Baby Products I couldn't live without

Good Morning Friends,

While I was pregnant and going into the delivery process I felt so prepared. I had a gazillion diapers, I had clothes, I had what I thought Aria needed.

As soon as she arrived I knew I had vastly underestimated what I needed for a new baby. There were thing I overlooked or hadn’t thought of at all. I remember sitting in the hospital feeding her and putting in Amazon order after amazon order for things I had forgotten.

So I made this complete list for you all to be prepared. I am sure I left off a few things so I will add them as I remember it all and get your suggestions! If you have any that I left off please comment below with them.

I know it’s been a hot minute since I had a baby, but getting this far makes me a seasoned veteran. Aria is still alive and well after 4 years almost 5.

There are some amazing products that make motherhood a little easier. This is such an amazing job, being blessed to be a mom. It is a job I don’t take lightly, and one that I appreciate more than words can tell.

Let’s Get Started!

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These are all products I live by, and products I wish existed when I was pregnant or nursing with Aria.

Let’s Get Started!

Cribs:

Probably one of the most important purchases you will make for the nursery. We were on a tight budget for Aria’s nursery. As much as I wanted a designer crib we simply couldn’t afford such. So I hit the internet and researched every affordable crib known to man. The Ikea crib was the highest rated, and parents swore by this crib.

Let me tell ya this crib lived up to expectation. Aria was in it until she was about 3 years old. We took it from a crib to a toddler bed, and Aria slept many comfortable nights in her inexpensive Ikea crib. That cost us a whopping $140. I highly recommend it.

All of the ones listed here below are affordable and highly rated by other mom’s.

Crib Mattresses:

This one was a stressful purchase. You want a mattress that is comfortable, safe and easy to clean. Babies are going to have blow outs. Make sure your measurements match the crib. We went with one from Target that we loved. It was highly rated and comfortable. Make sure to get a mattress cover to place between the sheet and the mattress.

Co-Sleepers:

I know this is a hot topic for some. If you co-sleep they have some amazing products to help aid in a comfortable night for all of you.

We co-slept for the first few months. It was magical, stressful, and some of the happiest nights of my life. Watching her lie next to me and sleep brought so much comfort to us.

I highly recommend the dockatot. It not only comes in so many cute varieties it is easy to transport. I love it so much I lent mine to my sister when she had her first.

Bottles

Save yourself the money and buy bottles with nipple like tips. The flow has to get as close to mimicking the breast. That worked out so well for us when Aria had to bottle feed while I was at work.

This bottle was our favorite.

Binky

Being in the dental field I loaded up on ortho binkies. When we hit a sleep regression a mom suggested to me the babies often can’t keep track of their binky so they wake up more often. I was recommended a wub-a-nub. That worked like a charm! I cannot recommend these enough! They come in so many different animals and sizes. Add this to your registry and give it to every new momma for shower gifts.

Booger Sucker

The normal bulb works but it is so hard to clean. I for the life of me could not do the nosefrida but so many moms swear by it. My sister in law who works in the NICU suggested this one to us and it works so well! We bought two one for the diaper bag and one for home.

Bottle Warmer

I loved pumping a bottle for Aria so Brandon can help with night feedings. We traded off so we could both get a good nights sleep. I would pump a bottle and place it in the fridge. Brandon would grab the bottle and warm it up in the bottle warmer. It only took a couple minutes to heat up and feed Aria. We also bought a second one to have at my mom’s when she would watch Aria. It also doubled as a binky, and bottle nipple sterilizer. This bottle warmer was inexpensive but we loved it!

Excersaucer

Aria loved her excersaucer! It was a great way for me to put her down to clean a bottle, run a vacuum or rest my back a little. Of course, I watched her like a hawk but it’s a great way to encourage a little play time and give mom a few minutes to get a little bit done.

Playmat

Play mats are great for tummy time, motor skills and again a little time for mom or dad to rest their backs.

Sleeping Aids

From white noise machines to night lights these are great things to help a baby sleep through the night. We learned early on that Aria needing a little light to sleep through the night. So we got a light activated night light. It helped her through her regressions and helped her sleep through her naps and through the night.

Noice machines help a child sleep through noise. I know I sleep better and deeper when I have the sounds of a fan or rain. Sleeping to noise helps babies sleep through noise. We would put Aria to sleep while we watched movies. I remember going to a premiere of Jurassic World and putting her to sleep while the dinosaurs were fighting. She would sleep through just about anything for the most part due to white noise, putting her to sleep through noise, and a night light.

Baby teething products

Teething flat out sucks. They hurt, they don’t sleep as well, and they are cranky. It makes things a lot easier when they have a lot of things to chew on and sometimes meds to help put them out of their misery. If you don’t believe in meds you can always use whatever natural remedies you have.

Cold and Warm Humidifier

These work out well during those sad times your little gets sick. For babies, you might want to stick to cold humidifiers. We used them a lot when Aria was really young and dealing with a few colds. We ran that one at night. During the day I would run a warm air humidifier out in the open.

Thermometer

An essential to any first aid kit. These will help monitor fevers and will help indicate to you when you need to take your little to the Dr. or hospital. You want their fever to be under 102.2 degrees. I remember we would call our Dr. and pending their age they will want you to administer Tylenol or Motrin. These are fever reducers. Also, cool pajamas and a cool bath will help bring down a temperature. I would breastfeed Aria a little more and in her diaper to also help with a temperature.

