There are so many baby items and products out there now that it can definitely feel overwhelming. Especially if you’re a first time mommy. Now that I’m expecting baby #2 and know more of what I like/dislike and will actually use, I have compiled a list of some of my personal favorite items and what I consider must haves for your baby registry! This is not a complete list of things you’ll want/need, but just highlighting some of my favorite things.
We’re not doing a baby shower or anything with this baby (I personally find it a little tacky to have a baby shower for each baby unless you’ve had to get rid of all your baby stuff, or it has been years since you’ve had a baby, etc.), I did create Amazon and Target baby registries, though, just so that I would get the discount codes they give you! I do need some items for the new baby, so figured why not create a registry to get a discount on the stuff I have to buy anyway!
I’ve even added links for you so you can get to the exact item I’m talking about with one click!
Stroller
Do your research! When I first started looking for a stroller, I wanted a traditional travel system (stroller with infant car seat that clicks into the stroller). I figured it’d be really convenient as well as last me through a couple of kids. Well, I hadn’t planned on having two babies (2 years old and a newborn) who would both need to ride in the stroller all the time. So knowing what I know now, I would have purchased a stroller that can grow with your family. When I was pregnant with Olivia, I did not even know these kinds of strollers existed. After tons of research, asking others in “mommy” groups on Facebook, and testing them double strollers at Buy Buy Baby, we went with the Joovy Qool. It’s a single stroller that can become a double stroller as well as carry up to three children at a time. I am currently using it as a single stroller for Olivia, but absolutely love it so far. I will be posting more about it and all its features later.
Car Seat
Since we bought a traditional travel system for Olivia, we had a Graco SnugRide Snuglock 35 infant car seat (I’m pretty sure it was this one). I really don’t have any complaints about it. My husband said it’s easy to install, too. Once Olivia outgrew the infant seat, though, we bought this car seat that can be used from newborn (infant car seat) to big kid (booster). Once again, I have no complaints with this one – my husband says this is extremely easy to install. This is another area where you really want to do your research and find what works for you. There are pros and cons, in my opinion, to both of these kinds of car seats. I really loved being able to leave my sleeping baby in her car seat for a quick trip to the grocery store, but it is more budget friendly to only buy one car seat for the entirety of your child’s car seat days.
Fisher Price Rock N Play Portable Bassinet
I absolutely loved this bassinet! If you follow me on Instagram and saw my highlights My Favorite Things, then you know I cannot say enough about this one. It’s portable and folds up almost completely flat making it great for small spaces. Olivia slept in this the first six months of her life. It was great for our super small bedroom at the time. The only “con” is that the toys cannot be removed. At least I couldn’t find a way to remove them without permanently removing them. However, she never seemed distracted by them.
Swing or Something of the Sort
So I won’t be much help on this one. We had the recently recalled Rock N Play Rocker which we loved, but it’s been recalled. I bought a used 4Moms Mamaroo, though, that I’ll be trying out with baby #2! But you will definitely want some kind of swing/rocker or something of the sort for the times you won’t be holding baby. We did have a similar swing linked here and above, and the only thing I didn’t like about it was that the toys didn’t face the baby! I think it’s a weird thing with that brand, though, because my in-laws bought a bouncy seat by the same brand for us to use at their house and the toys face out instead of towards the baby on that too. Overall, I loved the swing, though!
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy
This has seriously been one of Olivia’s favorite toys from about 3 months old to even now (22 months). She loves music so she’s drawn to any kind of toy that sings or makes music, but if she has multiple music toys in front of her, 9 times out of 10 she’ll pick this one. I like it too because it’s small. I can throw it in my purse easily and take it with us. I ended up buying a second one for the car because it’s so great.
Gerber Cloth Diapers – AKA my favorite burp cloth
I use these cloth diapers as burp cloths. My mom used to use them for my siblings and I when we were babies so I got used to them as burp cloths. I had received and bought some actual burp cloths, but always went back to these. They are a great size, fold up easily for on the go, and are obviously very absorbent. Even my husband liked these best out of all the different kinds of burp cloths we had. They’re not pretty, but they get the job done.
Pumping Bra
There are so many different brands and bras out there, but if you’re pumping you NEED to invest in a pumping bra. I wasn’t even aware they made them when I first started pumping and I’d sit there holding all the gear… Never again. While I still never figured out how to do much of anything while pumping, I was at least able to get on my phone or read.
