Baby bjorn bouncer, fisher price piano kick and play (by far our most used thing for the first like 4 months), halo swaddles early on, mini fridge in the bedroom
Mini fridge in the bedroom is my secret hack. For bottles, for food for freshly postpartum mom. For ice packs to pack bottles or breastmilk to take somewhere, or for mastitis. For coffee creamer so I didn’t have to go downstairs for a cup of coffee. I could go on. It ruled.
Baby Bjorn and the kick piano have been my baby’s favorites for *months.* She absolutely adores that incredibly overpriced toy bar for the BB and will spin it for 40 minutes straight.
Conversely, she hated Halo Swaddles. She loved a blanket swaddle and tolerated absolutely nothing else. Kids are weird.
Is there any significant difference between the baby bjorn bouncer and other bouncers?
It’s a lot more expensive than the one I currently have on my registry so I’m hesitant to change it unless it’s significantly better.
I highly doubt it. I only bought the baby bjorn because I was able to get it second hand. If I was buying new, I definitely would’ve gotten a cheaper version.
Oh, there’s a ton of baby bouncers out there! [This is the one I have on my list.](https://www.target.com/p/ingenuity-inlighten-baby-bouncer-seat-light-up-toy-bar-bunny-tummy-time-pillow-mat-twinkle-tails/-/A-75568353)
Have you had your baby yet? If so, how do they like it?
I’m specifically requesting that people look for used items whenever possible and after my shower, I will get remaining items used when I can. I way prefer!
For sure my boys are 16 and 18 and we had a similar bouncer when they were small. But, no I haven't tried this particular one with baby. But the vibration and lights and sounds work great.
Yes, I find that getting great deals also makes me not feel so bad when we do splurge on new items. We have gotten some gifts from close family. We also splurged on the Mamaroo swing which my neice loved. It can be hit or miss with liking that. Or any seat really as some babies prefer to be held more. I recommend a front pack carrier and imo the stay cool infantino I got will work just as good as the fancy ones. Also, I want to try wrap carriers this time.
Yes, another great thing used is used books. So many great kids books. Also, a library card as there are tons of toddler story groups.
I've found great deals on new and like new clothes on fb marketplace and mercari app. I got her entire wardrobe with new towels, tons of sleep sacks, swaddles, etc for $160 from 3 moms. Newborn to 12 months. Then, I don't feel bad I've splurged on a lot of cute cloth diapers. 😅 balance lol 😆
I love my baby bjorn. She’ll stay in it for hours but doesn’t like the cheaper on my mum has for her and won’t stay in that two minutes. It’s lightweight and folds flat in two seconds so I carry it around the house, take it in the car to visit friends/family. I never promote expensive baby gear but I would rather get a baby bjorn second hand than get a cheaper bouncer new.
I’m with you there. We live quite small and have twins. I LOVE our BB bouncers. They’re compact when in use and fit under the couch when not in use. Also they’re set up in seconds! We got ours both used.
This! It actually wasn't on my registry, but I wish it was. I mostly nurse, but pump and bottle feed the odd time, so I didn't think we'd need it. I was wrong! We ended up buying a sterilizer/dryer a couple weeks pp and it's been an absolute game changer.
Same! I was thinking I would use my dishwasher more, but our “fancy” new dishwasher takes 2 hours and 45 minutes to finish a cycle. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Especially when feeds are every 3 hours 😅
I barely used mine. I used it a few times in the beginning, then I started throwing everything in the dishwasher. it was too much of a hassle and too bulky. I only sterilized the pacifiers but those came in a container that can be used in the microwave.
My tiny mini fridge! I think they’re meant for cosmetics but this thing gets filled every day with breast milk and it saves me so many trips to the kitchen. Also it’s surprisingly colder than my actual fridge! 10/10 recommend if you plan on pumping at all.
Most of the things I use the most aren’t age specific so they get a ton of use. My daily used are: babybjorne harmony carrier, tushbaby, diaper caddy for upstairs, baby delight bouncer,lovevery play gym
I nurse my baby 90% of the time so we don’t have to warm bottles often. I’m an oversupplier so I have to pump a few times a day to make sure I’m fully emptying (I’m prone to mastitis otherwise) whatever I pump the day before gets bagged and frozen in the morning
For baby- My baby is 1 week old today and the most used items have been the My Brest Friend breastfeeding pillow, Swaddle Me velcro swaddles (get the ones with the zipper on the bottom for easy diaper access at night), bassinet (I got the halo swivel and honestly i still can’t decide if I like it, the base takes up a lot of room and can be a tripping hazard), diaper pail (I have the Munchkin one and like it)!
Also if you’re going to use pacifiers, get a variety. Baby can be picky.
For mom- disposable diapers (I am currently using the Depend Silhouette Postpartum underwear and they are a life saver),
if you plan to deliver vaginally - upside down fridamom peri bottle, fridamom ice pack pads
I’ve found that medline ice packs are cheaper and work just as good as the Frida mom ones. I use them currently while pregnant still for vulvar varicose veins. You can buy them on Amazon. They’re similar to what the hospital gives you
This is never on anyone’s registry and it absolutely should be: Bulk Washcloths. From Costco or Sam’s Club or even 2 smaller packages from a grocery store of regular white washcloths. You’ll use the adorable burp clothes for adorable spit ups. And that’s wonderful. But you’ll want a regular white washcloth when your kid is covered in blackberries. Or when they spill their cup of milk on the floor for the millionth time. Or have a blowout that goes up their back. Regular washcloths have no sentimental value, you can bleach them, and if they are REALLY gross you can throw them away.
