in my second trimester, slightly overwhelmed and slightly hormonal when I started our baby registry. I did so much research on the top products, the top brands, etc. and looking back now, there was a lot of things we used, but also a lot we didn’t use, for various reasons, the main one being Levi just didn’t like some things. In all honesty, babies are the boss and are going to tell you what they like and what they don’t, and we are just at their mercy.
These are the products that we have grown to love and have worked really well for us. It’s not necessarily an all-encompassing list, and definitely won’t fit every baby or stage. These are really just the items that we used a lot and loved in the newborn stage, so things like sippy cups or feeding items won’t be covered here. This is also purely opinion! Like I said, what worked for us, might not work for your baby. For instance, Levi hated his automatic swing, but LOVED his bouncer, I have friends who could turn on the swing and their babies would instantly fall to sleep, I wish I knew what that was like! Overall, I hope this helps you in starting your research. We were so blessed to be able to purchase some of these products and have family and friends shower us with them. At the end of the day, your baby just needs food, love and shelter, these products just help us mamas a little more when tackling motherhood!
Sleeping
Hatch Sound Machine: We LOVE the Hatch sound machine. As soon as the light goes out and the sound machine is turned on, my child is instantly asleep. We have two big dogs who bark when a leaf moves outside, so this has been a godsend to drown out the everyday background noise that goes on in our house. We also have the Yogasleep Hushh Portable White Noise Machine which has been great when traveling, in the car, out to dinner, etc. We just attach it to the handle of his car seat and it helps him sleep while we’re out and about.
Newton Mattress: This was an investment purchase that my husband and I agreed on making for piece of mind. I love that this crib mattress is 100% breathable! Especially now that Levi can easily roll from back to stomach and vis versa, he loves to sleep on his stomach and will roll over from his back in the middle of the night, and this mattress just makes this mama sleep better at night.
HALO Swaddles: We loved the these swaddles! They are super breathable and easy to use. I tried a few different kinds of swaddles and loved these for 2 main reasons…1) If he fell asleep before swaddling him, these were easy to get him into while asleep without completely waking him up. That was my frustration with some of the other brands we tried was that trying to get him into it while he was asleep was a nightmare and 2) they can have their arms in or out. For the first few months we swaddled him up, both arms included. But as he got older, we were able to transition to him sleeping with his arms out.
Feeding
Elvie Breast Pump: This is another investment but for the mom on the go or the working mom, this is a life saver! I work from home and the amount of times I was able to pump while still on a video call, too many to count! No cords, no plug ins, I used it on the plane, in the car, everywhere. We did also get the Medela Breast Pump through our insurance and it worked great especially when your milk is first coming in, no complaints or issues with either!
Philips Avent Bottles: These bottles worked best for us when I pumped and needed someone else to feed him. We started off with the 4oz bottles when he was really little and have graduated up to the 9oz bottles. You are able to buy different nipple sizes, slow flow or fast flow depending on their age.
Bottle Warmer: We love our bottle warmer, it’s so easy to put a bottle in it, press a button and have it warm up to the correct temperature. Total disclaimer though, filling up a Yeti or insulated thermos with hot water and sticking a bottle in that also does the trick!
Burt’s Bees Burp Cloths: You will need so many burp cloths! I think we have one stationed in every room of our house, and they all get used! These are my favorite though, they are super soft for feeding and don’t irritate babies skin.
My Breast Friend: We did not have a Boppy, so I cannot comment on it. But, we did have the My Breast Friend, and this was a life saver for my back and arms while breast feeding during those first couple of months. I had it stationed right next to his rocking chair, I’d throw it on, lay him on, and he would go to town!
Out And About
Boppy Baby Carrier: Okay this one is more of an opinion! We have both the Solly Wrap Carrier and the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Mini, both work just fine, but in my honest opinion the Boppy is superior. It’s almost a cross between the two others, because it’s a carrier and not just a wrap but has the wrap feature. For me, the Solly was way to difficult to use in public, I would get flustered in the parking lot of Target trying to get it on. The BabyBjorn carrier is a get overall carrier, but the Boppy folds up into a nice little sack, so it was just really convenient while travelling, and my baby just seemed a lot comfier in the Boppy and would actually fall asleep while in it, unlike others.
Uppa Baby Mesa Car Seat and Vista: This Car Seat/Stroller system is amazing! The car seat is so convenient, it comes with a base that you install in the car and it is so easy to hook and unhook the the seat from the base for those on the go mama’s! I can’t say enough good things about the Vista stroller! It is so easy to collapse, open and get in and out of the car. It’s a really smooth, easy to push stroller, with a lot of storage space underneath for diaper bag, purse, whatever!
Yogasleep Hushh Portable White Noise Machine: I mentioned this above, but we use it so much that I figured it needs it’s own space. We clip this to Levi’s car seat handle or the stroller while we are out and about, if he falls asleep this drowns out all of the other background noise!
Diaper Bag: This is the exact one that I have, and love it. You can add additional accessories to it like a matching bottle bag, changing clutch, even a paci holder! This is a huge necessity with a baby while out and about, and they make some super cute ones!! We fill ours with extra clothes, diapers, wipes, changing pad, burp cloths, and toys, anything to keep him entertained!
Bath/Hygiene
Hooded Towel: My favorite hooded towels are these Burt’s Bees ones, they are so soft, stretchy, and absorbent!
Electric Nail File: One of the hardest things to do is cut a baby’s nails, I’m always afraid I’m going to hurt them plus Levi doesn’t ever stop moving his little hands long enough for me cut all 10 fingers in one sitting. This electric file is great for getting any hangnails and it won’t hurt them!
Gripe Water: We didn’t have to use this too much, but when we did, man was it a life saver and works so fast!
Other Necessities: Nose Frida, Diaper Cream, Water Wipes
Other Items We Loved
BabyBjorn Bouncer: Levi LOVES his BabyBjorn Bouncer so much! He hated the swing, but I could put him in this bouncer and use it as either a bouncer or a plain old seat and he would be so content. I cannot say enough good things about this bouncer.
SnuggleMe: This was a life saver especially during the first couple of months home with Levi. It’s a nice, comfy lounger to safely set your baby in.