As a first time mom, I was so thankful to be thrown baby showers by family and friends. However, when creating a registry or even just a running list of must-haves my husband and I needed get before baby came, I was a little overwhelmed.
Thankfully I had a few seasoned mamas walk me through a store with suggestions and insight. They were kind, open-minded, and wise mamas who knew even if a product worked wonders for one of their kids, it didn’t mean it would for every baby. That is what I’m hoping to provide for you, friend!
Now that I’m pregnant with my second, I’ve had mamas ask “What do you absolutely NEED?” I’ve complied a list of items I loved and some obvious must-haves.
Before we get started, I want to point out every baby is different. Certain bottles work for certain babies and not others. Some babies love swings and others hate them. This is what worked for us and I hope can help you too!
*Note: I am providing mostly amazon links for convenience, but can certainly be found other places as well! Also, if you have an ad blocker extension, this may interfere with your ability to see/use the links below.
1) Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags I loved that the Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags can lay flat in your freezer and this can save space when storing breastmilk. I was easily able to stack bags in gallon zip lock bags in order to keep them organized by date in our freezer.
2) Medela Sterilizing Bags Another mama suggested these and they were such a lifesaver. Cleaning and sanitizing pump parts is no fun, but this sped the process up SO MUCH. After washing, just throw the parts and some water in one of these bags, microwave for the directed amount of time and BOOM, ready to dry and will be ready for when you need to pump again. *Pro-tip (that not everyone may agree with but will save time): If you need to pump multiple times, put parts in a ziplock bag in the fridge until you need to pump again instead of washing after every pump.
3) Sleep Sack I know we used Halo and possibly another brand, and again, it will entirely depend on your baby, but this was an absolute life saver for us. Some people swear by certain brands, but find what works best for you and your baby (and if that’s no sleep sack or swaddle, that’s fine too!) This just helped with the startle reflex for Lucy and we were so grateful!
4) MAM Pacifiers If you or your baby are anti-pacifier, then this is not the product for you, but we LOVED MAM pacifiers. The ones we purchased came with a sanitizing container so you could sanitize the pacifiers in the microwave in a matter of minutes. It was also our daughter’s favorite brand. If your baby likes to self-soothe, I highly recommend these!
5) Diaper Pail We were gifted a hand-me-down diaper pail that is very similar to the one in this link. Again, find what works for you or your budget. Is a diaper pail/genie 100% necessary, no. However, all of our bedrooms are on the second story of our four level split, and we are thankful we don’t need to make the trek down the stairs to the garage every time there’s a code brown. If we lived in a one story house, maybe this wouldn’t be as big of a deal, so you do you.
6) Sealy Protection Waterproof Mattress Pad Cover You’re probably thinking, “Josey, duh, everyone needs a mattress pad cover/protector.” Yes, this is a no-brainer, BUT I encourage you to get or register for TWO. This was a tip I got from other mamas and when my baby had a really bad spit up or blow out in the middle of the night I was so thankful to have two. Pro-tip a mama gave me is put one mattress pad on on the mattress, then a crib sheet, then the second mattress pad, then the second crib sheet. Your baby has a mess in the middle of the night? Just strip off the first sheet and mattress pad and viola!, you’re done and get back to bed!
7) Boppy Nursing Pillow Money was really, really tight for Christian and I when we were pregnant with Lucy. I remember thinking “$40 for a pillow? I’ll just use a regular pillow if no one gets us this.” Personally, I think it is worth every penny. If you can get one cheaper or a free hand-me-down, more power to you, but being early postpartum, sore and trying to figure out breastfeeding, or even just needing a place to prop baby up, this Boppy is worth it!
8) Pack n’ Play This is an item we thoroughly enjoyed but may not be necessary for everyone. Again, we live in a four level split, so especially when Lucy was itty bitty, it was nice to have a place she could nap and a changing station off the floor in our living room, so she was within arms reach. We have two golden retrievers and while we do love and trust them, having her safe, off the floor or furniture especially those first few months was great. This also came in handy when traveling. The portable bouncer was also great at certain ages so Lucy could be up off the floor but could still go with me wherever. (Kitchen while I was doing dishes, next to me while I pumped etc.) This is not the exact one we have but is very similar.
9) Carseat & Stroller Everyone needs a carseat and may not need this particular travel system, but this worked great for my active lifestyle. With Lucy being our first, I researched a lot, and what caught my attention with this particular system, was not only the safety ratings and price but also that this infant seat only weighs 7.5lbs. I was always a runner before having kids and knew I didn’t have much upper body strength (but boy has that changed!), so while recovering from delivery, I appreciated how lightweight the infant seat was. I also love how easily it clicks right into the stroller. We still use the stroller today (Lucy is 22 months) and appreciate its ability to go on all terrain. The only thing I would have looked into differently had I known/thought about it, is if you are planning on actually running/jogging with a jogger stroller, make sure the handle is adjustable and/or at the right height. I am 5 foot so this is a little high for me to jog with but have made do when needed.
10) Baby Swing Lucy was a baby that always needed to be in motion. Being held wasn’t good enough and required lots of movement. This is where a swing saved our lives. (Sounds dramatic but unless you’ve had a fussy baby that just needed to swing, you have no idea lol). We borrowed a swing from some friends but was the same brand and had similar features as this one. Is it a mamaroo? No, it’s Fischer price, under $200 and it was just what we needed. It can swing in different directions and at different speeds.
11) Becoming Babywise Last but certainly not least, I recommend a good book for first time mamas. I’ve heard people refer to this as the “cry it out method” and I could not disagree more. As a first time, worried mama, I appreciated this book helping me learn my baby’s cues so I knew what she needed. I have page upon page underlined and highlighted in this book. I believe it was what allowed me to breastfeed Lucy and get her on a feed-wake-sleep cycle. Maybe this next baby will throw me for loop and need different things, but once Lucy got on a routine and was getting enough sleep, she absolutely thrived!
If for whatever reason, you don’t like this book, that’s fine, find another one but I will say, the struggles I’ve seen parents endure for years because they decided to just wing it, is not fun. Knowledge is power! Find what works for you so you can stay sane and your baby can be happy and healthy!
In conclusion, there are a million baby products under the sun and every mama, family, and baby are different and need different things. Educate yourself, do your research, but most of all pray without ceasing, trust the Holy Spirit, and trust your gut, Mama! A loving, safe mama far outweighs any particular brand or item. Congrats on your little one and good luck! You got this!