I’d like to think I kind of knew what someone needed for a baby once you welcome them into the world. Now that I’ve had two, I have a grasp on what’s necessary and what you an do without for at least the first 6 months. The first thing is a complete nursery. no need to have it completed! Even though, I HAD to have both nurseries completed before the girls came home. It’s just a fun part of nesting and preparing yourself for this new little human being that’ll be taking up space in your life. But totally not necessary. If you’re like me, your baby will be in your room for at least three months. Hallen slept in our room for six months, and Hazel five months.
- Muslin Blankets
Muslin and bamboo blankets are our favorite! They’re warm, lightweight, breathable, and great for wiping a little spit up. We also have a couple for “moments.” One is for holidays and the other is a month marker. These are from Batz Kids, and I LOVE them!
2. Motorola Video Monitors
So, we’ve had A LOT of baby monitors. And we finally landed on our Motorola cameras for both of the girls’ rooms. My one piece of advice for new moms is that if you think you’re going to have more than one baby, go ahead and get the two pack of cameras! It may even be a good idea to get two, so you’ll eventually have one for the play room or another room your child may be in when they’re a little older. These camera are great! We’ve had problems with wi-fi cameras in the past, so that’s why I opted for one of Motorola’s wi-fi free cameras. One of the problems was that our wi fi doesn’t work in the garage sometimes, so if I were to run on the treadmill during nap, I couldn’t have the monitor turned on and working! I also love how you can move the cameras around with the monitor, and it’s fairly quiet.
{I love how both of the cameras just nestle in with the decor so flawlessly as well}
So far, we haven’t had any problems with these cameras. You can even have them unplugged for three hours if you need them to be! At night, I have it set to where it’ll flip from room to room every couple of seconds, so I always have eyes and ears on both girls.
3. Zip Up Sleepers/wearable blankets/ Swaddles
For the summertime, my favorite wearable blankets are from Henry and Brothers. They’re 100% cotton, so it’s a nice lightweight layer for naps and bedtime. When my girls were newborn, my favorite swaddles for them to be in were Love to Dream Swaddle Up. It still allowed them to have their hands near their face, and a little more freedom than a traditional swaddle, but also when they had those jumpy reflexes, it held them in tight.
4. Dockatot
I used our Dockatot for Hazel since the first day she came home from the hospital. It went on all of our trips with us. It was where she napped and where she slept at night. It’s nice and snuggly, breathable, and easy to transport everywhere with you!
5. Zutano Booties
Zutano everything, actually, but the booties are so great for those little babies, especially if they’re born during cooler months. I’ve never been able to keep socks on infants. And these booties are great! They have two snap settings with some elastic around their ankle, so they stay on! And both of my girls have several pieces of their clothing. It’s nice and soft, so it’s easy to play in. The prints are so fun too!
6. Carry-All Bag
I posted about my favorite carry all bag last week. It’s from Margaux and May, and has room for your whole house if you’re packing up to go away for the day. It’s also made of neoprene, so perfect to be around water, and has very durable straps made from sailing rope!
7. Diaper Bag
If you’ve looked at any of my photos or followed me from any length of time, you know my love for Fawn Design. I have three colors, and would LOVE to have more one day! I constantly trade them out, and have one that I now use for my photography bag. I love how they’re vegan leather, and really easy to wipe down. It also looks like a normal bag. I wear mine even when the children aren’t around. I love how it looks aesthetically, and that was a big deciding factor for me in finding the perfect diaper bag.
8. Diaper Cream, Bath Products, Lotion/Oil
Since I have an almost three year old now, I’ve been through lots of brands of diaper cream, lotions, oils, and shampoos. You’ve probably read that a big name, organic brand made my daughter’s hair fall out, so I had to really search for something else. So, I started up as a Beautycounter consultant, because of their amazing products, values, and mission. I started out with their baby line before I ordered anything for myself, because my kids are my greatest concern, and like many other mamas out there, I put their needs before my own. So, I started with their baby oil to use on Hallen, because she also had REALLY dry skin. Their oil soaks into skin really quickly without leaving a greasy feeling. It also keeps it moist for a long time, which was important! After I got into Beautycounter, I fell in love with all their bath products for kids. Their shampoo has been fabulous for both of the girls, and the diaper cream clears up any redness overnight!
9. Pack and Play
We’ve loved our pack and play that we got when Hallen was a baby. It has all the little hook ups for a bassinet, changing table, and little compartments for diapers and wipes. When we registered for it, my main reason that I wanted it was for the colors ha! I liked that it was neutral/pastel, and just blended into our house. But we still have this set up in our room just in case Hazel won’t go back to sleep in her crib at night.
10. Diapers
Of course you need these! Our favorites have been Luvs, Pampers, and Dewor Baby (for organics). Since we were able to work with Dewor, I fell in love with their diapers. They soak up just as much as leading brands, but are great since they’re made of bamboo!
