Mommy Things: The Best Baby Items I LOVED as a First Time Mom
A pandemic rolled by, I got pregnant, had a baby, and am surviving! Since my little Chloe Coconut has been born, I’ve been asked numerous times about what are my favorite baby items, and what I used for a,b,c, etc. So here I am writing a compiled post about my favorite things that I used as a First Time Mom!! This is for all of you out there that are planning, expecting, or starting on their 2, 3, 4th kid LOL. Baby items are CONSTANTLY changing, upgrading, being recalled (LOL), changed, etc so I’m sure there are tons of things that I missed or didn’t get a chance to try. BY NO MEANS am I an expert- these are just a few items that worked best for us! I remember when I first got pregnant and started to think about what I needed, I had to ask a lot of friends to email me their lists of items. It helped me SO MUCH in my research… because I literally did not even know where to begin!!! So I hope this list can help you if you’re trying to create a registry! (PS: My favorite registry was the Amazon one because it was SO easy to set up/easy to return items and there’s a 15% discount on your personal purchases!! Open one now!!)
I also want to say that EVERY BABY AND CHILD IS DIFFERENT, EVERY PARENT, FAMILY, AND COUPLE IS DIFFERENT- so these items MAY or MAY NOT work for you- but these were items that were VERY beneficial to my husband, I and my baby Chloe. So please take this as a grain of salt, choose to use it, or research similar items, and feel free to let me know what you think whether or not you do end up using them! To also understand why we choose certain things/use certain items, we live in a 2 bedroom apartment in NYC, so saving space and efficiency is of utmost importance to us!
Another side note before you read this list: I DID NOT breastfeed, so there is no breastfeeding items/info on this list! I only pumped for the first month, therefore I DO NOT have much insight on breastfeeding/pumping… so you’ll need another blog post for that!
Final note. A disclaimer: The links will be affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Your support would mean the world to me!!! Thank you in advance!
Okay here goes the list:
BABY BOTTLE CLEANING
Many people will say you “really don’t need a sterilizer” but for us, this was SUCH a game changer. It took away many other items that would normally take up space. I am a serious germaphobe so knowing I could sterilize something with a touch of a button really gave me peace of mind. Especially when the baby is SO LITTO you just don’t want ANY thing getting to them. This acted as a sterilizer, dryer, AND drying rack!! No need to buy those large “lawn” dryers or a huge pot to boil water to sterilize— this did everything! I most highly recommend this!! I tell my husband all the time this is my favorite baby item and we STILL use it today even though Chloe is 8 months! LOL
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3yXNvM1
This is THE BEST bottle and nipple cleaner I’ve used. I think I went through about 2-3 different ones, and still went back to this one. It is so easy to use and the stand actually keeps it standing up and it dries without any hassle. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and you can also easily detach the smaller brush to clean inside the nipple area of the bottles without buying another piece. 10/10 would recommend.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3IXvj9T
SLEEPING
I think I learned how to swaddle at the hospital but then my mom brain forgot real quick, so these velcro easy swaddles CAME IN SO CLUTCH!! I highly recommend getting a pack just for your own mental health LOL. After giving birth, the last thing you want to do is try to figure out how to fold a freaking swaddle. This makes it super easy.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3OvaVOg
If you want your baby to sleep. THIS IS IT. (JK of course every baby is different!!!) BUT I honestly credit Chloe’s insanely amazing sleep schedule to this suit!!! Chloe never really liked her swaddle… so when she kept breaking out of her swaddle (~2 months) we decided to try out this suit. It generally says to use it after 3 months, but Chloe was on the heftier side, so I was able to get her into this safely. When she started using this, she SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. I still remember the night. Jan 25… she was a few days over 2 months and she slept almost 8-9 hours and I remember being terrified and texting my friends to ask if that was normal. And when she still didn’t wake up… I chose to wake her up because I was anxious. Safe to say, from then on, she slept through the night like a CHAMP! I wholly credit this suit for teaching her how to sleep through the night. We used it for 2-3.5 ish months then transitioned her to a sleep sack with no issues. (That’s my next item on the list)
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3Bdy8lo
