Newborn Essentials

All the Baby Products You’ll Need for Your New Bundle of Joy

When I first started researching baby products, I fell in love with motherhood blogs and all of their must-have lists so I knew I had to make this my first post. Being a first-time mom I really didn’t know what products I needed but I found out quickly that apparently I needed A LOT and there is A LOT to choose from. I spent hours researching every baby product from the minute I found out I was pregnant up until Bruin was a few months old. I read all I could and got what other moms recommended was a must. Although I definitely ended up purchasing more than necessary, some of it was life-changing, and those things I’m going to share with you! I know you’ll find something here that you and your baby will love and that makes the newborn stage just a little bit easier.

So I’m going to share with you first a few pre-newborn baby must-have’s, or pregnancy must-have’s.

Maternity Clothes

Okay, I am a little ashamed to admit how much money I spent on maternity clothes. When I was pregnant I felt like every day was a month-long, but now looking back I see what other moms mean when they say “don’t waste your money on maternity clothes” because it really seems like such a short time in my life now. However, I remember the feeling of being so uncomfortable because NOTHING fit me anymore; I went from being 115 lbs. to 173 lbs. over the course of my pregnancy, and I really did need bigger clothes. But, if I could go back I would only spend money on this ONE item, and that ONE item is LEGGINGS. I swear I could have been a spokeswoman for Lululemon, I raved about them to everyone and swore they were the best purchase I’d made my entire life. I actually STILL wear the same pair that I wore all throughout my entire pregnancy, including at my waitressing job. These are the exact ones I have.

I only recently tried another great option for maternity leggings and I so badly wish I would have hit that purchase button when I was pregnant. I’m currently LIVING in all my BLANQI clothing and I know they would have been life-changing for my pregnancy and postpartum days, and that’s exactly what they’re made for. They have a slight compression that holds everything in the right places and they are incredibly soft and cozy. I currently sleep in their biker shorts, which are the high waisted length that covers your stomach. When I was pregnant I couldn’t sleep unless I was in biker shorts. I still wear the nursing tank from them and those also have the compression that makes me feel like I’ve been going to the gym for months. Oh, and I also sleep in their sports bras, I mean you guys I am seriously obsessed with this brand so if you’re pregnant do yourself a favor and get it all, just don’t tell your significant other. 🙂

I also recommend a good robe. I was breastfeeding and pumping for a few months after having Bruin so I was most likely half naked the majority of that time. I lived in a nursing bra and robe. I got this one and it was perfect.

Pregnancy Pillow

One last thing that was a must-have in my pregnancy was a pregnancy pillow. Like everything else out there, there are tons of different ones to choose from. I read a lot of reviews and ended up going with this one. I love it and I still sleep with it every night.

I want to mention that we did sleep train, and if this is something you’re looking into, I highly recommend purchasing the courses from Taking Cara Babies. It was life-changing. I am going to do an entire post on our sleep training experience next month so stay tuned!

Okay, now for the EXCITING baby products. But before I get into it, just want to put a reminder out there that every baby is different! What worked for me and Bruin may not work for you and your baby but I’m just here to give you my honest review and recommendations for what helped us!

The Owlet Sock

I’m going to start off with the very controversial Owlet Sock. I did a lot of research on these and I can’t tell you how many times I went back and forth deciding if I was going to get it or not, but I’m so glad I did. The Owlet Sock is a wearable baby monitor that tracks your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels, not only that but it gives you a summary of how well your baby slept (or didn’t sleep). I lived by this thing. Bruin did not sleep well in his bassinet and although I did give it a fair try, I ended up just having him sleep in bed with me. So him sleeping in bed with me and knowing how extremely exhausted I was, I was an anxious mess. This sock helped a bit with that. I read reviews where people said it would go off in the middle of the night for no reason, but we never really had this problem. We always put the monitor on and then put a sock over it to make it stay in place, and it always worked for us. I included some screenshots above of the app and some of Bruin’s sleep summaries, I used to screenshot these multiple times a day to send to his dad to show him how Bruin was sleeping.

Baby Lounger

Now that I already brought up Bruin sleeping in bed with me, I have to add another must-have item that made that possible for us, the SnuggleMe Organic. It was gifted to me but I was always between the dock-a-tot or the SnuggleMe. Ultimately the only difference between the two is that the SnuggleMe does exactly that, it snuggles your baby. Bruin ended up sleeping in this lounger every night so he apparently preferred the closeness that the SnuggleMe brought, but I also know of many babies preferring the dock-a-tot, so again it’s just a preference of your baby’s. Above and below is a picture of Bruin in his.

