Our Most Used Baby Items Newborn to 3 Months
When I was pregnant one of my favorite types of posts to read were about their must have baby items, after they have had the baby and had a chance to test everything out. I spent so much time crafting my registry based on these recommendations so we ended up using mostly everything that we received. I wanted to let you know what we have really loved—if you are looking for yourself or for someone close to you having a baby, look no further than the list below.
Hospital Bag - We didn't end up using much that we packed--the hospital really provides a lot. The hospital gowns were great and easy to wear with the baby and recovering from surgery. It was nice to have a soft lightweight robe. I would also bring some light snacks as you get hungry at odd times and it takes a while to order food. I would bring pacifiers as the hospital only had one kind and it was huge and didn't work for him. I would also make sure to bring a pumping bra or tank if you plan on pumping. This was a game changer for me. Holding the pump is so awkward. The hospital also provides a peri bottle but I should have brought my Frida one as it was much easier to use.
Onesies - Everyone told us zippered onesies were the way to go and they were right. We really like the Old Navy ones because they have two way zippers and are easy to get on and off (and in expensive) Also, H&M has some good organic options but theirs tend to stretch out a little more.
Diaper Cream - A friend recommended Earth Mama diaper cream and this has been great for us. It smells good and doesn't make their butt white and sticky like the other one we tried.
Bottles - We tried a few different bottles but we really like the Mam bottles with a size 0 nipple for breastmilk and size 1 for formula. Note that it comes with size 1 so you have to order size 0 separately and swap them in.
Burp Cloths - Order at least 15-20 burp cloths, we do laundry every 2 days and end up washing almost all of them each time. We like these. The image above features burp cloths from just one day of laundry.
Swaddles - These swaddles are a bit pricey but you only need 1-2 and they work so well. They are much easier to swaddle than a stiff blanket. Also, how cute is this lobster print?!
Pacifier - We tried a few but he took to this one immediately. You can either get the more natural rubber or the silicone which lasts longer. There are a lot of cute designs too.
Gas Medicine - This is really good to have as a back up in case they get gassy. We use it maybe once a day at night when he tends to get gassy. Our pediatrician told us that it says on the bottle you can take it 12 times a day but you should really only use it 3-4 times a day. It is really nice to have in case nothing else is working and you are at your wits end.
Bottle Brush - It is worth investing in one of these because it's hard to get bottles clean with breastmilk. This really gets in there and cleans it and is more sanitary if you can keep it separate from your other dishwashing items. We have one downstairs and one upstairs for ease of use.
Diapers - We have only tried Coterie diapers but I really am happy with them. From the super-soft fabric like material to the sustainably-sourced ingredients they have been really good to us. We have had a few blowouts but then sized up and were completely fine again.
Formula - I pumped for the first three months and supplemented with formula. We have tried so many kinds of formulas to help with Olivers reflux but he seems to be doing best with Bobbie. I like it because it is organic and made of traceable ingredients. Some of the formulas we gave him has sugar or corn syrup as the first ingredient which I wasn’t thrilled about. Now we are exclusively doing formula and I couldn’t be happier with Bobbie.
Swing - I swore I would never get one of these but this has been a lifesaver since he has reflux and spits up if he isn’t more upright. This swings and vibrates. The vibrations really help put him to sleep and keep him asleep. He usually naps in this during the day. We just didn’t install the toy bar since we are mostly using it for sleeping vs playing. I also like that you can remove the top as a bouncer so if he falls asleep you can easily transfer to the swing.
Snoo - We decided to rent our Snoo because of the investment cost. I like how the swaddle keeps him in place and prevents him from rolling over which I was nervous about early on. I do think it has helped us get more sleep because it lulls him to sleep if he wakes up slightly. The feature that listens to his crying and turns it on to a higher level is something we haven’t used much because by the time he is crying usually we can’t get him back down. I dont know if I would 100% recommend the Snoo as it is a luxury for sure. Next time I think we might just do a Halo bassinet since that has some of the same movement and vibration elements but at a fraction of the cost.
A few things we didn’t use were our:
Baby Bjorn bouncer - He only just fit into this, in the beginning he was much too small and would just slump down in it. Now he loves it and we even bring it to friends houses.
Lovevery playmat - He just started getting into the black and white cards a few weeks ago at 2 1/2 months. Now its one of his favorite things to do.
Toys and Books - When they are little they don’t need any toys, they just want to stare at your face and sleep, we started reading books to him recently as he was able to see more.
Feel free to send any questions or add to the comments below if I may have missed anything. I will plan on working on a post for 3-6 months as well.