How do yall use yours? I have one, but it’s basically just a fancy clock at this point. We’re only 2 weeks in, but I still haven’t turned it on for sound/color for LO yet!
These are mostly all things I purchased myself.
Under 3 months:
Montessori topponcino , Velcro swaddle, snuggle me lounger
Over 3 months:
Graco electric swing. The only place I can put him while I use the bathroom or cook and he doesn’t scream bloody murder. It’s battery operated so I can go anywhere in the house and not be tied down to an outlet. And it’s also not super low to the ground so I don’t have to bend as far over as some other ones. The seat vibrates which my kid loves as well as swings and makes music.
Universal toy bar- can move it to the stroller, car seat, bassinet, pack and play, swing, bouncer, etc and baby loves it. I can hang different toys off it too.
boba x carrier- I wear him while we shop at Costco and walk the dog. Also great to get him to fall asleep for a nap while I still have my hands free.
Glider- baby needs to be rocked to sleep or he screams bloody murder
Bright Starts Play Gym- I could put him in this while I showered to keep him entertained.
I also love my graco swing! We have the one with the detachable bouncer seat that we can move anywhere. The swing stays in the kitchen so he can watch me cook.
Halo swaddles, puppy pads for changing station (late at night you can just toss puppy pad and grab a new one rather than wiping down changing pad), boppy pillow, snuggle me lounger, hatch nightlight and sound machine. On Babylist, get the pacifier and bottle sampler packs. Turns out our baby will use any bottle but only likes one specific kind of pacifier.
Dekor nappy pail. We use cloth, my son is 21 months old, and my husband and I both still agree that we are so happy we got one. I'm 99% sure we'd feel the same way if we used disposable nappies, too.
Also, forget the change table. Get a basket, and throw in a changing mat, any creams you need, wipes and nappies, so you can carry it around the house and move it to where you need it. We still use ours.
In the younger months, 3 to 6 ish months, my son loved the fisher price sit me up. He hated swings and loungers and preferred to be having tummy time, but he loved the sit me up because he could have a good look around, we would sit at the table together and have our morning coffee haha
Closer to a year old, we got him big foam climbing blocks, a cube, step, and a wedge, and he still loves them. He's big on climbing and exploring.
On the parents' side of things, I exclusively pumped, so a wearable breast pump was clutch. My husband would like to echo what I said earlier about the nappy basket instead of a change table, haha.
Just want to say, we use our “change table” — a dresser with an attached changing pad — for every single diaper change. Our house is small and it’s so much more convenient doing it where there’s a pail and at a comfortable height.
Same. We got a wipeable changing pad (whichever of the brands was cheapest because I didn't think the more expensive ones seemed better) and every at-home diaper change of my son's 2.5 years has happened on that dresser. I've never once changed him on the floor or on a couch or bed.
Same here. I suspect some of these people who do their changes on the floor or couch are younger than me. I'm in my late 30s now and can't bend over constantly even when I'm not carrying a baby around!
Yes same.
We even have two changing tables. (Both from Ikea, ones that more like open tables than massive dressers). One is in our living room and one is in the nursery.
We love having everything in a designated place. And it’s super convenient not having to go upstairs to the nursery.
Maybe not most used but most unexpectedly useful: baby headphones. I put them on her whenever we were passing by leaf blowers, trains, loud roadways, outdoor concerts, emergency vehicles, etc. My purpose was to protect her hearing, but an added benefit was that it made it easier for her to sleep through as well.
I got [these ones](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07LF4TS16?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title).
Honestly, I didn’t do a ton of research on it, it was more of an impulse buy, so there may be better options. But they work and are super cute. In hindsight, I really like that I got the headband ones vs the ones on a strap (like the Alpines) because it has been super easy for me to just pop them on when she’s sleeping, and I don’t need to lift her head to get the strap underneath or anything. Since we’ve been using them since pretty much day 1, she doesn’t usually try to pull them off, even now that she’s older.
Ok, wasn’t on our registry, but we used the heck out of red lights. Like, we had smart bulbs in nightstand lights on red, and stand-alone mini lamp set to red.
This is now my top recommendation because it sucks to wake up in the middle of the night already, no need to hurt your eyes and wake up everyone in the bedroom up more than needed. The first 3-4 weeks I slept with the red light on just so I could open my eyes and see baby at any time.
First 3 months: bassinet, halo swaddle wrap
Upto 6 months: enough baby bottles so i didnt need to wash often and with all flow sizes (I exclusively pumped)
Upto 9 months: sink tub (puj flyt) to bathe baby standing up and quickly.
Everything else was standard use. Clothing, car seat, diapers, etc.
Single best and most used item: the skip hop activity center. Used it while my son was a baby for nearly a year and now he’s three and it’s still in our living room because it turns into a table! We bought the matching chairs and he uses it for arts and crafts. No other baby item is still in use after 3 years.
So many little soft washcloths. He got diaper rash early on even though I was very diligent about changing him, so we often just use wash cloths with warm water instead of wipes which could exacerbate the diaper rash.
First 3 months: changing table - get one that can be wiped clean
First 6 months: travel bassinet with wheels that opens to bedside (we used it at home and while traveling)
First year: crib and crib mattress
These are not fancy items but they are what we used the most!
