When I asked y’all what you wanted to see on the blog, so many of you asked for a post on our most used and loved baby items! We have a ton. When I was pregnant and getting advice on baby registry must haves, some people told me less is more or all a baby needs is less than 5 things. I feel 100% opposite of those opinions lol.
So in this post I am going to talk about our must haves from 0-4 months, things we didn’t use, and things we used but didn’t really need. FYI, majority of these items were apart of our registry!
Top 5 Items: Newborn Stage
- Snuggle Me Organic: LOVED this thing. Isla no longer just lounges. If you follow my insta stories, you know Isla is a very active baby these days. She rolls all over the living room, already wants to crawl, and loves walking around with you. The snuggle me was amazing for those first few weeks when she slept a lot. If I also wanted to nap or if I needed to get some things done I would just lay her in this on the couch and she would nap or just hang out. the snuggle me is NOT recommended when it comes to safe sleep. I a always 100% honest with y’all so just know that we did use the snuggle me for about the first 2.5 months. We used it in the halo bassinet then in her crib (not recommended by the AAP FYI) until it was time to begin weaning her from that and the swaddle.. Just a tip, if you want to save some money, look at FB Marketplace and see what is for sale local to you. I got ours, used ONE TIME, for $75. I ordered a new cover and saved in the process!
- Frida Baby Medicine Paci: This may seem like a strange favorite but holy cow this thing is genius. If you have been following me, then you know Isla has had reflux since day 1. Lucky for us, it doesn’t really ever cause her much pain. In the beginning, while her little belly was trying to get used to milk, she would get belly aches. This medicine paci made giving her gripe water SO easy. We still use it to this day for gripe water and Tylenol when she’s in pain. This is a MUST!
- The Ollie Swaddle: This was our go to arms in swaddle for Isla. The reviews on this are amazing which really sold me when adding it to our registry. Plus, the post swaddle stretches were to die for! I do wish I would’ve had two of these because Isla spit up so much that if this was washing, we couldn’t use it during her naps.
- The Owlet Sock: This is still a top favorite, not even just for the newborn stage. honestly this should of been my #1. I would not be able to sleep without this thing. I have had quite bit of postpartum anxiety. Especially when it comes to it being sick season (in Oklahoma, RSV and the Flu are the worst they have been in 20+ years according to a pediatrician I watched on the news). I also get anxious when I read of babies who passed from SIDS at the same age as Isla. This sock eases my mind and allows me to sleep. We have had one false alarm and it was because we forgot to put socks on Isla that night, so when she moved she semi kicked it off making it get an incorrect reading. Honestly, I didn’t have time to be scared. I went straight in to emergency mom mode. I will never not recommend this!!
- Baby Bjorn Bouncer: Another item that is still a must have even after the newborn stage. Isla loves this thing. Isla was 6 days old the first time I put her in this. We now have this toy bar from Amazon on it so Isla has something to play with and keep her entertained.
Top 5 Items: 2-4 Months
- Little Einstein Activity Center: We got this for Isla for Christmas and she is definitely starting to love it. Over the last week you can tell she has learned how to bounce herself. There are so many little toys on this and she is starting to love playing with them.
- Sophie the Giraffe: Another Christmas gift was this cute little teething toy. We take this thing everywhere and she loves to play with it, squeak it, and chew on it. There is even a show on Hulu all about Sophie.
- Fisher Price Sit Me Up Floor Seat: If you read Isla’s 4 Month Update then you saw that we first started with the bumbo seat. Isla couldn’t stand being in that thing and then I read some concerning things about it so I ordered this seat. She loves this! I love to set her in it when I’m cooking, getting ready, or cleaning the house. This is also what we set her in when we feed her! It washes easy and has a few little toys on it.
- Baby Bjorn Carrier: I wear Isla more now than I did when she was a newborn. The reason for that is that Isla loves to be walking around with people instead of just laying by herself. I use this all the time. It has been my go to lately for when I go grocery shopping because Isla can’t quite sit in the grocery cart seat just yet!
- Piano Play Gym: This is another one that has been used from 0-4 months. She still loves it, but now she tends to roll all over it or off of it so it doesn’t keep her attention as much anymore!
