Baby List: what we use and what we don’t 5 months later

A few friends are super excited to welcome their new additions and have requested I share my list. Six months in with A and I can absolutely tell you what we’ve used and what we haven’t. So without further ado, the must have list is below followed by my specific recommendations.

• crib
• crib mattress
• Changing pad
• 3-4 fitted crib sheets
• Sleep Sack (we have a few to try out and see what works best try out a few and see below for my specific suggestions)
• Ultimate Crib Sheet/Quick Zip Crib Sheet from Clouds and Stars/ Summer Infant Ultimate Crib Sheet (read the reviews see what might work best for you). These can go over the fitted sheet to make late night messes easier
• waterproof mattress pad (you want two)
• humidifier
• carbon monoxide detector specifically for baby’s room
• 6 t shirts (side snap)
• 4-6 sleepers/sleep and play
• 1 sweater
• 3 hats
• 1 snowsuit/bunting for a winter baby (honestly, we just got a Car Seat Canopy)
• 3 sets of washcloths and towels
• 6 onesies (you’ll likely get these as gifts! and for the first two months A would not wear them)
• 6 pants
• 4 pairs of socks
• 6 receiving and/or swaddling blankets
• monitor
• diaper pail (or a trash can with a lid)
• Baby bath (there are a million kinds out there so pick one that will work for you)
• feeding pillow
• car seat – find one that will fit in your car and not make your front passenger have no leg room. I have a corolla so this was a bit more difficult than I imagined. A very smart friend suggested getting two bases so that the car seat could automatically go in either car. Then getting two rear to forward facing when she’s big enough.
• diaper bag or tote bag for baby stuff and nursing stuff. You can go as fancy as you want.
• Some sort of play mat
• pack and play and/or rock and play sleeper
• Swing

Now for the specifics of what we specifically loved and what we hardly used:
Nursery Needs

• Simmons Madisson Changing Top plus a Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad let us convert a desk into the perfect changing table, that will be a desk again in the future.
• Ubbi Diaper Pail, Light Blue
• Sealy Waterproof Mattress Cover, White, 52 X 28, 2 Pack Lifesaver now that diapers are leaking more often.
• mybaby HoMedics SoundSpa On-The-Go We got two one for home and one for school. While it does take batteries it is worth it’s weight in gold.
• Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams White Crib Mattress
• Stork Craft Tuscany Glider and Ottoman, Espresso/Beige I can’t imagine our nursery or the midnight feedings without this rocker.
• Crane Drop Shape Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier with 2.3 Gallon output per day This keeps A’s nose from drying out and makes using the NoseFrida easier.
• Samsung SEW-3037W Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Infrared Night Vision and Zoom Of all the monitors we looked at this is the one we went with and it has met all of our needs and more. Highly recommend.

Clothes and Sleep essentials

• HALO SleepSack 100% Cotton Swaddle, Cream, Small A came home in something similar and this was her preferred sleeper
• Woombie Air Ventilated Baby Swaddle ~ Choose Size/Color (Newborn 5-13 lbs, Blue Giraffe) This was her second favorite sleeper
• Gerber Unisex-Baby Newborn 2 Pack Long Sleeve Side Snap Mitten Cuffs Shirt, White, Newborn When A was spending most of her time in the swaddles these were the easiest thing for her to wear at home
• Newborn Girls’ Sleep & Play Set – Fun Pink These are what A lived in for the first couple of months. They are easy and if you can find ones (like these!) that zip from the top down, they are worth every penny.

Car Needs

• We bought two of these and I’m sure they’ve already saved our car upholstery: Summer Infant Elite DuoMat for Car Seat, Black
• Graco FastAction Fold Sport Stroller Click Connect Travel System We use this travel system all the time and I couldn’t be more thrilled with both the car seat and the stroller
• Brica Baby In-Sight Mirror, Gray We got two of these, one for each car.
• Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30/35 LX Infant Car Seat Base, Black While we only needed one bucket seat, we did need two bases. Trust me, get two bases.
• Skip Hop Pronto Changing Station, Chevron This is a great way to change A in the car. It is a great backup in case you don’t have the full diaper bag with you. Bath needs
• Infantino Gaga Jittery Elephant we have a couple of these types of toys attached to her car seat and playmat.

Bath needs

• Skip Hop Bath Spout Cover, Moby
• Spasilk 10 pack Soft Terry Washcloth, Yellow (also great as spit rags!)
• Neat Solutions 3 Pack Printed Hooded Towel Set, Colors May Vary We use these as more than just bath towels
• Baby Aspen Baby “Let the Fin Begin” Blue Terry Shark Robe, Blue, 0-9 months This was just super fun and made bath time also fun
• NoseFrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator You might think this is gross, but I assure you it is totally worth it. Promise.
• Braun Forehead Thermometer This is now our family’s go-to thermometer.
• Yes To Baby Carrots Shampoo/Body Wash, 10-Fluid Ounce We just like how this one smells and how gentle it is on A’s skin
• Yes To Baby Carrots Face and Nose Wipes, 30 Count (Pack of 2) These boogie wipes seem to be a tad more gentle than the regular boogie wipes and A prefers them
• Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment, Diaper Rash and Dry Skin Protectant, 14 Ounce one jar has lasted us almost six months and we use it nightly on A as a massage lotion and when she has the beginnings of a diaper rash. It’s also wonderful on my hands from all the handwashing!
• Munchkin Ducky Hot Safety Bath Not only does this tell me at a quick glance if the water is hot or not but it also is a great toy for A to chase around the tub (with my help of course!)

