My Top 10 'Must Have' Baby Items

Hello again! So I can already tell you life as a new mother is gonna be my favorite thing to blog about!

Kennedy will be 2 months old on Sunday. Where does the time go?!? Slowly but surely we have fallen into a little routine and life is gaining a new sense of normalcy.

As I reflected on the past 8 weeks I took note of a few items that I have been so thankful to have, some of these I could not imagine surviving without. So without further ado, here are my top 10 'must have' baby items! (These are in no particular order)

1. Aden + Anais Silky Soft Swaddles

I bought these blankets on a whim right before my delivery. I read all the hype online about these Aden + Anais muslin blankets and figured what the heck, I'll give it a try. I'm so glad I did! First of all, these 'silky soft' swaddles, are just that. So soft! Much better than your regular muslin blanket. Secondly, these are huge! To me, it makes it easier to swaddle baby in because even if you don't have the 'swaddling' technique down yet, you can basically keep wrapping this around baby until they look like a little burrito and it'll do the trick! We only swaddled Kennedy for the first few days after we brought her home, however these blankets are perfect for throwing over the the car seat to keep the sun out of their eyes, or to cover baby up while you're out and about. I had a summer baby so I thought the light weight texture was perfect to protect baby yet breathable enough that I need not worry about her overheating. They were a little pricey, I think I paid about 25-30 bucks for these two blankets at Target, but it was money well spent.

2. Mam Pacifiers

Someone recommended this brand of paci to me ages ago, and I picked some up when they were on sale at Target one day. Now, I know not everyone 'believes' in binkies or some wait until the baby is older to avoid nipple confusion or whatever, but we gave Kennedy this paci from day one and she's loved it ever since. Devon calls it the 'silent button' - A few quick notes about these, the orthodontic nipple is great because there's not an upside or downside to it, so when we're popping it back in her mouth in the middle of night we don't have to worry about if its right side up. Secondly, these all come in a great plastic microwave sterilizer case. And lastly, I found some of these 'night collection' ones, which glow in the dark. Again, great for night time when its dark in the room! 

3. Gerber Cloth Diapers

Now if you're 'old school' at all, you'll know these are amazing. We have the flat and prefolded kind and we use them for everything, burping and spit up, lining the changing pad, cleaning up messes on the go etc. While they're not cutesy, but they're practical. Babies are messy. We use several of these daily and couldn't survive without them. 

4. Dreft Laundry Detergent and Shout Stain Remover

While we're on the subject of messy babies, I do a load of baby laundry about every day... We stocked up on Dreft and Shout while I was pregnant and I'm glad I did! (you can get a giant refill jug of Shout at Sams club, fyi) Shout works great on spit up, bottle spills and the dreaded poo blow out... (Kennedy has one of these about every day, so I can vouch for the stain removing power first hand, hahaha) 

5. Rock N' Play

During my pregnancy the number one item I found online when researching 'must have' baby items was the Fisher Price Rock N' Play. One of my coworkers so generously gave me hers since her daughter had long outgrown it. I have this exact design pictured, it is the 'manual' Rock N' Play meaning it does not rock on its own, but it will rock smoothly on hardwood floors. It has a battery vibration as well. They now make these in 'auto' versions and others with fancy bells and whistles, however I found this one to meet our needs just fine. We do not co-sleep and did not buy a bassinet because we planned on putting our baby in the crib right away. However for the first week or so, Kennedy did sleep in this Rock N Play in our room. She loves taking naps in it and she'll hang out in there when I need to set her down. It has a slight incline which is great for babies with reflux as well.

6. Boppy Pillow

The funny thing about this, is that originally I didn't want a Boppy. The day or so before my shower I added a Boppy to my gift registry, thinking that "eh, I don't really want it, but I don't think I'd mind having it if someone else wanted to buy it- but I could just use any old pillow if I needed." Well, low and behold I received the Boppy at my shower! I got the Bare Naked Organic Boppy along with the this cute elephant organic cover. Both Devon and I use this Boppy pillow daily. It really is convenient and comfy for nursing and bottle feeding. And yes, in case you're wondering it does work better than just shoving a couch pillow under your arm. This thing was a life saver in our early days when Kennedy 'marathon nursed' night and day. And as an added bonus, I've taken several naps on the couch with this pillow. Its great! haha!

7.  Changing Table and Pad 

This is our changing table. This is the number one item that everyone told us "You'll never use that. Don't waste your money" Hah! I've never NOT changed Kennedy's diaper on her changing table. Let me tell you, diaper changing is a messy business! Especially if you're like us and had little experience in the diaper changing area in the beginning. I'd definitely recommend a changing table like this, it doubles as a dresser, it has plenty of space for your changing necessities and once we're outta diapers, this dresser has a hutch that sits on top of it. It's beautiful! Best of all, we got this quality piece of furniture for just $150 on Craigslist! 

8. Diaper Genie

This item goes hand in hand with the changing table. So many people both in my life and online trash talk the Diaper Genie... I've yet to understand why everyone hates it so much! It works great for us! It really does help trap the smell inside. The bags come in one continuous ring and you have to tie a knot in the end but when you're ready to take it out, there's a bag cutter on the bottom of the lid and you can cut the bag where you need and tie up the other end to dispose of it. I like this feature because if you have an extra messy and stinky diaper in there and want to take it out before the bag is 'full' you don't have to waste the entire bag, just cut it off where you need. The only complaint I could understand would be purchasing the refills. However, you can find the bag refills cheaper on Amazon or at Sams club. They also make off-brand or store-brand refills that I've yet to try, but I don't see why they wouldn't work just as well!

9. Medela Nursing 'Slimming' Tank

This isn't exactly a baby item, its a Momma item! But its definitely one of my favorites. I bought this tank top in black and white at Target. It's 'slimming' feature is a tight spandex texture through the midsection. The built in bra provides more support than most nursing bras and is padded (they're removable if that's not your cup of tea) I recommend this for the nursing mama's that may be a little more self conscious like myself, it keeps your belly covered when you need to lift up your shirt.

10. Medela Harmony Breast Pump

My breastfeeding journey has been a complicated one, but that's a blog post for another day. I have an electric pump which I received free with my insurance however I could pump for an hour an still not have much milk to show for it. Someone online recommended I try a manual pump, so I bought this pump on Amazon. I've always gotten more milk in way less time as compared to my electric. This is an easy to use and clean pump which comes with two bottles and caps and one nipple for feeding. Plus since its so small and light weight you can toss this in your diaper bag or purse for pumping on the go. It's been a game changer for me!