When I had my oldest, Logan 7-years ago I thought I needed to purchase every baby product out there and if I didn't I was unprepared. That is so untrue. While it can be fun to register for the adorable hooded towels, infant shoes, and a bunch of other over-priced and mostly unnecessary items, the stuff accumulates so, so fast and I'm here to tell you you don't need it all!

Blake got mostly the necessities and it saved me so much headache of hanging on to things because I might use them only to find myself with a boatload of stuff and having to declutter. And then when Ford came along I had it all (or mostly) figured out.

As I prepare for our fourth baby, I thought I'd share my list of favorite items and where to grab them. 

Velcro Sleep Swaddles

After 3 kids, I still don’t know how to swaddle with a regular blanket. Truthfully I love the velcro swaddles because everyone can do it and its a consistent swaddle. There’s no need to worry if baby wiggled out and the blanket is covering her face. These velcro swaddles are made of cotton and light weight enough to keep baby from overheating. SO many people will say that their baby doesn’t like to be swaddled and trust me, I thought the same thing. You can just swaddle your baby and expect that to just do the trick. Things like shushing, swaying/movement and sucking are also important parts to aid in calming your baby for sleep. Check out Taking Cara Babies online for one of the best sleep classes that helps your baby learn healthy sleep habits WITHOUT crying it out. It saved my life with Blake and Ford and they are both incredible sleepers.

Noise Maker this one is GOLD

As a first time mom, I thought that a noisemaker was low on the priority list for babe necessities. That was ALL wrong, I would put noise maker on the top 5 products that parents need for babies and toddlers. Blake, my 3-year old still sleeps with white noise during naps and bedtime. The reason noisemakers help newborns and young babies sleep is it duplicates the noises that babies hear inside our tummies. My kids’ bedrooms all open up to the same hallway and if one wakes up before the others it’s not a huge deal because they all have sound machines in their rooms to keep the outside noise out. I specifically like this noise maker because it gets very loud (we actually have one in the hallway to diffuse more noise if I’m doing things in the other room), it has lasted, some of the cheaper sound machines start to sound muffled and weird after a while, and it’s also controllable through your phone on the Hatch Baby app.

Baby Wash + Silicone Baby Brush

Tubby Todd was a lifesaver for cradle cap, newborn rash and eczema for both Ford and Blake, For some reason Ford had cradle cap SO bad but once I switched to Tubby Todd’s baby wash and started massaging his hair in the bath and after the bath with a silicone baby brush, it went away and stayed away. Tubby Todd also makes an all over ointment that works miracles on eczema and baby acne. Truthfully, all their products are amazing. They only use clean ingredients so you can feel confident with what you’re putting on your baby.

Diaper Rash Cream 

GUYS this stuff is the best kept secret and it clears up diaper rashes in hours. GET IT! My parents swore by this stuff when my brother and I were babies and it’s ALWAYS something I buy for new mommies. There are so many products out there but when your baby has a raw booty, you just want what works. THIS is it. Trust me!

Cotton Swaddle Blankets 

Both my girls still LOVE these super soft quilt-like blankets and there are a million colors to choose from. They get softer with each wash and the sizing of them is amazing as they grow bigger. These blankets make great carseat and stroller blankets as well as a ‘throw out in the grass’ blanket at the park.

Magic Sleep Suit + Sleep Sack

As your baby gets bigger and starts to roll and crawl, swaddling will be a no-go. And when this happens it can feel like babies that were once amazing sleepers are suddenly terrible sleepers. Don’t stress! There are options to help transition out of a swaddle. One product I saw splurge on is the Magic Sleep Suit. It looks like a spacesuit which is totally adorable but it is padded which helps muffle the infant startle reflex which is a common sleep inhibitor when babies are no longer swaddled. It’s important to get a good fit on the magic sleep suit because it is large and padded. Another great option to help transition out of swaddling is this sleep sack. It’s shaped like a star fish to keep arms tucked in, but not too tight and it allows you to slowly transition out of the sleep sack with the arms that zip off. So you can remove one side leaving the other side still tucked in closely. We also used the Nested Bean weighted sleep sack with Ford and I really loved it. It has tiny little beans inside the center to act as a lightly weighted hand on your baby’s chest for comfort. They make a onsie as well! As I mentioned before, sleep is gold and getting a good routine is a must. Check out Taking Cara Babies online for one of the best sleep classes that helps your baby learn healthy sleep habits WITHOUT crying it out.

Dockatot or baby lounger

I’m sure you’ve heard ALL about these. They truly are great when baby is nappy early on in the living room or the kitchen. Their website strictly says not to use them in a crib and when your baby starts to roll you’ll want to knit this. There are many more cost effective alternatives to the dock-a-tot like this baby lounger that $99 instead of $175. There are lots of colors and removable covers to put on them for easy cleaning too!

