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It’s unfortunate how expensive it is to have a baby these days. There are so many baby products out there that in can be overwhelming to choose what to add to your registry for the fear of picking the wrong thing. I feel guilty about all the items that went unused because I didn’t actually need them or my baby didn’t like them. Now that I’m on my second baby, I can confidently advise that these are the absolute must-have baby items that you should add to your registry now. I use these every single day and consider them crucial to making my life easier.
1. Bottle Washer/Sterilizer
This is the only big ticket item that I genuinely use every single day. We have the Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro. It used to be that there were only bottle sterilizers until this came out. It washes, sterilizes, and dries. When you’re feeding your baby around the clock, there is just no time or energy to wash and sterilize bottles. You NEED an all-in-one. It does require detergent tablets for the wash cycle which are purchased separately. The cool thing about this particular washer is that they tailored it to fit Dr. Brown’s multiple bottle parts. We didn’t use Dr. Brown’s bottles, but I thought that was really cool of them.
The only con about this washer that I had is that it didn’t fit breast pump parts that well in them. For this reason, I think the Momcozy KleanPal Pro is a great alternative for those who might be using a pump. It’s compartment shape and size is better suited for it.
2. Aquaphor or Vaseline and a Silicone Spatula
PUT AQUAPHOR OR VASELINE ON EVERY SINGLE DIAPER NO MATTER WHAT. That is one of my most important tips for new parents. It will prevent your little human from getting diaper rash. The butt spatula makes it super easy to apply. We apply it to the diaper, not to baby’s bottom. It’s easier and less messy/gooey that way. Aquaphor/Petroleum is honestly great at healing everything. I find that a thick layer actually heals diaper rash a lot faster than diaper rash creams. We also use it on any scratches that our kids inevitably get.
3. Happiest Baby Sleepea Swaddle
Don’t waste your time with any other swaddle. I feel so strongly that the Happiest Baby Sleepea is the BEST swaddle on the market and I have tried so many. I tell all my new mom friends to use this swaddle. The best swaddle is the one that imprisons your baby the best. The Sleepea is unique because it’s Velcro as the inner chamber, which is then covered by a zippered outer chamber. Other swaddles are either the other way around or only Velcro. Trust me, your baby will escape Velcro and waken themselves up. That’s why I love this swaddle because when they eventually escape the Velcro in the middle of the night, they’re arms are still held in by the zippered outer layer.
4. Nursing Pillow
You need to have a simple, easy to put on nursing pillow. I have loved using the one by Boppy. It’s firm enough to support your arms while nursing yet plush enough to be comfortable for baby. Another important point is that you can put it on with one hand while the other arm is carrying the screaming infant.
If you’re no longer breastfeeding, the Boppy pillow is still useful. It can act as a feeding pillow once they’re a couple months old. I always put baby down in the middle of the pillow to bottle feed. We used it this way until my daughter turned 14 months old. They can also just hang out with you on the pillow, as long as they’re supervised and not asleep. When they’re ready, you can also use it to prop baby up to practice tummy time. The Boppy pillow is really so versatile and worth every buck.
5. Sound Machine
There are a lot of different sound machines on the market, but I personally love Hatch’s Rest and Hatch Go Bundle. If you’re an audio snob, I think you’d understand why I choose Hatch. The quality of the white noise is just so much better than cheaper alternatives in my opinion. I love how customizable you can make the lights and sounds too.
For example, when we were sleep training my new born, it was a rule that we could only hold her/rock her in the room for 5 minutes max before we had to put her down to tough it out. I would always forget to look at the clock. So, I set the Hatch light to be orange colored for 5 minutes before switching to red. This was one less thing I had to think about during an already difficult process. As soon as the light turned red, down she goes!
6. Changing Pad With a Scale
With my first baby, I didn’t think a changing pad with a built in scale would be necessary. But once she was born, I found myself always wondering how much she weighed. In those moments, I wished I had put a changing pad with a scale on my registry. A few months after she was born, our family friend actually gave us their used one! They gave us the Hatch Grow Smart Changing Pad and Scale. It was so easy to use and I no longer had to wonder how much she had grown.
When my second baby was born, we were in the process of moving homes. Our Hatch pad was buried in a pile of boxes. He was just barely preterm and at our first doctor’s appointment, they said he had lost too much weight since my breastmilk hadn’t come in yet. We had to supplement with formula and return for another weigh-in the following day. If he was still losing weight, he would have to be readmitted. This gave me so much anxiety. I found myself wishing I had access to our Hatch pad so I could check him. This lasted even after the doctor confirmed he had gained enough weight. I couldn’t wait to unpack as much as I could so that I could get to our Hatch Grow.
My yearning for this product is a clear signal to me that it’s something every new parent needs.
7. OxiClean
Okay, this isn’t an everyday item but maybe an every other day item. We do not want blowout stains on our cute little baby clothes. OxiClean is SO GOOD at getting stains out that I’m genuinely shocked it works every time. Here’s what I do:
- Rinse out the blowout
- Put a spoonful of OxiClean powder in a wash bucket and fill it water
- Soak soiled clothing in the mixture for at least 24 hours
I’m not sure what the recommended soak time is but I’ve left soiled clothes soaking in OxiClean for several days and they have come out fine, and STAINLESS. It’s important that you do this before washing and drying because once a stain gets put in the dryer, it kind of becomes permanent.
8. Disposable Nursing Pads
I know they’re not great for the environment, but disposable nursing pads are just so much more convenient. Unless you want to do laundry everyday and have like 5 sets of the reusable ones, it’s not going to work. If you have an oversupply, you’re cooked! Listen, and this might be TMI, but I wore the reusable nursing pads overnight once. They were soaked and smelled like cheese. YES, I SAID CHEESE. It’s just….ick. Save yourself the trouble and get disposable ones.
9. Disposable Changing Pad Liners
With my firstborn, I bought the washable changing pad liners. They came in a pack of 3 and, silly me, I thought that would be enough. That was probably one of my most regretful purchases. As new parents, we were not adept at perfecting the diaper change. I can’t how many times she peed on the liner during a change. They all ended up in the laundry basket within 24 hours and I wasn’t ready to do laundry yet.
We tried going without any liners since our changing pad was wipeable. Bad idea! The urine just pools under her and gets on her clothes. It was even messier to clean.
The solution that no one ever told me before was to use these disposable pee pads that I honestly thought were only used for pets. Again, I know it’s not the most environmentally conscious product. But, this is just SO much easier. I found myself ever grateful for their existence with the birth of my son. (I didn’t know how far pee could fly.) My son was a very spitty baby and every time we changed his diaper after a feed, he would spit up so much. It looked like an ounce every time. These liners were so helpful for this reason too. Pee or spit up, we would just toss it in the garbage once it got dirty. Such a lifesaver because nobody enjoys doing laundry daily.
