Back when I was pregnant, I was researching baby must-haves from basically the day I found out we were having a baby! So I know that when it comes to baby products there are SO many things out there. Numerous types of baby bottles, strollers, car seats, diaper bags, ohh my gosh you name it there is probably like 500 of it! Also, baby products are pretty expensive and there are definitely a few things we bought that I would say you can get by without. I thought that I would make a list of just 5 products that I actually think are worth buying and are good for those first few weeks of bringing your baby home!
This was actually gifted to us during our baby shower. I know that the dock-a-tot is a fairly expensive product for what it is, so I definitely think you can buy something similar for even less than half the price. However, a baby lounger type item, both Joe and I agree is a must! You can literally put your baby anywhere you go: table, couch, floor, on your bed: we actually also put this into his bassinet when he slept and it helped him feel really snug (I know that you are technically not supposed to do this since it even says on the packaging that you should not let your baby sleep on these but… at the end of the day everyone knows what is best for their baby and we never let Joey out of our sight) When your baby is really small this is really ideal because early on even putting Joey in a baby bouncer was not too comfortable for him since he did not have much head support and would just slouch down. This way you can lay your baby down right next to you, and they are comfortable in the position they are in until they get a little bigger!
This one is definitely more of a splu
rge type of item but I have to say this is still till this day one of my favorite baby products! We have the smart sock 2 but they have came out with a new version 3 linked above. This sock allowed me to get the very little sleep I did during those first few weeks. I know some parents do not have as much anxiety about SIDS but for me I just wanted a peace of mind when I went to sleep that my baby was okay. This sock works great for this purpose! It comes with 3 different sizes so you can use it straight from birth and it will grow with your baby up until 25lbs. It’s readings are also very accurate and it tracks sleeping patterns so you can look back the next morning and see when your baby was in deep sleep, light sleep, or awake. The app is user friendly and we have not had any false alarms. I would highly recommend this item! It is probably my favorite thing we have splurged on if I’m being totally honest
So this is something that we did not have straight away from coming home from the hospital and I wish we did. I read a lot about sound machines but I didn’t really understand why one was needed. Well, then we brought Joey home and I knew within the first few nights that a sound machine would be a game changer. We decided to purchase this one for the reason that it goes all night and you can control it from your phone. It has so many color options which are fully customizable and its sound options are great! We use the lost signal TV sound and Joey loves it. Joey doesn’t sleep in our room anymore but when he did it was even soothing for me! It gets really loud and you can use the light options as a nightlight for diaper changes. I also thought it was neat because as your baby gets older there are toddler options to help teach them when it’s time to wake up or go to sleep. You will get so much use out of the hatch!
Every parent has their own views on whether or not to start giving their baby a pacifier or try to get by without one. Well before Joey was born, Joe and I had this mindset that we shouldn’t give him a pacifier because he will have a hard time getting used to then not needing one. This is funny to me as I’m typing because we actually asked the nurse to bring us a pacifier our first night at the hospital. She brought us this one and it really seemed to soothe him. This is a bulky pacifier and currently we are using a different one but for those first few weeks we used the avent ones. They are good for when you are trying to get your baby used to nursing and bottle feeding but still want to use a pacifier. I know at the hospital they tell you that if you plan on nursing you shouldn’t let your baby use a pacifier at all for the first few weeks to avoid nipple confusion, but even though Joey was only a nursed for the first few days, he did not have a problem latching on. Again, every parent knows what is best but I would say these are a good choice if you would like to try!
This is something that you might need to ask your pediatrician about before giving to your baby but I think every new parent should have on hand! I did not know much about gripe water until Joey started having colics really early on. He would start to cry around 9pm and that cry would turn the loudest scream that could not be calmed down in any way for up to an hour. I did some research and many parents were saying that gripe water was magical so Joe and I decided to give it a go. We went with the Wellements brand since it is organic and preservative free. Guys, I don’t know if it was the gripe water, or he felt like not screaming anymore, or what… BUT ever since we have been giving him the gripe water he has not had a colic! We gave him the Wellements daytime gripe water every night before bed for the first month since it is safe for newborns. Once he turned one month, we started giving him the Wellements night time gripe water before bed and we still currently do every night. We noticed it really helps him calm down and he does not have colics. Sure sometimes he is more fussy and may cry a little more than other nights but he is not up for almost an hour screaming. I highly recommend trying this if you have not!
This list is super simple but I feel like that is what your mindset should be when buying things for your baby. You do not need to go crazy overboard because your little one might not even need it. If you are not sure whether or not you need an item, wait and see how your baby is once they are born. Every baby is different (we bought so many swaddles and Joey did not like being swaddled one bit. No biggie though, I have stored them all away in hopes that we will one day get to use them for baby #2!)
Let me know if you guys have tried any of these items and liked them or if you have any of your own tried and true baby products!
-With love, Kasia
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