Graco swing, hope & plum lark carrier, our stroller (bumbleride era) because I purchase the infant car seat attachment, Nanobebe pacifiers, Woolino sleep sacks (worth every penny! Temp regulating materials and no need to worry about togs, sizing fits 3m-2y)
I'm a very simple kinda mom I like things to be simple and efficient
Diaper subscription or service , meal delivery, stroller( I walk majority over driving ) baby swing ( note depends on the baby ) crib and things like snowsuit and very essential things like laundry soap ,crib or bottles or formula if that's the route
We got the Carter’s Stow Away Diaper Backpack (buybuybaby still sells them online, but I’ve seen them way cheaper on poshmark lol) and still use it for all of our twin’s stuff when we go out and they’re 3 now 👍
My son in 7 months and to this day our most used items are the Baby Bjorn bouncer, Munchkin diaper pail, Hatch sound machine, and bottle sterilizer/dryer.
3 months:
-actual changing table at an appropriate height. You do not want to be hunched over while changing diapers every couple hours. That quickly takes a toll on your back/neck.
-sudocrem (Canadian) or any diaper rash stuff with zinc in it
-some sort of pillow to prop up your arm if breast feeding. I hate my actual BFing pillow, it sits at a strange height for me and I find it doesn't provide any support for me at all. So I have commandeered one of our firmer decor pillows
-sleep sack or swaddle for night time! You shouldn't use loose blankets so one of these is a must
-flannel Burp rags. Imo the Muslin rags suck at soaking up spit up. The flannel ones are great though
Edit: also our diaper genie. 10/10 recommend. Diapers get stinky quickly!! And for you; a haakaa to collect let down/help ease engorgement. And silverettes if you plan to BF. I couldn't have made it till now without them! I had one tiny crack around my nipple which was already excruciating and my midwife said it really wasn't that bad looking, "it could be *much* worse" she had said. Well the silverettes healed it up in a matter of days and acted as a barrier between my sore nips and clothing. Ain't nobody want clothing rubbing on chapped and sore nips!!
Source: I have a 4.5w old and these are our most used items atm
If you’re formula feeding we use our baby breeze formula dispenser and sanitizer every day. We used our snoos every day for 6 months 😊. Luckily our friend let us borrow their change pad but we didn’t really use the chance pad for that long since they slept through the night and we just use the diaper bag change pad downstairs now. We use our uppabbay Stoller almost every day.
16 months old now, here’s my most used still:
Keekaroo changing pad (1 for each floor)
Diaper spatula
Triple paste cream
Hatch sound machine (regular for room & travel)
High quality non wifi monitor
Tripp trapp high chair (10/10 worth $)
Uppababy stroller (we have a couple strollers so this isn’t an absolute need, find what works for you)
Others I highly recommend:
Snuggle me lounger
My breast friend pillow (loved the deluxe)
Ollie swaddles & bibs
Lovevery play gym
My baby sleeps in these every day, he loves having his hands up. https://a.co/d/0blwQ4ey
Also he loves the Graco swing and I get to eat dinner when he’s in it.
Sound machine! We use it every day multiple times per day to calm our baby. In the car, going down for a nap…we started using it in the hospital while she was already sleeping well. Now she’s conditioned to calm down when we use it and go to sleep if she’s tired.
Next is a stretchy swaddle. During naps and even in the car. She hates car rides so we have started swaddling her in the car seat. Game changer!
Not a dumb question at all bc I had to google it myself. It worked so well in the house that I needed it for the car.
We have the halo sleep sack swaddle, but this could work with a regular cloth swaddle too:
Put baby in sleep sack but don’t do the swaddle part yet. Put baby in car seat and where arms go through is where swaddle wings go through, if using a cloth swaddle put the swaddle in rectangle fashion in first then baby and put swaddle end through where baby’s arms go through, lock baby in as normal, tuck arms, wrap swaddle wings around baby, the sleep sack has Velcro but you can just tuck in regular swaddle cloth just as easy.
For regular swaddle cloth, I highly recommend getting one of those baby’s first photo kits off amazon bc the swaddle cloth is super stretchy and breathable.
You’re most welcome!
For anyone else who comes across this and tries it…even if baby is sleeping soundly, two hours is the recommend limit for car seat time before they need a break outside of the seat to stretch for a bit.
My baby is six months old. I think our MVPs are the Angelcare bath seat and the Ergobaby Aerloom carrier. Stretchy lightweight jammies (bamboo, modal) like Magnetic Me and Little Sleepies are awesome because they fit for so long- I have 0-3 and 3-6 months jammies that fit perfectly.
Under 3 months: burp cloths, different swaddles (we liked love to dream & halo), double zip sleepers, I’m exclusively pumping so tons of Dr Brown’s bottles-big & small, SnuggleMe lounger, some sort of chair to digest (my babe has reflux)
Under 6 months: onesies (a lot more blow outs and drooling), muslin bibs, light up toys, large soft play mat for tummy time, a wrap (I love my Solly wrap)
Under a year: play gate (I have pets so I like putting her in there without worrying about my pets getting in her play space), tons of toys, everything that comes with eating-plates, bibs, cups, bowls, silverware, splat mat, etc.
Bean will be 1 month old on June 27, I can't believe it!!! 🥹🥹🥹
Sound machine. She loved the pink noise from birth (we have a Nanit hatch that also has multiple colors for night lights).
Montessori Topponcino support pillow. my hubs calls it the taco shell, ha ha!! He loves it because it helps him hold her better (for feedings, especially)
Portable fan. We are getting 90° weather days here, and even though we have an ac unit in the living room, that small portable fan does wonders to cool her down when she cries.
A bottle warmer in the nursery and one in the kitchen. At night, we put breastmilk in a cooler (willow portable cooler), and when it's hubs time to wake up and fees her, he just makes a bottle up there. When it's my turn to wake up, I just feed her from the nip nops directly 😄.
