No matter how many children you’ve already had, there’s still nothing more exciting than finding out you’re expecting! But after the initial giddiness wears off, reality sets in that you will now be responsible for a whole human. Yes, a WHOLE human lol! Now you’ll find yourself bombarded by either google, blogs, or other moms telling you about every single item ever invented for babies that you’ll need. And trust me, most of them aren’t cheap. Babies are kind of like weddings, once attaching the word “baby” to it, the item automatically becomes ten times more expensive. Most companies know that moms will spare no expense when it comes to either keeping their baby safe or making their lives a little easier while tending to a newborn. But please don’t go out and spend your baby’s college tuition buying a million things for baby. I’m here to tell you, you don’t need over half of the stuff that’s out on the market for babies right now. A lot of it will never even come out of the box. I have baby items from my first born that I still have never used, she’s about to be 7 ha! You may even have some moms that will tell you all you’ll need are your boobs and diapers. I fall somewhere in the middle of the just boobs and diaper moms and the moms that will buy every single item down the baby aisle.
With just giving birth to my third daughter, I’ve finally been able to decipher through the baby “must haves” and the items that aren’t really needed so I figured I’d share my top five baby must haves with you guys. These items have truly made life easier with a baby. Let’s jump right in.
Baby Binxy Shopping Cart Hammock
This is a hammock that you can attach to your grocery cart and put the baby or even the car seat on and it makes grocery shopping with the baby a breeze! My favorite thing about the hammock is it leaves a lot of room in the shopping cart for actual groceries, which is why you’re at the grocery store in the first place, right? And as if it couldn’t get any better, they are so comfy that my babies tend to fall asleep in them while I’m grocery shopping. All of us moms know how wonderful a sleeping (instead of screaming) baby is when you’re at the store!
You guys, I seriously don’t know how I would survive without my baby wrap. I’m “blessed” with a baby that has to be held all day to be content lol. This wrap allows me to have her close to me, which is where she wants to be all day, while I get other things done. Like cranking out this blog, cleaning, or cooking, etc.! It also helps when we are out and about. Instead of having to load up my huge double stroller everywhere we go, I’m able to take my single stroller for my toddler and just wear Camille on my chest with the wrap!
I’m obsessed with my Graco Slim Spaces Compact Baby Swing. It’s your standard, maybe even “old school,” swing. These days there’s some super fancy swings on the market. They cost a super penny too. But this basic graco swing gets the job done. I’ve had the same swing for all three of my girls and it’s the one thing that most of them will stay content in without being held. It also put my two older girls to sleep every night so that I didn’t have to. I pray it does the same for my littlest baby as well when she’s a little older
All of my babies like room temp to warm bottles. I found that warm bottles help them go to sleep a little quicker and cold bottles make them gassy and hurts their little bellies. The Tommee Tippee Travel Bottle Warmer is my absolute fav! It’s meant for when you are on the go, but I use it on the go and at home as well. It has a thermal flask that keeps water very hot for you. All you do is poor the hot water in the top that comes with the warmer and sit the bottle in the hot water. No electricity needed, no assembly or detailed instructions, and it’s compact to where you can just put it in your diaper bag. You can use it for breastmilk or formula. For me, it’s super easy for middle of the night feedings. I can have it on my night stand next to the bed, instead of having to walk all the way to the kitchen and wait forever like you would with a fancy, electric bottle warmer.
With my 3rd baby I purchased the Itzy Ritzy Backpack Diaper Bag. For me, this was a little splurge. (I mean it’s no Gucci diaper bag but yall know I’m a mom on a budget) With me having a toddler still in diapers and a new baby I needed a diaper bag that has a lot of space and multiple compartments. I’m OBSESSED with this diaper bag. I love that I can toss it on my back or take advantage of the stroller straps, which allows me to be hand free. It has 17 total pockets and not mention it’s pretty fab if you ask me. It’s also made from 100% leather which will prevent it from falling apart from being lugged and tossed everywhere.
I hopes this helps you mama’s out some. Now it’s your turn, what would you add to this list of baby must haves?
As Always…Love you All,
Courtney N. Williams