A list of our favorite newborn things! If your a new mom and your unsure what you need, this is for you!

If you have a fussy baby and wondering what works and what doesn't - This is for you! There are sooooo many products out there that I wanted to create a simple list to help you get some things you may need!

I chose to use Amazon ( you click the image for a direct link) because almost everyone shops on amazon now and days, but you can get these products at any major store.

Baby Essentials:


I love Dr. Browns bottles , yes it's annoying to clean all the little pieces but it's a small headache and worth the extra effort for your baby. For babies who suffer from acid re-flux- these bottles work great. Tried and true for all 4 of my kids. These are the only bottles I recommend , even for breast fed babies.


Yes you should be sterilizing your bottles, no you don't need to boil water in a pot to do it. LOL. My first daughter I did that until I discovered a bottle sterilizer! A must add to your baby registries.


Grooming- Do you really need those all in one kits? NO. I found most of that stuff I never used. You really only need baby nail clippers ( YOU WILL NEVER USE THE NAIL FILERS lol) and EVERY FAMILY should have a thermometer. Nothing more frustrating then using a thermometer that takes forever to read. You want one that is fast, efficient and can grow with your child. What I love about the Safety first is it reads an accurate temperature in about 5 seconds and it's consistent. This thermometer will grow with your baby, My oldest is 9 and we still have the same thermometer, we just change the batteries.


Babies love to sleep elevated, especially if they are prone to gas and acid reflux. With my oldest , we use to place books under her crib mattress and by the time we had our second baby, we discovered the crib wedge! Yes it's safe.


White noise : Worth the investment, do you need it? No, but it is really nice to have. TRUST ME. 2 of my favorites are the babyshusher and the baby sound spa.

Nose Frieda: Yes you need one. If your not using the nose bulb from the hospital, don't waste your money on the ones at the store- there not the same. BUT the Nose Frieda is really great to have and it does work. Babies get congested easily and a stuffy nose will make your baby really fussy.


Diaper Caddy - I really liked having everything I needed in one place. Nothing more frustrating then changing your babies diaper in the middle of night and you can't locate the diaper rash creme! You can easily make a diaper caddy with a crate or basket from the dollar store but if your too lazy to do that, get ones of these diaper caddies. And by the way, the only butt cream you will ever need is Boudreaux Butt Paste! TRUST ME. Yes I've used Desitin butt creme but once I discovered Boudreaux Butt Paste, it's the only one I recommend. What causes baby butt rashes? Most often it's the babies diet, sometimes diaper brand but most often it's what the baby is eating.


Swaddling: I can't tell you all how often I hear people say to me, " my baby hates to be swaddled" BABIES LOVE TO BE SWADDLED. When ever I have a fussy baby, once I'm done swaddling they are sound asleep and peaceful. Babies love to be swaddled because it makes them feel safe and reminds them of being in the wound. Just my 2 cents. You can purchase those swaddler wraps or just use a regular receiving blanket. We were taught how to swaddle our kids while my first daughter was in the NICU so it's natural for me to swaddle a baby with about anything. But my sister couldn't swaddle for the life of her and she purchased the swaddlers that they used all the time.


Pacifiers: Some people love them, some people hate them. I can tell you from my own experience that there is nothing wrong with using a pacifier. I breast fed my babies and used a pacifier and I never had nipple confusion nor did using a pacifier affect my nursing in any way. . My kids didn't get attached to their pacifiers, When it was time to break the kids from their pacifiers we just took it away cold turkey. After 2-3 days they were fine. Some babies love to suck- it's soothing for them. So if you have a fussy baby, consider the use of a pacifier, they DO WORK. You don't need them, but they do work. I used the SOOTHIE brand for my kids. One of my clients showed up one day with a Ryan and Rose pacifier and ever since then, It's the one I recommend. I even made a video of it lol.




Things for the moms who are breast feeding

These are items, That I found to be really helpful when I was nursing. These item's really helped me continue the breast feeding journey.


Clothing:

I recommend nursing camis, I had 5 of them. I hated wearing a nursing bra and then lifting my shirt to nurse. What I loved about the nursing cami's is I didn't have to do any of that lol. I did have a few nursing bra's but my cami's were my most often used clothing item.


