I can’t believe it’s taken me about a year to finally complete this post, but it was bound to take a while considering I had to really test everything. I think I have finally narrowed down my favorite baby products by age and I am so excited to share. Of course, these are the things that worked well for our family and Q’s particular baby needs. These are just things I could not live without and wish I had known about sooner!
I want this to be helpful to any mom-to-be because I for sure searched and searched for recommendations like this. I remember during the first month of Quincy’s life, Aaron and I invested hours in blog searches and YouTube videos to help us figure out what the hell to do with this bambino that just blew our world into a thousand beautiful, terrifying little pieces. Here are the things that helped us the most for the first 3 months. All of these items are linked, all you need to do is click on the picture!
Mockingbird Stroller System
This is, by far, the BEST stroller for the price out there. I absolutely love my Mockingbird set up and highly recommend it to anyone having a baby! Our families got us the stroller and the accessories for our baby shower and I could not be more thrilled with this purchase. We got the main stroller, the car seat insert (which we used daily until Q was too big for it!), the sun shade, mosquito net, cozy foot muff for winter, and a cup holder! My favorite thing about this stroller is it is light and easy to set up and pack up. I had a C-Section, so for the first month or two it was difficult to lift things but I was able to manage this stroller in and out of the trunk of my Subaru just fine. They have now come out with an adapter kit for a second child! They provide you all the tools you need for a second baby without having to buy an entirely new unit. We got all those accessories and the stroller for under $600. That is way cheaper than other comparable units like the Uppa Baby or Nuna strollers. The only thing I would change is I would definitely buy the infant carrier kit for the stroller for our next baby!
Moms On Call – First 6 Months
First and foremost, this book really helped us get a grasp of everything that was needed for a newborn. This was gifted to us by a very sweet family friend and, though I didn’t know at the time, was perfect my style of parenthood. This book provides a suggested schedule for the stages of a newborn. Because I knew I only had 3 months at home with Q, I knew I had to get him on a schedule that worked for our family, which meant early to bed, early to rise as we are public educators! Little did I know our schedule would just disappear with the onset of the COVID-19 shut down, but by the time that happened, Q was a happy little dude on a schedule that made us all happy. This book helped get us there.
*This method does suggest allowing the baby (after 2 months) to cry for 10 minutes at a time to allow to self sooth before having an adult help sooth. We did not follow that suggestion and Q still became an excellent sleeper. Breastfeeding really helped this.
Hatch Baby Rest
Q is 16 months now and we still use this nightly! It is a great night light and can be turned on and off by just touching the ring at the top. So handy for night feedings and diaper changes. This also travels well and went with us everywhere we needed to go. For the past 16 months we’ve only used the white noise feature, no light, volume at 45% and positioned about 5 feet from the crib.
Rohm Portable Sound Machine
Speaking of sound machines, this one was essential for car rides, long stroller rides, and up until a few weeks ago, perfect for the crib at daycare! It has 3 sound settings and volume control. The big plus is that it is also rechargeable! This thing is very handy.
Night Light
This is another easy accessory that we still use 16 months later. It is a darling little egg that has 4 different light settings and is portable and rechargeable. When Q was a newborn and in the room with us, I used to during late night feedings and diaper changes. The light is soft enough that it won’t disturb baby or hubby! When he was older that was on the changing table for late night diaper changes. One tap at the top turns it on, hold a finger on the top to increase the light, and two taps turns it off. We’ll use this long into his toddler years too!
Swaddle Me Sleep Swaddles
Babies need to feel snug and tight in their swaddles in order for them to feel comfortable enough to sleep. Aaron was great at the hospital blanket and muslin blanket swaddles, but I was not. These have velcro on the sides for you to adjust and make it really tight. The only thing I didn’t like about these was the velcro was pretty loud and sometimes woke baby if I had to adjust it. We tried just about every swaddle out there, and these were great early on. We eventually also got the Ollie, which was the BEST one in my opinion. However, Q only had it for about a month before he was rolling so we had to switch to the Merlin’s Sleep Suit at 2 and half months.
Bibs Pacifiers
There is a long debate about pacifiers and when/if to introduce them. Like all things baby related, it comes down to your choice and your family’s needs. Q latched immediately on to my breast so I wasn’t concerned about nipple confusion for us. The hospital originally gave us the Avent green pacifiers, but after some research we switched to these and have never looked back. We only used them at night and for naps and that worked well for us. I like these because they are made of natural rubber and the tips are really good for the baby’s palette. Bonus is they have ones that have glow-in-the-dark handles which are great when baby starts throwing them out of the crib!
Hatch Baby Grow
This particular changing pad is not really an essential, but I would say any sturdy changing table is good. However, I really liked the features of this one. After downloading the free app, I was able to measure how much he drank in a feeding and I continue to track his weight. It’s really handy if you get a finicky eater or when baby is sick you can be reassured by weight measurements at home.
OXO Tot Wipes Dispenser
Forget the wipe warmer, those are completely unnecessary. This item, however, is very helpful. It fits any wipe package and the rubber seal keeps the wipes moist and ready to use. When Q has a diaper rash, we fill it with water wipes, but for the most part we like Costco’s Kirkland brand wipes. Can’t beat the cost and are just an excellent product (and recommended by the Moms on Call community).
Graco Simple Sway Swing
We didn’t start out with this swing, but we quickly got our hands on one! Many thanks to a dear friend who let us borrow it! At least for Q, he just needed a little side sway because he hated the front to back swing we originally had on our registry. Pro-tip: never throw away the packaging of anything you get for your baby shower because you never know what baby will actually like! Side to side swing was a winner for Q.
Frida Cradle Cap Brush Set
We did have to battle cradle cap with Q. Almost all of his newborn hair fell out when he was two weeks old! These gentle brushes and comb helped us get it under control and we continued to use the sponge to exfoliate his skin long after the newborn phase. Plus is comes with a great older that can sit right on your sink and stay dry until the next use!
Aquaphor Baby
We greased Q up after every bath with this stuff and it kept his skin soft and supple. Luckily Q didn’t have any skin issues early on at all. He didn’t even get his first diaper rash until he was 9 months old! Aquaphor provided a great moisture barrier after dirty diaper changes and we alternated this with baby lotion until he was about 6 months old. We still use this now for after bath diaper protection. Unscented and dermatologist and APA approved, Rogers family tested.
What am I missing?
What products were game changes for you and your newborns? I have to give a huge shout out to the parents who came before me (Natalie, Deborah, Andrew, Krista, Caitlin, Emerald, Erin, Elisa, and many others!) who gave me endless advice of what to buy and what worked for their babies. Finding what works is a journey so I hope this helps any other newborn mama or daddy in need!
