Top 5 Baby Items I Can't Live Without

 

 

As a doula, I get asked to look at nurseries a lot.  And, I LOVE it!  I mean, who wouldn't love getting to peek at all those gorgeous rooms arranged just so?

But here's the thing- you probably don't need all that stuff.  And thangs.

To help out your bank account now, and sanity later, I've put together a list of the Top 5 Baby Items I Can't Live Without.  

5. White Noise Machine

This is something that we used for both kiddos.  It helps keep your sweet little one from startling awake by drowning out background noise- think doorbells, dogs barking, etc.  I like this one and we've been using it since Lola was born.  When she was tiny, we would turn it one before we took her in to put her down for naps and bedtime.  Now, she gets to turn it on at night before bed.







 

4. A Diaper Pail

Newsflash- diapers smell.  Really bad. With my first, I used disposable diaers and my friend was kind enough to loan me a Diaper Champ and it was awesome.  It holds up to 30 or so diapers, uses regular kitchen trashbags, and does a really good job controlling smell.  Bonus- it's kiddie proof (meaning they can't reach in and pull out "goodies").  With my second, I chose to cloth diaper so I went with a Diaper Dekor.  While it doesn't do as great of a job containing smells, it works MUCH better than other methods I researched for cloth (a bucket in the bathroom?  No thanks.)  It has a flip top lid, a lock button to keep the toddlers at bay and it came with 2 wet bag liners so I could dump the whole bag into the wash- win!

3. A Pack-n-Play or Other Type of Play Yard

Here's a link to one that I love.  It has a reversible napper and changer (oooh, fancy) and the height is adjustable, meaning the bottom pad can be placed higher up so you don't have to bend your postpartum self all the way over when placing baby down.  I have literally gotten years of use out of mine.  My Graco lasted through both kiddos (6+ years and going strong) and has served as a place to sleep and change diapers for my newborns, a place to play safely as a toddler and even as a portable crib for overnight trips.  Definitely money well spent!






 

2. A Swing

Get this- I refused to use a swing with my first!  I was scared my son would become "dependent" on the swing and then not be able to sleep anywhere else.  Then, I had my second.  By this time, I couldn't care less if Lola needed the swing to sleep- I was just interested in her sleeping!  And, I had read The Happiest Baby on the Block, so I knew Swinging was one of the 5 S recommendations.  You better believe I used a swing this time around!  And you know what?  It worked.  And guess what else?  Lola used it for about 2 months, outgrew the need and that was that.  This swing is popular with my clients but I used a (borrowed) Graco swing and it worked beautifully.

1. A Good Carrier or Wrap (or both)

So, with my first, I had only recently heard of baby wearing and the only carrier I'd heard of was a Bjorn.  I tried it once but it was incredibly uncomfortable so I never tried it again.  Fast forward 4 years and my, how things had changed!  I knew all about baby wearing and to be honest, was a bit overwhelmed with all of the options (an opinions) out there.  I tried several different carriers and settled on a gauze wrap for my newborn (July in Texas + postpartum hormones + baby furnace = HOT) and a Boba.  I loved them both for different reasons.

The gauze wrap was great because it gave me awesome versatility and security without being wrapped in what felt like a blanket.  Loreal, the owner of Hand Dyed Baby Wraps, helped me pick out the right size and showed me how to wrap like a pro and I will be forever grateful!  Once Lola got a little bigger, I switched over to my Boba and fell in love all over again.  I could pick her up, strap her in, and GO!  No more wrapping in the parking lot or trying to adjust my rails- it was great!  She is 21 months now and still gets excited when I get the Boba out.

 

 

 

Well, there you have it!  No fancy wipe warmers, car seat covers or other gadgets you'll never use.  Remember, your sweet little one needs very few things: food, warmth, and love.  And, it just so happens YOU can provide all of those things!  Hug those babies tight and just breathe.  You've got this!

 

Tell me, what would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments section below!