Holy cow. This sack is a dream!! Touching the fabric on this sleep sack is like feeling a piece of heaven. I tried a bunch of other ones, halo, woolino, even her Magic Merlin Suit brand made a sleep sack that I tried) but none (in my opinion) compared to this. It is SO soft and I love cuddling Chloe when she’s in this because it just feels SO SO good!!! I’m sure she loves it too! It’s so breathable and comes in gorgeous colors. I also love their rompers and bibs from them! I’m also waiting for them to restock their blankets so I can use it for myself HAHA
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3vbcGJH
BABY HYGIENE
I was gifted these from one of my old client friends - she literally just mailed me this and told me it’d be amazing… and yes… yes it was. I know everyone swears by the NoseFrida SNOTSUCKER… which I totally used here and there— but mostly I preferred using a Nasal spray to loosen her snots then this tweezer to pluck them out! IT IS SO MUCH FUN!! and very satisfying! (see the items below)
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3BaJ9DM
This came in handy when her boogers were sticky and they were not accessible by the tweezers. Like DEEP. Basically, you use your breath to suck the boogies down lower so you can get them out! This is really important because infants can actually suffocate if their airways are blocked. (Yup, this gave me anxiety LOL)
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3Pumua7
Spraying her nostrils every so often helps loosen the crispy and harder boogies that are inside her nose and lets it slide down a little bit so you can get it with the tweezer or just let it slide out. HIGHLY recommend this. I still use it now.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3z33yIj
A LOT of my mom friends swear by this… but personally we only used this 1-2x in total. It’s supposed to be used for when the baby is constipated or gassy but it’s hard to say when is the best time to use it. We honestly didn’t want to use it too much because the doctor did not recommend us using it too much because he said we should try to let her practice her own bowel movements. If you use the windi too much it might be a crutch. So we only used it when she was being extremely fussy and NOTHING worked and we knew she really needed to poop… and yo, when we used it a WHOLE train of poop just flew out. So keep it handy for those moments…
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3aYH2si
We were using regular (tubby todd, aquaphor) diaper creams for the first few days… but then one morning her butt started bleeding and my husband freaked out… that was our first experience with diaper rash LOL. We were so scared and didn’t know what to do.. and found out that we should be using EXTRA STRENGTH DIAPER CREAM TRAIN… ESP when you have a daughter, diaper cream is SO NECESSARY. My sister-in-law recommended we run out ASAP to buy some ZINC OXIDE diaper cream and use it asap… and we got this and haven’t changed since. And lather generously. LOL
Tubby Todd Lotion
I love love love this lotion for my baby!! Anytime her face is a little dry/red or sometimes she has patches of eczema on her elbows, I use this once and the next day she’ll already be better. It was recommended to me by SO many moms and I also 100% highly recommend it. This isn’t sold on amazon… so just go to their website and buy it!! (but use this link bc it’s my referral hehe)
Buy it now: www.tubbytodd.com
This is GREAT. This flower molds to the shape of your sink (so if you live in an apt with weirdly shaped sinks or small sinks) the baby can be easily laid down on this soft fabric to easily wash. We loved this for a long time and my husband tried to use this for as long as he could (to save his own back, because when you move into the bathroom tub for showers, your back will suffer) When she started to outgrow laying down in the kitchen sink we switched to our next item, that allowed us to stay using the kitchen sink for a little longer…
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3b5aM6Q
We literally tried 3-4 different tubs after the Flower pad because nothing could really ever replace such a great item.. but we settled upon this because it was a pinched bottom (so it still fit in our small apartment kitchen sink!) and we could fill it up and Chloe could easily sit and washed. The other tubs we tried were so large (didn’t fit in the sink) and also made it harder to bathe her because she would fidget around a lot. We were able to use this munchkin tub until now (she is 8 months!!) but we now bathe her in the real tub but still in this. We are gonna try to keep using it until she outgrows it and needs to graduate to a larger tub. (dreading it)
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3PwsWgJ
AN ELECTRIC NAIL FILER IS A MUST-HAVE ITEM. I didn’t even know this existed and someone had bought this off my registry. I tried to cut chloe’s nail with a baby nail clipper and I cut her finger so bad… and I was stressed. Then my friend showed me a photo of the electric nail filer.. and I realized I had one all along. LOL - now that I know what it is - IT HAS BEEN A SAVING GRACE!! Their nails grow so so fast in the early days and they constantly try to scratch their face… so this helped a lot.. and still helps even today!!
