Uppababy Bassinet | Uppababy Bassinet Stand | Ubbi Diaper Pail | Pottery Barn Kids Changing Pad Cover & Insert | Container Store Natural Storage Basket
Baby Emmet is officially here and we can hardly believe it! Little E arrived about 10 days early on July 5th and we’ve been cozying up at home ever since enjoying all the newborn snuggles and getting used to our new normal as sleepless, but deliriously happy parents. The last month has gone by in a flash and it still kind of feels surreal to have Emmet here with us instead of kicking around in my belly. So wild! We’ve been in a haze of dirty diapers, wipes, 3am feedings, funny faces and baby laundry since he arrived, so over the last month we’ve really given all of the baby gear we stocked up on and were so nicely gifted before he came a workout! As first time parents, when we were creating our registry and checklists of what we needed for baby, we relied on recommendations from the parents in our lives to guide us. Now that we’ve put most of it through its paces, we have a much more clear, first-hand idea of the baby gear that’s really helpful to us and saving our sanity now that Emmet’s here, and the baby gear we thought might be handy but could probably survive without. And it’s in that spirit that we bring you today’s post – a rundown of all of the baby gear we love and why so all of you expectant mamas and papas can figure out what you might want to add to your baby registry must haves or baby gear checklist before your little one arrives!
Living Spaces Katrina Glider | Target Studio McGee Cube/Ottoman | Woven Side Table | Muslin Burp Cloth Set | Ubbi Wipe Dispenser
It should be said that I’m a firm believer that you can get by with minimal baby gear, and that goes double for the newborn phase since they basically just eat, sleep and make dirty diapers at this stage. I also think that the baby gear that you do stock up on is such a personal thing depending on your lifestyle needs, your space, your baby, your parenting approach, etc.. Everyone’s experience and approach is different, from feeding to bathing to sleeping and more, so when I explain why a product is recommended or why it’s helpful below, I tried to offer as much insight as to why we like it so you can decide whether or not it fits your needs. Also, the list below includes a tons of the items we have and are loving/have found useful so far, but know that it also includes some items that we still have yet to try, but were recommended by fellow parents over and over again. We included those things so you guys can use this list as a master reference of sorts, and know that everything on here is something that we either use and find useful or has come highly recommended to us repeatedly.
Hatch Rest Sound Machine | Uppababy Bassinet & Stand | BabyBjorn Bouncer | BabyBjorn Googley Eyes Bouncer Toy | Jellycat Puppy Security Blanket | Jellycat Little Pup Plush
In the pics here in this post, you can see how we set up the bassinet and diaper changing station in our bedroom, which is where we will have Emmet until he’s a little bit older. And then you can catch a tiny glimpse of what’s going on in the nursery. If you want to know more about what we have planned for Emmet’s nursery, we have a whole post all about his nursery design and decor, and of course once it’s finished (we’re still waiting on a few backordered items to arrive), we’ll be sure to share the completed space!
We really hope that this is a helpful and thorough reference for you guys, especially if you’re a first time parent and need a one-stop shop to get you started on your baby prepping journey.
Boppy Newborn Lounger | Hiccapop Wipe Warmer & Dispenser | BabyBjorn Bouncer Bliss | Baby Shusher | 4Moms mamaRoo Baby Swing | BIBS Pacifiers | Angelcare Baby Bath Support | Love to Dream Swaddle UP Sleep Sack | Magnetic Me Onesies | My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow | Lovevery Play Gym | Muslin Burp Cloths | Uppababy Vista Stroller with Bassinet | BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Mini | Maxi Cosi Ora Bassinet | Doona Infant Stroller/Car Seat & Base | Ubbi Diaper Pail | Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine | Fawn Design Diaper Bag | Washable Waterproof Changing Pad Liners | Snuggle Me Organic Baby Lounger | Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer & Dryer | Nose Frida Nasal Aspirator | Car Sun Shade | Mushie Pacifier Clips | Fisher Price On-the-Go Baby Dome
Our Baby Registry Must Haves and Checklist
Boppy Newborn Lounger UPDATE: I recommend the Dock-A-Tot instead.