• Baby Carrier I love the Tula Baby SO SO much once they’re out of the floppy baby stage and the Solly Baby was a lifesaver with Blake when she was an infant. The Tula carrier can hold tiny babies but I’ve found that the Solly wrap is just easier for newborns. If you have to pick just one I would select the Tula, it’s so comfortable and versatile. When they’re able to hold their heads up - you can EASILY discretely nurse on the go with your baby still safely snug in your Tula. It’s really the best!

  I had this mustard heart baby carrier when Blake was born and recently left it on an airplane! I was SO sad. This print is BACK - grab yours while it’s still available.

Stroller

• We have a handful of strollers that we've collected as our family has grown. Most recently, as we added a third child to our family we purchased the bugaboo donkey with the wheel board attachment for my oldest daughter to ride on. We get questions about this skateboard attachments ALL THE TIME and it's so great so she doesn't feel left out, she's got a place to sit when she's worn out and I can keep all my kiddos in one place when we're in a crowded area. When I'm traveling with just the baby, I LOVE the bugaboo ant for compact storage, it shrinks down to nothing and can be rolled through the airport like a suitcase and the Nuna Mixx. All of these are SO easy to pop up and down for storage, drive SO smoothly and had great storage compartments to store ALL the things babies and kids needs while you’re out.

  We also picked up this AMAZING wagon stroller a couple years ago and lately, with Ford and Blake getting bigger, it’s been SO convenient. It holds all the things, drives so smoothly, still allows you to buckle the kids in while allowing them a little more freedom to move and look around. It also comes with a detachable shade. It’s amazing, compact to store for travel. LOVE it! Truthfully, you can’t go wrong with ANY of these options.

Car Seat

There are honestly so many good choices for car seats out there. For me I needed the car seat to be as lightweight as possible. With other kids, there are so many things that need to be carried that I couldn’t afford to have any unnecessary added weight. Blake, Ford and this new baby will all have used the Nuna car seat. It can be installed easily into a car or an airplane without the base. When using the base, both the base and the carseat are SO EASY to install - even I can do it. That’s be biggest complaint with the older kid’s carseats is how difficult it is to put them in my car - you need mega muscles to get them snug. The Nuna base clips directly into your car’s anchors WITHOUT having to tighten down straps. It’s SO easy. This one comes in a bunch of cute colors too!

Baby Monitor

We installed the Nest Cameras in the kids' rooms so that we can watch the monitors from anywhere. If we're out front with the older kids or swimming in the backyard while the baby sleeps, I can still check on the baby without worry that the monitor won't reach. We also love these long range video monitors for inside because the only downside to the Nest Cameras is that they will time out after a period of time and that isn't helpful for late night wakings. 

Both these monitor solutions can add additional cameras. The nest cameras are viewable from the nest app and the long range cameras can be viewed from the same base.

• Breast Pump

  I used the Medela Pump In Style with Blake. I got the Willow Hands Free Pump to use with Ford and ended up using it only a handful of times because this gadget collected the let down while I was nursing and I was able to stockpile SO MUCH MILK! I had a big stockpile but I also didn’t need to pump when I was away from my baby very often. The milk catcher saves around 4-10 ounces per day just by catching the let down on the other side. It’s INSANE and a total must have in my opinion - this milk would otherwise be wasted and why not save yourself a liiiiittle time!?

• Nursing Cover

   I love this nursing cover that also doubles as a high chair cover for restaurants, a cart cover and a carseat cover. This is Blake's favorite thing, still. She calls it her lovey, she sleeps with it and has had an attachment to it since she was teeny. It’s super soft and gives secure coverage while you’re out and about.
  
  

• Nursing Bras

  These are completely necessary but they can make life a lot easier when you’re nursing on the go. The styles have gotten SO much better. They now offer cute nursing bras that aren’t big and bulky. I got these soft lacey nursing bras for this time around. If you opt out of getting nursing bras you definitely don’t want to wear a normal bra or a sports bra, something flexible and easily accessible like a bralette works great. Nursing pads will fit inside bralettes.

• Nipple Cream

  I've been hearing more and more negative things about Lanolin Cream so I went with this organic nipple cream for the peace of mind. This one is a smooth consistency and is very easy to rub in unlike the thick lansinoh lanolin cream. 

• High Chair

  In the last few years they have made some major leaps on high chairs that are functional, cute and easy to clean. If you’re on your first baby or planning to have 1 or 2 more, I would DEFINITELY invest in a good high chair. We LOVE this one. It’s light, easy to clean, doesn’t take up a ton of space and it is SO FUNCTIONAL.

• Breast Friend Nursing Pillow
  

  If you’re planning on nursing this nursing pillow is a must have! My first two babies I had the boppy, it has a horrible design and I just remember my back hurting soo bad because I was constantly hunched over. This nursing pillow stays in place, the shape of it properly supports baby so you can comfortably nurse and it’s all around amazing.

• Bottles

  This is an obvious one but which ones!? Babies are all different with different preferences. Logan loved Dr. Browns and Blake and Ford both loved these baby bottles. Personally, I think Dr. Browns bottles are a BIG pain to wash. I LOVE these bottles because they are easy for baby to hold, easy to wash and baby loves them too.

