1. 8-12 cloth diaper covers. I HIGHLY recommend my friend Addie's diaper covers. She gave me 8 covers as a gift...we love them. Here is the link to her store : http://diapercircus.com/
These are the ones she made for Levi
2. 24 unbleached cotton prefold diapers. I really like econobum's unbleached cotton prefolds and the prefolds Addie makes!
3. 3-4 dozen cloth wipes. I bought these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040T80JA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
6. Wipe Warmer. Not a necessity, but my mom bought us one and I love having it!
7. But Cream. We use Dr. Smith's per my midwife's reccomendation. It works awesome. If Levi gets a little redness I jsut smear it on and by the next diaper change it's gone.
8. Diaper Sprayer for Toilet. We bought this one: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/bum-genius-diaper-sprayer.html
9. Moby Wrap. I was afraid to try it. It seemed complicated. But, I kept hearing that I should give it a try and that once I got it down I would love it. So I watched the video below over and over and practiced and what do you know...I LOVE it. Like, I can't live without it and I think EVERY mom should have one love it. And not only do I love it but Levi loves it. He has from the beginning and still does!! And of all the carrier options out there I find it's one of the cheapest. And it's easy to wash. Also, if you want to support a smaller company you can buy the Lu Lu Wrap which is essentially the same thing but hand made by a momma!
10. Car Seat. I highly recommend Britax. Fortunately, my friend Kaye had already done tons of research on car seats so I just looked up Britax per her suggestion and was really impressed. This was one area we weren't concerned with saving money. Our carseat cost over $150.00...but worth every penny in my mind!
11. Pack N Play. Totally didn't think I would need this ...boy was I wrong! We put Levi down to sleep in it all the time. It helps you to still get out and do things at night and during nap time!
12. White Noise Sound Machine. We use it as part of our bedtime and nap routine to help clue Levi in on what's about to happen and the womb like sounds seemed to really help him when he was littler. We have this one.
I figured there was no need to buy actual fancy wipes that cost a ton, so I just got baby wash cloths..an idea I got from Addie. These are only $5.00 + $2.00 shipping so $7 for 12 wipes...not bad. I love them! They work better than other things I have tried. I usually just wet several with water once a day and put them in the wipe warmer.
4. 2 Diaper pail liners. I got these in slate: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/planet-wise-diaper-pail-liner.html
5. 1-2 to go wet bags. I have 1 that Addie made for Levi..it's super cute!
6. Wipe Warmer. Not a necessity, but my mom bought us one and I love having it!
7. But Cream. We use Dr. Smith's per my midwife's reccomendation. It works awesome. If Levi gets a little redness I jsut smear it on and by the next diaper change it's gone.
8. Diaper Sprayer for Toilet. We bought this one: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/bum-genius-diaper-sprayer.html
9. Moby Wrap. I was afraid to try it. It seemed complicated. But, I kept hearing that I should give it a try and that once I got it down I would love it. So I watched the video below over and over and practiced and what do you know...I LOVE it. Like, I can't live without it and I think EVERY mom should have one love it. And not only do I love it but Levi loves it. He has from the beginning and still does!! And of all the carrier options out there I find it's one of the cheapest. And it's easy to wash. Also, if you want to support a smaller company you can buy the Lu Lu Wrap which is essentially the same thing but hand made by a momma!
11. Pack N Play. Totally didn't think I would need this ...boy was I wrong! We put Levi down to sleep in it all the time. It helps you to still get out and do things at night and during nap time!
12. White Noise Sound Machine. We use it as part of our bedtime and nap routine to help clue Levi in on what's about to happen and the womb like sounds seemed to really help him when he was littler. We have this one.
13. Video Monitor. I thought we didn't need a monitor....that they were silly and over kill. Boy was I wrong. I LOVE the thing! We have this one and have been super happy with it! I totally a convert that a monitor is a necessity!
14. Jogging Stroller. If you love to run or just want to take walks on more off terrain type trails than a stroller a jogging stroller is a must have. Levi loves going out and seeing the world in ours.
15. Car mirror. It's great to look in the rear view mirroe and be able to see what Levi is doing and he now enjoy's looking at himself as well.
16. A good diaper bag. I still don't have a diaper bag and the bag I have is an exploding mess. I love to be organized and for everything to have a place so this is really annoying. Maybe eventually I will find the right bag..at the right price...but until then I'll just stick with what I have.
17. High Chair/ Booster Seat. We have this one. I love it. Our place is small so this is perfect as it just straps down to a table we already have. It's also really easy to clean and portable. I think it's so great that there is really no need for a Bumbo.
18. Bouncy Seat. We have this one in a tan color. I love it because it's simple looking. I can't even count how much we have used this thing with Levi. We don't use it as much anymore but we couldn't have done without it. It was so helpful!
19. Mesh feeder/ teether. My friend Kaye gave us this one. We just started using ours when we started incorporating Levi into our dinner routine. I made breast-milk ice cubes(we call it momsicle) that I put in the feeder and he sits and eats in at dinner while we eat. He LOVES it!!!!
20. Floor mat. Our mat is great for naked time which Levi loves since he has bulky cloth diapers on all day...and will be very helpful when Levi starts solids.