***Update Jan. 2022: Boppy no longer sells this because it was deemed a suffocation risk. I highly recommend the Dock-A-Tot instead, which is a great alternative for newborn lounging!***This lounger is so versatile and one of our go-to “awake time” baby hangouts right now. It’s portable and perfect for baby wake windows when you’re reading them a book, multitasking while supervising them or just lounging together. Just an all around delight for the newborn phase so you can have some hands-free moments, but still keep a close eye on your little one and know that he or she is safe. Note, this is NOT recommended for sleeping – only supervised lounging/hanging out around the house, which is very very handy.
Hiccapop Wipe Warmer & Dispenser OR Ubbi Baby Wipe Dispenser
I’ve noticed a lot of chatter out there in the mamasphere about how wipe warmers are one of those unnecessary baby products that you can totally do without, and because of that chatter we started out using the regular Ubbi baby wipe dispenser for diaper changes when we got home from the hospital. And that may be just fine for a most people, but for us here in Arizona, our wipe dispenser and wipes would get so cold because of the blasting summer air conditioning in our bedroom where we currently have E’s bassinet and changing table, and without fail as soon as those freezing cold wipes hit Emmet’s bum, he was angry. But we get it! We’d hate it if someone were wiping our bits with a freezing cold wipe in the middle of the night, too so we decided to try a wipe warmer to see if it made a difference and much to our surprise and delight, it’s made diaper changes so much easier and happier for little E! I say there’s no point in making baby miserable during every single diaper change if you can do something about it, so the wipe warmer has been a win for us.
This is another one of my top, top product recommendations for newborns. My sister recommended these and we ended up being gifted a bunch of them, which was amazing. With all of the late night feedings and diaper changes, we quickly realized that these onesies were total sanity savers. They’re magnetic – no buttons or zippers to be seen – so they make closing the onesie up after a diaper change so quick and easy and they’re beyond soft and comfortable (we prefer the modal ones because they’re so soft, stretchy and breathable, but their organic cotton versions that they sell would be great, too!). Now we basically don’t want to put Emmet in anything else and wash them constantly so we don’t have to deal with buttons or fussy onesies in the middle of the night. Magnetic onesies for the win!
Love to Dream Swaddle UP Sleep Sack
This, in our opinion, is the Holy Grail of newborn swaddles. In every single ultrasound Emmet had his hands up near his face, and when he was born he kept that up. Of course they had us swaddling him traditionally with a swaddle blanket in the hospital, and he just didn’t seem to love the whole arms down position, not to mention that swaddling with a swaddle blanket is kind of a hassle. Once we got home and used this swaddle/sleep sack hybrid in place of a traditional swaddle blanket our guy was one happy camper, and so were we. It’s also so easy to use as compared to traditional swaddling (another late night sanity saver) and soothes him right to sleep. Highly, highly recommend. Word on the street it it also makes for an easier transition for baby once your swaddling days are over – bonus!
This little wonder is basically the baby whisperer. It mimics the “whooshing” or “shushing” sounds of the womb and when things get hairy and babe fusses up, you just twist to turn this on and let it calm your babe wherever you are. We also have this portable shusher that has a couple of different white noise options on it that we clip onto the stroller and love, too. Both great options, both small and portable, both awesome in a fussy pinch.
Emmet loves these pacifiers with a passion. We tried the “soothie” pacifiers where you stick your finger into the backside of it when you stick it in their mouth, but he really didn’t take to those. These are perfectly sized for a newborn (they have different sizes so you can size up as baby grows), BPA free and they’re light as can be, which is nice. They’re basically Emmet’s best friends and we’re so glad we have these around to soothe him whenever he needs it.
You need a few good pacifier clips almost as much as you need pacifiers, especially once you start to venture out with baby. We love these cute clips because they’re super easy to use, stay put when clipped to baby and keep his pacifier right where we need it at all times when we’re out and about, which is the most important thing. They also come in the sweetest colors and have the cutest wood accents, which we love!
