The Top Baby Items You Need
There’s a million and one lists out there on this very subject. Let me pare down the items to the actual items you need. I’m not going to list the most expensive or the most items that I can and in no way is this list exhaustive. However, after having three babies and gone through many of the “top products” here’s my list of ACTUAL must haves.
Like any list like this, it reflects my personal preferences, my natural-mindedness, and my desire for simplicity. These items are not in any particular order!
1. gb Pockit Air Stroller
We’ve gone through a lot of strollers. We’ve done side-by-side umbrella double stroller, cheap umbrella stroller, $350 practically brand new strollers (found on Facebook Marketplace in excellent condition for $50!), Joggers, and other types. There’s a season for different types and sizes. However this one is my favorite. It’s basically a glorified umbrella stroller. But it’s more compact than a normal umbrella and its a LOT more sturdy than a regular umbrella stroller. It’s the best.
Pros
- It’s compact and takes up hardly any room in my trunk. I can leave it in my car without it really taking up space and I am always ready!
- It’s an average price. No it’s not as cheap as a $25 umbrella stroller. But let me tell you, it’s a lot better than a regular umbrella stroller. It’s going to last a lot longer.
- The wheels roll smoothly! This sounds dumb unless you’ve tried a variety of strollers of different prices and qualities. There’s a difference. That super expensive one I had for awhile that I found for cheap – it rolled sooo nicely. This Pockit Air stroller also rolls nicely. Way better than the plastic wheels you find on the cheapest of strollers
- There’s a storage pocket under the seat! It’s so nice on a small stroller like this to still have storage and it’s a decent amount of storage!
- Shade. This is such a great feature on a small stroller like this! It has most of the amenities of a large stroller but in a compact, real-life size.
Cons
- Learning Curve for folding up the stroller.Although once I figured out the little tips and tricks, it’s the easiest thing in the world to fold up! **The secret is to lock the wheels before you fold it**
- Only fits one child. If you have more than one child that needs a stroller then you might need to find something else.
- No cup holder. There’s no built-in cup holder or phone holder. HOWEVER, I just strap this Skip Hop stroller organizer to the handles and that problem is solved. I’ve also had no problem folding up the stroller with the organizer attached.
2. Baby Carrier – Tulas & Wildbirds
Okay I get it. I just listed a stroller and now I’m giving you not one carrier that I like but my two favorite. Maybe I’m crazy…but I like multiple options and having tried a number of different baby carriers these two are my favorite and for different occasions and different seasons.
Baby carriers in general are the best. In that first year I hardly use a stroller…it’s all about that carrier. Now still put that Pockit stroller on your baby registry because that first 6-12 months goes by SO fast and you’ll appreciate already having it. But it’s so hard putting a sweet infant in a stroller so far away from you when they could be on your chest sleeping soundly for hours on end! Carriers are great for when stroller just aren’t an option – say hiking or a crowded event. Or even church! I don’t want to bring a whole stroller into church but baby is more than happy slinged and cuddled up to my chest the whole service long.
Baby feels in utero on your chest – making EVERYONE happier.
WildBird
I love the Wildbird slings for the younger ages. Yes you can technically use it for your 2s, 3s, 4 year olds but I mostly love the Wild bird slings for the younger ages. I’ve tried Mobys and Ktans and all were fine. But this high quality sling was the easiest for me to use, the nurse in, and it held up to my chunky babies that always seem to loosen up the knots I tie way too fast. The Wild bird is beautiful and in style, very sturdy, and easy to use. You can front carry towards you or away from you and an experienced ring slinger can even wear their baby on their back or to hold a baby to the hip! It’s an amazing versatile and classic way to carry your baby.
Tula
I love having a little more structured carrier as my babies get bigger and more wiggly. When my kids get around one year old and larger they are usually happier on my back and they start to get super wiggly. Yes I could use the ring sling at this point but I find it’s easier and more comfortable to use the Tula. By this point you baby is a lot heavier and the sling hold all the weight on your shoulders – not a big deal for the tiny babies but increasingly more difficult with the toddlers! I recommend moving to an ergonomic carrier like the the Tula that places most of the weight on your hips. I love how secure my toddlers are in this carrier too. I’ve had my kids on my back and completely lean as far back as they can and they don’t even come close to falling out! It’s great for your wiggliest of kids! I do not use this type of carrier until my kids are super strong at sitting up! I start introducing it after they start sitting up and use it more and more over the sling until we completely switch over.
Muslin Blankets
Skip the nursing covers.
Skip fancy swaddlers.
Skip Burp rags.
Skip the Changing Pad.
Skip all the things. I prefer simplicity. I prefer one item that covers it all. Enter the Muslin Blanket. It’s literally everything. When my kids are little I keep one or two in my diaper bag and it serves so many needs!
- They are easy to use as a nursing cover since they are so large and breathable. Baby doesn’t get too hot and it covers everything!
- Muslin Blankets are obviously great for keeping baby warm. Completely open they are breathable and don’t provide a ton of warmth. But they can fold up nicely for multiple layers and then they WILL keep baby warm.
- Don’t buy swaddlers! Just swaddle your baby in one of these.
- You don’t need burp rags. Wipe it up with one of your muslin blankets. They wash easily!
- Fold up your muslin blanket a few times and it becomes a well-padded changing pad and it cleans easily!
Made-for-Kids Essential Oil Blends
These are a must-have. Babies can’t pop pills like you can when they feel uncomfortable. They need support from you in other ways. When my first two kids were little I had to make special essential oil roller bottles for them. It was so nice when doTERRA came out with pre-made kid blends. Like seriously, where has this been my whole life??? These blends are made with the gentlest essential oils and the sweetest and most-pleasing smelling essential oils. They are made specifically for your picky and sensitive littles.
