Are you an expecting mama trying to navigate through copious amounts of baby products on the market to decide what you will need? How are you supposed to know not only what you will need, but what will make your life easier? (Don’t miss my seperate post devoted to what you don’t need- coming soon!)
Well, you are not alone! All of us mamas have been there and we know it can be overwhelming and time-consuming! And what happens if you dont do your research??? (so much pressure)… you possibly omit some key items from your registry or shopping list that could have truly helped to make your life easier. Let me help you get prepared! This is 100% MY LIST, and my experiences, tried and true. I share this with you today with so much confidence that it can also be the foundation that can work to help other moms to be prepared for motherhood! Please remember to come back and let me know if any of this advice seemed to help you!
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Here we go:
Lightweight Pack n Play/ Bassinet Combo
We were ready to purchase one of the fancy bassinets on the market (like this one) but I ultimately decided that we could get more use out of a bassinet/pack n play combo, especially considering we knew our baby was only going to sleep in our room for the recommended 6 months. (Read my post on our baby sleeping arrangements) To complicate things, I knew from talking with other moms that I only wanted a lightweight pack n play, something compact that I could easily bring along with us. So, we chose the Fisher Price Ultra Lite Day and Night Playyard (pictured above).
Unfortunately, this particular product has since been recalled as it shared similarities to the Fisher Price Rock n Play (also a product we loved that was recalled), but I am still covering this need here to encourage you to find a solution that can work double or triple-duty for you because there are still some excellent products currently on the market that check all of the same boxes. So, just for you, I went back to the drawing board and decided that if I had to make this purchase again in today’s market, I would choose the Graco Travel Lite Crib with Stages.
My daughter slept through the night in the bassinet on our pack n play (right beside me in our room) from 2 weeks old through 6 months (that’s right, we had 5.5 months of silent nights with it) before she moved to her crib in her nursery. You don’t need anything fancy to accomplish this, just a firm sleep surface. Then we were able to use our versatile product beyond those first 6 months as a pack n play. Pack n plays are not all created equal. Most are heavy and bulky, some are loaded with features to add to the bulk, and few are simple, lightweight and compact. This one here is one of the few that is simple and compact, which means instead of it becoming just a stationary piece in your home, it is one that can truly be used to “pack” and “play”! It packs up to something you can throw in your car and bring virtually anywhere, like trips to grandma’s house. And if it is where your baby is used to sleeping already, you know it will be familiar and comfortable. Oh, and 18 months later, we still haven’t put ours away because we use it for overnight baby/toddler guests and to keep my daughter contained to play when I work out in my home gym.
Sound Machine
But not just any sound machine, one that you can control by an app on your phone. We went with the Hatch Baby Rest sound machine and night light. This particular product has several nice features that you will use. We have set up our baby’s sleep schedule on the app and it automatically turns on/off for naps and bedtime. It also acts as a nightlight with several different color lights to choose from, of which, you can make as dim or as bright as you need. This was especially helpful to me when the baby was sleeping beside me at night. I would set the light to just bright enough that I could make out her features and check if she was breathing, without having to turn on the lights or shine my phone’s flashlight in her face. It had an ok to wake feature as well so you can train your child that when the light is green and the birds are chirping it is time to get up. You would be surprised just how well this actually works. My daughter still sleeps until 9 AM. We absolutely LOVE this gadget and couldn’t recommend it more!
Explore & More Baby’s View 3-Stage Activity Center by Skip Hop
Here is something else that has got a lot of use in our house! It is called the Explore and More 3-Stage Activity Center by Skip Hop.
My baby started using this around 4 months old and at this stage I found it to be a tremendously helpful solution for when I needed to set her down to get something done. She remained entertained while I changed over the laundry or made dinner. It also helped her to build strength in her legs.
If all of that wasn’t amazing enough, it then grows with your baby’s height until you actually replace the seat with the floor piece to make a table that they can use as they are learning to pull themselves up to stand. As they walk around the table, they can play with all of the toys. Later, when they have outgrown the little clip on toys, remove them and it is a simple table.
TIP: Purchase this set of chairs to go with it and it becomes a great spot to work on puzzles, color and draw! We still use this every single day!
Wubbanub Pacifiers
We didn’t know we were going to be pacifier people until we were in the hospital and were told that it was something we should be doing for the safety of our baby when she sleeps. The only issue with any regular pacifier was that our baby would lose them when she was sleeping and would wake up looking for it. You can correct that with a pacifier clip in the car or stroller, but not in the crib. As you can imagine it takes those little hands some training to be able to locate and maneuver a pacifier back into their mouths. I can tell you from experience that this is achieved more quickly when a stuffed animal is attached to it. It acts as something substantial enough that they can feel around for it and find it. Additionally, a wubbanub pacifier is less-likely to fall through the slats of the crib – so when your older baby is learning to self-worth and decides they would like their pacifier in the middle of the night, they can easily locate it, grab it and pop it in without really waking up. My daughter performs this exercise in her sleep like a champ.
NOTE: We have not lost even 1 of these pacifiers in 19 months. I call that a mom win!
Boppy Newborn Lounger
The Boppy Newborn Lounger was another must-have that we used from newborn through age 6 months or so (our baby was small to average in size). IMO it’s the best option for when you have to set baby down throughout the day. We would either place it on the floor, our bed, or even right between us on the couch. Every use was well supervised, of course. We would have been lost without this product and it comes highly recommended by almost every new mom I know.
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Dr. Brown’s Options Bottles
Oh, I spent so much time researching bottles. You never trly know ahead of time if you will be breastfeeding, formula feeding, combination feeding, or exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. Ultimately, you will have to see how things go for you. My suggestion in any scenario is to prepare yourself with a good set of bottles. I highly recommend starting with the Dr. Brown’s Options Gift Set.
I have learned from my research, my own experience, and from feedback from other moms that it is not worth starting out with another brand of bottles. It is unlikely that these will not work for you. It is easy to get caught up in obsessing over wide-neck vs. standard opening and glass vs plastic, but it really just isn’t worth your time. These bottles are simply the best and the components can be rinsed and placed right in the dishwasher; piece of cake. They are the best at preventing gas and colic. They did not cause any “nipple confusion”. Once you start using them I am sure you will find that you may want a couple extra in each size to put into the rotation too.
TIP: To prevent nipple confusion, introduce to a breastfeeding infant starting with a really slow nipple. A friend recommended that we also purchase preemie nipples and use those for longer than a strictly bottle-fed baby would. This worked excellent for us an allowed us to have a baby who would and could take a bottle as needed. In our case it was of pumped milk, but this would also be a great approach for combination feeders. Having a baby that will take a bottle is a wonderful thing.
Dr. Brown’s Bottle Warmer
Pair the bottles with the Dr. Brown’s Bottle Warmer. You will be happy to have this gadget in those first few months to warm pumped breastmilk that has been refrigerated or thawed. We introduced a bottle early and offered it at least once per day. It was easy to use and when I wanted to run an errand without my baby, I would set my husband up with pumped milk in the fridge and the warmer so that the baby could enjoy a perfect temperature bottle at a moments notice.
Added bonus? The components of the Medela breastpump screw right on to these bottles so you can pump directly into the bottle and place in the fridge if you so choose. There is one good reason not to bother with the “cute” wide-neck bottles!