You definitely need some sort of bath support for your newborn, and we love this one! It’s perfect for putting inside or over your sink or wherever else you need to bathe baby and has a rubber bottom so it sticks firmly in place wherever it sits. We put a little muslin swaddle blanket in it to cushion Emmet when we’re bathing him for now because he’s so little, and that’s just fine because the entire thing is perforated so no water collects in it and instead, just flows right through. It also has a loop on it that you can use to hang it on a hook, which we use on a hook in our bathroom for easy storage on the wall and out of the way when it’s not in use! Once he’s a little bit bigger, we’ll start putting this in the tub and using our shower wand to rinse him off until he’s old enough for a “regular” bath in the tub.
My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow
This was a recommendation from several mama friends who advised against the Boppy breastfeeding pillow and suggested this in its place. They all said that this one was much easier to use, more comfortable and supported baby in a much more helpful position while nursing and I can confirm that it’s positively delightful. In the beginning I was just propping myself up in bed to feed because I was still getting my bearings and didn’t feel like dealing with the nursing pillow in the middle of the night, but once E got a few pounds heavier I decided to try it and it was so heaven sent! My arms don’t get tired now and I have a little bit of arm freedom to read my book on my phone while he nurses! It also has a little pouch attached to it where I can keep a water bottle or snacks or my phone or whatever, which is great.
The wipes everyone loves, including us! They’re gentle, hypoallergenic, plant based, tough and always get the job done. They’re also easy to order on Amazon or Target, so you can always stock back up with ease. Totally live up to the hype!
These muslin burp cloths have become one of those items we use for basically everything and anything. They’re nice and big for burping, soft as can be for patting baby’s bum dry during a diaper change, great for a little face wipe, perfect for bath time, durable and easily washable, affordable and just so versatile. I also love the color combos – the pastel pink, purple and yellow set is so cute, too! Trust me, you’ll love having a set or two of these around for all the things.
Uppababy Vista Stroller with Bassinet
After researching any and every stroller on the market, we ultimately landed on this stroller setup and paired it with the Nuna Pipa car seat (because it’s slightly lighter than the Uppababy car seat which was a big priority for me – the lighter the better). And we’re so glad we chose this one! It’s stylish, so easy to use, works totally smoothly on our neighborhood streets and sidewalks, easy to fold up and get in and out of the car, and great for travel.
There are a lot of newborn/infant carriers out there, but this is the one that was consistently recommended to us by our parent friends as the best of the best and an essential for infants. Soft, comfy and oh-so-snug for baby, this jersey mini carrier can be used when baby is still small, as opposed to its larger counterpart, which means its great for those newborn/infant months! We just started using it with Emmet, and we have to admit it’s beyond comfortable and easy to use and most importantly, Emmet absolutely loves being carried around in it!
Maxi Cosi Ora Bassinet OR Uppababy Bassinet Stand (if you’re getting the Uppababy Vista stroller & bassinet)
I love the Maxi Cosi bassinet for the newborn/infant phase while they’re sleeping in your room because it’s super lightweight for moving around the house, a nice, generous size for your growing babe, but also compact enough for fitting next to the bed. AND it folds up really easily so it’s super portable if you feel like you want to travel with it, which is such a win. It’s also pretty good looking, which helps. That said, if you get the Uppababy Vista stroller with the bassinet like we did, I highly recommend just getting the Uppababy bassinet stand and using that as your bassinet for your newborn/infant. The bassinet easily clips in and out of the stand to go from stroller to stand, and since you already have the Uppababy bassinet, you’re getting more mileage out of that item since eventually you won’t use the bassinet anymore on the stroller. That’s what we’re currently using for Emmet in our room and we’ve loved the setup and how easy it is to take the bassinet in and out of the stand and transfer it to the stroller for walks.
Doona Infant Stroller/Car Seat & Base
Yes, if you have another stroller this item is an investment (just like so many strollers out there), but trust us when we say that it’s totally worth it in our eyes if you can swing it! Or if someone (or maybe a group of people?) is kind enough to gift it to you, which makes it a great registry item that we absolutely recommend including. Especially because you really get a lot of bang for your buck with this item. So what makes the Doona so awesome? It’s a stroller and car seat in one, so it’s a car seat that pops out/up into a stroller, and then can just be flipped back down to go right into its base in the car, wheels and all. It’s also nice and compact so it can fit in and out of tight spaces like restaurants, shops, etc. Another amazing thing about the Doona? It fits on an airplane seat, so if you’re traveling with babe all you need is the Doona and you have both a car seat and stroller with you, no gate checking required! It also allows you to safely and easily strap it into the seat of a car without a base (securely), which is another reason why it’s amazing for travel. I use this exclusively when I’m out and about with Emmet alone and have loved how easy it makes running errands with a baby!