Nursing needs

• Medela Breastmilk Bottle Set, 5 Ounce, 3 Count
• OXO Tot On-the-Go Travel Drying Rack with Bottle Brush- Green
• My Brest Friend Original Pillow, Fireworks Worth the extra investment. This made a huge difference when A was smaller and we still use it five months later
• Munchkin Deluxe Dishwasher Basket, Colors May Vary I can’t imagine cleaning our bottles without this
• Medela Breast Milk Storage Solution Great for freezing and making sure we have enough for school and home
• Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags, 5 Count I can’t imagine returning to work without this LIFESAVER
• Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags, 100 Count
• NurSit Basic Nursing Pillow, Dots Print (This is a Boppy knock off) We love the BrestFriend for actually nursing, but this is great to help A practice sitting and when I’m feeling lazy
• Simple Wishes D Lite Hands Free Breastpump Bra, Soft Pink, X-Small to Large trust me when I tell you no other pumping bra compares. Buy at least two.

Misc

• aden + anais Muslin Burpy Bib, Jungle Jam, 2 count and Gerber Organic Birdseye Prefold Cloth Diaper, 5 Count While we love these, truthfully we just use hand towels and washcloths as spit and burp rags.
• Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Diaper Bag , Deluxe Charcoal This diaper bag is cute enough to be a satchel and has enough pockets that blow outs don’t mix with clean clothes.
• Infantino Go Ga Ga Deluxe Twist & Fold Gym (Manufacturer’​s Suggested Age: Newborn and Up) We have used this practically every day since A was a month old. She still likes it five months later!
• Fisher-Price Link-a-Doos 20 Link Pack we added these to A’s playmat (above) and it really helped make it easier for her to play with and kept her attention longer
• Infantino Sash Mei Tai Carrier, Black/Gray I LOVE this carrier. I liked the Moby when A was smaller, but now that she is bigger, I like the ease of use of the Mei Tai.
• Fisher-Price Spacesaver High Chair, Stripes A loves this high chair. We love this high chair. It fits under our table which is an added bonus!
• Ingenuity Washable Playard With Dream Centre, Shiloh Because A loved the Rock n Play so much we didn’t use the infant napper on this, but I know lots of mom friends who were in LOVE with it. However, A does love the playard part and I love the adjustable height options.
• The First Years Ignite Stroller, Pop of Teal (Discontinued by Manufacturer) This stroller is discontinued but it is amazing. There are several that are similar and you will want an umbrella type stroller for when baby is a bit bigger.
• Vulli So’Pure Teether, Sophie the Giraffe There’s also an elephant but even though A is only pre-teething she LOVES this
• Neat Solutions 8 Pack Multi-Color Solid Knit Terry Feeder Bib, Girl These bibs were cheap and useful for spit ups. We don’t mind that we can’t find half of them anymore
• Delicates Laundry Bags, Premium Quality I actually just picked up a few of these at Target. It’s great for all the velcro things that A has (bibs, swaddles, etc.) and for keeping the teensy tiny baby socks wrangled
• Baby Einstein Jumper Neighborhood Friends Once A could hold her head up and was able to sit up assisted, we started using this with a pillow under her feet. Now her feet touch the floor and she LOVES playing in it.

Babyproofing and Safety

• KidCo Universal Outlet Cover – White – 3 ct These just make life so much easier for outlets we use often
• Safety 1st Grip ‘n Twist Door Knob Covers – 3Pack
• First Alert CO615 Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Battery Backup and Digital Display

Things we use occasionally or for a very limited time

• Munchkin 6 Count Waterproof Changing Pad Liners These are great for travel, but we don’t use them every day because the changing pad is easy to wipe off
• The First Years Baby Healthcare and Grooming Kit honestly a good pair of adult clippers is easier to maneuver around those tiny nails.
• Fisher-Price Deluxe Bouncer – My Little Snugapuppy A only loved this for about a month and a half. So we were super lucky to be able to borrow it from a friend.
• Graco Swing By Me Portable Swing This is another item that A only like for a short time and one that we were so thankful we were able to borrow from a friend.

Things we thought we would use more but actually didn’t (mostly because A let us know what her preferences were early on)

• Trend Lab Moses Basket Set, Giggles A actually hated this. We used the Rock n play instead and she was MUCH happier, But each baby is different.
• Miracle Blanket Baby Swaddle Blanket, Green with Beige Trim A preferred the Halo Sleep sacks to this one.
• Summer Infant SwaddleMe Organic Adjustable Infant Wrap, 7-14 Lbs, Small-Medium, Apple and Ivory Again, A hated this wrap.

Author: aurorameyer

I left the journalism roller coaster world for a more stable life in corporate America only to discover it is just as volatile and has a different vocabulary. View all posts by aurorameyer