1. The 4moms rockaROO – Alternative titles for this product include “Where Carson Naps” and “Where Carson Hangs Out While I Take A Shower” and “How We Keep Carson Safe While Everett Is Jumping Off The Couch”. This is my #1 newborn must-have item the second time around. We never had a swing for Everett and honestly, I have no idea how we survived. Carson spends hours a day in this thing. Basically, any time I cannot hold him/wear him, he’s in the rockaROO. It’s amazing. After I put Everett down for a nap every afternoon, I nurse Carson, swaddle him, and stick him in there so I can eat my turkey sandwich in peace. Most days he naps like that for 1.5-2 hours. The best part about the rockaROO? It’s small and nice to look at, basically the opposite of all other baby swings.
2. Swaddleme Wraps – When expecting moms ask me what to register for, this is my first recommendation. Swaddleme wraps have saved our sleep, our sanity, and most importantly: our marriage. I cannot recommend them enough. Buy multiples in every size and thank me later.
3. Favorite Footed Jammies – When it comes to newborn jams, I love the ones that zip up (SO much better than dealing with buttons in the middle of the night!). Gap jammies last forever, hold up great in the wash, and are supa soft. Let’s be real though—I’ll probably buy anything that says “yay!” on it.
4. Puj tub – When Carson came home, he weighed a little over 5 pounds. That is teeny tiny, and almost impossible to bathe without the help of the puj tub. It fits perfectly in our small bathroom sink, and Carson loves the feeling of the water running over him. We also have the 4moms infant tub and plan to use that one when Carson outgrows the puj.
5. Ubbi Diaper Pail – You guys. It sounds gross but I am having a serious love affair with this diaper pail. The Ubbi was the most wanted item on my baby wishlist (thanks, Mom!) and I cannot say enough good things about it. It holds SO MANY DIAPERS. It’s sleek and modern looking, doesn’t smell, and you can use ANY bag inside. It’s expensive, but totally worth the investment when you consider how much you use a diaper pail. We are still years away from being a diaper-free house so it made sense to get the best of the best. And really: this is the best of the best diaper pails, in my humble opinion.
6. Natural White Noise Machine – Long story short—my mom bought us this sound machine for Everett and we all slowly became obsessed with it. I knew I wanted another one for Carson’s room and thankfully received one at my baby sprinkle (thanks, Lauren!). This thing is the real deal. No whale sounds, no heartbeats, no ocean waves or creepy frog noises. Just straight up, vacuum-like, put-you-to-sleep, white noise. Cue: angels singing during naptime. Worth every penny and then some.
7. Aden + Anais Muslin Burpy Bibs – My kids are major spitter-uppers. Like, after every feeding, they spit up half of what they just ate. It’s gross. There is spit-up everywhere: on me, on my clothes, on them, on their clothes, on the bed, on the couch, on the floor, in the swing. Needless to say, we have burp cloths all over the house. Five in every room at all times. One under Carson’s head at all times. I wash about 30 of them a week, over and over again. These burpy bibs are the best ones I have found. They are super absorbent, super thick, last through multiple spit-up attacks, and wash VERY well. They also have snaps so you can use them as bibs (brilliant!). I have two of these and will definitely be ordering some more.
8. The Joovy Boob Bottle – I saved a lot of stuff from Everett, but somehow all of our bottles went missing. When Carson was four days old, we took him to the baby store (before my panic attack at the drive-thru) and picked up one of these bottles. I hadn’t done any research and couldn’t remember what kind of bottles we used for Everett, so I ended up asking the store manager for advice. He’s helped up multiple times with various purchases and I trust his opinion so when he recommended the Joovy bottle (“It’s the next best thing to a boob!”), I was sold. Sure enough, the first time we gave Carson a bottle (at four weeks), he took it just fine. When it comes to things like bottles and pacifiers, I really don’t have a strong preference, so long as my kid takes it. The Joovy bottle is 100% Carson approved, if that means anything to you.
Any other newborn faves I should know about?