11. Carrier
We’ve also gone through a few baby carriers. I started with the Ergo with Hallen, and still use it occasionally. My favorite, right now, is our Happy Baby carrier. It’s lighter weight than the Ergo, and I don’t get as warm when I wear it. I also have a Happy Baby wrap, but haven’t used it yet. As for slings, I LOVE our sling from Vienna Springs. It’s beautifully made, and Hazel loves to be in it. I feel like the carrier is especially great for the second born since they have to be on the oldest’s schedule more or less. And you always need free hands to chase the toddler!
12. Nursing Clothes
I’ll just list out some brands that I’ve loved to wear and make it super simple to nurse in public, especially if you don’t like using a cover:
Blanqi (their leggings in specific)
Bravado (their bras and tanks are MY FAVE)
Undercover Mama ( I have their clip on “tanks” and a shirt that I love)
Renny and Dot ( a small shop who makes adorable rompers, dresses, tanks, and tops specifically for nursing…and kids’ clothes to match!)
13. Nursing Bras
I’ve gone through a lot of nursing bras and styles of nursing bras. The absolute comfiest are from Bravado Designs. Their Body Silk Seamless Nursing bra is my every day bra that I grab most often. It has soft, structured pads that you can take out and in ( I choose to leave them in for extra support and extra leak protection). Hands down, the bra I pick for every day wear. You’ll be seeing their designs in it’s own post soon! I also love Cake Lingerie, specifically their T-shirt bra. I’ve also tried Soma, but I bought a bra from them when I was really engorged still, so it doesn’t quite fit anymore, but I liked the full coverage. Both Cake Lingerie and Soma have underwire in them (the two designs I bought), and it didn’t really bother me, but I know some people are iffy about underwire and nursing because of getting clogged ducts easily. If you’re looking for something without underwire, go for the Bravado bra.
14. Natural Pacis/Paci Clips (if you have a paci babe)
I LOVE Natursutten. I’m so glad Hazel took straight to it when we gave it to her. They are made in Italy from a high quality, natural rubber, and certified to conform to the European Union safety requirements, which is HUGE, because the USA let’s so many things slide by in products that are really disturbing, so this is a big deal to me. We use the butterfly design for Hazel. And my favorite paci clips to use are from Templeton Silver. I know the maker behind the product, so I may be a bit bias, but they’re made right in Charleston, SC. They’re dainty, made of sterling silver, and turn into a keepsake bracelet for us mamas after your baby stops using a paci! We have quite the collection!
15. Nursing Cover
My go to nursing cover is Bebe Au Lait. I love the wire at the top, so you can see straight down to your sweet babe.
16. Stroller
Another BIG TIP for first time moms…Get a stroller that will later convert into a double stroller if you plan on having more than one kid!! Just do it! Find one you love, and make the investment. We’ve bought so many strollers, and I wish we would have done this with our every day stroller when we started out with Hallen. We now use the Baby Jogger City Select, and we really love it. Yes, it kind of feels like a train when you push it, because it’s a front to back stroller and not side to side, but the big basket is amazing, and I love the different positions you can make with it. There have been a few nuances I don’t like with it…some seat positions are difficult to really do, it can be hard to click in the seats, and it can be difficult to fold up. It works fantastically as a single stroller! I wish I would have invested in this with Hallen.
“Fun Haves”
1. Breastmilk Jewelry
I was lucky enough to work with Life’s Journey Jewelry Creations to create a breastmilk ring. I will FOREVER treasure this sweet ring. It has breastmilk from Hazel, pieces of Hallen’s umbilical cord, and little purple flecks to represent our miscarriage. They did an amazing job creating something so special. It’s in a vintage rose gold setting, and it’s the one piece of jewelry besides my wedding band that I always wear every single day.
2. Graphic Tees for Mamas
I have some tees that I gravitate to every single day (even if they have a little spot of spit up…one little spot still means that the shirt is clean, right?), so I’ll post the shops that I love below:
3. Name Necklace
I’ve gotten so many gorgeous pieces from Sweet Peas Stamping. She can customize just about anything. I even happened to have on her necklace when I delivered Hazel!
4. Nice Camera I get asked A LOT for the type of camera/ lens that I use. Personally, I use the Canon Mark iii with a 35 mm lens (most of the time), but even if you have an iPhone with the good camera (the 7) or a basic DSLR, you’re going to love having it. Who doesn’t love good photos of their children? I love that I’m able to capture fun memories on a camera and not just with a phone. Growing up, I was always getting new cameras. I LOVED going to the store to develop my film. It was magic to me. And not that I have a film camera anymore, but there’s just a little something special about moments captured with a camera rather than your phone. Store your memories in a little book or an album to pull out later and go down memory lane.
5. Fun Crib Sheets (this is on my “fun have” list, only because you may not put the baby in their nursery right away…you have some time to decorate!)
My favorite crib sheets are from Little and Luxe! She creates the most gorgeous pieces for your little ones’ nurseries. They’re so playful and cheery. You can see them in Hazel’s nursery here.
If you’re looking for sheets with your child’s name, Hanley Crest is your place! We have one for Hazel, and being the southern girl that I am, I love to put our names on everything possible!
***Some of these items were sponsored, but all opinions were HONEST and completely my own. I wouldn’t lead you astray***
Kristina
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