Bath Gear

I highly suggest this whale faucet cover. As a dental assistant, I saw many kids slip and smack their face on a faucet. So this was one of my first purchases when we found out we were pregnant.

These cute little duck tubs are great for babies. We used the sink for Aria but I love this option for babies as well. You can even use them as a way to keep cool in the summer.

Bath drops or bath crayons are a great way to entertain kiddos in the tub. Look for toys that won’t hold water and get moldy.

Car Seats

Car seats are an investment for sure. Brandon and I bought two from Costco for $100. They work great, we are still using them now. They had great safety ratings and reviews. Of course, everyone will have a different brand they prefer. Read ratings and reviews for everything you buy your baby, but most importantly the car seat.

Strollers

Again, we didn’t have it in our bank account to get an expensive stroller. We were lucky enough to get one for our shower. It worked for us. The tires sucked a bit, but it did its job. For the next kid in the future, I will probably invest in a better stroller. We loved that we could take the seat in and out without unbuckling Aria. That it grew with her and had pockets, and cup holders that we needed. There are so many amazing options for strollers. Invest in one if you can.

Baby Carrier

There weren’t really many cute baby carriers when I had Aria. They had the Boba and that’s what I used occasionally. I loved it, it was just a process to wrap it around yourself and get the baby all wrapped in tight. We mostly used her stroller and car seat so I didn’t really use a baby carrier all too often. For the second child I will most likely be getting the WildBird slings.

Stroller fan

Utah gets really hot in the summer. We bought three of these fans. One for each car seat and the stroller. Your baby will be rear facing so they won’t get the cool air from the ac. This fan helps them to stay cool in the heat.

Breastfeeding App

Tracking feeding was a great way to know how often and how much Aria would eat. This tracker could be accessed by any family member. So if Aria woke up during the night Brandon could check the tracker to see her last feeding so he would know if he needed to grab her a bottle or wake me. And if he fed her while I slept I would know if she woke again if she needed to be fed or comforted or both. This also helped when my mom would watch her. She would know when to feed her and how much, and I could see the feedings as well. You can also track diaper changes, the color of poop and consistency. You become obsessed with poop when you become a mom.

Plastic Bib

Cloth bibs are an extra thing to launder, grab a plastic bib. They are easy to wipe down and easy to take on and off. We love the larger ones with a pocket. I remember aria would put her food in her pocket and eat out of that. They are also easy to fold up, throw in the diaper bag for dates out of the house or family dinner.

Wrap Blanket

This blanket wasn’t around with Aria but we used it for my niece and it really helped her sleep. They are wrapped up nice and tight which babies love and it keeps them warm without the fear of a loose blanket in the crib. There are so many brands out there now but I love the Ollie Swaddle.

Shopping cart sling

If you don’t want to take up your whole cart with a car seat these are a great alternative. It will also hold the car seat if you need it so you have a place to put groceries. It is small and easy to fold up and put in your purse. I highly recommend it to you to have for those trips shopping. I love the Binxy baby one.

Boppy Pillow

A MUST HAVE FOR BREASTFEEDING. This will help with placement, keep you from killing your back, and make it comfortable for the baby. I love this pillow for tummy time as well.

Breast Pump

Check your insurance because often they cover one for free. If you must buy one this is something you want to invest in. A good pump can help your supply and make the process less stressful. You will be friends with this pump for a while and you will be using it 3 or more times a day. I stored milk for when I worked or incase my supply dried up before I was ready. There are some great pumps out there! I just used our insurance provided pump, but for the next kid, I really want to invest in the Willow pump.

Baby Monitor

I loved our Baby Optics monitor. It is so nice to wake up and see the baby sleeping, breathing and all the things your fear as a parent. We still use ours for Aria as well as a Wyze camera.

Electric Swing/Rocker

Another great invention to help soothe a baby. We didn’t have a swing but we will for the next baby.

Baby Boucer Chair

Bouncers are a great way to play with a baby face to face. Bounce them and play with them. I would put Aria in her chair while I did my makeup and bounce her or sing to her. Another invention that helps relieve a mom or dad’d back.

Bumbo

This is such a great way to help a baby sit upright. It assists the baby for face to face play, or get the tray and let a baby play with toys while you stand near by cooking, cleaning or folding laundry. I would often put Aria in hers while I folded laundry or read her books.

High Chair

There are a million different high chairs and so many different types. You can get ones that hook to your chairs, you can get one that stands on its own, and they even have chairs that hook to counter or table tops. We had one that hooked to a chair, we loved it because it would free up space.

Feeding Supplies

From bowls, spoons, and plates, to baby food makers. There is a lot of feeding gear that comes into play as your baby moves through the different feeding stages. We just steamed our own and blended up the food in a processor but you better believe next kid I am grabbing the Gourmia baby food maker.

Diaper Bag

I loved many bags, but the Freshly Picked Bag takes it for me. The structure, durability, size, and style. I cannot reccomend this bag to you enough. I bought mine on kickstarter when they first released it. It is worth the money.

Diapers

We loved our Huggies Snug and Dry and Little Movers. You will find every parent has their own favorite brand. Test what ones you like, see what ones work best for you little one. We loved these because we were able to stock up at Costco for an inexpensive price.

Toys

These are our favorite toys that have served us well. You will find toys your little loves and toys they want nothing to do with.

Baby Girl Bows

To be perfectly honest I tried so hard to keep bows on her head. She would not have it. The rare occasion where she left her bow on we loved the little felt bow headbands. I shopped for the majority of her bows from Zozu Baby.