Ubbi Diaper Pail OR Diaper Genie
You need a diaper pail, and the much beloved Ubbi steel diaper pail is the one we have and so far we have no complaints. We have zero problem (so far) with smell or ease of use and I love how compact it is so it’s unobtrusive in the nursery! However, I feel it important to note that I’ve seen some people complain about the Ubbi not covering up the dirty diaper smell well enough and have sung the praises of the other long-loved diaper pail, the Diaper Genie. So I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is right for you! Both are pretty low profile and seem to do the job well and like I said, we’ve loved the Ubbi so far so we wholeheartedly recommend it.
*Note: You’ll want to snag the Ubbi diaper pail bags to go with this!
We love this sound machine so much and Emmet loves it, too. It’s so easy to use and control from an app on your phone, has tons of different sounds that you can choose from, you can customize the color it glows and the intensity or just choose to have the color/light turned off, and it really does seem to soothe baby during naps and nighttime sleep. You can also set up a schedule for it using the app, so you can customize what time you want the machine to automatically turn on, the sound you want to use with that as well as the color, and then customize what time you want it to turn off or change sounds and color in the morning so your baby knows to associate sleep time and wake time with the sound machine’s cues! How cool is that? My sister has used this for both of her kids for their entire lives, and they’re now four and six and are sleep trained to fall asleep at the same time every night when the sound machine turns on, and not to get out of bed until their light turns green in the morning, so they entertain themselves in bed until it’s time to get up. Pretty great, no?
Fawn Design Diaper Bag (Or the Smaller Version)
There are plenty of great faux leather diaper bags out there right now that are wonderful, durable, stylish, spacious, well organized options, but in our opinion, this remains one of the best! It can be worn as a backpack or shoulder bag, has a great shape that makes it spacious and roomy for all the diaper changing and baby soothing essentials when you’re out and about and it’s super durable with its quality faux leather construction. My sister used these with both kids and because I used those so much while babysitting, I kind of got attached to the functionality. Now after using the brown one for a few weeks with Emmet, I’m still a believer in its superiority!
*As a side note on the diaper bag discussion, a guy friend of ours gifted Chris this daddy diaper bag and it has proven to be 100% awesome for him. Style wise it’s perfect for a dad who doesn’t want to carry our diaper bags, and the functionality is off the charts – tons of space with so many functional pockets and zipped areas, insulated pockets for baby bottles and water bottles and so much more. It’s so well thought out and such a genius gift for dads because it can also be used as a hiking, camping or work backpack!
Washable Waterproof Changing Pad Liners
These are one of our essentials right now and came about when trying to decide whether I should get a wipeable changing pad like the Keekaroo Peanut Changer or just go with a classic changing pad with a washable cover. I had read so many mixed reviews about the Keekaroo Peanut Changer that ranged from people absolutely loving it to people hating them because they stained after a blowout (which would really not be cool considering it’s pretty expensive), which led me to ask a mama friend what she thought. She suggested just getting a classic changing pad with a washable cover, but using these cheap washable liners with them so that I only have to wash those instead of the changing pad all the time. Now that we’re in it, we definitely recommend this approach and love that these are so easy to throw in the wash!
Snuggle Me Organic Baby Lounger OR DockaTot Deluxe+ Stage 1 Dock
My sister gave us her DockaTot Deluxe+ lounger and we love it, but for a more affordable option I’ve heard rave reviews about the Snuggle Me Organic Baby Lounger. Either way, these kinds of loungers are wonderful because they maintain the “flat on the back” position recommended for newborns and infants, but are portable so you can move it around the house for supervised hangouts. Note, this is NOT recommended for sleeping – only supervised lounging/hanging out around the house.
