MUST HAVE BABY ITEMS FOR NEW PARENTS
Welcome to my compilation of my must-have baby items for new parents. I created this list of great products that I discovered with our new child. I find that these products are worth the money and we can no longer do without them. This post may contain affiliate links which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a commission on products purchased using these links. My husband and I recently welcomed our newborn daughter into the world this past summer. During the months leading up to her arrival, we began planning for the items we thought we would need. When she arrived however we discovered many items that we had not purchased that were super helpful. Below I have created a list of many items we found to be must-have items for new parents.
Saving Joyfully Top Baby Items for 2019
Best Discounted Formula Mixer
Dr Brown’s formula mixing pitchers - When the baby first arrived I was unsure whether I would continue breastfeeding or bottle-feed her. My plan had originally been to breastfeed but sadly it did not work out well for her or me. When I began almost exclusively bottle feeding her there were a few things I noticed and wished I had an easy solution for when making her bottles. I wanted an easy way to mix the formula well and also cut down on the time spent making bottles. I found both in the form of this pitcher that cost less than $10 on Amazon.
Best Reasonably Priced Baby Bottle Sterilizer
Baby bottle sterilizer - while making hundreds of bottles every week I also realized without a dishwasher I was struggling to get the bottles as clean as I wanted. With this bottle sterilizer I not only could get the bottles cleaner but clean multiple at once very well. I also found this extremely helpful when cleaning my breast pump supplies.
The "Miracle Working" Baby Shusher
Baby shusher - Not a necessity but a blessing. This amazing little device has helped prevent a lot of sleepless nights. My newborn daughter loves it and it puts her back to sleep much easier than I can without it.
Best Baby Rocker
Baby rocker - We use this great little chair/ rocker on so many occasions. It's a great place to lay the child just for a brief minute or for a nap while you are watching or working on something close by. We loved the vibrating feature of the chair and so did our daughter. I found that my daughter loved movement and seemed to sleep better with this feature added to this chair.
Best Baby Swaddle The Sleep Sack
Sleep sack - My husband and I received one of these as a gift from the hospital and although we had considered something similar for her did not realize how helpful these would be. Our daughter loved to be swaddled and slept so much better when she was. I would say these great sleep sacks were great to get her to sleep faster and keep her asleep. We were not so good at swaddling a newborn the old-fashioned way so these are helpful for people like us.
Keep Your Changing Supplies Close By With This Changing Table Caddy
Changing table caddy - The reason I loved this item is it was so much easier to have everything close by when diapering and changing my baby. It is challenging to try to grab everything in advance before you change the child and this makes being prepared so much easier. We keep a pack of diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, etc. all within reach so we never need to run out for something else at the last minute.
BEST DIAPER PAILS
UBBI Steel odor locking diaper pail- This is not the cheapest item but it is a much more budget-friendly item than the diaper genie. I love the concept of the diaper genie but did not love the price of the refills. The UBBI steel odor-locking diaper pail might cost a bit more than the diaper genie but it allows you to use any tall kitchen bags. Having a diaper pail has saved me many trips to the trash can/dumpster outside our house with smelly diapers. It saved me time running trash outside and kept her bedroom smelling much better.
My Favorite Baby Bottle's
Avent baby bottles - Each child is different and I have heard from many mothers that their children seemed to have a preference of baby bottles. Our daughter seemed to love the Avent Natural bottles and so did I. I loved the ease of cleaning and sterilizing these bottles and the fact that she ate so much better when I gave her these bottles. The bottles saved me time cleaning them and time feeding her because she always took them very well.
The Awesome Baby Pillow
Boppy pillow - When she was born I had struggled through the last month of my pregnancy with tendinitis in both wrists which was quite painful. My sister purchased this pillow to assist me in feeding the baby and told me it was the best thing she'd had for her children. I began to understand quickly why she loved the pillow so much and why I would too. It made it so much easier to hold her for feedings with this pillow because of the shape and position of the pillow. This pillow fit around me and placed her in a great position to hold her close and even saved me from having to hold her at times when my wrists were so painful.
Take care of Cradle Cap
Travel size head and shoulders shampoo and cradle cap sponge/ brush - Cradle cap is something many babies experience as newborns and many parents struggle to get it under control. We spoke with our pediatrician and were surprised by her suggestion to use head and shoulders shampoo. After trying it we were both convinced that it does work. By the way a little seems to go a long way with this shampoo for a baby so using the trial size is going to work for most people quite well. The brushes pictured are similar to the ones I was given at the hospital to take home. make sure that if you did not receive one from the hospital you get something similar.
Best Baby Bottle Brush
Bottle brush and caddy - This brush and caddy were so helpful in getting the bottles clean, especially with the mini brush inside which was great for getting inside tight spots and getting them cleaner.
Best Baby Carrier and Stroller
Baby carrier/ stroller (baby trend) - This baby stroller/car seat combo was one of our best budget-saving purchases. My husband and I found this stroller on sale for $100 at Bed Bath n beyond after it was returned by someone else purchased at bye bye baby a sister store to bed bath n beyond.
Best Baby or Toddler Seat
Bumbo seat - My child is still too young for this chair yet my sisters both used them with their children. The Bumbo seat is a great little first chair for your child. It's small and fits just about anywhere, easy to clean and babies love them.
I hope you find this list helpful whether you are creating a registry, purchasing a gift for a friend or loved one, or just planning for your own child's arrival.
