So, I have been asked to come up with my must have lists for mommy-to-be's and I actually think that is a great idea because I remember how daunting it was trying to figure out what I really needed and which out of the 1,398,756,483 different strollers was the right one for me, haha!
Hope it helps and remember everyone's experience is different, these are just based off of mine. Here it goes...
Top 3 Strollers
I like how all 3 of these stroller options have bassinet attachments for when they are a newborn, which I loved the look of and actually used all the time because Lawson was too little to put in the baby bjorn and I needed to get out of the house, so short walks were perfect with the basinet attachment. They also are all car seat adaptable, which is convenient, and have the ability to add onto as the family grows.
The only downfall is that all of them are really big and heavy, so you might want an umbrella stroller too for when your baby gets older to travel with. Although, if your baby is like Lawson, when he gets bigger he might only want to be in the baby bjorn and not in a stroller. If you want to get an Umbrella stroller I love the Brittax B Nimble or Maclaren makes some cute ones as well.
- Bugaboo Cameleon (I got mine from their online outlet for a lot less)
- UppaBaby Vista (this one is cool because it really grows with the family)
- Brittax B Ready (same look as the first two but a lot less expensive!)
Top 3 Car Seats
- Brittax B Safe (this is what we have and it works great)
- Brittax Chaperone
- PegPerego Primo Viaggio
* Also, get a mirror to put on the headrest of your backseat so you can keep an eye on baby in their carseat while you are driving :)
Top 3 Sleeping Aids
- Swaddleme Sacks by Summer Infant (your baby will sleep in these every night until 6 months or so, get a bunch)
http://www.diapers.com/cat=Newborn-Essentials-43#/subcat=Sleepwear-Blankets-12042/Brand=Summer+Infant
- Light and noise machine in one. This was recommended by one of my friends and it has been a huge help with Lawson's sleeping!
http://www.amazon.com/myBaby-Soundspa-Lullaby-Machine-Projector/dp/B008KG5R6I
- Baby swing and rocker. They are big but life savers. Lawson takes all his naps in the swing and slept in the rocker for the first 6 months.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Snugabunny-Rock-N-Play-Sleeper/17235909
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Cradle-Swing-Little-Snugabunny/dp/B0042D69WY
Top 3 Baby Monitors
Any baby monitor that you can use with your iPhone, laptop or iPad. These are my favorite two and we just started needing to use ours. It is pretty cool to be able to watch him from anywhere on my phone!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181233567613?lpid=82
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H7890ZM/A/smart-baby-monitor-by-withings
Top Three Teething Toys
- SOPHIE.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/vulli-reg-sophie-giraffe-soft-rubber-toy/1017110357
- Your baby's hands (free, woohoo!)
- Your finger (free, woohoo!)
Nothing else worked for Lawson. We tried all the other toys, carrot stick, frozen things, etc. But when it came down to it he liked his own fists, mommy and daddy's fingers and Sophie to chew on. You will want to have Infant Tylenol on hand as well for when it gets bad. You won't need this until about 3 months, but its good to have.
Top 3 Playmats
- Kick and Play (especially if you have a kicker like we do!)
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Piano-Gym-Kick-Play/dp/B00F2MQDU2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407965237&sr=8-2&keywords=piano+play+mat
- Snugabunny Playmat (this one is really soft and has lights and music)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/20611258?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227015220610&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40331654192&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78293070992&veh=sem
- Any other playmat that fits your color scheme and has fun toys, sounds and lights. They won't really use it a lot in the beginning but once they are a month or two old, then they start to enjoy them and then by 3 months on they love playing and staring at them
Top 3 Diaper Changing Needs:
- These are my favorite wipes:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Huggies-Natural-Care-Fragrance-Free-Hypoallergenic-Baby-Wipes-Refill-Box-360-count/16213317
- These are my favorite changing pads to put on top of any soft surface for quick changes:
http://www.diapers.com/p/carters-keep-me-dry-flannel-lap-pads-white-3-ct-71804
- The Diaper Genie Pail:
http://www.target.com/p/playtex-diaper-genie-essentials-diaper-pail-with-100ct-refill/-/A-14126367#prodSlot=medium_1_3&tempterm=genie+diaper+pail
Top 3 Nursing Items
- Nursing tanks and Nipple Shields
You'll want to get lots of nursing tanks as you will be wearing them everyday for the next year, not sure why there aren't more nursing stores like there are maternity stores?!?) Get them in 2 different sizes, a bigger one for when you get home and then your regular size for once your milk supply gets established and you get back to your normal size. I like these ones from Target.
http://www.target.com/c/camis-tanks-intimates-women-s-clothing/-/N-5xtcc
The nipple shields were a lifesaver for me for the first couple months of breastfeeding until I weaned myself off of them when it didn't hurt anymore. If you are having major pain like I was, they really did help.