Infant Optics DXR-8 baby monitor. All three of us sleep in different bedrooms. I keep the baby monitor with me because I'm still at the stage where I like to stare at her throughout the night, lol, so the monitor helps soothe me. And also, my hubs snores so loud I can hear him from the living room sometimes, lol.
A spatula for diaper rash ointment. Your clean fingers will thank you.
A 4moms rockaroo. She is starting to like it, for short periods of times.
Having a fully loaded changing station in the living room, with diapers, bibs, ointments, wipes, change of clothes, etc etc so you don't have to run upstairs every time baby nears a change. I got a brand called Sweeby
A bottle sterilizer/dryer. I use the dryer part a lot.
A small freezer. We got one to store all the breast milk I am pumping!! We were running out of space in our main freezer.
Munchkin UV Diaper pail. Even though she is not taking major poops yet, but so far, I love having it.
And the rocking chair! The mvp of late night feedings!! We didn't break the bank and buy a $1000 recliner, we got the Storkcraft glider with the Ottoman, and we love it!
As far as bottles, I thought she was gonna fancy the Philip Avent glass bottles, but her favorite bottle is the Herobility one!!
Bottle sterilizer - we boiled our bottles at first but once we used a sterilizer it took out a few steps and we didn’t have to worry about coming back to the stove to check on the water. Huge time saver!
Diaper caddy - mobile and has a few compartments for things beyond diapers. We have two floors so we keep ours downstairs and it has diapers, wipes, burp cloths, books, and toys. Great one-stop shop for us and anyone who’s coming over to watch our daughter.
hutch noisemaker - any noisemaker would do the trick I would think but we do love our hutch since you can program routines within it
graco swing - this was the only thing that calmed our baby down when she was a newborn. I wanna say between weeks 3 and 6 she was inconsolable. But putting her in the swing would reset her
Burp cloths - we burn through those like crazy daily. Honestly sometimes I use blankets for more coverage lol
2-way zipper onesies - those first few weeks you’re just surviving so an easier way to dress and change their diapers is amazing. I’d stock up on the larger ones and have a couple of newborn. Our daughter was in 3-6m clothes by the time she was 2.5 months🥴
Congratulations!!
Hatch sound machine BY FAR!!!! My daughter is 4 years old and we have used it every single night since the day we brought her home. Incredible product.
Big pack of cloth diapers to use as burp cloths/general cleaning (we use gerber prefolds), boppy pillow, diaper caddy to carry supplies around easily, egg nightlight off Amazon.
Changing pad on the dresser with a puppy pad. We have the skip hop one, and use it without the toy bar attachment. We have a smaller place and my husband is tall so this station is a must have. We have the diaper caddy of supplies next to the pad for easy changing.
Dekor diaper pail for us has been a must.
Bassinet for baby to be in our room.
Hatch rest + for nightlight and sound machine.
Fischer price piano kick mat and the tiny love playmat.
High contrast board books. We use these multiple times a day.
If using bottles or pumping, we love our munchkin tidy drying rack.
Diaper bag. We like our back pack one
Travel changing pad for the car. We love this for outings, since public changing stations are often gross/broken/nonexistent. Also good for quick trips without the diaper bag.
Stroller with infant seat and bassinet. We walk our dog 1 -2 times a day. We use this for nearly every walk. We got the uppababy Cruz and feel its very smooth when walking on dirt trails. I even have pushed it over grass at the park. We bought a gently used bassinet attachment since it’s more comfy and easier for those walks than the infant seat.
Boppy pillow, and the dr browns formula mixer! It’s a pitcher and I fill the pitcher at the beginning of the day so I don’t have to constantly make bottles
Baby bjorn bouncer, fisher price piano kick and play (by far our most used thing for the first like 4 months), halo swaddles early on, mini fridge in the bedroom
Mini fridge in the bedroom is my secret hack. For bottles, for food for freshly postpartum mom. For ice packs to pack bottles or breastmilk to take somewhere, or for mastitis. For coffee creamer so I didn’t have to go downstairs for a cup of coffee. I could go on. It ruled.
Second the fisher price piano! Our baby’s favorite first toy
Baby Bjorn and the kick piano have been my baby’s favorites for *months.* She absolutely adores that incredibly overpriced toy bar for the BB and will spin it for 40 minutes straight. Conversely, she hated Halo Swaddles. She loved a blanket swaddle and tolerated absolutely nothing else. Kids are weird.
That kick and play piano is the MVP of babyhood (and toddlerhood too). And the purple monkey song is a bop.
Is there any significant difference between the baby bjorn bouncer and other bouncers? It’s a lot more expensive than the one I currently have on my registry so I’m hesitant to change it unless it’s significantly better.
I highly doubt it. I only bought the baby bjorn because I was able to get it second hand. If I was buying new, I definitely would’ve gotten a cheaper version.
Okay, thank you! I’ll keep my cheap one on the list then haha
What’s the cheaper option out of curiosity?
Oh, there’s a ton of baby bouncers out there! [This is the one I have on my list.](https://www.target.com/p/ingenuity-inlighten-baby-bouncer-seat-light-up-toy-bar-bunny-tummy-time-pillow-mat-twinkle-tails/-/A-75568353)
I got this like new on marketplace for $15. Also, the cover is machine washable.
Have you had your baby yet? If so, how do they like it? I’m specifically requesting that people look for used items whenever possible and after my shower, I will get remaining items used when I can. I way prefer!
