New-Mom Must-Haves

February 6, 2019 in Baby

/ one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen / seventeen / eighteen / nineteen / twenty /

New mamas, soon-to-be mamas, and grandmothers—this post is for you. I’m breaking down my favorite new-mom must-haves. Since Bodie’s been in the world for four months now, I feel like I’m definitely qualified to tell you all the products you need. Sarcasm… because again, I’ve only been doing this for four months. Nevertheless, I want to share the things that have worked really well for my little family. So much of trying out new baby products is trial and error, but day by day, you learn what works for you and your baby and what doesn’t. Of course, every baby/mom is different, and what works for some may not work for others (a key reason I didn’t even bother talking about our favorite pacifiers, bottles, diapers, etc…. that’s personal preference). But there are definitely some items that I think could generally work well for most babies and mamas. Below is a list of my favorite new-mom must-haves, which is a mix of things that keep baby happy and make life a little easier.

Cloud Island Footie Pajamas: These are our favorite sleepers, and I’ll list the reasons why very matter of factly: (1) They have fold-over mitten cuffs (up to a higher age than most), and Bodie has always needed, and still needs, mittens to keep from scratching his face and head. (2) They zip—when you change a fussy, wiggly, or even a happy baby, or need to strip baby’s clothes off because of a blowout, you’re going to want zippers. (3) They’re cute. Fun patterns, good colors, and free of cheesy slogans. (4) They’re priced right at just $13 for a 3-pack. They make these for boys and girls, so go get them and enjoy!
Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother: We’ve only had this since Christmas, but we are obsessed with it and have used it literally every day since (Luke, this is an appropriate use of “literally” – so there!). Bodie is so intrigued by the sounds and lights.The ocean waves setting is wonderfully calming (currently listening to it as I type this and Bodie naps in his rock ‘n play), and the songs are fun. It can stand up on its own or attach onto something like a crib or rail. It also has a little starfish remote. So cute. I’ve seen random pictures of babies on social media and spot this aquarium in the background, so it’s obviously a very popular item.
Halo Sleepsack Swaddles: Swaddling with blankets is hard. Doable, but hard. Bodie was a little Houdini, and even though he loved to be swaddled, he could usually break out of the blanket swaddles Luke and I did without problem. Cue the velcro swaddle. I can’t think of a reason not to use these. They allow parents to make a perfect, tight-but-comfortable swaddle. Bodie couldn’t break his little arms out, so I didn’t have to worry about a loose blanket on him in the night. There are lots of options for velcro swaddles, but Bodie slept the best in the Halo ones.
4Moms Mamaroo: Bodie did not love this so much at first. It pains me to say that because I begged Luke for it—he didn’t understand why we would buy a “swing” at this price and fought me on it. Thankfully, times have changed, and Bodie loves to zoom around in his “spaceship” as we now call it. There are five different motions and five different speeds, and I have learned Bodie’s preferences. You can also control this from your phone and play music through bluetooth. There are nature sounds programmed into the Mamaroo as well, if you don’t want to use your own music. The older Bodie has gotten, the more he has enjoyed this contraption, and I’m very pleased/relieved we have it. It’s also super sleek-looking and looks great in the den, which is a bonus. ~~I told you so, Hubby!~~ Thanks, Luke!
Infant Optics Monitor: This monitor is so user-friendly. It’s comes with two lenses, is able to pan up and down and side to side, has talk-back, and displays room temperature. I’ll admit, I’ve only been using this for about three weeks now since Bodie started taking naps in his crib, but I love it and know it will bring me a lot of peace of mind once he’s sleeping in his crib at night too.
Dock-A-Tot: A newborn life-saver. You hear people talk about them all the time, and I definitely agree that they are worth the hype (and the hefty price). Bodie strongly preferred sleeping in his Dock-A-Tot over anything else for his first several months. Now that Buggers is 4 months old, we don’t use it quite as much as we did initially. But, I don’t know what I would have done without it, especially during those first two months.
Owlet:This is probably the #1 product I can’t live without. It’s a little pricey—big thanks to my sweet mother-in-law for buying us this one—but it’s so worth the peace of mind it gives. Even if it wasn’t gifted to us, I would definitely pay every cent for it. I’m also told that many people can use their HSA’s to buy one, which makes it more doable. Honestly, without the Owlet, I don’t think I would ever sleep at night. It monitors baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels all through the night. If either were to get to an unsafe level, it would alert you and wake you up (trust me, it will wake you up). It also tracks sleep patterns, which is great. I seriously can’t imagine the past 4 months without this thing.
Hatch Rest: White noise and a night light that you can control from your phone. Total convenience. You can also create programs so that this little device will turn on and off at specific times. There are different sound options to choose from (nature sounds, white noise, lullabies, etc.), and you can customize the light to be any color and brightness you want. I love the Hatch Rest so much that when Bodie moves out of our room and into his crib at night, I will want one of these for myself since the one we have will move with him.
Baby Aquaphor: This is such a great product for baby’s skin. It’s pure and moisturizing. Bodie struggles with eczema and this is wonderful to coat on his skin for long-lasting moisture. We have also used this to soften his head when he had bad cradle cap andI know a lot of people also use this for diaper rash (luckily we haven’t had that yet). It really is “cure all” type of product.
