Hey guys! Today I want to talk about all the newborn essentials that we couldn’t live without. As Kyle and I get closer to welcoming our 2nd baby boy into the world, I have been going through all of Ronnie’s old clothes, toys and gadgets that we used for him as a newborn. There are so many things that you will learn as you go along when you are a first time parent but having some items to make those moments easier is such a life saver! Of course every baby is different so what worked for us might not work for you and your baby but these are items I feel will truly work for most. We had Ronnie in December of 2018 so we might pick up some new favs this time around with Matthew but I know each and everyone one of these will still help us tremendously! These are also great items to throw on your registry so take notes, mama! To shop any of these products you can simply click on the above graphic OR click on each item picture below. Whenever you shop through my links I receive a small commission so your support is appreciated!
*disclaimer* Please, make sure you do your own research on ANY baby products before you purchase them to ensure you feel safe using them, mama always knows best!
The Hatch Rest
This has to be in the top 3 must-haves for us! I would’ve never thought a child would need a sound machine to sleep more peacefully but let me tell you… Ronnie cannot sleep without his sound machine and this one is great. The Hatch isn’t just a sound machine with different white noises/lullabies, it is also a night light with different color options. When your baby is in your womb, they have white noise playing all day from all the sounds that are going on around them so it only makes sense that they sleep better on the outside with white noise as well. Ronnie sleeps with the waves white noise sound and the red light on. Studies have show that red light can promote better sleep so we just went with that but you can adjust the color to whatever you prefer or do no color at all! The thing I love most about The Hatch is that it can all be controlled from your phone so when it is time for Ronnie to wake up from his nap I can shut it off from my phone and let him slowly wake up.
The Halo Bassinet
When we came home from the hospital my anxiety was through the roof!! I couldn’t sleep when Ronnie slept because I was absolutely TERRIFIED that I would wake up and he wouldn’t be breathing. A good amount of this anxiety came from postpartum hormones and what not but it is also came from the fact that I hated the Pack-N-Play bassinet we had planned on using. I didn’t feel like it was safe enough or comfortable enough for Ronnie to sleep in and I didn’t like that I wasn’t at eye level with him. This is where The Halo Bassinet came into play and eased my fears a TON! The Halo Bassinet is a bit pricey ($229 for the one we have) but it was 100% worth every penny! I could adjust the height of the bassinet so Ronnie could be at eye level with me, the bassinet has a swivel so I could soothe him gently when he would wake up and the bassinet “walls” are made of mesh so if he was ever pushed up against the side he could breathe perfectly fine through it. This bassinet was a life saver for those first 3 months that he slept in our room until we moved him into his crib and definitely one of the first things I recommend to new mamas!
The Dock-A-Tot
So, I had heard about the Dock-A-Tot a TON from other moms but I told myself I was not spending the money on something that didn’t seem so essential. Boy oh boy was I wrong! We came home from the hospital and wanted to have Ronnie right next to use no matter where we were… whether we were on the couch, at the dining table, in bed watching a show or if I was cleaning different rooms in the house while Kyle was working. It only took us 2 days of being at home and NOT having this item that made us head straight to Target to get the Dock-A-Tot ASAP! The Dock-A-Tot was not only safe for Ronnie to sleep in for his naps but it also was so conveinient to move from room to room so we could have him right next to us at all times. We purchased the Dock-A-Tot Deluxe+ which is marketed for ages 0-8 months. Pro tip- buy an extra cover so you always have your Dock-A-Tot ready to use if baby has an accident on it! Again, another pricey purchase but 100% worth the investment.
Zip-Up Sleepers
Y’all… there is nothing worse than changing a diaper at 3 am, in the dark, half awake and realizing you have to button up your child’s sleeper! Zip-Up sleepers are the way to go my friends, believe me. Might seem like a small thing but let me know how you feel in the middle of the night when you are struggling to match up the buttons while your child is squirmin’ around. Spoiler alert- it ain’t fun! Avoid buttons at all costs haha
Baby Mittens
No one tells you just how sharp your baby’s nails will be straight out the womb! My poor baby boy scratched his cheek up within the first day of being born because he wasn’t wearing gloves. They also make your baby look like a mini boxer, which is a pretty dang cute bonus If I do say so myself!
Swaddle Me Swaddles
If there is one thing that took practice, it was swaddling! My son always wanted his hands by his face and had a serious moro reflex so just swaddling him with a muslin blanket did nothing for him and in turn disturbed his sleep (and ours). Ronnie would always get out of his swaddle and I would get so scared that he would somehow pull his blanket over his face so on a whim one day I tried out the Swaddle Me Swaddles and our lives were forever changed! They are super breathable and kept my sons arms down so he couldn’t get out and startle himself awake. When he started to roll over, we transitioned him out of the swaddle by keeping one arm out at a time during his sleep times and eventually moved him into a sleep sack where he could freely use both arms to roll. At that point a swaddle wasn’t necessary anyways because he didn’t jolt himself awake anymore. Swaddle Me Swaddles were a necessity for us!
Bottle Warmer
When you are bottle feeding your baby a bottle warmer is a must! This one from Phillips Avent worked great for us at warming Ronnie’s bottle quickly and it held up his entire first year. We are going to use it for Matthew as well!
Water Wipes
Water wipes were a life saver for Ronnie’s little tush whenever he would have a bad diaper rash! These wipes are 99% water so they don’t irritate that already super irritated skin when wiping during a diaper rash. We used normal diaper wipes during his normal changes but used Water Wipes specifically when he had a diaper rash. They also came in handy for cleaning off his circumcision while it was still healing- the nurses at the hospital approved of this for us but always ask YOUR nurses and doctors!
Gumdrop Newborn Pacis
These pacis worked great for Ronnie and didn’t irritate his skin at all! We used a plastic paci one day when we couldn’t find these gumdrop pacis and noticed he was breaking out a bit around his mouth. Ronnie has super sensitive skin so we couldn’t use plastic pacis for him and have only used the gumdrop pacis ever since. These are also great because they have that hole where you can place your finger in and wiggle the paci around in their mouth to help your baby grip the paci better while they are still learning!
Rohm Portable Sound Machine
So, we talked about how much a sound machine saved our lives when it came to Ronnie’s sleep. This portable sound machine was a MUST whenever we were driving, at the store or just out somewhere that we couldn’t have his Hatch Rest. The Rohm sound machine is wireless and rechargeable so you can take it wherever you go. This made those trips to Target more fun for mama so Ronnie could sleep peacefully while I shopped!
Alright guys, that it is for the essentials we couldn’t live without during those newborn and infant stages! I would love to hear from you all on what items you couldn’t live without, I’m taking notes too 😉
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