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3yUQJ2M
Burp clothes come in SO HANDY! There will be plenty of things to clean up with a newborn… and even as they get older, these will come in handy! Also the next item (which I didn’t buy til too late haha)
My nugget loves this. When they start teething at around 3-4months, they’ll want something to chew on. This doubles as a tool to teach them how to hold and move the items to their mouth yet also give them something to sooth their aching gums. She still uses this… because they will teeth forever. -_-
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3RYZCBd
If you live in an apartment building in NYC and DO NOT HAVE BUILT IN WASHER/DRYER… THIS IS IT! Highly recommend this machine to easily wash all your newborn items! Burp cloths, towels, onesies, poop shirts, etc. Really saves you time in going up/down to your laundry room in the basement and/or going outside… because even going outside your apartment door is tiring in the first few months. LOL
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3z52SCo
TRAVEL
I credit this wonderful item to teaching Chloe how to sleep so well in her car seat/stroller! This is a super soft, breathable little blanket/sack that can easily be placed over your car seat so it can be darkened and allow the baby to sleep! It also is really useful for blocking out wind and keeping her warm in the colder months without using so many blankets! (She’s a winter baby!) We NEVER left the house without this for the first few months! And.. atually, we still use it haha!
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3cCvJq7
Again, germaphobe here. So this little seat cover is GREAT not only for shopping carts but for high chairs at restaurants and any other place you might feel you’d need some kind of lining. Easy to set up and pack up small so you can just bring it anywhere.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3PwtcMJ
THIS is great for when baby is sitting in a restaurant and wants to touch, bite, stick her face all over the table. You can easily stick this on the table and allow her to be mystified by the artwork and then also feel safe she’s sticking her tongue on this mat instead of the dirty table.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3b2z7Ku
This sound machine came in clutch so.many.times. It is with us whenever we go out and she has to sleep in her car seat/stroller.. and it was also the extra sound machine we use right outside her bedroom door (in addition to her hatch sound machine) That was a tip my sister in law gave us, using a sound machine inside the room and also a sound machine outside- that way it can drown out all the noise we make when we are moving around the apartment. It worked wonders and I will cherish this sound machine forever!
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3PQRe4C
I tried SO MANY carriers. Solly Baby, Happy Baby, Lille Carriers,.. and this one was by far my husband and I’s favorite. It is simple, lightweight and super easy to pop on and off. The other ones required a lot more thinking/watching youtube videos to figure out- and time is of the essence when you have a baby. This one was also the least bulky and required no hassle to set up… I highly recommend this one! I was able to wear Chloe around in this and didn’t feel like she was overwhelming and/or too heavy. We didn’t really wear baby that much at home, we only wear her a few times when we went out/traveled and didn’t want to pack the stroller. Most of the time my husband really likes just carrying her with his arms (bc he says it’s his “work out”) LOL but yeah, if you plan on carrying your baby more, get this! For home or outside.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3PSpRHF
I got this gem from my sister in law as a hand me down… and it IS AMAZING. Super easy to set up, super easy to bring around. It packs up nicely into this compact rectangle box that is easy to stack/store in your trunk. We brought this around a lot during her tinier days so she could take her naps at different places with comfort. This also was amazing when we brought it along to trips and travel. HIGHLY recommend this. I would even probably recommend it to someone who wanted to use this as her bassinet/pack/play for her first few months. The only downside is that it lays flat to THE GROUND.. (which is because it is the safest that way) So it can be a little tiring to lean/bend all the way down to pick the baby up/put them down. But man, would highly recommend this to any new parent that plans to travel with their baby! Honestly, Baby Bjorn makes REALLY good stuff. I would have also wanted to get her the Baby Bjorn bouncer.. but Chloe did not like ANY bouncers/swings.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3vddeiu
This isn’t like a MUST HAVE…but it’s so FREAKING CUTE!! I’ve had so many friends ask me about this little chair because it is just so so so cute! It’s great to bring along to any camps, pool hangouts, park days, and just allow your little one to sit and chill! It even comes with a detachable tray for them to eat on! Would recommend for cuteness, fun.. and photos LOL
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3v7UwJ6
PLAY
Lovevery Play Kits Subscription
I usually HATE subscription based things.. but this was prob one (and still is) my favorite thing we got! When a baby is a newborn they really don’t do much except sleep, eat, poop.. then we start adding some “play”. Trying to figure out what to do with them during “play” tough. I was too tired to do any research because I was already googling and reading 9947483873 things everyday pertaining to her well-being… So I just didn’t want to do anymore.. and so this really came in handy! Lovevery sends you a box every 3 months with toys that are age appropriate! So you can really start helping them develop the skills they actually CAN develop. When I got her first box at over a little month old, it was so cool to use the toys with her and actually see her responding in the way she could (at that stage in development!) In our first box, we got some black and white cards and she was able to stare at them and slowly follow as I moved it from left to right, and then we had a rattle which we could use to help her distinguish where the sounds were coming from! Honestly every box we’ve gotten (I currently have 4 boxes now) it’s always SO fun to look through the box, teach myself what developemtnts/milestones she will hit these next few months and learn how to work with the toys to get her to learn too! Highly recommend! These toys are on the pricier side, but they do have a great re-sell value… and rhey last. For instance, at 8 months, she still sometimes plays with the things she got in her 2nd box! They’ll always be playing with these toys and I am very satisfied with them! ALSO, I do not buy her any other toys (unless they’re gifts) because we do not have any room to store anything else!!