Hand Mitts

Also in the pic above, the Goumi mitts! These things were amazing. A lot of babies scratch their faces and Bruin was definitely one of those babies! We tried the regular ones that you just slip on with the elastic around them but they never stayed on. These goumi mitts use velcro and they DO NOT fall off. We purchased a few of these just to make sure we always had a clean pair. Of course, if you don’t have a newborn in the middle of July in Las Vegas like I did, and the weather calls for it, you could probably just use the long sleeve bodysuits that come with mitten-cuffs, like these.

A swing

Alright, a swing. This is just a common baby product that most people add to their registry or end up purchasing, and although they all probably work the same, I was in love with the one we got and so was Bruin. He took most of his naps in this swing for his first few months, or he would just sit in it sometimes while I ate, it was definitely a must for us. This is the one we had, and I 100% recommend it. He used it up until he literally could not fit in it anymore.

A Bouncer

I honestly didn’t think this bouncer was a MUST-HAVE until I was able to use it in order to take a shower. We had a bathroom that had both a standing shower and a bathtub right next to each other, so I understand that this technique may not work for some people, but I also used it a lot at my parent’s house when we went to visit because they had one there already and it was just convenient. However, the only time I really used this over the swing was when I showered.

White Noise Machine

So this next product also has many different brands you can choose from, however, we started using this with Bruin when he was only days old, and he still sleeps with it every nap and every night sleep. It’s the Hatch sound machine and it’s amazing. You can control it from your phone and I can’t tell you how many times that came in handy. You can also just tap it to turn it on/off, which was very convenient. When I moved back into my parent’s house I used a different white noise machine that my mom already had. I ended up purchasing the Hatch again because that noise was so familiar to me that I knew it must have been even more familiar for Bruin. And with all of the changes already going on in our lives with the separation and the move, I tried to keep whatever I could as familiar as possible for him.

Baby Monitor

I’m going to do a separate post for a baby monitor review, but I’ll just say here that I started with the Nanit baby monitor and I loved it. Like the Owlet sock, this app gives you sleep analytics (free for the first year then $5/month after that) and it was just a must for me. However, not relying on internet service and having a traditional monitor was also a must. I still use two monitors and feel they are both equally as beneficial. I’ve always used the Hello Baby brand for a traditional monitor and never had issues. After the move, Miku sent me their baby monitor and it works in a similar fashion as the Nanit, but the Miku doesn’t charge for the sleep analytics, which is a plus. If you want to know when I share my in-depth monitor review, subscribe to my email list!

A Swaddle

According to certain baby sleep specialists (like Cara from Taking Cara Babies), a swaddle is a must. So of course, I was relentless in finding the perfect swaddle that “worked” for Bruin. I tried almost every single one out there from the traditional swaddle wraps to the sacks and pouches, including the Aden + Anais, Ollie, Halo, Merlin, Summer SwaddleMe, and I don’t even know but there’s a few more I’m sure. Bruin ended up doing best with the Love to Dream Swaddle, it comes in different sizes as well as a transitional one. This particular one we used allows them to have their hands close to their face rather than at their side and Bruin just preferred this one. I wish reading all the reviews could help in deciding what swaddle will work best for your baby but the truth is that again, every baby is different, and you kind of just have to try them out and hope one “works”.

Blackout Curtains

Get yourself some blackout curtains if you have a lot of natural light in your room or wherever your baby sleeps. Cara recommends the room be dark enough to where you can just barely see your hand in front of you. We used blackout curtains and turned the nightlight on his Hatch to very low.

Everything FridaBaby

I love this brand. I still use the Nail Clippers and I’m proud to say that I’ve never cut Bruin while clipping his nails because of these. From this brand we also used the SnotSucker, the Windi, the Humidifier with their Vapor Drops, and their Cradle Cap brush. I also used a lot of their postpartum products. You can find gift sets where a lot of these items can be purchased together. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try them all, I had zero problems with any of them.

Breastpump

I’m doing a separate post on my breastfeeding experience but I’ll mention a few things all relatable here that made the journey a LITTLE easier. I had to pump a lot, and the first few weeks I used a Medela Breast Pump that required me to be attached to a wall and I had no idea what I was missing when I purchased the Spectra S1, which is a rechargeable portable pump. Being able to walk around while pumping was a game-changer. I would also 100% recommend the Hakka Manual Breast Pump to catch the let down from the opposite breast, this saved me SO much milk. And it’s worth it to get the one with the base and the lid because those things WILL tip over.