Items We Didn’t Need:
- Baby Shusher: We tried this a few times and Isla did not like it. She prefers a sound machine over this for sure.
- Wipes Warmer: We actually use this everyday but I wouldn’t say we really needed it. Isla hated cold wipes in the beginning so we bought this. Now, she could care less! I may store this away for baby #2 because it isn’t needed anymore!
- Dr Browns Bottles: Anytime we used these, Isla would seem so uncomfortable, sometimes screaming, like her belly hurt. She loves the Como Too bottles!
- 4 Moms Mamaroo: We used this, but it wasn’t needed. Isla preferred the Baby Bjorn Bouncer and would want to stay in it longer than the mamaroo.
- Knotted Gowns: Something I thought we would use SO much in the beginning and we ended up using like 5 times. I bought so many of these and it was a mistake. You would want to use these at night because they make diaper changes easy. But with Isla’s swaddle knotting, having a knotted gown was just too much fabric and we noticed it made her too hot. There were probably 10 or so times when she was fresh, like 1-3 weeks old, that I would dress her in one of these for lounging during the day.
Other Favorite Items:
- Travel Sound Machine: We have used this thing from the first week of being home. It stays in the car and we take it when we are running errands. If it is time for Isla to nap, I turn this on and she is out like a light within minutes.
- Hatch Baby Sound Machine: Our in house sound machine. We have this newer version which allows you to unplug it and take it from room to room which is super nice for when Isla naps in the living room.
- Bottle Warmer: This was something people told me not to get. We use it every single day and love it. We don’t have to wait for milk to heat up in hot water!
- Muslin Blankets: We probably wouldn’t be using these much BUT Isla is a happy spitter and these are our “burp rags” because regular burp rags aren’t big enough.
- Bibs Pacifiers: The only brand of paci Isla will take. But they are so cute and come in so many colors so that’s okay!
- Car Seat Cover: I love using this when I’m running errands but its time for Isla to nap. It allows the inside of her car seat to be pretty dark. Plus it keeps the germs away and keeps random people from getting all up in your baby’s face!
- Bath Seat: Another item what we have been using from 0-4 months and will continue using until Isla is doing good at sitting up on her own!
- Little Giraffe Blanket: We have two of these and if they are clean then they are my go to blanket for Isla! SO cozy!
- Uppa Baby Stroller + Car Seat: I chose the Vista with baby #2 in mind. I wanted something that works for multiple kids so that we don’t have to buy an entire new stroller down the road. This set comes with the car seat, stroller, toddler seat, and bassinet! For reference, ours is in the color Jake.
- Take Along Mobile: A recent find, but a favorite. We use this sometimes in the car and just attach it to the car seat handle. It keeps her super entertained and somtimes even makes her fall asleep.
- Pacifier Holder: Isla is mastering putting her own paci in which is a blessing lol. If you’re new here, we did Taking Cara Babies sleep training for Isla. One of her tips is to put a ton pf pacis in the crib with your baby while he or she is sleeping. That way, if baby looses its paci in the middle of the night, instead of he or she having to reach around and find ONE paci in a big crib, there are options scattered around that are easy to reach for and find. These help Isla find her paci at night!
- Merlin Sleep Suit: We only used this for about 4 weeks, but loved it and it is super funny to see your baby wear. We used this as a transition from the swaddle to an arms out sleep sack.
- Lollipop Camera: Our baby monitor! We have had zero problems with this. I also love that its cute and matches her room.
- Doorway Bouncer: We don’t get to use this a ton because we don’t have a door frame in our main living areas. But if I am getting ready in our room or cleaning in there, I will put her in this!
- Newton Baby Mattress: 100% breathable mattress! Isla has been a belly sleeper since right before she turned 4 months. This gives me a piece of mind that of she is ever face down in the mattress, she can still breathe. I even tested it out myself and it’s amazing!
I hope you found this to be super useful and maybe you found something to get your baby or a friend’s baby! I will be sure to create another post in a few months with our updated favorite items.
XO, Kelsey
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