Over the last few weeks, I’ve kept a list of my favorite newborn items that have been the most useful for us with baby Angelo. I’ll add the disclaimer that every baby is different and what’s worked for him may not work for another baby, but I wanted to share some of these new-mom and newborn favorites in hopes that they may work for you too.
BREASTFEEDING/FEEDING
I met with a few lactation consultants during our hospital stay and I can’t recommend them enough (if you want to try breastfeeding) as they were so helpful during a confusing and challenging time.
However, I’ve pretty much been exclusively pumping for the last few weeks for a handful of reasons – I know exactly how much he’s eating, others can help feed him, breastfeeding was really challenging with my back pain…so on and so forth. I’m not going to lie, I don’t hate it as much as I thought (but the hormones I hate). The two products I use that make pumping easy for me are the Spectra S1 pump and this pumping bra. The pumping bra is game-changing because my hands are free to do whatever I want! Every few hours I strap on the bra, hook up the machine and pump away.
These bottles have been so great for feeding because they’re small, BPA free, eco-friendly and I honestly just prefer glass to plastic. We also use bottles from this set but find ourselves going back to using the glass ones. I also got really tired of hand washing pump parts and bottles, and this microwave sterilizer has been a time-saving godsend.
We have these burp cloths laying all around the house to use on demand. They come in a bunch of other colors, too.
We realized quickly that a baby bottle drying rack is a must. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing but the function far outweighs how many shits I give about how it makes our ugly kitchen even uglier LOL
TECH & APPS
We did a lot of research on baby monitors and ended up going with the Nanit – we love it.
The picture quality is really, really good and it’s nice that we can see the video feed through the app. We also like that we can allow temporary access to babysitters on the app so they can use their phone to monitor him if they are watching him during nap time.
There’s even a breathing band for those of us who enjoy making ourselves anxious.
We learned in the hospital that it’s important to track the baby’s sleep, eating, and diaper habits. Now that I’m reading 12 hours by 12 weeks, I’m also learning why it’s important to track this stuff. The Huckleberry app makes tracking everything SO easy, and multiple users are able to access it so me, Angelo or Nonna can update the latest info. And the best part is that it’s free!
At night and during nap times, the Hatch Sound machine provides the perfect amount of white noise. There are different sounds to help the baby fall and stay asleep (Angelo likes the waves) and you’re able to change the volume, colors and sounds from the app.
BATH TIME
This hooded towel and wash cloth set is super soft and plush – perfect for a cold, screaming baby to be wrapped in right out of the sink tub. We’ll throw the towel in the dryer so that it’s warm when he’s ready to be wrapped in it! It immediately calms him down.
TRAVEL
We did a lottt of research on strollers and although I fell in love with the green UppaBabyVista v2, I didn’t want to go with it just because it was green and trendy. We ended up going with it for a bunch of reasons and for us, it’s been worth the high price tag. I take the baby for walks at least 2-3 times a day and the bassinet is perfect for walks and it’s also sleep-safe. Of course we needed the corresponding car seat!
OTHER
When I’m not carrying him around in this carrier (which has been helpful with my back pain so I don’t have to carry him in my arms all day), he’s in the DockATot (with this chic Willow Boughs cover). It’s easy to carry around, he sleeps so much better in it than in the bassinet (we watch him while he sleeps in it), and it’s the most beneficial for me to prop him up on the counter and feed him while I simultaneously pump because it helps with my back.
That being said, I know other moms didn’t use the DockATot much so this is a good example of how every baby is really different!
Highly recommend the TakingCaraBabies course. Some of her tips really helped but she essentially follows the five “S” method.
He’s finally big enough to fit into these zip onesies I bought right before he was born and wow, the zipper makes a world of difference when it comes to changing diapers! It’s also perfect because the weather has been cooler during our walks in the morning, so these help to keep him warm.
Last but not least – these are the only blankets he likes being swaddled in! Love the color options (we have in green and blue), they’re stretchy (which makes for easy swaddling) and less than $9 each. They somehow feel softer after each wash, too.
Hope this was helpful!
SHOP BABY PRODUCTS:
Giving birth to my baby girl in November and this was very insightful, thank you!