Welcome to a new weekly segment I call Wednesday's Weekly Wonders in which I share with you all, a compilation list of my personal top recommended products in various categories. Why do you want my opinion, do you ask? ...because I am a real person, a mom of two young kids, an educated individual, and because, why not?
This week's collection of awesomeness:
My TOP 20 Must-Have Baby Products
This collection includes my favorite products to have on hand during that first year of life with a baby. It includes toys, breastfeeding/pumping supplies, sleep and relaxation spaces, and other care supplies. Are there more must-have items out there? Absolutely... but after having my first child and scrambling to get ALL THE THINGS, I realized with my son just how much a lot of it was unnecessary and these were all the best things I had for my daughter that I carried over and also used for my son. Let's dive in!
If you just want to scan through the full list right inside Amazon, you can jump in here.
This week's collection of awesomeness:
My TOP 20 Must-Have Baby Products
This collection includes my favorite products to have on hand during that first year of life with a baby. It includes toys, breastfeeding/pumping supplies, sleep and relaxation spaces, and other care supplies. Are there more must-have items out there? Absolutely... but after having my first child and scrambling to get ALL THE THINGS, I realized with my son just how much a lot of it was unnecessary and these were all the best things I had for my daughter that I carried over and also used for my son. Let's dive in!
If you just want to scan through the full list right inside Amazon, you can jump in here.
Sleep/Diapering
 | This set comes with the pack n play, a changing table, a bassinet and a basket attachment. We have used this in place of a standard, traditional crib for our babies' full time sleep space, and it has made travel so convenient since we don't have to worry about them not sleeping due to being in an unfamiliar bed - since they have their own, no matter where we are. |
| While babies can certainly sleep on the pack n play mat, I wanted to let my babies have a tad more comfort, so we got this trifold matress from hiccapop. The design looks like it may have changed a bit since we purchased it almost 3 years ago, but this mattress has been great for my littles! |  |
 | Many new parents opt for the Hatch brand sound machine/light combo - which are fabulous and can be controlled with your phone, but if you are looking for something a little cheaper with similar features minus the phone app, this little guy is a great alternative! I like that this one also displays the time, so if you are up in the middle of the night with baby and have lost all track of time or day, it can steer you back into reality a tad! |
| The Diaper Genie is a very popular diaper disposal option, but I didn't love that you could only use it with specialty bags. The Ubbi Diaper Pail still has excellent odor control but works with standard tall kitchen bags, which you likely already have in your homes. |  |
Seats/Carriers/Outings
 | We love the versitility of the swing/rocker! If baby is feeling like he needs mom to be in eyesight, I can take the swing seat off the frame and set him up next to me in the kitchen or where ever I may need to get something accomplished. I also love that you can twist the seat direction allowing for either forward/back motion or side to side. My babies had different preferences, so that is an awesome feature! |
| This over the chair sling seat has been incredible for going over to friends' homes or traveling. No high chair? No problem, because you simply put this over a standard chair and it safely props your little human up for meals (or just a break from mom and dad's arms). I always keep this in our diaper bag and it has come in handy countless times! |  |
 | I adore this wrap carrier! There is a small learning curve when you first try it out, but once you get it down, the process is really a breeze and it is a gamechanger for when your baby NEEDS to be held throughout the day but you NEED to accomplish SOMETHING! My son didn't spend quite as much time in it as my daughter did, but it still came in clutch on many occasions. This is another item I always keep in the diaper bag. You never know when the carseat just isn't gonna cut it on an outing! |
Now this one REALLY comes in clutch when you have a 2nd kiddo, but since we now have it, I can't imagine not having it. This wagon has a seat belt on either end so two children can ride securely with feet in the middle. It has a great amount of space, so with one child, you can easily put the baby on one end and any stuff you need for your outing on the other. Now, of course, the seat belt (only a waist belt) isn't paractical for a young baby - really ideal for a sturdy sitter and beyond - BUT I have had perfectly good success with taking baby on outings in a Bumbo seat inside the wagon or nestling our Graco Infant Carseat into it as well!
