Now that Jace is almost three months old I feel like I can confidently share what we are absolutely loving and what we couldn’t of made it this far without. I don’t know about you, but when I was pregnant I relied heavily on real moms sharing their real products in real life scenarios. It helped me so much when deciding what to add to my registry and what I knew I needed to have prior to little man making his arrival. I hope you find this guide just as helpful!
Nursery Products
Hatch Baby Scale – I absolutely love this changed pad. It is easy to clean AND doubles as a scale. I initially intended to use the scale to weight Jace before and after nursing sessions to ensure to he was taking in enough ounces during those first few weeks, but when nursing didn’t work out for us I started using it just to keep a record of his weight. This has become especially helpful in recent weeks when he has been struggling to put the weight on. I have found it reassuring to be able to weight him at home whenever I want.
Glider – We absolutely love this glider and ottoman. One of my favorite things about it is the high back. Jeff is tall, 6ft 3in to be exact, and it was hard finding something that he felt comfortable in. Not only do I feel comfortable in the chair, but he does too and that was a must for us!
Monitor – We originally had the Owlet monitor and it was not my favorite. It would continuously loose connection and was overall not a reliable product in my opinion. I quickly switched over to a Infant Optics monitor and haven’t looked back. The video quality is great and we have had zero issues.
Owlet Sock – A absolute must in my opinion. I am not sure how Jeff and I would of made it through those first few nights without the Owlet sock. It has given us so much peace of mind when laying Jace down at night and is 100% worth the investment. We still use it every single night and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
Hatch Baby Sound Machine – If your baby is anything like mine then you will want a sound machine! It is a must. We use this every single time he lays down and it helps drown out of noise of the house while he is sleeping. Also, we have two large dogs and Jace isn’t phased by their barking during his naps as long as his sound machine is on.
Blackout Curtains – Don’t think twice and just get them. Jace sleeps best in a dark room and it is so hard to keep the light down during the day for his naps, but these curtains help! They also are literally the perfect color. I have the color Sour Cream.
Bassinet – I love the fact that this bassinet moves AND plays music. It soothes Jace right to sleep at night and he loves it.
Newton Baby Crib Mattress – This product is just as important to me as the Owlet sock. Nothing beats peace of mind, especially when it comes to the safety of your baby. The mattress is 100% breathable and washable. It was one of the first things I bought when I found out I was pregnant and would recommend to anyone who is expecting!
**Refer here for full nursery blog post.
Clothes
Swaddle – Jace went back and forth on what swaddle he liked for the first few weeks of life. It seemed like we would find one that would work and boom he hated it. It was a bit frustrating in the beginning, but we have been using the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle for the last six or so weeks and it has been working for us! One thing that I love about this swaddle is that it is transitional. It is both and swaddle and a sleep sack. Right now Jace is swaddled with both arms in, but that will soon change once he is rolling over from back to tummy. When that happens we will transition to swaddling with both arms out.
Sleepers – Not all sleepers are created equal lol. But seriously, this is important. Night time diaper changes are no joke and you need to make things as easy as possible on mama. Listen to me when I say “get the sleepers that zip from the bottom up”. The last thing you want to do is have to unzip baby from the top down to change a diaper. Baby gets cold and mad and its all down hill from there. Old Navy and Target have great quality and very affordable options!
I will link a few of our favorite things below!
Feeding Supplies
Bottles – Just like the swaddles we went through many bottles before landing on Dr. Browns. I had always intended on exclusively nursing so I never put much thought into bottles prior to Jace being born, but when we had all our struggles with nursing (latching issues, lack of weight gain, tongue/lip ties) I quickly had to find a bottle that worked. We tried a few and they all gave him terrible gas. In a last stitch effort I tried Dr. Browns and they were awesome. They are a bit of a pain to clean, but he likes them and that is all that matters.
MyBrestFriend Nursing Pillow – This saved my neck and back in those early weeks when I as exclusively breastfeeding!
Pumping Supplies
Pump(s) – I have the Spectra S2 that I ordered through my insurance and I used this exclusively for about two weeks once my pumping journey began. Jeff had given me the Elvies for Christmas, but I had always heard that portable pumps could effect milk supply so I was a bit hesitant to use them in the beginning. Well life got in the way and exclusively pumping is HARD, so I decided that if I was going to commit to pumping I was going to make it as easy on me as possible. Fast forward eight weeks and I use my Elvies 99% of the time and haven’t looked back. They are amazing! I would 1000% recommend.
Bottle Sterilizer – With pumping and bottle feeding comes A LOT of bottles and pump parts to clean. And again, I am all about making things as easy as possible! I wasn’t sold on the idea of getting a sterilizer because I can easily boil a pot of water and do it that way, BUT I was sold on the fact that the Baby Breeza One Step Sterilizer and Dryer also dries all those bottles and pump parts. Game changer. Trust me.
Hygiene Products
Tubby Todd All Over Ointment – Take my advice and go ahead and order you some. This stuff is magic in paste form. Jace struggled with cradle cap and the Tubby Todd All Over Ointment came highly recommended so I ordered some and it resolved his cradle cap in two days. We also use it whenever his skin gets dry. Great product!
Honest – The only baby wash and lotion we use! Love it.
Miscellaneous
Baby Shusher – This is baby magic. We didn’t leave the house without for the first two months. It is a portable sound machine that works wonders, seriously. It hasn’t failed us yet and we use it all the time.
Diaper Bag – I snagged the JJ Cole Brookmont diaper bag while shopping at Buy Buy Baby one afternoon on a whim. It wasn’t the diaper bag I originally wanted, but we have been using it for almost three months and I have zero complaints. It is functional and has that designer look for much less.
Paci – Bibs brand paci’s are the only paci Jace will take. He absolutely loves them! I like that the bulb is more round and overall bigger then most so I feel that it helps stay in his mouth.
Stroller/Carseat – I know it is pricey, but we have the Uppababy Vista and I couldn’t imagine having anything else! We love it so much! The quality is amazing and Jace loves the bassinet attachment for walks. I also love the fact that it converts into a double stroller.
Boppy Lounger – Highly recommend. This comes with us from room to room and I use it to put Jace in when I need to set him down.
Mamaroo – Jace was unsure of the Mamaroo in his first few weeks of life, but that has taken a 180 in the recent weeks. He loves it. We keep ours in our living room and use it daily! He loves it most right after a feeding when he is most alert and ready to play.
Baby Carrier – Somedays baby just wants to be held, and that is okay!! There are a ton of baby carriers on the market (a lot of them are $$$$). I found this one on Amazon and it had great reviews and I have not been disappointed. Jace naps in the carrier at least a few times a week while I do dishes, cook dinner, clean. Its awesome!
Car Camera – Ditch the old school mirror and order this camera off Amazon. You will thank me later. We started out with the mirrors and it is so hard to see baby! I hated them. A friend gifted me the camera and it was life changing. You set the screen on the dash and you can see baby so clearly. Highly recommend!
Toys
See below for a roundup of our favorite toys!