My top ten favorite baby items

If you scour the internet, particularly Pinterest, you will find more than enough blog posts/articles on “top” baby lists/registry items, enough to easily get you through those first couple of months just fine. (This is one of my top favorite baby registry lists from Mint Arrow, one of my fav bloggers! No point of re-creating it because she nailed it on the head with everything listed! I took note of some things myself for this go-around…) But I thought I’d share with you all a few of MY personal favorite baby items. Most are favorited from personal experience. & being that it’s crunch time (five weeks!!!), obviously this is all my mind is wandering to right now… baby.everything!

1. Wubbanub – A what?! Ha. They kind of have a funny name but the idea behind them is genius. Both of my babies used these, my first til she was about 2 1/2 when we finally (let’s not talk about the process) broke her of it. Why do I love this paci so much? For starters, I thought it was a smart idea to attach a little buddy/friend to the one item your baby will most likely use more than anything. My kids genuinely loved the little animal they bonded with. But the best part about it? We never (and I mean NEVER) lost pacifiers (how many does the average household go through?! tooooo many to count!). With the added plush animal, these little suckers are so large in size that we were able to find them consistently through out the day/night. And when my daughter or son would wake up in their crib frantically searching for their paci to soothe them back to sleep, it was never a task to find their Wubba (what we ended up calling them). This, my friends, is key. The last thing you want is to be searching for your babies paci to soothe them back to sleep at 2:34am. Trust me. Gold!
2. Essential Oils – You’ve heard it from about every mom, right?! But I love these for not only just my babes but for myself as well! It’s a household necessity that cures just about everything in the book and prevents so much sickness <—— probably my favorite thing about them! They have saved us in so many situations and I can’t recommend them enough. My girl, Lauren, (with YL Essential Oils) is offering $25 towards the start up kit (through March 12). If you act fast, you can take advantage of the $25 off PLUS an additional 10% off the total price (valid through today, 2/29). Contact Lauren through her Instagram at @theoilnp or feel free to e-mail her at theoilnursepractitioner@gmail.com
3. Humble Hilo Diaper Bag – I fell in love with these bags after stumbling upon them on Instagram. They mix fashion with philanthropy, the perfect combo! A portion of everything they make from their sales goes directly back to the people of Guatemala, whether it be for children nutrition, education, or literacy for women. You get to choose which specific project your money will go towards. Their Large bags aren’t technically “diaper bags”, however, I was able to use mine as one with the various pockets they offer. I actually teamed up with them for a blog post waaayyy long ago including a few pictures of how I utilized their pockets for baby “stuff”. Check out this blog post right here! & please don’t judge me for the poor quality of pictures… like I said… beginning stages of blogging 😉 *P.s. Stay tuned… I will be sharing a genius gadget that was created for mama’s like you & me, to utilize in bags such as these.*
4. Hanna Anderson Organic Pima Cotton Line  – I’ve been a huge fan of everything Hanna Anderson since day one. They make high quality everything which makes me want to invest into everything they sell! Especially with how much wear and tear babies have on their clothes. This is a new line of theirs and I can’t wait to put Jude in these items and share with you all! Their soft, ultra comfy, and made to keep your baby styling! My favorites are the reversible crossover jacket, baby soft cardigan, and the swaddles. Check out their whole line here.
5. Solly Baby Wrap – Baby number three… that’s all I gotta say. Mr. Jude will be living in this thing, I can just see it! But whether you’re on number one or three, wraps are a smart investment period. On those days when baby won’t nap for you and your dishes have been piled up for three days, strap baby in and get to work 🙂 Something about having them so close to you just soothes them… and I can’t wait to wear this with him on the daily! There are honestly a ton of baby wrap brands out there and I’m not here to make a statement and say that Solly Baby Wrap is the only way- I’m sure there are other great ones out there- but what I love about the Solly Baby Wrap is comfort, ease, and tightness you get after strapping baby in. They just feel all nice and snug without a worry of your wrap coming lose. Either way, invest into a wrap… it’s a game changer!
6. Moses Basket – We used one with my second and will again with my third… so I’m not sure if it’s absolutely necessary with number one (again, just my personal opinion) – but why I recommend investing into a Moses basket with multiples is A. It helps create a space just for baby. We have one very excited (I joke that she’s way more excited than Trav… not really ;)) five year old girl who canNOT wait to get her hands on baby Jude. She literally asks about him daily and wants to feel him kick every time I mention he’s moving… it’s super sweet. She will be an awesome second mommy but there will also be times I will have to be stern with her on “not touching the baby”. We’ve already established the rule that if Jude is in the Moses Basket, he is not to be touched. This is his personal space. B. Safety- Piggy backing off of point A, I think having a Moses Basket out in the open will help keep baby safe if/when they’re sleeping in addition to having other littles around. I want to make sure I know he’ll be safe if I walk out of the room to use the restroom 😉 You can find Moses Baskets a lot of places but I wanted to share with you all the seriously CUTEST little shop on IG that we just got one from and plan to use regularly. Her Instagram account is @plumandsparrow – Seriously, adorable!!! If you’re looking for a more neutral basket, try this one, or this one.
7. Freshly Picked Mocassins– If you’re into baby fashion at all, you know these are basically the Rolls Royce of baby shoes. Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating a little but you get my drift. Moccasins are all the rage right now (yes, for boys too) and no one does it better than Freshly Picked. The quality of their moccs compared to other’s are unmatched. We’ve tried various brands and always come back to Freshly Picked.
8. Video Monitor – I guess this one isn’t real personal or new news to anyone- ha- but I seriously don’t know how people do it without video monitors! There were SO many times I would think my kids were sleeping (or weren’t) and being able to see them helped assess the situation so much better! Even if you have to invest in a cheaper one… do it. It’s worth the investment. I would recommend this one and this one.
9. Aden & Anias swaddle blankets– Both of my kids loved being swaddled. I can’t tell you how much of a difference it makes to use good swaddles vs. the not so good. They help the swaddle stay tight which is exactly what you’re looking for. These specific swaddles are also known to be well liked amongst babies as they get older. I have a few friends who’s kids use them to soothe themselves to sleep, I don’t know if it’s something about the material or what? But they’re very breathable and lightweight. Win!
10. Rodan & Fields Eye Cream – I guess this one isn’t technically a “favorite baby item” but I’m gonna go ahead and classify it in that category because it goes right along with the essentials/needs for having a baby (specifically the newborn stage to a year-ish). As I’ve mentioned before, I sell Rodan & Fields Skincare (I talk more in depth about it in this blog post) and cannot say enough about this eye cream! It’s funny because I don’t know that I necessarily saw a huge improvement when I started using it… however, I obviously wasn’t looking close enough because I ran out and stopped using it for a few weeks and my black circles returned! I hadn’t even noticed they had taken them away! For a sleep deprived momma, this stuff is gold! E-mail me if you want to order or click this link and it will take you to my page.

Well, there ya have it! Ten of my most coveted baby/mama items. I’m sure there are more I could share, but these stood out as important ones in my opinion.

Am I missing any??!

XOXO