The Boppy

As far as feeding or just holding your baby, the Boppy comes in very handy. I used the C shaped one for both, it just gives your arms support where it’s needed instead of having to find pillows and blankets to prop underneath you. I also used the Boppy lounger a lot just to set Bruin down wherever I was, it comes with a little handle on it and it’s super lightweight. Above is a picture of me eating breakfast and pumping while Bruin was sleeping in it.

BabyBrezza

Ok, this probably isn’t a must as you could just use your dishwasher or the microwave bags if you wanted, but I must have used this BabyBrezza sanitizer and dryer 3 or 4 times a day for months. We had it sent to us from a friend when Bruin was about a week or two old, and I remember wondering how I went that long without it, it was another game-changer for me. Also, this dish drying rack came in very handy. As you can see in the photo above I probably went a little overboard but, first-time mom problems.

A Diaper Caddy Organizer

Just looking at this caddy organizer immediately brings me back to those sleepless nights. We had a two-story house so I packed this thing up full every night before heading upstairs and “going to sleep”. I would put diapers and wipes in it, my pumping parts, bottles, chapstick, water, basically everything I needed to make it through the night without having to go downstairs. If you live in a two-story house, I would get one. This is the one I used.

A Loopy Case

I will never own a phone without having a loopy case attached to it. It’s just a case with a soft, flexible loop on it that makes it easier to hold your phone. I can’t count how many times this came in handy. I usually would just loop it around the back of my finger so the rest of my hand was free to hold something else, say… baby, water bottle, diaper caddy, etc., us moms tend to try to do it all and this just makes life easier.

Newborn Clothes

As far as clothing goes, like I said Bruin was born in the middle of the hot summer in Las Vegas, so this may not be the case for everyone, but Bruin lived in bodysuits and onesies. Get all the zip-up onesies you can find, bonus if you find the ones that zip from the bottom not just from the top. The ones I HIGHLY recommend are the bamboo footies from Willow + Co., check them out here and use code Bruin20 for a discount, you won’t be disappointed!

A Baby Bathtub

I initially didn’t even think to include a bathtub to this list, however, when going through all my old photos, I realized that just about every ten photos was a picture of Bruin in his tub, so it was a must for us. This one he used for a long time, it has the hammock insert which we used for his very first bath, and then it has a little seat insert for when they outgrow the hammock. We definitely got our use out of this, and I would recommend it.

Baby Wearing Gear

As far as wraps/carriers/slings go, I tried all and I liked each of them for different reasons. The Boba Wrap I liked when he was smaller, I used this a lot at home when he just wanted to be close. Two downsides to this are that the fabric can make you hot and that it takes some time to learn how to put it on. There were a number of times where it would have come in handy but I just didn’t have the extra time to put it on. The Baby Bjorn is probably the one I used the most that I would recommend. I brought Bruin on a 3-mile hike in this, walked through countless airport terminals with it, and also used it around the house. This style allows for men to wear them comfortably as well. The Sling is probably the one I would recommend the least, I purchased it when I was breastfeeding and had to fly back and forth from Vegas to Seattle, so it did come in handy as a cover for those plane rides, but this one is also difficult to learn how to put on and it just takes too long in my opinion.

Last and Certainly Not Least, A Strong Support System

The newborn stage goes by fast even if it doesn’t seem like it, actually, this is true for every stage; every day seems like an eternity but the months pass by so quickly. The newborn stage is hard in its own unique way because although we form a bond with our babies before they’re even earthside, the only way they know how to communicate with us is through crying, so those first few weeks you don’t see a smile directed at you or sense a thank you and I love you, but just know that’s what they’re feeling. Try your hardest to stay present in the moment because before you know it that beautiful new baby of yours will be smiling the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen. After that, they’ll be sitting up, then crawling, walking, and you’re onto toddlerhood, and that’s a completely different hard.

Pregnancy is hard. Labor is hard. Postpartum is hard. Being a parent is hard. You can’t do it alone. However if you find yourself without a solid support system, know that you’re never alone with that beautiful little baby of yours and that you always have an amazing group of mamas at your fingertips here to give you advice or tell you you’re doing a great job. Us mamas are a support system for each other and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you. I’m also so thankful for the love and support I have from my family and friends, they were absolutely my number one must-have. Thank you all for reading my first blog post!

Also, please don’t forget to subscribe. I look forward to connecting!

xo, emily