Oh, the wonders of a baby bouncer. These bouncers are so simple, but for some reason babies just absolutely love sitting and being bounced in them, Emmet included! This is that same soft, jersey material as BabyBjorn Carrier, and it’s just a really easy, hands-free way to entertain, corral and relax baby during their wake windows. There’s not a lot to it, really, but you’d be shocked at what an impact it has on calming baby. It also has a reversible liner/seat that you can change when baby gets bigger, so you’re really getting quite a bit of bang for your buck with this item as a baby seat that can corral them so you can be hands free while still keeping an eye on them as they grow.
This is one of those things that was recommended to us over and over again, especially as a lifesaver for an especially fussy baby. We haven’t utilized it that much yet with Emmet, but once he’s a little bit bigger I can really see this being a go-to during his wake time or even during naps if he’s fighting nap time. People swear by this swing to soothe or calm a fussy babe, or just to entertain baby while he’s awake and you’re nearby trying to multitask, which is super helpful as their wake windows get longer and longer and they get further away from the sleepy newborn phase. This swing has several settings and patterns of movement that you can choose from so baby can find their favorite and you can just press the button and let the swing do the work!
Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer & Dryer
I can’t even describe how much joy this thing brings me! It’s so convenient to be able to set this thing to sterilize and forget it rather than having to boil everything. When you’re dropping pacifiers left and right and basically need to sterilize anything and everything that comes in contact with your newborn babe, whose immune system won’t be firing on all cylinders until about 3 months, having a handy dandy, easy-to-use sterilizer like this one is a dream! We aren’t using bottles yet, but when we do we’ll use this to sterilize bottle parts, too. You can pretty much throw anything in this bad boy to sterilize… the possibilities are endless!
So many people told me that we’d need this right away after babe was born, and I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t really believe them. I couldn’t imagine that a booger sucker was an essential from the day they were born. Oh how wrong I was! We’ve used this thing about every other day since bringing Emmet home, and though to first time parents it seems like a weird concept, it works like a charm and keeps their nose free and clear (most of the time it’s just milk), which is so helpful since babies do a lot of nose breathing and can get pretty fussy when they’re stuffed up.
Don’t ask me why, but I got a wild hair on this one and felt compelled to research all kinds of car sun shades to see if there was anything that would do a better job at both fitting my car’s window and protecting baby from the sun than this one, and based on the many, many reviews for car shades of all kinds from both Target and Amazon, these shades honestly seem to get consistently solid reviews and be universally easy to use, durable and practical. And now that we’re using them, I can confirm they’re easy to install and do the job well. They’re also affordable so just do yourself a favor and don’t go down the sun shade rabbit hole like I did and just grab this, put it on and call it good!
Along with the car sun shade I talked about above, this was one of the last things I thought about on the baby gear front, but is something I use every day now that baby’s here! There are tons of baby car mirrors out there, but again, just save yourself the research rabbit hole on this one and get this tried and trusted mirror – it works really well, is easy to install, is affordable and is all you need to keep an eye on baby in the car.
Fisher Price On-the-Go Baby Dome
This is something I saw when my mom and I took a spin around Buy Buy Baby one day and I stared at it thinking of all the ways we could utilize this compact little wonder. Now that Emmet’s here, I feel like I was on the right track! This versatile, lightweight little baby dome folds up and slings over your shoulder so it’s ultra portable and perfect for hanging around the house or traveling. You can use it at the beach, in your own backyard, in the hotel as your travel baby bassinet and so much more! As you can see, it also has the ability to provide partial shade or this particular colorway also provides full shade when both sides of the dome are propped up. So handy!
Noodle & Boo Newborn Hair & Body Wash
Noodle & Boo bath products are what my sister has always used for her kids and because of that, I’ve gotten so used to the soothing, subtle lavender oil scent during kiddo bath time and fell in love with it over the years! Noodle & Boo’s products are hypoallergenic and formulated specifically for baby’s sensitive skin and for soothing irritated or eczema-prone baby skin. After using so many of their products on my sister’s kids when I’d babysit and help with their nighttime routine for so many years, I can attest that they always leave baby’s skin soft and smooth and redness/dryness/itchiness free. The Newborn Hair & Body Wash is what we’re currently using for Emmet’s baths, which makes it really easy.
