I’ve shared this list on Instagram several times, but felt like it needed a permanent space on my blog! All of these items are great to either register for or buy yourself. They’ve all been immensely helpful to us, so I hope you love them too and find this list helpful for yourself or a friend!
Furniture: I found it very helpful to have a comfortable glider/recliner because the back support is necessary for breastfeeding. I found that I didn’t like to feed her in our bed or on the sofa because there was no support and it was uncomfortable to me, so my chair was crucial. I customized the recliner to have the auto recline feature so that I wasn’t struggling with a lever in one hand and sleeping baby in the other hand.
I loved having a table next to the recliner to set my water, pump, nipple cream (will link this one below–I used religiously after each feeding and never had bleeding or cracked nipples), etc. on. I also really loved having a designated changing table with all necessities close by in the nursery. I tried to feed her in our room, change her on our bed for the first couple nights and quickly realized that made me feel crazy lol. I needed our room to be organized and for all of the baby things to be in Raleigh’s room. Everything seemed much more in order and peaceful that way. Blackout curtains were also a must in her room! We started letting her nap in her room around 4 months old and I’m really happy we already ordered these and had them hung up and ready to go.
Diaper Changing Station: A good amount of people said they really didn’t use a changing station, but I found it very helpful. I ordered a dresser for her room and got the changing station attachment for the top. Again, I loved being able to contain her items in her room and not have this stuff strewn all over the house. Plus, we have a small home and her nursery is just a few steps away from anywhere in the home, so it was very convenient. I ordered a changing pad from amazon and really liked the waterproof one with curved sides. It was perfect in case of an accident, plus the curved sides have been great to help keep her more in place now that she wiggles around more. I found a cute basket on Amazon that holds all of the diaper changing essentials, nail file, random items we need. We’ve used Pampers Swaddlers from the beginning and loved them! We tried several different wipes and felt like the Kirkland wipes from Costco were the best. Others we tried seemed dry and cost more. I ordered the same brand wipe holder and travel wipe container and LOVE both. Total must haves! Hand sanitizer is great to have in this station also! I have one by Paume and love the way it smells. It’s super moisturizing and smells incredible, by far the best one I’ve ever tried! I’ll link everything below that we have and use in her diaper changing station, along with the diaper pail we use. It doesn’t smell at all and we only have to take out the trash twice a week. Trust me, and just have all of this on hand. I was very happy we had all of this and weren’t running out in the middle of the night for anything.
Sleeping: I had a few short sleeve white onesies and a few long sleeve plain white onesies on hand and used them in the beginning to swaddle her at night. I got NB and 0-3 months in everything and made sure they had hand covers built in (the mittens fall off) Sometimes I felt like she was cold and needed more clothes and other times was hot, so it took a little time to figure out what she was comfortable in. I’m glad I had a variety on hand to try out different things. We loved the SwaddleMe brand and the Halo brand for swaddles. I also had about 7-10 long sleeve onesies for her to wear and my favorite brands are Kyte and Little Sleepies. Both of these brands are super stretchy and last a long time!
She slept in the Halo bassinet for about 3.5 months in our room, and then we transitioned her to the Nuna travel crib. She was starting to roll over at that time and we realized she needed a little more space. I think in hindsight, the travel crib would have been sufficient if you had to choose between purchasing the Halo bassinet or the travel crib only because the Halo is used for such a short amount of time and it’s an expensive item. I decided against the Snoo because I was fearful that she would get used to sleeping with the vibration and would have to be weaned off it at some point. Very happy we didn’t go this route, but I’ve also heard it’s been a lifesaver for others! We did get the Owlet and I’d say it gives us complete peace of mind knowing she’s breathing ok throughout the night. I don’t use it for her naps during the day, so I feel like it will be an easy transition for me when she’s not sleeping with it at night. We chose the Snuggle Me infant lounger and were very happy with it. I feel like it kept her more snug than the dock a tot since she was so tiny. We went with the Newton original mattress for her crib since it has the best safety ratings and I got a small portable one from Amazon for her travel crib. I has a ton of great reviews and we’ve loved it so far! I’ll link all of these items below!
Bathtime: I got a plastic tub, water scoop, a couple baby wash clothes, and some new, very soft adult towels and wash cloths. The baby towels are so cute but they’re really not big enough to keep the baby warm, so we preferred the adult size towels. The adult size wash cloths are also nice to drape over their tummies to help keep them warm. I saw a lot of other cute tubs but I wanted something that would drain easily and not hold any mold or mildew. We still use the Aveeno lavender body wash for Raleigh and love the way it smells! Linking all of these items below!
Feeding: I breastfed her for 3.5 months and loved the Boppy pillow! It’s still very comfortable to use to feed her and now we use it to help prop her up as she’s learning to sit on her own. Highly recommend it! As we transitioned into bottles, we used Comotomo and loved them from the beginning. The grass pad is very helpful for drying bottles and other items! We use Medela bags to sterilize all of her items. They’re very convenient and are what most hospitals use! I finally found a bottle brush that will hold up over time and love it! I know the Baby Brezza has some controversy surrounding it and people have said that it doesn’t make the bottles proportioned correctly. We’ve had no issues with ours, and from what I’ve read that as long as it’s used properly and cleaned the way it should be, then it’s fine. Decide for yourself on this one, but we love ours! Get an extra funnel to keep on hand when you have to change it out–trust me! We use cloth diapers for burp cloths and love how easy and absorbent they are. These are also perfect to keep in the car and to clean up messes in general!