Lou Lou and Company No-Scratch Mittens: Bodie has always held his hands and arms up near his face and head to self-soothe (and because it’s just a Bodie thing). Also, Bodie has eczema, and the poor little guy scratches himself up if it’s flared up. We need mittens, and not many onesies/footies keep the fold-over cuffs past newborn size (the Cloud Island sleepers I mentioned above are an exception). These mittens are so soft and do not come off Bodie’s active little hands, which we can’t say for all the others we’ve tried. We can’t live without our Lou Lou mitts, so I have ordered them in basically all the colors. PS: We love this company’s hats and blankets too. Many of Bodie’s hospital pictures were of him in the Jude Newborn Bundle. Everything is so soft and fantastic quality!
Month Blocks: I feel like monthly pictures of baby are such a big deal these days. Has that always been a thing? Probably not. My mom always says things like, “Well when you were a baby we didn’t even have that.” or “When you were a baby, they told us to ____ and y’all turned out just fine.” haha. Anyway, I found these blocks on Amazon, and they are perfect for taking those monthly pictures on whatever background you choose. They have the option to do weeks, months, years, and grade so you could really get lots of use out of them. I take Bodie’s monthly pictures on a white, fuzzy rug and have his blue copper pearl blanket on top each month (except Christmas, I went with red). I can’t wait to look back and compare pictures after a year.
Halo Bassinest: Bodie still sleeps in this in our room. We’re planning to move him into his crib at night within the next week or so (by 5 months old at the latest). This bassinet has been wonderful. Bodie loves to be cuddled, and he did not like how “big” the bassinet was at first. We added the newborn insert to give him a little less space, which made a big difference when he was younger. So, if you have this bassinet and your little one struggles at first, I recommend trying the insert (here) before giving up on it.
Fisher Price Automatic Rock and Play: This has been a great addition to our den. I love having something that (somewhat) mimics a bassinet for Bodie to snooze in downstairs. It rocks itself automatically and keeps the baby slightly inclined. This is great for Bodie because he struggles with baby reflux (we had a really scary incident that led to an ER trip when he was just 2 weeks old because of it, and I still haven’t totally recovered). We love this thing and have gotten so much use out of it. Both sets of grandparents have one of these at their house for him as well.
Infantino Prop-A-Pillar: This is such a versatile item. It can be unrolled and used for tummy time or stacked up and used as a little lounger. It also has a couple of toys and hooks so that your baby can stay occupied.
The First Years Bottle Warmer: There are lots of bottle warmers on the market at all different price points. This one is one of the least expensive and has given us zero problems. It also sanitizes pacifiers. Especially for the price, it’s a great purchase.
Baby Brezza Sterilizer and Dryer: Shout out to my parents for surprising me with this life saver of a machine last week. I think they were tired of hearing me say I was always doing something dishes related every time we would be talking on the phone haha. I’ve only had this for a week now, but I wish I had had it from the get-go. Not only does this machine sterilize bottles, pacifiers, and pump parts, but it dries them too. This has freed back up some of our counter space from so many drying racks and also is another thing that just makes my day-to-day easier. Highly recommend!!!
Baby Brezza Formula Mixer: If you are giving your baby formula, either to supplement or exclusively, you need this $20 gadget. Bodie started off with breastmilk only but, due to his slow weight gain, we decided to supplement with formula at about 6 weeks (he still gets a combination of breastmilk and formula now). This formula mixer has been a game-changer. The mixing part is motorized, so it mixes everything up quickly and without clumps. It’s amazing. In the mornings, I mix up enough formula for the day so I just have to pour it into his bottles instead of mixing them all up separately. It seems like such a little thing, but it makes a huge difference in my day!
Fisher Price Bouncy Chair: I tell everyone that I think this is the best $20 I’ve spent on my child as a mom so far and I 100% mean that. Once Bodie hit about 2.5 months, he needed some extra stimulation beyond just laying in his dock-a-tot or riding in his mamaroo. He was starting to stay awake longer between feedings and naps, and I felt like it was time for a toy bar that included things he could focus on. Luke and I still play with him and sing to him all the time, but this has been wonderful to keep him occupied when we need to put him down to get other things done. I ordered this from Amazon, and I cannot stress enough how much we (and Bodie) have loved it. He is constantly smiling or laughing when he’s in this chair. It vibrates, has a toy bar with critters (the yellow zebra has his heart), and bounces a little when he moves around in it. It keeps him upright but still comfortable. Y’all, for $20, get one for your baby or for someone you know that’s pregnant! They make them in boy, girl, and neutral colors.
The First Years Tub:There are so many baby tubs on the market, it’s hard to know which one to register for or buy. We have loved this tub and still bathe Bodie in it. It comes with a removable sling (for newborns- a few months old) and can be used through infancy to toddlerhood.
Shipt Membership: This is not a baby product, it’s a grocery delivery service membership. To be honest, we had this before Bodie, but I didn’t use it near as much as I should. Since Bodie has been born, I use it all the time. Bodie has never even been to the grocery store yet ha. I think I’ve only been like four times since he’s been born. Is that weird? Anyway, having your groceries delivered to your house with a little baby is nothing short of a blessing. Do it for you, mama. Do it for you. (P.S., they have a referral program, so let me know if you want to join at a discount and get me a nice kickback in the process!)