Here’s a little list of the top kid blends that I recommend and how you might use them:
Tamer
This is the digestive support blend for kids. The adult counterpart blend features fennel and that can be a little much for little noses. Apply to the stomach or the bottoms of the feet as needed for digestive support.
Thinker
This blend is for you or for an older child. But it comes with the kit! This blend is great for when you need help focusing. Apply to your hairline, your wrist, and/or the back of your neck as needed.
Calmer
This blend is for helping your child find calm!! We know that all of our kids need this – from the smallest babies to our teens. Apply to the hairline, wrist, bottoms of the feet, or spine as needed for a calming feeling.
Stronger
Apply this blend daily for immune system support! We all need some of this in our lives! Moms, Dads, kids – we all can use this blend.
Rescuer
Kids fall and get bumps and bruises all the time. Help support their little bodies by applying the Rescuer blend.
Steady
This is great for a child that need help balancing emotionally. Apply daily or as needed for emotional support! Apply to the spine, back of neck, and the bottoms of the feet.
Brave
Use this in moments of high tension – when your child needs a Brave boost! Apply to the back of the neck, spine, or the bottoms of the feet as needed.
Swing or Bounce Chair
If your children are anything like mine, and all children are different, it doesn’t matter what brand or type of swing or bouncer you get. My kids would have been fine in most swings or bouncers available.
The thing that mattered to MY babies…vibration option.
No matter what I put my kids in, if it had a vibration option my kids were happy and would sleep.
So any swing – expensive or cheap – with a vibration option.
Now I personally, as a parent, recommend getting a swing or bouncer that can be plugged into the wall. We were constantly, like CONSTANTLY, changing the C or D batteries on the swing or bouncers. Going forward we will only get a swing or a bouncer that can be plugged in!!! I bet it pays for itself too in the cost of batteries!
DockATot
This is one of the new items that I got with my third baby. And I’m so thankful that I splurged on a pillow! Guys, it’s pricey, I totally get it. But if you have the means then I say go for it. I have not tried the cheaper brands to compare. But I know that the DockATot brand held up incredibly well and after having survived a whole couple of years with my youngest, it still feels like new. It’s that great of quality. My baby always slept well in the DockATot and played happily in the DockATot in the younger ages. Instead of having a portable swing or bouncer, I had this and he was very happy in it.
Video Monitor
You need this. It’s about quality of life. Now I linked up one that looks pretty good and has the features that I like. Now I haven’t used this brand. We’ve used a couple of different BabiesRUs brand monitors which obviously are no longer available. So I’ll share with you the features that I look for in a monitor to help you find the monitor that will work best for your family.
Video
Yes you could probably get by with just a sound monitor. But let me tell you, video is so much better. You can see if baby is just making sounds in their sleep but doesn’t need help. You can see if a toddler is out of bed. It’s the best.
Swivel & Zoom
You will absolutely want this once your baby is a mobile toddler and can climb out of the crib or the toddler bed. You want to be able to see if your child is crying at the door or playing in their room. And to see the whole room you need the ability to zoom and swivel!!
Talk Back
Again this is for when you child is a toddler. When you have a sneaky toddler that gets out of bed you can tell them over the monitor to put themselves back in bed. It’s the best!
Multiple Cameras
Excellent for extra large rooms or multiple children! You need this if you have kids close in age that both need monitoring. We got on that had one monitor that attached to both cameras. This is so convenient for those with multiple kids.
Night Vision
This is obviously necessary since most of your monitoring will be at night!! Although it’s a little creepy seeing the glowing eyes in the monitor.
Sound Machine
Highly highly recommend. Yes we are tied to our sound machines and they go everywhere with us. Yes we would do it all again and still get the family used to the sound machines. It’s been that great for us! We actually kill sound machines…about two years in the speakers start dying and we have to replace them. We have used a variety of sound machines and all have been great. There’s ONE feature that I particularly care about and that it’s infinity or the continuous play feature.
Many sound machines only play for 15, 30, or 60 minutes. This just doesn’t cut it for our family. We like to have the machine on continuous play. That way if my kids get restless in the night, the sound machine is still going for comfort and I don’t have to reset it. It’s also great for nap time. The sound machine washes out the sound from outside of the room making for longer, fuller naps. It’s also great if we have friends over and people are too loud – for the most part the sound machine washes that sound out.
We also love the sound machine on vacations. It makes a quiet hotel room feel a little bit more like home. Plus it helps wash out the sound of mom and dad watching a show after bedtime in the same room or using the restroom in the hotel room in the middle of the night.
Everyone is happier. Everyone sleeps longer. Sound Machines are worth their weight in gold.
I linked up this Skip Hop sound machine. It has lasted longer than some of the other brands that we have used, is adorable for girls or boys, and the buttons haven’t gotten stuck after so much use and abuse. Stuck buttons is a problem we’ve had with other brands after lots and lots of use.
All Babies & Families are Different
Obviously all families and babies are different. What works for our family may not be the best option for yours. That’s why I’ve tried to break down why I loved certain options and what I didn’t like about other options. I hope this helps give new moms good ideas and reviews about my favorite baby items.
And yes I get affiliate funding if you click through my links to purchase products. But that’s not why I’m sharing – I’m sharing to help give honest reviews. And I add affiliate links to help pay for the cost of a blog like this!
Comment below with your favorite baby items below! I can’t wait to hear your own personal reviews on these items or others like them.