- Electric breast pump and bottle system, the hand ones are a joke. Although I hate pumping so I never use it. Medela makes the best electric pumps.
- Nursing shawls/scarves
Charming Charlie has these amazing Infinity Scarves that work beautifully to cover baby while you nurse, yet look super trendy when your not :) http://www.charmingcharlie.com/accessories/scarves.html
Top 3 Recovery Items
- Dermaplast. Its an amazing numbing spray, must have! You can get it at any drugstore or Target
- Tuck Pads. Yeah. You can get it at any drugstore or Target
- Spray bottle with water in it and lots of thick comfy pads for when you get home.
Top 3 Things I Used
- Baby Bjorn We might have used this more than any other baby item, worth the money.
http://www.babybjorn.com/baby-carriers/baby-carrier-one/
- Baby Bullet I love making Lawson's baby food in this. It is an easy system to use, but a blender or regular bullet and small mason jars works just as well!
- Baby Bathtub and Hooded Towels Pottery Barn Kids and RH Baby have some really cute hooded towels and I like this bathtub we have:
http://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-ST-01-AUQ-US-Bath-Support-Blue/dp/B008H3PFM0
or I have heard good things about these too:
http://www.bloomingbath.com
- Baby Bjorn We might have used this more than any other baby item, worth the money.
http://www.babybjorn.com/baby-carriers/baby-carrier-one/
- Baby Bullet I love making Lawson's baby food in this. It is an easy system to use, but a blender or regular bullet and small mason jars works just as well!
- Baby Bathtub and Hooded Towels Pottery Barn Kids and RH Baby have some really cute hooded towels and I like this bathtub we have:
http://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-ST-01-AUQ-US-Bath-Support-Blue/dp/B008H3PFM0
or I have heard good things about these too:
http://www.bloomingbath.com
Top 3 Things I Didn't Use
- A glider for the nursery.
I honestly haven't sat in it once with Lawson (but that could just be the nature of my baby). He doesn't like to sit and be rocked, oh no that would be too easy, he likes for you walk him around and rock him, haha! So I would recommend a comfy chair for wherever you spend most of your time (for us its the living room) because you will be living in that chair and nursing all the time in it especially in the beginning, might as well love it, right?!?!
- A baby wipe warmer.
Don't waste money on a wipe warmer, we used it for a week in the beginning and then never used it again. It dried them out and you can just warm them in your hands.
- Dressy newborn clothes and shoes.
You won't be going anywhere fancy for the first few months and your baby won't want to wear them. Honestly, you are going to be so tired that you probably won't put your baby in anything other than something easy, like zip down footed onesies or over the head onesies with bottom buttons, get cute versions of those!
Top 3 Things I Didn't Have That I Needed
- Preemie and Newborn Clothes for when he is first born, 0-3 months didn't fit.
- Newborn Diapers I like Huggies over Pampers, I think they have less leaks, but just make sure you get some newborn size and then some size 1. I would get 48-72 to start off with and see how they fit your baby, then buy more accordingly.
- Burt's Bees and The Honest Company products, especially their all natural lotions, soaps, sunscreen and cute diapers. I found out about these later on and wish I knew about them earlier.
And I think that is about it! Moms, feel free to add anything to this list in the comments, I'm sure I'm missing some things. And Moms-to-be feel free to ask any questions and I would be more than happy to answer them. Also check out my birth story post that has a lot of good insight here:
http://southernbelleofthewest.blogspot.com/2014/02/welcome-baby-lawson.html
I remember how lost I was when I got home from the hospital and how many trips Prescott and my mom had to make to the store for things I didn't have. A list like this would have been a huge help for me, so I hope it helps some of you :)