This is the one I have and I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I also don’t have any complaints.
Nursing Camisoles
I practically lived in these things when my daughter was a newborn. I’ve tried different brands, but my absolute favorites are no longer available. They were Gilligan & O’Malley nursing camisoles, and I absolutely loved them! I’m thankful I least have a couple left in really good shape. I hate the ones Old Navy sells which is surprising, but they are cheap and have all fallen apart – sometimes after just one use! I have purchased a couple from Motherhood Maternity, Walmart, and found one at Ross that looks promising. So I will probably do a post on them once I’ve gotten to use them.
Nursing Cover
While we’re on a nursing/breastfeeding streak, this was my favorite nursing cover. I didn’t really car for the multi-purpose ones that can also be used as car seat covers and cart covers. They were way to hot and awkward to put on/take off. I personally, never breastfeeding in front of anyone (other than my husband) without being covered. I know it’s a hot topic with lots of “feelings,” but I just feel more comfortable covered.
IKEA Hooded Bath Towel
Out of all the bath towels we’ve had and used, these are my absolute favorite! They’re soft, cute and have a hood as well as a loop for easy hanging.
Baby Monitor
This is the baby monitor we use. This was a huge deal for my husband, Daniel, so I let him do all the research and pick one when we were pregnant with Olivia. He liked this one because of the safety features so no one could hack into the monitor. We’ve had it for almost two years now and I don’t really have any complaints. At one point, the sound completely stopped working, but their customer service department was able to help me. Their customer service is awesome! They even offered to send me a new camera if I couldn’t get the sound to work. You can add up to, I think, 4 cameras and only need the one parent monitor.
Diaper Bag
So I have an obsession with bags. I LOVE bags. It drives my husband nuts! My love for bags and pillows frustrate him big time😆 With Olivia, I really wanted a pretty diaper bag that didn’t look like a typical diaper bag. I also wanted lots of pockets. I received this one by Skip Hop and absolutely love it! However, with two kids under the age of two, I decided I really needed a nice backpack diaper bag this time around. After a lot of searching, I settled on this one and so far I love it! It’s huge! I can pack it full of stuff and it actually seems empty! I bought it through Amazon Warehouse for the half the price and there was nothing wrong with it. In fact, it was still in all the original packaging!
Diaper Pail
You don’t really need a diaper pail, but I personally like having one. With Olivia we had a Playtex diaper genie. It was horrible. Not worth it at all. You have to use a special kind of bag that is expensive and wasteful, and the little built-in bag cutter wore out like a month into using it, so we had to keep scissors nearby. Once again, I did a lot of research this time around and everyone suggested the Ubbi. The only problem is that it’s like $80! I found one on Amazon Warehouse for about half the cost and it was also in perfect condition in the original packaging. We’ve been using it with regular trash bags for about a month now and love it! It REEKS when you open it, but only for a little bit and then you never smell anything. It’s amazing. The Playtex always smelled bad. We are going to try to stick an air freshener in the bottom of the Ubbi and see if that helps the smell when the lid is opened.
UPDATE: After three babies and like two or three different brands of diaper pails… just buy some Sassy Bags. They contain the smells so much better, take up less space, and it’s one less trash can you have to empty out and replace the bags. It just seems like the smells are contained until you open it to stick a diaper in it and/or every time you have to empty it. It just smells!
The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems book
This book was such a huge blessing! Olivia had always been a great nighttime sleeper, but her daytime sleep has always been harder to nail down. I was telling my sister-in-law about how hard a time I was having getting Olivia on a good schedule and she sent me this book. It’s very similar to BabyWise, but I found it more relaxed and more helpful. BabyWise, I think, really needs to be implemented right away in order to work. This book actually has sections dedicated to helping you implement the schedule based on a age groups, which I found BabyWise lacked. Anyway, it’s an amazing troubleshooting book for children newborn through toddler years.
Nose Frida
I didn’t get one of these with Olivia, but I was desperate once she got a little older so I bought one and loved it. I seriously was like, “I cannot believe I’ve missed out on this!”
So there it is! My list of some of my absolute favorite baby items. For more of My Favorite Things, be sure to follow me on Instagram! @fearlessjoyblog
Fearless Joy 