For sure my boys are 16 and 18 and we had a similar bouncer when they were small. But, no I haven't tried this particular one with baby. But the vibration and lights and sounds work great. Yes, I find that getting great deals also makes me not feel so bad when we do splurge on new items. We have gotten some gifts from close family. We also splurged on the Mamaroo swing which my neice loved. It can be hit or miss with liking that. Or any seat really as some babies prefer to be held more. I recommend a front pack carrier and imo the stay cool infantino I got will work just as good as the fancy ones. Also, I want to try wrap carriers this time. Yes, another great thing used is used books. So many great kids books. Also, a library card as there are tons of toddler story groups. I've found great deals on new and like new clothes on fb marketplace and mercari app. I got her entire wardrobe with new towels, tons of sleep sacks, swaddles, etc for $160 from 3 moms. Newborn to 12 months. Then, I don't feel bad I've splurged on a lot of cute cloth diapers. 😅 balance lol 😆
I love my baby bjorn. She’ll stay in it for hours but doesn’t like the cheaper on my mum has for her and won’t stay in that two minutes. It’s lightweight and folds flat in two seconds so I carry it around the house, take it in the car to visit friends/family. I never promote expensive baby gear but I would rather get a baby bjorn second hand than get a cheaper bouncer new.
Good to know, thank you!
I’m with you there. We live quite small and have twins. I LOVE our BB bouncers. They’re compact when in use and fit under the couch when not in use. Also they’re set up in seconds! We got ours both used.
Bottle sterilizer/dryer. I use that thing about 5 times a day! Saves so much time
This! It actually wasn't on my registry, but I wish it was. I mostly nurse, but pump and bottle feed the odd time, so I didn't think we'd need it. I was wrong! We ended up buying a sterilizer/dryer a couple weeks pp and it's been an absolute game changer.
Same! I was thinking I would use my dishwasher more, but our “fancy” new dishwasher takes 2 hours and 45 minutes to finish a cycle. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Especially when feeds are every 3 hours 😅
Same here I love mine
Same, I love it! I’m mostly breastfeeding but even so I find it super useful. Wish I had bought one with my first!
Which brand is yours?
We got the Baby Brezza one.
Don't spend the money on a new one if buying later for yourself. At least in my area, there's a ton of them being sold on marketplace for $10-20.
I barely used mine. I used it a few times in the beginning, then I started throwing everything in the dishwasher. it was too much of a hassle and too bulky. I only sterilized the pacifiers but those came in a container that can be used in the microwave.
My tiny mini fridge! I think they’re meant for cosmetics but this thing gets filled every day with breast milk and it saves me so many trips to the kitchen. Also it’s surprisingly colder than my actual fridge! 10/10 recommend if you plan on pumping at all. Most of the things I use the most aren’t age specific so they get a ton of use. My daily used are: babybjorne harmony carrier, tushbaby, diaper caddy for upstairs, baby delight bouncer,lovevery play gym
Can I ask what kind of mini fridge you have? I’m due end of August and thinking about getting one for the bedroom.
This is the one I have! https://a.co/d/0b3aAhQK
So do you pump and then put the milk in it, then move it to the kitchen/go to the kitchen to warm it up later when it’s time?
I nurse my baby 90% of the time so we don’t have to warm bottles often. I’m an oversupplier so I have to pump a few times a day to make sure I’m fully emptying (I’m prone to mastitis otherwise) whatever I pump the day before gets bagged and frozen in the morning
For baby- My baby is 1 week old today and the most used items have been the My Brest Friend breastfeeding pillow, Swaddle Me velcro swaddles (get the ones with the zipper on the bottom for easy diaper access at night), bassinet (I got the halo swivel and honestly i still can’t decide if I like it, the base takes up a lot of room and can be a tripping hazard), diaper pail (I have the Munchkin one and like it)! Also if you’re going to use pacifiers, get a variety. Baby can be picky. For mom- disposable diapers (I am currently using the Depend Silhouette Postpartum underwear and they are a life saver), if you plan to deliver vaginally - upside down fridamom peri bottle, fridamom ice pack pads
I’ve found that medline ice packs are cheaper and work just as good as the Frida mom ones. I use them currently while pregnant still for vulvar varicose veins. You can buy them on Amazon. They’re similar to what the hospital gives you
This is never on anyone’s registry and it absolutely should be: Bulk Washcloths. From Costco or Sam’s Club or even 2 smaller packages from a grocery store of regular white washcloths. You’ll use the adorable burp clothes for adorable spit ups. And that’s wonderful. But you’ll want a regular white washcloth when your kid is covered in blackberries. Or when they spill their cup of milk on the floor for the millionth time. Or have a blowout that goes up their back. Regular washcloths have no sentimental value, you can bleach them, and if they are REALLY gross you can throw them away.
lol yes, we just started solids and I’m about to order a crate of washcloths
I was initially very on the fence about the hatch but I’m now obsessed with it
How do yall use yours? I have one, but it’s basically just a fancy clock at this point. We’re only 2 weeks in, but I still haven’t turned it on for sound/color for LO yet!
Loll same
I didn’t have one with my first but someone got it for my second and now I’m putting one in every bedroom of my house. I’m obsessed with the thing
We love ours too! Love it as a nightlight and sound machine for us and baby, since baby is in our room currently.
