Top 10: Favorite Baby Items, Birth to 3 Months

When I was pregnant, people told me, “Don’t buy a bunch of stuff!  Babies just need love and milk.”

FALSE.

Babies, or rather the adults who take care of them, need a lot of STUFF.

Here are the ten things we used most during G’s “Fourth Trimester”:

Soothies Pacifiers:  Pacifiers are tricky because each baby has their own preferences.  The only pacifier I bought before G was born was the Soothie, and luckily for us, he loves it.  I chose these because they are recommended for breastfed babies to avoid nipple confusion.  They are also BPA-free.  It is the Soothie pacifier that is on the end of the well-loved Wubbanub (a good “weight” for keeping the pacifier in when they are tiny).  Oh, and we gave G a pacifier when he was five days old and have never had a problem with nipple confusion.

Four Weeks Old in the Ergo

Ergonomic Carrier:  The right carrier will change your life.  We exclusively used the Ergo until G was five months old, when we discovered the LilleBaby.  I always hated the Moby wrap, so G was in the Ergo (with the Infant Insert) before he was even a month old.  Not only was I able to walk the dogs and empty the dishwasher because of this thing, but G napped in it almost exclusively until he was four months old.  I literally used it for hours every day.  Ergonomically, it is much healthier for baby hips than the Bjorn.  It is also much more comfortable for mom and dad, has a hood, a pocket, and can be worn on the side or back.  The only drawback to the Ergo is that it does not allow older babies to face out.  Enter: the carrier that I wish we would have had from Day 1: the LilleBaby.  This does everything the Ergo can do, but it allows your baby to face out, does not require an infant insert, and it is even more comfortable for the wearer.  The only drawback to this carrier so far is that it does not have a pocket.  The Ergo was great to us, but for anyone just starting out, I think the Lillebaby is the closest thing I have found to a perfect carrier.

Fisher Price Rock n’ Play Sleeper:We bought this when G was about two months old, and it is still the only place he will sleep for longer than an hour.  He loves it because it is snug, and the incline is great for his reflux.  When he stirs in the night, we just rock it gently and it helps him fall back asleep.  I’m pretty sure this thing is chemically treated, so I was really reluctant to buy it, but it has been a lifesaver for us.  Recently it was even recalled for mold, but we followed the issued instructions for cleaning and continue to use it. However I recently read about the Tiny Love 3 in 1 Rocker Napper and would try that instead if I had it to do all over again.

Bouncer:  I think you need at least one.  Ours still get a lot of use and we are in our sixth month.  We have the BABYBJORN BabySitter Balance upstairs and the Tiny Love Gymini Bouncer downstairs.  G likes the Tiny Love bouncer best, because it vibrates and you can attach different toys to it.  This is a lifesaver when you want to do something luxurious like sit down to eat a meal with two hands.

Aden and Anais Swaddles:  You’ve seen them everywhere, and that’s because they are awesome.  I like the bamboo ones because they are extra soft.  They’re stretchy, light, and multifunctional.  They’re great for swaddling because they’re huge and have a lot of give.  We used them a lot since we had a summer baby and wanted something light.  I also use them as a nursing cover in a pinch, and a carseat cover when we’re out and about and G needs some quiet.

Playmat/Activity Gym:  We have the Tiny Love Super Deluxe Lights and Music Gymini Activity Gym and it’s great, but any brand will do.  It’s great for tummy time and general entertainment when you want to do something wild and crazy like take a shower.

Rocker/Recliner:  We love our La-Z-Boy.

Swaddlers:  Yes, you can swaddle with a regular blanket, but in the early days, we really needed the “cheater” swaddlers.  We loved both the Miracle Blanket (the only swaddle from which G absolutely could not escape) and the Summer Infant SwaddleMe.

Looking at his Wimmer-Ferguson Double-Feature Mirror while chilling on a waterproof pad.

Wimmer-Ferguson Double-Feature Mirror G has been enchanted with the black and white side of this since he was only days old.  We still keep it in his pack ‘n play downstairs for distraction during diaper changes, only now he likes the mirrored side.

Waterproof Pad Covers:  We have four organic ones from American Baby and we use them everywhere.  There is one on top of our changing pad cover, so when it gets wet I can switch out the pad instead of the whole cover.  We have one in the pack ‘n play.  You get the idea.

Most of these items we are still using at five months, but they were useful right from the start.

Things we didn’t use at all or didn’t use very much:

Sleeping gowns and basically all clothing except onesies and sleepers:  Real clothes on a newborn are such a pain in the neck.  Sleeping gowns bunch up.  If I could do it all over I would just dress him in onesies and/or sleepers with zippers.

Bassinet and bassinet stand:  We have the UPPAbaby Vista Stroller System (love) and we bought the Bassinet Standthinking he would sleep next to our bed.  I don’t know why but he hated the bassinet for sleeping.  Soon the bassinet stand will be a very expensive Laundry Hamper.

Cloth diapers:  It was never our intention to 100% cloth diaper, but I did hope to do it part-time.  So far that hasn’t worked out; I hate the way they make his clothes fit and I also hate the extra laundry.  We have the GroVia hybrid system and I do like them very much and will strive to use them more in the future.

Bottles:  G will take a bottle most of the time, however, I despise pumping and really he’s more of a boob man.  Combine this with the fact that I pretty much never leave him and you’ll see why he’s had maybe 15 bottles in his whole life.  We have Comotomo bottles and we have nothing but good things to say about the bottles themselves.

Swing:  This does NOT mean that you shouldn’t buy a swing.  I think most babies love them.  G just never took to it for longer than a few minutes.  Luckily ours was a hand-me-down.

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