• Bottle Dryer

  I didn’t have a bottle dryer when Logan was a baby but someone gifted me one when I had Blake and I was so grateful they did. Bottles can harbor lots of germs so it’s important to have a space that is designated for just bottles and baby stuff that will allow proper ventilation and air drying. We used this bottle dryer for both Blake and Ford - it does what it’s supposed to and it’s easy to clean.

• Bibs 

  Theses full sleeve, waterproof bibs are A LIFE SAVER and a clothes saver. They cover their arms and bellies completely and are machine washable. These full sleeve ones are great for restaurants too - they are easy to pack into a diaper bag without taking up lots of space and you can throw them right into the washing machine. I also like to double up put these silicone bibs on top to catch food that’s dropped. They’re SO EASY to wash. Can you tell I think things that are easily washable by now!? You’ll love these!

• Burp Cloths my favorite prints!

  These are made of cotton muslin and get softer with each wash. Something about this fabric gives me all the cozy feels.

  I also have these Burt’s Bees brand burp cloths that are so soft and they come in a bigger pack which is nice. The prints are also SO CUTE.

• Newborn & 0-3 Month Clothes

• Socks and Newborn Mittens

  I don’t know about you, but socks are ALWAYS an afterthought for me. Especially when we had Ford and we didn’t know that he was a boy until he was born, I had a couple newborn outfits for the hospital and then we got home and had zero socks or hand mittens. I was so thankful when a neighbor brought some newborn socks and mittens over.

• Bouncer

• Lovey my kids are obsessed with their "loveys" 

  There are a couple different types of loveys. There are ones that are tiny squares of fabric, Ford liked these. There are ones that are attached to an animal or attached to a pacifier. Ford also liked these. And then Blake really took to her nursing cover. For all the kids when they were teeny, I would make sure to sleep with their lovey after I washed it so it had my scent on it. When Ford is upset in the car, this settles him right down and I always catch him snuggling this when I get him out of his crib. 

• Playmat 

  This is the play mat of all play mats! It grows with your baby through each developmental stage and is easily portable. Ford LOVED this playmat.

• Stem Toys

  Here are a few of our favorites - Ford has played with this guy since he could hang on to things, this keeps him busy in the car and doubles as a teether. Crinkle books are ALWAYS a win! They're a busy, stimulating toy and can tolerate the drool. This winding toy is supposed to be great for growing brains, Ford sure loves it. And when he was able to sit these little guys are THE BEST. Even at almost 2 years old he still plays with these.

• Infant Tub

  Many parents do without an infant tub and opt for a sink bath but I prefer to have one. It makes bath time less rushed and everyone seems to enjoy it more. I like this one and have used it for both Ford and Blake and plan on using it for baby #4.

• Diapers & Wipes

  These are obviously a no brainer but I remember thinking as a first time mom, “there are so many options! which one is best for my baby”. The answer is only you’ll know what you love for your baby and what works for you. When I was pregnant with Logan it was a thing to have a diaper party where everyone brings diapers so I was able to try allll the different brands and quickly determine what I liked and didn’t like. As we’re about to welcome our 4th baby, I definitely have a preference for diapers and wipes.

  Ford has been using Honest Co. since he was first born and I’ve been so happy with them. I will say that they don’t hold newborn baby poop very well. For the first 3-4 months I love Huggies Little Snugglers because they have the elastic in the back to keep it all in but after the runny baby poop has passed I love Honest Diapers. They’re soft and absorbent, come in fun new prints and the best part - you can get them on a subscription plan for a discount. When Blake was a baby I had wanted to try them but had a hard time justifying the extra cost for what seemed like just cute prints. Honest offers a subscription plan that is SO AMAZING - click here for the Honest Diaper + Wipe Subscription

  • 7 diaper packs (18-32 ct)

  • 4 wipe packs (72 ct)

  • $79.95

  You decide how frequent the deliveries come, I choose every 5 weeks. You can pause deliveries and each shipment you can change your diaper prints and sizes. When you’re part of the Honest Diaper and Wipe Subscription, you also get discounts on their other baby products as well.

  I also really LOVE water wipes. They’re literally 99% water and are so effective - I find that I use much less wipes because of the texture and wetness of the wipe. And the best part is that there is ONLY good stuff in these wipes so you can use them to clean your baby’s hands and face without worrying that you’ve just put chemicals all over your baby. Truthfully the 4 packs of wipes that come in the subscription don’t always get me through the month/5-weeks so I usually buy a box of water wipes to keep on hand as well.

• Diaper Pail & Liners

  I LOVE having a scent trapping trash can for diapers. In the early weeks/months when baby is still sleeping in our room I keep the Diaper Genie in my room for an easily accessible trash can that can hold lots of diapers without stinking up my house. Once baby is in his/her own room, I usually put the diaper pail in the laundry room or in the baby’s room - anywhere it’s easily accessible. I prefer this brand simply because if I’m in a pinch and forgot to order the liners on amazon, they’re always stocked at Target so I’m never without.
  

What are your must-have baby items? Did I forget anything?