Must Have Baby Items for First Time Moms
As some of you know, I was promoted to the title “Mom” when we welcomed our beautiful daughter into this world on Sep 15, 2021. We are over the moon in love with her, as most parents are and will tell you if you aren’t a parent yet! Now that we can be considered “seasoned”, I wanted to share with you which items we got that we used all the time and I consider “must haves” as well as items that we got and never used and were, in my opinion, a waste of money….which is very tight especially with a newborn! So without further to do, let’s jump into the list of “must haves”!
Must Have Items (In My Opinion)
1. SNOO Bassinet
One thing EVERYONE tells you while you are expecting your first child to arrive Earth side, is how you need to “get as much sleep as you can now because you won’t when they arrive”. While this is somewhat true, having a smart bassinet has allowed us to get more sleep than our friends who do not. The SNOO bassinet is a smart bassinet that gently rocks your baby and plays white noise while they are nestled inside the safe sleep sack that swaddles them and prevents rolling over. If your babe gets a little fussy from a dream or wakes themselves up, the SNOO will hear their cries and rock a little faster to soothe them back to sleep. Now, of course, if your baby is hungry, needs a diaper change, or wants you, the SNOO will time out and alert you to tend to your baby so they are not crying for more than 60 seconds. You download the app on your phone and can adjust all the settings to fit you and your babies needs as you start to learn their behaviors. We were 8 weeks in and we got a solid 8-11 hrs of sleep at night with only 2 wakes for feeds.
2. Keekaroo Peanut
When you become a parent for the first time, you will be changing A LOT of diapers. And while you are changing those diapers, that’s when your little one will suddenly decide they need to go again while the diaper is off, causing a mess all over whatever you have them laying on. So instead of buying a basic changing pad that is made of foam and requires cloth covers, the keekaroo will save your life! The keekaroo is a soft foam material that is easy to wipe down with a disinfectant wipe should your little one surprise you! You won’t have to remove any cloth covers and add more to your laundry bin. It is a little on the pricier side, but for the hassle it will save you, it is SO worth it!
3. Diapers with “Wetness Indicators”
While I was pregnant, I stocked up on lots of diapers. Mainly ones that were on sale and I could get the most “bang for my buck”. I mainly ordered Hello Bello and Honest brand. Once she was born we broke out the newborn and in the middle of the night, we went to check her diaper and it was a pack that did not have this feature and we had to undo the diaper to check. Turned out it didn’t need changed and we just woke her up checking. Then the next pack I had DID have this feature and it was a game changer! Theres a yellow line that turns green when they need a new diaper. SO much easier than waking them to check if its dirty or not, especially when everyone is exhausted and just wants to go back to sleep!
4. Baby Brezza Formula Maker
If you plan on formula feeding, or are like me and didn’t produce milk and have to formula feed, this formula maker is a lifesaver! In the middle of the night, when I am very tired, of course it would be easy to “whip out the boob” but since I can’t, this is just as nice! You can put it on your nightstand and in seconds you have a perfectly mixed warm bottle ready to go. I usually get it set up while I am getting her out of the bassinet and by that time the bottle is ready to go. So minimal crying! The only downside to it is, you have to clean the filter every 4 bottles and some people don’t like that. But we don’t mind cleaning it for the convenience.
5. Touchless Thermometer
Again, another item that doesn’t wake the baby. I love having this to check her temperature even when she’s sleeping. A touchless thermometer is amazing, just hold it close to her forehead, press the button, and it gives you her reading. Remember, with infants anything over 100.4 degrees is an emergency and you need to call your pediatrician ASAP.
6. Velcro Swaddles
These have become lifesavers with our little Houdini! We have to double swaddle her, otherwise she will get her hands out and wake herself up. We batwing her first with a thin blanket and then put her in the velcro swaddles and she absolutely loves it! The velcro ones are great because they don’t get loose if she does wiggle some. They stay nice and tight until you’re ready to take it off.
7. Double Zip Footie Pajamas
Going back to the exhausted in the middle of the night, these are great for diaper changes! The double zipper pj’s allows you to unzip just the lower half to access the diaper without making your baby cold by undressing them completely. There are single zipper and button up PJ’s, I would stay away from those and stick to the double zipper if possible! Unless you get the single zippers that start at the foot and not the neck to get the same effect of only unzipping the lower half.
8. Fabric as Burp Cloths
In terms of burp cloths, we literally just use large pieces of cotton fabric that I get by the bolt and cut into 20″x36″ pieces that are large enough to cover almost my entire left shoulder and torso. It’s cheaper instead of buying actual “burp cloths” and also bigger so they catch more spit up. And being cotton they absorb a lot and are very easy to wash with regular laundry.
9. Car Seat Canopy
I didn’t know we needed this until after she was born. We were out on a walk and the sun got in her face and that’s when I realized we needed a car seat cover. It is very convenient to be able to cover her to keep the sun off of he especially when she’s napping and asleep. We got the one with buttons so we can have both flaps down and shut or just one.
10. Bottle Sterilizer
Along with bottle feeding, we do a lot of washing of bottles! This bottle sterilizer has been one of our most used items by far. We literally use this thing every single day. We have the Baby Brezza and so far, it has worked flawlessly! I love knowing her bottles are nice and clean before feedings. As a new mom, I am always freaking out about germs etc. so this gives me some peace of mind!
11. Baby Carrier
The last thing that I am over the moon glad that I got was my Ergobaby carrier. Of course this type carrier may not work for everyone, you may prefer a wrap carrier such as the Boba Wrap. But whichever style you prefer, I do highly recommend getting one! My baby is currently in a phase where she refuses to nap anywhere but directly on me. And I am the type person who can’t sit still with all my home projects and business, so I needed a solution to be able to let me be hands free while still making her happy and this was it! And I like how most of these carriers grow with the baby so you can use them for a long time.
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