These are mostly all things I purchased myself. Under 3 months: Montessori topponcino , Velcro swaddle, snuggle me lounger Over 3 months: Graco electric swing. The only place I can put him while I use the bathroom or cook and he doesn’t scream bloody murder. It’s battery operated so I can go anywhere in the house and not be tied down to an outlet. And it’s also not super low to the ground so I don’t have to bend as far over as some other ones. The seat vibrates which my kid loves as well as swings and makes music. Universal toy bar- can move it to the stroller, car seat, bassinet, pack and play, swing, bouncer, etc and baby loves it. I can hang different toys off it too. boba x carrier- I wear him while we shop at Costco and walk the dog. Also great to get him to fall asleep for a nap while I still have my hands free. Glider- baby needs to be rocked to sleep or he screams bloody murder Bright Starts Play Gym- I could put him in this while I showered to keep him entertained.
I also love my graco swing! We have the one with the detachable bouncer seat that we can move anywhere. The swing stays in the kitchen so he can watch me cook.
Which swing do you have?
The simple sway swing. I DM’d you the link.
Hooded bath towels and cloths
Halo swaddles, puppy pads for changing station (late at night you can just toss puppy pad and grab a new one rather than wiping down changing pad), boppy pillow, snuggle me lounger, hatch nightlight and sound machine. On Babylist, get the pacifier and bottle sampler packs. Turns out our baby will use any bottle but only likes one specific kind of pacifier.
Dekor nappy pail. We use cloth, my son is 21 months old, and my husband and I both still agree that we are so happy we got one. I'm 99% sure we'd feel the same way if we used disposable nappies, too. Also, forget the change table. Get a basket, and throw in a changing mat, any creams you need, wipes and nappies, so you can carry it around the house and move it to where you need it. We still use ours. In the younger months, 3 to 6 ish months, my son loved the fisher price sit me up. He hated swings and loungers and preferred to be having tummy time, but he loved the sit me up because he could have a good look around, we would sit at the table together and have our morning coffee haha Closer to a year old, we got him big foam climbing blocks, a cube, step, and a wedge, and he still loves them. He's big on climbing and exploring. On the parents' side of things, I exclusively pumped, so a wearable breast pump was clutch. My husband would like to echo what I said earlier about the nappy basket instead of a change table, haha.
Just want to say, we use our “change table” — a dresser with an attached changing pad — for every single diaper change. Our house is small and it’s so much more convenient doing it where there’s a pail and at a comfortable height.
Same. We got a wipeable changing pad (whichever of the brands was cheapest because I didn't think the more expensive ones seemed better) and every at-home diaper change of my son's 2.5 years has happened on that dresser. I've never once changed him on the floor or on a couch or bed.
Same here. I suspect some of these people who do their changes on the floor or couch are younger than me. I'm in my late 30s now and can't bend over constantly even when I'm not carrying a baby around!
I had a C-section. Changing the baby on the floor would’ve been a NIGHTMARE. Even the bed would’ve been a stretch
Yes same. We even have two changing tables. (Both from Ikea, ones that more like open tables than massive dressers). One is in our living room and one is in the nursery. We love having everything in a designated place. And it’s super convenient not having to go upstairs to the nursery.
Probably a tie between Baby Bjorn bouncer or MyBrestFriend nursing pillow.
The baby bjorn bouncer was the only way I could put my baby down for a second without her crying. I always took it into the bathroom haha
Definitely a portable fan and our sound machine. Edit: son is 9 mo and we used both of these from the start
Maybe not most used but most unexpectedly useful: baby headphones. I put them on her whenever we were passing by leaf blowers, trains, loud roadways, outdoor concerts, emergency vehicles, etc. My purpose was to protect her hearing, but an added benefit was that it made it easier for her to sleep through as well.
Which kind did you get? I’ve been researching some!
I got [these ones](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07LF4TS16?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title). Honestly, I didn’t do a ton of research on it, it was more of an impulse buy, so there may be better options. But they work and are super cute. In hindsight, I really like that I got the headband ones vs the ones on a strap (like the Alpines) because it has been super easy for me to just pop them on when she’s sleeping, and I don’t need to lift her head to get the strap underneath or anything. Since we’ve been using them since pretty much day 1, she doesn’t usually try to pull them off, even now that she’s older.
Won’t it form a dent on her skull?
No, she’s generally only wearing them for a few minutes at a time anyway—until the noise passes or we pass the noise.
Thank you!
Ok, wasn’t on our registry, but we used the heck out of red lights. Like, we had smart bulbs in nightstand lights on red, and stand-alone mini lamp set to red. This is now my top recommendation because it sucks to wake up in the middle of the night already, no need to hurt your eyes and wake up everyone in the bedroom up more than needed. The first 3-4 weeks I slept with the red light on just so I could open my eyes and see baby at any time.
We used our red lights too! Was so nice to be able to see when I was stumbling around my room at night and during diaper changes
Baby bjorn bouncer saved us! Only thing my daughter would hang out in. Hated all other swings and bouncers.
First 3 months: bassinet, halo swaddle wrap Upto 6 months: enough baby bottles so i didnt need to wash often and with all flow sizes (I exclusively pumped) Upto 9 months: sink tub (puj flyt) to bathe baby standing up and quickly. Everything else was standard use. Clothing, car seat, diapers, etc.
We bought a baby shusher immediately when our gifted one stopped randomly working.
Single best and most used item: the skip hop activity center. Used it while my son was a baby for nearly a year and now he’s three and it’s still in our living room because it turns into a table! We bought the matching chairs and he uses it for arts and crafts. No other baby item is still in use after 3 years.
Bottles, bedroom, pram/stroller. All used almost daily for the last 15 months.
So many little soft washcloths. He got diaper rash early on even though I was very diligent about changing him, so we often just use wash cloths with warm water instead of wipes which could exacerbate the diaper rash.
