Must have recommendations

Question

Hey all! I was wondering what some of your ‘must haves’ are and some stuff you personally found pointless. My little boy is due in February and I’m trying to get a better idea of what I believe I’ll actually need vs what’s hyped up but not all it’s made out to be. Thanks in advance!

Answer

Extra Aquaphor, especially if circumcision is on your radar, boppy pillow for feeds and tummy time, bouncer seat, Genexa or Tylenol (don't overdo it but having a bottle won't hurt), a nose picker, vitamin D drops, puppy pads (seriously lol- we used some and I'm so glad we did; my son peed EVERYWHERE all the time in the beginning). I always recommend putting a luggage tag on the carseat with babies emergent information on it as well. 
Things I got and never needed: gas drops, Saline drops, infant carrier cover, stroller clips. I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of. 
Things I got and are convenient but could've gone without: extra bottles and nipples (takes away from washing as often for me), diaper caddy, 2 pack n plays (one for home, one for travel).

Answer

A carrier (like a ring sling, woven wrap, structured carrier), Hatch white noise machine, Elvis Curve or Haakaa (if breastfeeding), swaddle sacks.

Answer

My first advice is to comb through the registry guide from gentlenursery.com. Her list is helpful and she has links to nontoxic options for the most popular product choices. I wish I had done this for my first baby because it would have saved me a bunch of money replacing items later on with nontoxic options. 
Anyway, here’s a few of my favorite things:
Woolino sleep sacks, Avocado or Naturepedic crib mattress and waterproof mattress protector, GOTS certified organic sheets (tons of different options, but a few of my favorites are Coyuchi, Burt’s bees, Pottery Barn, Naturepedic), a nonpainted crib (we love the Oeuf sparrow), Babybjorn bouncer, Nuna Sena playyard, Lovevery play mat, Nuna Pipa car seat, lots of organic muslin washcloths, changing pad liners, Ergobaby Embrace carrier, Pipette baby wash, Tubby Todd all over ointment, Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair

Answer

One thing that we loved that other people said would be pointless is the bottle warmer. We also loveeeee the frida baby snot sucker. The things I thought I HAD to have that actually ended up being useless: newbown socks, diaper cream spatula (hardly ever deal with diaper rash) shopping cart cover, wipe warmer, bottle sterilizer (we used the dishwasher), and the diaper genie (we just put the diapers in the regular trash) my hot take is also that infant carrier car seats are dumb. Just get a graco 4 ever. Those infant carrier seats are so heavy, and I had a tiny baby so if I thought that imagine if you had a 8 pound baby. I just baby wore when we went out before my son could sit up on his own. I also did not like the boppy for nursing. I did use it for tummy time though. I love both the moby wrap and the ergo baby structured carrier. I also splurged and bough all of those frida mom postpartum items and ended up with a c section so i did not use any of if. You really don’t need a lot.

Answer

The one thing that I’m surprised that I use almost daily is a dockatot. I would have never bought one, but someone gifted it to me. My baby girl naps like a champ during the day! She’s been so comfortable lounging in it since the day we got home from the hospital. She doesn’t use it at night though.
The stuff that I seldom/never use….
1. Swaddles. I know some babies love being swaddled. But mine preferred a sleep sack from day 1 because she wanted to have her hands free.
2. Bassinet. She hated the Halo. She sleeps just fine in a pack n play.
3. Pacifiers. I have a ton of different kinds of pacifiers. She won’t take any of them.
4. Baby wrap. Every time I try to put her in it, she balls up like an armadillo.
I know some babies love these things. That’s just my experience. Each baby is so different.

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