Clothing
| Don't do it. Don't fall into the trap of getting a billion adorable outfits for your newborn baby - and for all that is good in the world, AVOID BUTTONS. I get it, they look so darling in the fancy little dresses and buttonup shirts, but it is really not worth the hassle. Baby is uncomfortable, they are a pain to take on and off, and even with the best of intentions, that adorable get-up is destined to be ruined within the hour you put it on. Just keep it simple. Snag a few 3-4 packs of simple, zip up footie jammies and you are set for the first 6-9 months (longer if you'd like!) This line of footie jammies goes up to 9 months. This is perfect because it brings you right up to the moving stage of life when baby is ready to have full access to his/her feet for standing traction. Before this, there is no need for anythng fancy! |  |
 | Ok, this one is for mom! If you are planning to nurse and/or pump, this bra is a great find! I found it to be very comfortable so I wore it at all times, but it made it so much more convenient for both pumping and breastfeeding because of the access flaps for holding your pump flanges in place as well as the typical nursing bra snaps for feeding baby directly from the tap. |
Feeding and Meal Prep
| First of all, I recommend getting your pump through your insurance, if possible! I was able to get this pump almost fully paid for through my insurance via a program called Aeroflow Breastpumps. They bill your insurance directly and you just pay for overages of what your insurance won't cover, There is no available listing on Amazon, but I also highly recommend the Spectra S9 model - which I got through this same program when I had my son. It has similar suction power and uses all the same flanges and parts so I was able to use them interchangeably with minimal effort to switch devices. The S9 offers portability, which was really nice because I could do light work (with minimal bending) around the house while I pumped rather than being glued to the couch for hours a day pumping. This was a crucial change with a toddler to entertain with my second! |  |
 | This pump was fantastic as well. I used this one in the car or out and about (with a loose sweatshirt on) or again, while doing chores around the house. I used this pump with both babies and loved it! This set is a cheaper alternative to the popular Momcozy or Elvie brands. The wearable nature of these helps bring you back to a sense of normalcy in the new nursing mom world! |
| A lot of baby spoons have blunt tips that make it difficult to scoop every bit of baby puree out of the container. These, however, have the perfect edge for scraping the bowl clean while also having the soft feel in baby's mouth. I love these spoons. |  |
 | I know, this one seems out of place, but not everyone has kitchen scissors/shears in their kitchen arsenal and they come in CRUCIAL when it comes to prepping solids for baby! I use our kitchen scissors for every meal and it allows baby to eat almost everything we eat much earlier on because you have way more control over the size of the pieces of food without the effort it can sometimes take to cut things with a knife. For example - pizza? -- A THOUSAND times easier to cut into teeny tiny bits with scissors than with a knife or pizza cutter. Just try them, you will never look back. |
| This cutting tool has been great for introducing new foods in safe sizes. It also gives a little texture to the food for easier gripping if you choose to give food in stick form for baby led weaning! As a bonus, this is also safe for my toddler to use when she wants to help in the kitchen! |  |
Toys and Play Space
 | This toy is still just as popular with my toddler as it is for my baby! All the different features keep him busy longer than any other toy we own and it is fanastic for teething with all the silicone pullstrings with varied textures on each end. The pop-it style buttons and sliding button are awesome additions as well. |
| My babies have both loved these textured squeaky ball toys. They are simple, but great for sensory and tactile stimulation. |  |
 | We love this walker toy from VTech. Both my kids had great success building their walking strength using this toy. They also love all the features of the front, which can also be removed for play separately. I highly recommend it! |
| Busy Board Book It is never too early to get started with basic shapes, color, number, letter and fine motor skill exposure! We LOVE this fabric activity book and have had it since my daughter was under 1. There are lots of pieces to keep track of, but as long as you stay on top of it at the end of each play session, it works great! We have had this for over 2 years and it still gets played with several times a week by both kiddos. It helped my daughter learn her colors and shapes very early! |  |
 | Rainbow Panel Play Pen This play pen set has been amazing for our family. The pieces come apart in sets of two allowing you to use as many or as few as needed for your space. You can also get the gate attachment - sold separately for easy entrance for the adults of the home. We have 2 full sets of these! |
So there you have it! My Top 20 most recommended baby/mom items for the 1st year of life with a baby! Let me know in the comments if you have any of these items or if you have any other favorites not yet on the list! I'm sure any new mamas who happen upon this page will be glad to hear from their fellow moms' real experiences!
Again, if you want to check out the full list directly on Amazon - Check it out HERE!
Again, if you want to check out the full list directly on Amazon - Check it out HERE!
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