First and foremost, the baby. Worth the hype! Parenthood is so fun but some days, so hard! Especially in the beginning. There are some things that we thought were over-hyped and didn’t want to spend the money on and then some things that we figured out where worth every penny. So I wanted to share things with you the things that truly did make our life easier and worth every penny! This is all just my opinion on the products. Every baby and family is different. I hope these suggestions help make your day to day easier and more enjoyable on those stressful days! You can shop all of these products on my Amazon page!
Doona Carseat and Stroller
We heard a lot of mixed reviews on this one. The biggest downfall of this is the weight. It is one of the heaviest car seats on the market. However, I spent the first 6 weeks of my baby’s life waking him up to run into Target to grab a few things. He would be so upset, and I would feel the need to rush. We finally caved and purchased the Doona. After this, we quickly realized that we should have gotten this in the beginning. It has made running errands and quick trips so much easier. In addition, if we go out of town, we don’t feel the need to pack an extra stroller. This one does the trick! There are a few disadvantages to this, like the lack of storage options, but you can get a stroller caddy to quickly clip onto the stroller for when you need it!
Baby Brezza
I remember getting this in and my husband thinking that it was a waste of money. But then the middle of the night feed came around. The baby Brezza makes the exact amount of milk that you need immediately at the right temperature. This made it so much faster to get our baby a bottle and get him back to sleep. It really does save you time. After first night, even my husband has recommended this to anyone he knows that is having a baby! Since we did a mix of breast milk and formula, we decided to get the mini Baby Brezza instead of the large one and it’s been the perfect size! If you are only doing formula, I would opt for the larger one so you don’t have to refill it as much.
Snoo Bassinet
Here me out, I know this is an expensive purchase. Since we plan to have more than one child and we are only on our first, this purchase made sense because we will use it for many years with all of our kids. However, if you are on your last kid, maybe you won’t want to spend the extra money on this. The bassinet really just gave me a peace of mind. Since you strap down the swaddle, I knew he couldn’t roll so I didn’t have to worry. It also allows you to swaddle your baby longer than normal which has been really nice as well. In addition to that, the snoo works with an app which tracks how long it is on. You can also track diaper changes and feedings in it. I have personally loved seeing the tracking on his sleep because I am able to see the progress he is making with sleep.
Owlet Camera and Mount
At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like the Owlet Camera. I do think that it having to use Wifi is a disadvantage because we aren’t able to travel with it. However, I do love being able to use my phone and see my baby easily. The picture quality is really great and it’s easy to move from room to room if I need to. We also got a mount that clips onto his bassinet or crib that has really helped us place it easily to use. You can also connect the Owlet sock to the same app which is helpful to have everything in one spot.
FisherPrice Kick & Play Mat
This play mat has been so helpful from the start! We don’t always use the mat that it came with but the lights and music were great in the beginning and now he loves reaching and kicking the piano. This toy also grows with them by letting the piano detach so they can play with it even as toddlers. Definitely worth the investment.
Wrap & Wildbird Carrier
When our baby was smaller, the wrap was honestly the easiest way to carrier him if I needed my hands free. It kept him snug and tight. He would nap so long in it and it allowed me to get things done. As he grew, our Wildbird carrier became a lot easier to use because he wanted to look around more.
Baby Bjorn Bouncer with Toy Bar
I want to point out that I think any bouncer of this style would work really well but the Toy Bar is key. Once he started sitting in this, the toy bar quickly became one of this favorite things to mess with. This kept him entertained long enough that I could pack bags for the day or get ready. Even if you don’t get this brand of bouncer, something similar to this style with a toy bar will definitely give you a few moments with both hands!
Muslin Burp Clothes
I wish I could get everything made out of this material. We absolutely love these burp cloths. They are affordable, absorb liquid well and hold up in the wash. We have a few other brands that get the job done but we always find ourselves reaching for these. We keep a few in almost every room of the house. You can’t go wrong with these.
Coterie Diapers
Something that I knew I wanted to do was try to use as many clean products as I could. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to protect our little ones skin from so as many chemicals as I could. Not only are Coterie diapers super absorbent and keep our little one from having diaper rashes, they are also cleaner than most diaper brands. It’s also so nice to have all the diapers we need for the month delivered right to our house each month. In addition to that, the customer service team is so fast and always there to help! These diapers are so great!
Honorary mention: If we didn’t pack enough diapers and need to run in a store to grab some, we also really like Honest! They have such cute designs and are a clean brand as well!
Car Camera
I wasn’t a big fun of having a mirror in the car because you just couldn’t see anything at night and I couldn’t use my mirror for actually looking at the cars behind me. I wanted something a little bit better but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on it. This affordable camera off amazon has been wonderful! It even has a night mode so you are able to see your little one even in the dark.
Tummy Time Crab
This crab was so great for getting my baby to tolerate tummy time a little longer! The only downhill is the crab will run off so you do need to trap it. We have seen good success with trapping it with a large gate but we have seen others trap it with a hulu-hoop! This is really the only way he would do tummy time longer than 3 minutes and this momma was thankful for it!
Boppy Pillow & SnuggleMe
These Pillows really are helpful! The boppy pillow was great for tummy time and feedings! The SnuggleMe was great during the first few weeks to give him a place to lay down while I needed to get something done. It made him feel snug like someone was holding him but allowed me to get up for a moment if I needed to! I was definitely happy to have both of these!
Newborn Gowns
When you are changing 10 diapers a day, You don’t want to get your babies legs out of a sleeper and deal with buttons or zippers. Our baby lived in gowns for the first few weeks and we loved it! It made everything so much easier and faster!