An easy way to trim those baby nails, which is actually really helpful because they grow so fast, are so sharp and they end up scratching themselves or you when they’re nursing – not good. So having an easy-to-use baby nail file like this one is surprisingly helpful right from the start. I had no idea one of these would be so handy until we brought E home. Now I know!
I have a regular breast pump, but it requires a bit of setup and constant cleaning/sterilizing of a lot of parts after use, which can be time consuming. For my specific situation, this manual breast pump is so much easier to use and great for the one time a day when I want to offload or take advantage of the letdown and store that liquid gold when I do. All you do is suction this silicone wonder to the boob and let it do the rest of the work, hands free! I’ve actually folded laundry, brushed my teeth, vacuumed, etc. while wearing this, which is so convenient. The latest generation of the Haakaa also features a suction cup on the bottom and a lid, which is so helpful. I 100% recommend grabbing this and trying it if you’re breastfeeding and want a super easy way to pump and store milk!
Touch LED Rechargeable Night Lights
We have two of these stuck to the wall next to our diaper changing station in our bedroom so we don’t have to turn on the overhead lights in our bedroom every time we change in the middle of the night, and they’re so handy! They’re rechargeable, dimmable and magnetic, so you can just pop one off of the magnetic mount and utilize it elsewhere if you need to at any time (sometimes we’ll just grab one and hold it over something we need a better look at in the middle of the night, kind of like a flashlight). Great little Amazon find!
These are awesome for those early nursing days when your nipples are feeling the pain, or if you run into trouble down the line. So many mamas swear by these for nursing pain relief and prevention, and I’m one of them!
You need a digital thermometer on hand from day 1. You just do! This digital ear thermometer is easy to use, accurate and just what you need to make sure you’re on top of baby’s temp at home. An easy item to stock up on and have in your arsenal before baby comes.
Whether it’s this one or something similar, you probably want a stroller organizer that can hold drinks, keys, wallet, phone, etc. We like this one because it has great soft-sided slots that mold to cups, a zip pouch for valuables and a center cup for your phone and anything else you can fit!
Mini Portable Fan for Stroller & Car Seat
These are another one of those handy little Amazon finds that we’ve fallen in love with! These fans are rechargeable and can wrap around almost anything, in any position you need, with a tight grip. We have one facing the bassinet on the stroller, one facing us on the stroller and one on the car seat! Hey, it’s hotter than a pepper sprout here in Arizona and a nice breeze for baby makes all the difference. Chris also grabbed one to use on the golf cart when he hits the golf course, so there are tons of applications. This would make such a great gift!
Phillips Avent Baby Bottle Warmer
This easy-to-use bottle warmer is compatible with the Comotomo bottles I shared below and bottles from other top brands, and came highly recommended with great reviews both online and from my mama friends. It’s simple, effective, heats gently and evenly because milk circulates during warming with no hot spots, has a light that indicates progress and when milk is ready AND this new model keeps milk warm for up to an hour and then automatically shuts off. My pro tip for using this, though is that you choose the amount of ounces in your bottle on the dial, and that’s what the warmer uses to heat to the optimal temperature, except with our Comotomo bottles I’ve found that it’s actually more accurate to bump it up to two ounces above what’s in the bottle in order to achieve the perfect temperature. The idea with this warmer is that it aims not to overheat the milk so the milk doesn’t lose vital nutrients, which is great. But I think because the silicone on the Comotomo bottles is so thick, it needs a little bit of an extra boost. So for example, when I have oz of milk in my bottle, I choose 5 oz on the dial to get the temp I want. Otherwise, this is exactly the kind of ease of use you need if you’re up in the middle of the night needing to warm a bottle!
Alatino Portable Diaper Changing Pad
If your diaper bag doesn’t come with a portable changing pad (the Fawn bags don’t come with a changing pad), this is a great option. It has all the space you need to store wipes, diapers, creams and more, a padded head rest for baby, is easily wipeable and folds up effortlessly to store in your bag. Practical, compact, easy to use and affordable. That’s all you need!
