Endless lists, store recommendations, books, videos – you name it. You’ve probably read and watched all the lists of the must-haves and the you-can-skip items for your upcoming baby. The truth is that every baby is different! We’ve been super lucky that our little one is not picky when it comes to many baby items – so most of the items on our “must have” list is mostly for our own convenience and sanity. Here’s my list of our must-haves that aren’t necessarily the ‘typical’ things and obvious choices:
OUR MUST-HAVES FOR A NEWBORN PHASE
Halo Sleepsack – since our little one was in the NICU, she got very accustomed to using these. They kept her warm, were super easy to assemble and still gave her enough room to move those legs (we have a future swimmer in our hands). It was an easy transition home using the sleep sack that we used at the NICU, and then purchased newborn size in both the swaddle and the regular sack. We had also gotten many of the ‘Swaddle Me’ swaddles, but found those were more constricting and not as easy to use – we didn’t even end up using these, since we never had our little one home when she was in her ‘needing to be swaddled constantly’ phase.
Skip Hop Baby Sound Machine (Owl) – many lists always recommend the Hatch, which is super sleek, modern and seems to be the favorite. But we’ve been super happy with the Skip Hop sound machine! It also has the nightlight function (with different light levels) and both music and white noise sound options. It doesn’t have the phone app, but if I’m being honest, we’re not exactly missing it. The white noise definitely helps drown out all the small noises we make, and helps sooth our little one.
OXO Tot Space Saving Drying Rack – if there is one thing I hate in the kitchen, it’s the countertops being completely covered. This drying rack is the typical top option on registries, but I hated how much space it would take on our countertop. I found this alternative and LOVED the design. It sits up against our tile, holds plenty of bottles and small items and hardly takes up any space. I never thought I’d love a drying rack so much in my life.
OXO Tot Perfect Pulls Baby Wipe Dispenser – when it’s 2 am and you’re trying to quickly change a baby’s diaper, the last thing you want to be doing is fumbling around with the wipes. We opted from getting a wipe warmer for a multitude of reasons, but thought this dispenser seemed like a reasonable item. It’d keep our wipes contained, help weigh down the pack so only one wipe came out at a home (especially when you are pulling wipes one-handed) and was visually appealing on top of the changing table.
BlenderBottle Classic Shaker Bottle 28 oz – this is something that you won’t find on any registry lists, but it’s certainly something that has made formula-making MUCH easier. It’s so simple to measure and pour your water in the bottle, then add the formula and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE. Just like it was meant to do. Then you can either toss the bottle closed up into the refrigerator or turn on your bartender skills and pour bottles for the next 24 hours.
Bamboo Baby Washcloths – these are the softest washcloths I’ve ever felt. Made of bamboo material, these are perfect for bath time or even if you need to wipe some drool off baby’s face. I also love the bamboo material towels too.
Quarté Away 