There’s a certain question I’ve gotten a lot lately, so I thought it would make a great blog topic! Several new mamas have asked me what products I think are most important after having three babies. There are several things that I used with each of my kiddos, so I wanted to share those with y’all!
I’ll start with the item I started using on day one with each kid: The Boppy Nursing Pillow. This c-shaped pillow goes around your waist while you’re sitting down, giving the baby a comfortable resting place while he/she nurses. It’s also helpful for others who are giving the baby a bottle. I highly recommend ordering an extra cover, as it definitely WILL get spit up and milk on it!
The Boppy Lounger. This is made by the same company as the nursing pillow. I love this little lounger! It’s a great place to set baby down comfortably. We actually have two of these- one to keep in our bedroom those first weeks when baby is sleeping in our room, and one to keep in the living room where we spend most of the rest of our time as a family! For some reason, these covers do not zip off for easy cleaning, so I recommend finding a zip off cover to use. I ordered a plain white one from this Etsy shop, but she has TONS of options! It fits really really well. Highly recommend!
Breastflow Bottles. I used these with all three kids. (Still using them with Dempsey!) These bottles are designed to mimic an actual boob, so these cut down on the fun little phenomenon known as nipple confusion. It is a thing, and out of all three of my kids, Wilson seemed to be plagued with the most extreme case! My let down was very different on both sides, plus he took a paci, so that’s three different nipple scenarios right there. This bottle was a fourth nipple, but it was a lot closer to the original two nipples than most bottles. This bottle does have a lot of parts, but I think it’s SO helpful in the transition from boob to bottle!
Boon Drying Rack. I think these things are so cute! And they’re great for drying bottles and pump parts. They also come in white, so that looks extra clean. I have two of these plus this little accessory to hang bottle parts from. Love this so much!
Ikea Sniglar Crib. I LOVE the look of this crib! Very minimalist and natural. I’ve used this crib for all three of my babies. And it is EIGHTY DOLLARS. Yes, you read that correctly. Sometimes the shipping is a bit insane, so it helps to group ship it with a bunch of other Ikea purchases. Even with the shipping sometimes being more than the crib itself, I still think it’s a killer deal. It does require assembly, but I assembled it myself and it wasn’t hard!
Wubbanubs. These are our absolute favorite pacifiers! They have animals attached to them which (a) look cute and (b) make it much harder to lose!
Pumping bra. If you plan on pumping, you have GOT to have this bra! It allows for hands-free pumping so you can actually use your hands for other things like reading books or folding a little pile of laundry. I still use this every single day.
Zip-Front Footed PJs. We absolutely LOVE Burt’s Bees pajamas. They’re extremely soft and I love the zip closure. The lazy person in me much prefers a zipper over buttons when it comes to changing diapers. And the footies keep those teeny toes cozy and warm at night!
Muslin Burp Cloths. I love the aden + anais brand of muslin burp cloths because I think the patterns and colors are so sweet! Plus muslin seems to me to be the most absorbent!
Swaddle Blankets. Again, I love the aden + anais brand because of the patterns! We use swaddle blankets for newborn swaddling, then we use them as car seat blankets once the baby gets too old to swaddle. I absolutely love these! Row 10 has some amazing swaddle blankets too!
A Swivel Rocker.I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Lee Industries swivel rocker from SummerHouse. It was a little investment, but it is beyond comfortable. And, it has a washable slipcover. This has been huge for those times when a burp has a lot of liquid behind it. You’re gonna need to wash that slipcover! I’ve used that swivel chair for all three babies and will continue to use it as a cozy place to curl up with kiddos for years to come!
Baby Bjorn Carrier. This thing makes it so much easier to get out of the house with a tiny. Especially your second or third tiny! I can strap this thing to my chest, get Dempsey situated, and go about my regularly scheduled program with Wilson and Lily Ryan. Plus, when you’re at home and a baby is crying and you need to get the floors vacuumed, this has been the best way to get the kid happy so you can get something done!
Rock-n-play. Those first weeks when we have our newbie sleeping in our room with us, he/she sleeps in the rock-n-play! It’s a small, light-weight bassinet of sorts. It allows your baby to rest on an incline and it keeps them cozy. I have loved our rock-n-play! And they come in lots of styles!
Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It has gotten all three of my kiddos to sleep through the night by the time they reached 12 weeks. Lily Ryan, my champion sleeper, was actually sleeping through the night at 10 weeks. I will say, if you are exclusively nursing, this is a hard method to make work. When it comes time to start sleep training, I have switched to exclusively pumping. That way, I can know exactly how many ounces my babe is taking in. If you value sleep like me, and don’t mind switching off of nursing to just pumping, then you will love this book. “Hell month,” as I like to call it, is pretty tough. But once your child is sleeping through the night, you look back on hell month and think, “wow. I’m so glad that only lasted a month instead of the rest of this kid’s infancy.” I love sleep, so I gots to get my babies sleeping good, too!
Honest Organic All-Purpose Balm. Of all the diaper creams I’ve used in my day, this is by far the best. It is gentle and heals up a diaper rash quickly! I have a tube of this in the changing table, the diaper bag, my car, my bathroom… And probably several other places as well. I love it!
Mamas, what are your favorite items?! Share in the comments! 🙂
Have a WONDERFUL weekend! XO!