21. 4-5 Pacifiers(you need them everywhere...they disappear easily!) I know not everyone wants to use them and some babies don't like them...but Levi really took to his well and it was really helpful in soothing him when we were out and about.
22. Swaddler. Levi weaned from swaddling almost 2 months ago so we don't need it anymore but for Levi during those first 3 months he couldn't sleep at night without it. My favorites are The Miracle Blanket and the True Womb Swaddler. Both contained Levi comfortably! We tried swaddling him with blankets ..like those cute bamboo ones...but he was too wiggly and could get out! We found it best to have 2 so if one gets dirty and is getting washed you aren't without one!
23. Sophie. Levi doesn't have many toys but if I had to pick his favorite it would be Sophie for sure. But he also loves his links(which are great for hanging and connecting things to strollers too.) and his activity walker.
24. Clothes! We have been so blessed and haven't had to buy much at all. Levi pretty much lives in Footie PJ's every night, and One Piece outfits during the day..when he has clothes on that is. When he was little and since he was born in December we needed about 7 footie pj's in whatever size he was wearing just so I didn't have to do laundry too often.
25. Burb Cloths/ Thin Blankets. Levi spits up all the time especially now that he moves around so much so we have to have a cloth or 2 in the living room, one in the bathroom, one in the bed room...one...you get the picture...EVERYWHERE!
26. A nursing cover.
27. Breast Friend Nursing Pillow....my favorite!!
28. Breast Pump. I don't use mine very often but there are times that it's soooo helpful! Like on roadtrips, or for making momsicles..etc.
29. Books. Levi LOVES to read so we have lots of books and our favorite is the Jesus Storybook Bible. It's a great children's bible.
30. Children's music. We love music in our home and listen to all kinds and though I don't prefer most kid music..Levi loves it and so many of the songs are great for educational purposes and learning scripture!
I'm sure there are other things that I am just not thinking of right now but I think I covered the basics.
We don't use a children's bath tub..Tristan or I just get in the tub with Levi. We have done this since birth. We don't have any special soaps or lotions. I make a natural, mild body wash/ hand soap for our family that we just use for Levi too. So those things cut down on stuff!
Hope this helps some of you momma's to be! Let me know if you have any questions or if I left anything out!
Other momma's out there...what did I forget? What are your go to baby items? Let me know in the comments!!
1 comment:
great list, and thanks for the shout outs! haha! ive got some things to add!
-organic waterproof pads to put under crib/pack n play sheets to protect mattresses! we've had lots of leaks, spit ups, etc that go right through the fitted, but those pads soak it up! :)
-if you cosleep,which we did in the beginning, i highly recommend a good quality waterproof matress cover for your own bed too! i would also put those pads i mentioned under elijah so that i didnt have to always change the whole beds sheets when he leaked, spit up, or my milk leaked everywhere! haha
-one of the best inventions ever is the baby bjorn bib. it is the one and only bib i use and its amazing. there are cheaper knock offs and they are not the same. go for the real deal!
-i like your feeding mat but was wondering if it's machine washable? i got a mat that wasnt, but did wipe easily. however, when they start to really get into food, it is a pain in the butt and much easier to throw in the wash (especially when dried mashed bananas are encrusted on and blueberry smoothie is sprayed everywhere! ha) ive really just started using tan towels underneath his chair (which matches our carpet, so not noticeable) and i change them every couple of days, depending on how bad it is. until i find something better, this is what i'll do!
-id also add that once they start eating foods (anywhere from 5mo+) its pretty important to have a bunch of spoons and forks that are easy for baby to hold, once they are ready. i bought these fancy stainless steel ones, but they are honestly too slim for his hands and he definitely prefers the bpa free plastic ones you find at target and such.
-unbreakable, reheatable bowls are nice, especially if your flooring is hard tile. we use silicone ones by kinderville and they work great, but im sure there are other options.
-i recommend getting a variety of bpa free sippy cups to see what your babe likes cause all kids are seriously so different when it comes to this preference. and i find different cups work better for different beverages. since elijah turned 1ish, he loved to drink everything out of a camel bak. the flow is much faster and there's no tricky suction. before that, his favorites were a soft tipped sippy cup. we tried the soft straw sippys and he personally didnt like those, but i know other kids that love them and i know lots of pediatricians recommend the straw.
-i highly recommend the 'munchie mug' a snack cup for on the go or around the house. we use it everyday and no spills or hurt fingers when he pulls food out.
-i think the best toys that have lasted and are still going strong through his different stages are books, wooden blocks (abc ones are great, or various shapes and sizes), musical instruments (especially small hand drum or shakers), balls, & play food--(felt and wooden ones are great for babies to play with, then they play pretend with them as they get older).
-bpa free soft baby toothbrush (elijah loved his banana brush) and fluoride free toothpowder or paste.
-swim shirt with short or long sleeves plus a good waterproof sun hat. we loved 'iplay' brand solid color one, it covers ears and neck.
-homeopathic kids kit by hylands, teething tabs, and gas medicine like gripe water or mylicon.
haha sorry for the novel, but i thought those have all been very important during the first year and beyond! :)
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