The types of bottles you choose to use definitely comes down to personal preference for both parents and baby, but there definitely seem to be a few favorites out there in the babysphere. These Comotomo bottles were recommended to us over and over again as both beloved by babies and extremely easy to wash (less parts than say a Dr. Brown’s bottle) and prep, which is why we chose to go with these in our house. And Emmet loves them! We feed him one bottle with my stored milk before bed time at night and he took right to it and seems to be all about it – no muss no fuss. I also just love how easy they are to wash and sanitize because they don’t have a million parts involved.
This is a great play mat because it’s not massive, which is great for our small house, it’s pretty portable because it just rolls right up, it non-toxic, easy to clean, cushiony and the design isn’t offensive, which is a true bonus for any baby gear in my opinion! We have yet to really utilize this yet with Emmet because he’s so small and just uses the Lovevery baby gym right now, but once he’s a little bigger and we have a dedicated play area for him, this will be so helpful to lay down over our hard floors!
If you’re doing formula, this little “baby latte machine” has been recommended to us by pretty much every parent we know as the Holy Grail of formula feeding efficiency. It makes preparing a bottle for baby a breeze, just like brewing up your morning coffee! And as you’ll realize, efficiency is the name of the game for late nights, early mornings and everything in between when you have a newborn.
We love that this play gym will grow with Emmet and has so many developmental features! It’s perfect for doing tummy time right now, and will be great for more active baby play, development and engagement in the coming months. It’s also not an eye sore so you can easily just set it up and leave it out to use whenever the mood strikes, which in the newborn days could be every day during Tummy Time. There are so many fun little things to love about this baby gym that we’re still discovering every day and we’d say that for a newborn/infant, it could probably be the only “toy” you buy because its so multifaceted and has so much involved to keep them entertained and stimulated!
These floor seats are so great for when baby starts to be able to prop themselves up because they’re molded specifically to hold baby in place and support them in the upright position comfortably and safely. They’re also light and ultra portable so you can easily move them around the house as needed. I think of these kind of like the graduated version of the Boppy Newborn Lounger – it’s just another portable thing that corrals baby so you can keep a close eye on them and have them next to you around the house, but also be hands free.
Boon Lawn Countertop Drying Rack
These drying racks are the best! They provide so much space for clean baby bottles, pacifiers and everything in between and aren’t an eye sore. There are tons of baby gear drying racks out there of all kinds, but I just love that these make it so you can really cram as much as you need to into the drying space, without being limited by built-in spaces the rack provides.
A hooded baby towel is such a useful item for baby baths, and this one is so soft, snuggly and absorbent so we can wrap Emmet up after baths, get him dry and keep him warm and comfortable. We grabbed another hooded towel at Target before this one and it just wasn’t really that absorbent, and we also felt like it wouldn’t last very long. This one is definitely durable and will stand up to lots of use and washes, and fits him loosely but comfortably right now, but will also grow with him so we can keep using it throughout the year.
Lustroware Modern Feel Storage Tote Laundry Basket
We’re doing a lot of baby laundry right now thanks to lots of diaper changing mishaps, and though I absolutely love all of the cute, stylish laundry basket options out there for the nursery, I really love the practicality and functionality of this laundry basket I found at The container Store. It’s compact and perfect for baby’s laundry load size, super portable thanks to those big handles and great for toting folded laundry back to the nursery/bedroom once it’s done. It’s also a little bit slimmer and taller instead of wide, so our pup can’t get into it. A random baby item that I had no idea would be as essential as it’s been, but a super handy one nonetheless!
Baby Genius Take Along Tunes Musical Toy
This was gifted to us by a friend when we told her that Emmet hated having his diaper changed when he was a newborn, and she said that this would instantly soothe him down and keep him occupied so we could get the job done. And she was right! This thing is a must-have and we just keep it tucked in with all of our diaper changing supplies so we can grab it at a moment’s notice.
Baby Genius Star Bright Symphony Plush Toy
This has been another life-saving little item that helps us immensely when we’re on a long car ride and Emmet gets fussy. We simply velcro this to Emmet’s car seat handle, which he can see in front of him when he’s in the car, and this little thing plays classical tunes and flashes coordinating lights for about 15 minutes when in continuous play mode, so no need for mom or dad to keep hitting the button! When we turn this thing on in the car, E is instantly soothed and happy as a clam.
Do you think there are any extra items we should add to our baby registry must haves list? Let me know in a comment below!
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