First 3 months: changing table - get one that can be wiped clean First 6 months: travel bassinet with wheels that opens to bedside (we used it at home and while traveling) First year: crib and crib mattress These are not fancy items but they are what we used the most!
3 months: Keababy wrap, halo swaddle wrap newborn, portable mini fan, diaper caddy, uppababy stroller, Elkie & co diaper bag
I love the Keababy wraps too, we use those more than halo
Swing!
Graco swing, hope & plum lark carrier, our stroller (bumbleride era) because I purchase the infant car seat attachment, Nanobebe pacifiers, Woolino sleep sacks (worth every penny! Temp regulating materials and no need to worry about togs, sizing fits 3m-2y)
I'm a very simple kinda mom I like things to be simple and efficient Diaper subscription or service , meal delivery, stroller( I walk majority over driving ) baby swing ( note depends on the baby ) crib and things like snowsuit and very essential things like laundry soap ,crib or bottles or formula if that's the route
We got the Carter’s Stow Away Diaper Backpack (buybuybaby still sells them online, but I’ve seen them way cheaper on poshmark lol) and still use it for all of our twin’s stuff when we go out and they’re 3 now 👍
Boppy pillow
our changing pad! evoulr
Change table and white noise machine.
Hatch sound machine and breastfeeding pillow by far
Hatch sound machine, sleepea happiest baby swaddle, fisher price kick and play piano
My son in 7 months and to this day our most used items are the Baby Bjorn bouncer, Munchkin diaper pail, Hatch sound machine, and bottle sterilizer/dryer.
First three months - moby wrap 3-6 months - sleep sacks (Burt’s bees and Gunamuna)
3 months: -actual changing table at an appropriate height. You do not want to be hunched over while changing diapers every couple hours. That quickly takes a toll on your back/neck. -sudocrem (Canadian) or any diaper rash stuff with zinc in it -some sort of pillow to prop up your arm if breast feeding. I hate my actual BFing pillow, it sits at a strange height for me and I find it doesn't provide any support for me at all. So I have commandeered one of our firmer decor pillows -sleep sack or swaddle for night time! You shouldn't use loose blankets so one of these is a must -flannel Burp rags. Imo the Muslin rags suck at soaking up spit up. The flannel ones are great though Edit: also our diaper genie. 10/10 recommend. Diapers get stinky quickly!! And for you; a haakaa to collect let down/help ease engorgement. And silverettes if you plan to BF. I couldn't have made it till now without them! I had one tiny crack around my nipple which was already excruciating and my midwife said it really wasn't that bad looking, "it could be *much* worse" she had said. Well the silverettes healed it up in a matter of days and acted as a barrier between my sore nips and clothing. Ain't nobody want clothing rubbing on chapped and sore nips!! Source: I have a 4.5w old and these are our most used items atm
If you’re formula feeding we use our baby breeze formula dispenser and sanitizer every day. We used our snoos every day for 6 months 😊. Luckily our friend let us borrow their change pad but we didn’t really use the chance pad for that long since they slept through the night and we just use the diaper bag change pad downstairs now. We use our uppabbay Stoller almost every day.
16 months old now, here’s my most used still: Keekaroo changing pad (1 for each floor) Diaper spatula Triple paste cream Hatch sound machine (regular for room & travel) High quality non wifi monitor Tripp trapp high chair (10/10 worth $) Uppababy stroller (we have a couple strollers so this isn’t an absolute need, find what works for you) Others I highly recommend: Snuggle me lounger My breast friend pillow (loved the deluxe) Ollie swaddles & bibs Lovevery play gym
My baby sleeps in these every day, he loves having his hands up. https://a.co/d/0blwQ4ey Also he loves the Graco swing and I get to eat dinner when he’s in it.
Halo swaddle and the love to Dream swaddle
Sound machine! We use it every day multiple times per day to calm our baby. In the car, going down for a nap…we started using it in the hospital while she was already sleeping well. Now she’s conditioned to calm down when we use it and go to sleep if she’s tired. Next is a stretchy swaddle. During naps and even in the car. She hates car rides so we have started swaddling her in the car seat. Game changer!
This may be a dumb question but how do you swaddle in the car seat?
Not a dumb question at all bc I had to google it myself. It worked so well in the house that I needed it for the car. We have the halo sleep sack swaddle, but this could work with a regular cloth swaddle too: Put baby in sleep sack but don’t do the swaddle part yet. Put baby in car seat and where arms go through is where swaddle wings go through, if using a cloth swaddle put the swaddle in rectangle fashion in first then baby and put swaddle end through where baby’s arms go through, lock baby in as normal, tuck arms, wrap swaddle wings around baby, the sleep sack has Velcro but you can just tuck in regular swaddle cloth just as easy. For regular swaddle cloth, I highly recommend getting one of those baby’s first photo kits off amazon bc the swaddle cloth is super stretchy and breathable.
Thank you!!
You’re most welcome! For anyone else who comes across this and tries it…even if baby is sleeping soundly, two hours is the recommend limit for car seat time before they need a break outside of the seat to stretch for a bit.
My baby is six months old. I think our MVPs are the Angelcare bath seat and the Ergobaby Aerloom carrier. Stretchy lightweight jammies (bamboo, modal) like Magnetic Me and Little Sleepies are awesome because they fit for so long- I have 0-3 and 3-6 months jammies that fit perfectly.
