Must Have Baby Items
Each one of my boys has been very different as babies. The twins were bottle fed. Both of them had infant GERD and Keegs was very talented in the art of projectile spit up. I pumped for the first 6 months of their life and weighed down the milk with rice cereal to help keep the milk in their stomachs’ as long as possible before either one regurgitated it. After I no longer pumped we switched to special acid reflux formula that also had rice cereal in it. As for YoYo, I nursed exclusively until he was 13 months old. I totally overproduced milk with Yo and even though he wouldn’t take a bottle I had to pump. I would pump once a day, every morning just for some relief and most of the time I would produce 13-20oz in one sitting. He would not take a binky or a bottle and once he began solids he refused to let anyone feed him. We completely skipped cereals and jar foods going straight to finger foods. We would boil the crud out of peas and carrots and cut up bananas into an almost microscopic size just so the master of stubbornness could feed himself. With both of those baby feeding experiences, I used a Medela Pump. It was a must for me. With Goob, I decided not to nurse so instead of a breast pump (since mine is almost 10 years old) I invested in a formula machine. Bottom line, whether you are nursing, part nursing, and part pumping, only pumping or going formula exclusively using some sort of machine can make your life A LOT easier.
The formula machine I purchased for Goob is the Gerber Babynes. I think I am in total love! This thing connects to Wi-Fi so you can be upstairs changing a diaper, push a button on the app on your phone and the machine will start making the bottle and it will be ready for you by the time you get downstairs. The formula is also currently cheaper per ounce than the formula in the bulk containers. As well as the formula grows with your baby. Each level has specific nutrients in it to cater to the needs your baby needs to grow. While this post is not at all to debate what is better, nursing or bottle feeding, this is just to give options and explain my experiences with my various babies. If you plan on not nursing or can’t nurse etc. The Babynes has been a lifesaver for me.
As with any baby, changing pads are super convenient. I have one for upstairs, one for downstairs and one for on the go. The kind I love at the moment is the Planet Wise Waterproof Changing Diaper Pad. It’s super soft on one side and silky material on the other side with a lining that is waterproof. They are super easy to launder and are a good size to lay under the baby for maximum protection. Another option is disposable changing pads. I’ve used them and they are convenient, but in the end, I prefer the reusable changing pads and just launder them once a week.
Every baby I’ve used a car seat cover. When Bean and Keegs were babies, I used a thicker fleece type because we were living in Colorado. With YoYo and Goob I used a thinner t-shirt type material one. The one I am currently using is this one. The price point is amazing, it also doubles as a nursing cover and a high chair/shopping cart cover.
The one thing I’ve been using with Goob that I didn’t have with the other three kiddos is a baby sleeper type bed. I really wanted a Doc-a-Tot but wasn’t willing to spend the money. After doing some research, I found this one on Etsy. So far it’s been a huge lifesaver and Goob seems to love it. He sleeps in it in his pack-n-play. I also use it to have him laying next to me on the couch or in bed. If you are looking for a Doc-a-Tot type bed but don’t like the price point, check out DeepSleeepShop’s variety of baby sleeping beds.
All in all, there is an overwhelming amount of baby items available. It is hard sometimes to figure out what your baby likes, what you like and what you are willing to spend money on. It is always a big pill to swallow when you realize the snazzy swing you bought isn’t well liked by your baby. Trial and error is the name of the game when it comes to things you baby likes. I know I’ve made my fair share of wrong choices. While these items are all completely my suggestions, the smart thing to remember is that it is all just ‘things’ and that enjoying your baby and all the joy he/she provides you is the most important part of parenting.
