The amount of "stuff" a baby needs is so overwhelming! Here are some of my favorites after 12 weeks in. These are registry must-haves!
There are a few items I'm not sold on yet: namely diapers, bottles, etc... but it's a pretty nice list here.
I've split it up into At Home | On-the-Go | Clothing & Linens | Playtime | General
AT HOME
This is #1 on my list. Miss Charlotte has been sleeping in it for the nighttime since before we found out about her reflux (thank goodness) because it has an elevation and makes her feel snuggled. Of course, keep a close eye on the baby if they are sleeping in a pod, but she is usually swaddled, cradled in and cozy! I love it even to bring with me to my parents house or around when I'm folding laundry so she has a nice comfy spot to sit and watch :)
We tried about every swaddle under the sun. I hated the swaddles with all of the velcro... hello! Are we trying to wake up the entire neighborhood?! Although I wish you could just zip the bottom part for diaper changes, these are the swaddles we are using as she has started to sleep longer stretches at night.
Another LIVER SAVER. We set this up in our living room and I slept on the couch for nearly the first 9 weeks (ugh, my back is STILL screaming at me for that one). I love having it downstairs for easy diaper changes during the day and napping. The bouncer that came with it is not the greatest, but it's nice to have another place to put her during the day.
THIS is the only way I started sleeping longer stretches. First, we were sleeping using the pack 'n play in the living room. Then, I tried using a cosleeper in our bed... that lasted one night. We tried moving to the guest bedroom so we didn't disturbe my husband but my back would get shooting pains when I tried to nurse and every grunt, groan, movement would keep me WIDE awake.
I thought I would be a parent that coslept in the same room until she was 1... bah! Around 9.5-10 weeks, I moved her in her pod to her crib with this video monitor. LIFE CHANGING for both of us. She was sleeping 4+ hours at a time and I would actually fall asleep because the monitor wouldn't light up unless she made a noise. I keep the volume a little lower and typically only get up now if she is really squirming and waking up. While I feel guilty, it's made a huge, huge difference for us.
I've heard rave reviews about the Rock n Play... so I decided to get it with the bluetooth smart connect option. It is pretty nice to be able to control it from your phone. Little Charlotte doesn't love it as much as some babies seem to, but she will take some nice naps and I can even lay her in it while I try to get some things done around the house.
My baby girl has SUPER sensitive skin. She had a diaper rash for the first 2-3 weeks and would even get a small rash if someone held her that used a fragrant laundry detergent... which makes sense, their little skin is so pure and new! I used Beautycounter's baby line on her from the beginning and she did great with it. I tried a ton of different diaper creams initially, thinking that this wasn't going to be strong enough, but this is the only one that not only cleared it up, but actually calmed her down when I put it on... calming cream is right! I love it and have one upstairs, downstairs, in the diaper bag and stashed in the car!
Similar to my description above, I didn't want to use anything that would irritate her sensitive skin, but these sponges have been awesome! I use one with soap and one with water at bathtime and she actually gets excited when I use them on her skin.
Needed for bottles, pump parts, etc. I like the white so at least it matches our kitchen a bit.
Yep, you'll suck our your kid's boogies... and somehow she thinks it's funny!
ON-THE-GO
I love this diaper bag! Great large main compartment, lots and lots of pockets and it has a changing pad. It also comes with 1 long strap or 2 straps like a bookbag. I personally love the polka dot design, ironically named "the duchess," but there are a ton of cute (not obnoxious) prints or even plain black.
LIFE SAVER. I don't think I can say much more. Our friends from back porch paleo sent us this and I don't know HOW we would survive without it. We even take it off the car seat and use it at night (WITH another sound machine. She loves the lullaby song from this one!)
CLOTHING & LINENS
I love that they are organic and have snaps around the legs for easy diaper changes. They do run big... Charlotte was wearing the preemie size until about 9 weeks!!
Another organic company that I adore for clothing. I'm obsessed with the kimono type snap onesies! I also love the longer nightgown. They have the option to cover the hands which is important because newborns will scratch themselves. I will put one of these on her with the snap swaddle and then I don't worry about her overheating this summer.
I wanted something cute for the hospital pictures and I ordered a nightgown and blanket from Sugarplum Lane. Unfortunately, the nightgown just started fitting at 10 weeks!!! But this beautiful rose blanket was the perfect backdrop from her newborn photos in the hospital. I can't wait to buy her little dresses and rompers from this company!
This company is super cute. They send you 3 bows every month as a subscription. It's fun to see what the new bows will be each month and they are "on trend" with what is out there during that time.
I was so excited when I found these. Breastfeeding as been, in a word, a nightmare... and we have to use a shield which made it SO messy in the beginning when she was small and couldn't handle my letdown and milk supply. We were getting milk literally everywhere. I started putting these on her early and I loved that they were cute designs and felt on the opposite side so they stayed in place.
I am just OBSESSED with light swaddle blankets... the muslin are my favorite and fruit/food patterns, obviously!! I think someone told me I wouldn't need these but I think I have 10+ and I could easily use more. We go through 1-2 a day. I also love the Aden & Anais brand blankets.
PLAYTIME
If you follow me on Instagram, you know this is Charlotte's FAVORITE morning activity. She stares in awe at the toys on the gym and now is batting at them. She seriously loves this mat... though I would be thrilled if I never had to hear the song again.
She loves this moose & turtle! The playmat above lets you switch out the toys that came with it (AWESOME!) so I change them around and have added these two toys, which get her just so excited in the morning!
I had this on my registry and then took it off because I thought it was too expensive for a chair, but let me tell you, my little girl loves this thing. She seriously never stops kicking and squirming (unfortunately, I think it's because of the reflux and gas and she is always trying to get it out) so I know she will love this even more when she gets a little bigger and can really move it herself. It's also nice because I have to keep her pretty vertical after feeds right now because of the reflux and I can set her in this if I need to hurry and gather things together before we leave to go somewhere.
GENERAL
Again, sensitive skin! This is 99.9% water with a bit of fruit extract and was the least irritating on her tiny bum.
SUPER easy to clean and you can throw anywhere. Thanks to my girlfriend for gifting us some of these... I love using them!
Soothies are hilarious... I think they make them look like little fishies, but it was the pacifier she seemed to love from the beginning! AND I'm obsessed with the adorable pacifier clips from Ity Bity! Hello, roses!
Photo Sharing on iPhone
This has been amazing. I share photos into a shared system with family members and friends a couple times a week and it allows them to feel like they are there seeing Charlotte grow right along side us. They can also like and comment on the photos. It's fabulous!
Baby Wearing: Tula or Baby K'tan
I love these for different reasons. The Tula really keeps her snug next to me and is a bit more structured. It was great for cooler weather night walks, but I find it's a little hot in our house during the summer. I like the Baby K'tan because it is already in "pieces" that are easy to throw on (vs a Moby which is one long piece of fabric). I also think I may get a ring sling carrier to even easier wearing.
Well, that's it... for now!! We have so many new adventures ahead, I know our favorites will expand!