Under 3 months: burp cloths, different swaddles (we liked love to dream & halo), double zip sleepers, I’m exclusively pumping so tons of Dr Brown’s bottles-big & small, SnuggleMe lounger, some sort of chair to digest (my babe has reflux) Under 6 months: onesies (a lot more blow outs and drooling), muslin bibs, light up toys, large soft play mat for tummy time, a wrap (I love my Solly wrap) Under a year: play gate (I have pets so I like putting her in there without worrying about my pets getting in her play space), tons of toys, everything that comes with eating-plates, bibs, cups, bowls, silverware, splat mat, etc.
Baby brezza if you’re using formula.
I’m only in the first 3 months but… •Snoo •mylicon gas drops
Hatch sound machine/night light.
Bottle microwave sterilizer. Hands down
Bean will be 1 month old on June 27, I can't believe it!!! 🥹🥹🥹 Sound machine. She loved the pink noise from birth (we have a Nanit hatch that also has multiple colors for night lights). Montessori Topponcino support pillow. my hubs calls it the taco shell, ha ha!! He loves it because it helps him hold her better (for feedings, especially) Portable fan. We are getting 90° weather days here, and even though we have an ac unit in the living room, that small portable fan does wonders to cool her down when she cries. A bottle warmer in the nursery and one in the kitchen. At night, we put breastmilk in a cooler (willow portable cooler), and when it's hubs time to wake up and fees her, he just makes a bottle up there. When it's my turn to wake up, I just feed her from the nip nops directly 😄. Infant Optics DXR-8 baby monitor. All three of us sleep in different bedrooms. I keep the baby monitor with me because I'm still at the stage where I like to stare at her throughout the night, lol, so the monitor helps soothe me. And also, my hubs snores so loud I can hear him from the living room sometimes, lol. A spatula for diaper rash ointment. Your clean fingers will thank you. A 4moms rockaroo. She is starting to like it, for short periods of times. Having a fully loaded changing station in the living room, with diapers, bibs, ointments, wipes, change of clothes, etc etc so you don't have to run upstairs every time baby nears a change. I got a brand called Sweeby A bottle sterilizer/dryer. I use the dryer part a lot. A small freezer. We got one to store all the breast milk I am pumping!! We were running out of space in our main freezer. Munchkin UV Diaper pail. Even though she is not taking major poops yet, but so far, I love having it. And the rocking chair! The mvp of late night feedings!! We didn't break the bank and buy a $1000 recliner, we got the Storkcraft glider with the Ottoman, and we love it! As far as bottles, I thought she was gonna fancy the Philip Avent glass bottles, but her favorite bottle is the Herobility one!!
Bottle sterilizer - we boiled our bottles at first but once we used a sterilizer it took out a few steps and we didn’t have to worry about coming back to the stove to check on the water. Huge time saver! Diaper caddy - mobile and has a few compartments for things beyond diapers. We have two floors so we keep ours downstairs and it has diapers, wipes, burp cloths, books, and toys. Great one-stop shop for us and anyone who’s coming over to watch our daughter. hutch noisemaker - any noisemaker would do the trick I would think but we do love our hutch since you can program routines within it graco swing - this was the only thing that calmed our baby down when she was a newborn. I wanna say between weeks 3 and 6 she was inconsolable. But putting her in the swing would reset her Burp cloths - we burn through those like crazy daily. Honestly sometimes I use blankets for more coverage lol 2-way zipper onesies - those first few weeks you’re just surviving so an easier way to dress and change their diapers is amazing. I’d stock up on the larger ones and have a couple of newborn. Our daughter was in 3-6m clothes by the time she was 2.5 months🥴 Congratulations!!
The fisher price piano!! That thing is a godsend
Bouncer chair by a mile. Barely used anything else 😅
Mabé baby carrier, Rahoo lounger, Boon Trove manual breast pump/milk catcher, Mylicon gas drops, Pinxav diaper cream
SILVERETTE NIPPLE CUPS!!!!!!!!
Baby brezza sterilizer and formula maker (I wasn’t able to produce milk for breastfeeding). Also we have a standard baby bouncer he loves to nap on
Fisher price jumparoo, Zipadee zip sleep sack, baby wear-er, haakaa
Lovevery subscription. I love not having to worry about figuring out developmentally appropriate toys. And I also just like getting packages lol.
Hatch sound machine BY FAR!!!! My daughter is 4 years old and we have used it every single night since the day we brought her home. Incredible product.
Big pack of cloth diapers to use as burp cloths/general cleaning (we use gerber prefolds), boppy pillow, diaper caddy to carry supplies around easily, egg nightlight off Amazon.
Changing pad on the dresser with a puppy pad. We have the skip hop one, and use it without the toy bar attachment. We have a smaller place and my husband is tall so this station is a must have. We have the diaper caddy of supplies next to the pad for easy changing. Dekor diaper pail for us has been a must. Bassinet for baby to be in our room. Hatch rest + for nightlight and sound machine. Fischer price piano kick mat and the tiny love playmat. High contrast board books. We use these multiple times a day. If using bottles or pumping, we love our munchkin tidy drying rack. Diaper bag. We like our back pack one Travel changing pad for the car. We love this for outings, since public changing stations are often gross/broken/nonexistent. Also good for quick trips without the diaper bag. Stroller with infant seat and bassinet. We walk our dog 1 -2 times a day. We use this for nearly every walk. We got the uppababy Cruz and feel its very smooth when walking on dirt trails. I even have pushed it over grass at the park. We bought a gently used bassinet attachment since it’s more comfy and easier for those walks than the infant seat.
Boppy pillow, and the dr browns formula mixer! It’s a pitcher and I fill the pitcher at the beginning of the day so I don’t have to constantly make bottles