Subscribe with my referral link and we can each get $20 off :D http://rwrd.io/rs7f9xb?c
THIS TOY RIGHT HERE IS CHLOE’S ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ITEM IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. I don’t know why she loves this thing so much, but I’m already on my second one. It captures her attention for hours with some flashing lights and she absolutely LOVES the music that comes out of it. I keep this in the car as a last resort toy because I know it can ALWAYS calm her and it puts her to sleep too. If it doesn’t… then something is definitely wrong. A lot of my other friends say their kids are also obsessed with it. Don’t know what it is, but this baby crack.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/3PQzl65
Strollers & Carseats
This is a hot hot topic and also completely debatable in so many ways, so I am just gonna tell you guys what I have and why I got it. I watched a ton of youtube videos about strollers and in the end, just went with something that fit my lifestyle and priorities best; so please choose your car seat/stroller to meet you at where you need to be! You can choose to read or move on!
I absolutely LOVE my stroller. I love the whole feel of it, the material, the wheels, the way it glides swiftly and turns without any issues. I wanted something a little “compact” yet still “full” and this was the best medium. I planned (and do) use the stroller a LOT. We live in an urban area and I can easily pack Chloe in to go on walks, and go into small-ish stores without any issues- AND I can still go to parks and stroll her uneven grounds and still have her feel comfortable enough to sleep. There’s plenty of storage space and the seat is nice and large for her to sit/sleep comfortably. It’s also durable to travel with. Uppa Baby has AMAZING customer service and they even sell a travel bag for the stroller that insures it 100% if anything were to happen to it during gate check or check-in when traveling on planes. HIGHLY recommend. We are traveling to Disney with Chloe soon so I will be utilizing this perk and will let yall know how it goes. And yes, my husband wanted pink. I originally wanted the green color, but now I’m happy we went with pink!
Car Seat: Nuna Pipa Lite LX
I do really like this carseat. It is SUPER light and easy to swap from car to stroller. It’s great because Chloe would fall asleep a lot of the times in the car and we can easily transfer her home still in the carseat to the crib. The fabric and material is top of the line (and top of the budget LOL) so I wish we could use this longer but it seems her time is almost up!! (Max lenght is 32 inches and shes 27 right now!) It is also easily adaptable to the UppaBaby Stroller with some adaptors! (See below)
Buy the adaptors: https://amzn.to/3b7ytLz
Other Extra tips :
BABY REGISTRY / BABY BOTTLES:
I HIGHLY, highly recommend using an Amazon registry! It was just so easy to keep everything in one place, return, replace, and get customer service on items. I was a huge amazon hater during the pandemic, but I’ve gotten over it because they have gotten better.. and being new parents; the prime shipping comes in sooo handy)
But, even if you have one designated registry, still sign up for as many registries as you can! (IE: Target, BuyBuyBaby, Babylist, Walmart, etc) You can get welcoming kits that come with a lot of different baby bottles (and other samples like soaps, diapers, etc) to try out. You never really know what your baby will like/be allergic to/etc so having options is great. We tried so many different bottles, (Dr. Browns, Nuk, Como Tomo, MAM, and even different lines of Philips Avent)… but she ended up liking the Avent Philips Anti Colic bottle the most and she still uses it today.
Formula
Sign up also for Similac & Enfamil rewards to get samples of formula! I know that most people may not think they need formula if they want to breastfeed (that was me LOL).. but things don’t always pan out the way you think it will, so it’s always nice to have some formula on hand! And keep in mind, we just went through a nationwide shortage of formula… so try to procure some earlier on as a backup.
And so there you have it! I think I listed all my MUST have items for you guys to start with. Again, there are probably a million other things you’ll end up trying or using, but hopefully, this can give you a small start!! Let me know how it goes and WELCOME to the parenthood club… where nothing ever goes the way you plan! :P
Enjoy!
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