If your going to pump- get a pumping bra! That way you can pump hands free. I had 3 of these. One to wash, 2 extras to use while at work. You may think, I don't need that, I'll just hold it. But when you are pumping several times a day, this bra really helps you free your hands so you can eat a meal, read a book, do some work on your laptop, or browse the internet. TRUST ME GET AT LEAST ONE! And if your a mamma on a budget, you can take a sports bra and cut two holes for the nipple area that will allow you to insert the breast pump parts. ( I did this before I bought nursing bras) I love the momcozy brand~


Things for the working mamma: ( Even if your just pumping exclusive these are great to have)

Pump into bags you guys! It will make your life soooo much easier. I would pump directly into bags and this greatly decreased the amount of bottles I had to wash. I would freeze the bags flat which freed up my freezer space. In order to pump into bags- You need a special attachment and the bags have little holes in them that can attach to them.

Pump into bag, freeze and your done!

I also bought microwaveable sterilization bags for work, I would wash my breast pump parts and put them in a bag and microwave to sterilize. You don't need it, but it's nice to have. One bag can be used 25 times before you toss it. I bought one pack of sterilization bags and it lasted me a really long time. I don't think I ever bought more actually.


Extra's every nursing mom should have:

Nipple cream - Your nipples get dry and cracked

Nursing pads- YOU WILL LEAK, its true. I prefer disposable, one less thing I had to wash.

Nursing Pillow: This really helps with mamma's posture. It's worth the investment, regular pillows are too soft and you'll find your self more frustrated. I've always used the boppy pillow but my friend who is no stranger to nursing highly recommends the Brest Buddy pillow.

HYDRATE: I really love my flask by SimpleModern. I didn't have these when I was nursing, but if I could go back in time, I would of totally bought one. So important for us to stay hydrated when nursing, its really easy to forget to drink water.

Support- Nursing is hard. It looks easy but it can be really frustrating and difficult. I utilized lots of support services to help me continue my breast feeding journey and with the extra support- I was able to nurse my youngest for over 2 years. You can search up your local breast feeding support with the La Leche League website. They offer support to nursing moms. You don't have to do this alone.

Big ticket items

Strollers, cribs, playpens car seats and all those other big ticket items, those are all personal preference. What I can do is offer you guys tips to look for when getting these things.


Cribs- basic, or fancy with all the bells and whistles- totally up to you. But... make sure your getting something that is safe for the baby to chew on- they will chew on it. ITS GOING TO HAPPEN. Don't buy second hand cribs that have been painted because your babies mouth is going to be on it. If you plan on having more then one child, invest in a good solid one that will last for years. I was not a fan of those cribs to toddler bed because I found the kids really loved transitioning to a fun character theme toddler bed. We had a crib that turned into a toddler bed then a twin size bed but we never transitioned it.


Strollers: Easy to fold, spins easily and smoothly and reclines. If it was heavy- forget it. I have to be able to lift it my self. Not easy to push - forget it. If its doesn't spin easily I won't waste my time. I've gone through a lot of strollers! It's been years since I've had a stroller, If I needed to buy one now, I highly recommend the Britax B-Lively Lightweight Stroller. It's easy to maneuver, easy to open and close, light but not too light and it reclines!


Car Seat: most people will buy a car seat to match their stroller. I actually didn't do this because I wanted one car seat that will grow with my baby so I've always had convertible car seats. Between my car, my husbands and grandma's it was annoying to always transfer car seats so everyone had their own car seat. Instead of having to switch from and infant car seat to a convertible car seat, we just used the convertibles. Because remember, I had 3 sets of car seats. If I bought one, I had to buy 3.


Bouncers and Swings and Jumpers:

Do you really need them? No, remember the more stuff you have, the more you have to get rid of later. Bouncer or a swing- I recommend the bouncers. I don't think swings are necessary. We didn't even have one for the second baby. Jumpers and door way jumpers and play tables and activity centers and walkers, OMG - soooooo many options. We had two of everything! and it was honestly tooo much. What I really like are the 2 in 1 activity centers. They will grow with your baby.


High Chairs: I love the ones with wheels. With tray inserts to make life easier cleaning. Straps that are easy to buckle. For grandmas house, I discovered the foldable ones with my niece. I don't want a big high chair taking up space in my home so I really like having one that is easy to fold and put away. I love the Cosco Simple Fold high chair but I don't recommend that as your main high chair as it doesn't have the best support and cushion for you to use all the time.


PLAY PENS: get a Graco or Graco travel lite playpen. LOL. I've never had a baby tip one over.


* TRUE STORY* My sister purchased a BABYBJORN Travel Crib Light for like $300 bucks and I just want you all to know, that my niece at 9 months old, tipped over in it. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE GET THESE. I have a photo somewhere of it and I I'll have to update my blog with that photo when I find it, lol. The next day, I went to target and purchased a Graco Playpen.