Congratulations! You’re expecting!!! It’s so nice to hear that my former clients and vendor friends are expecting!! Planning for this new journey is even crazier than planning a wedding… trust me. I have three – I know!  So many of you have been asking what products I use and love and so I decided the easiest way to share it was here.  🙂

Baby Registry

My two favorite places of all time to create a baby registries are Amazon and Target.  SO many of my favorite products are there… plus, you’ll be able to get a discount on the items that aren’t purchased from your registry.

Things for the mama:

Mother’s Special Blend All Natural Skin Toning Oil: Unfortunately I didn’t use anything this good with my first baby, but I definitely did with my second and third and don’t have any additional stretch marks from those really big boys!

Bella Band is so awesome for when you start getting bigger. It provides a lot of support and was able to help me get through long wedding days on my feet.

These sandals from Tory Burch are by far my favorite.  Nice enough for work, comfy, and open for my ever expanding feet.  I literally grew a half shoe size with every child and these were comfy and cute!

Dreft – A few weeks before you’re due, you’ll want to pick up some Dreft and wash all of baby’s clothes as well as your nursing bras and dresses you intend to wear after baby arrives.  It’s nice and soft for sensitive skin and our babies have not had any problems with this brand!

Things for the hospital bag:

I literally packed my entire house with my first which wasn’t a good idea AT ALL.  The hospitals provide everything essential for you and your baby… including nipple balm, diaper rash cream, diapers… you’ll really just need things to up your comfort for the two to three nights you’re there.

Car Seat – This is our favorite infant carrier and 100% necessary to get baby home in.  We had different car seats for our first two kids, both with the Graco Snugride, which was great, but we fell in love with this Nuna Pipa infant car seat which feels way more comfortable, not as hot, and is easy to clean.  The ONLY gripe I have about this car seat is that it wasn’t made for small hands… it’s a bit difficult to press both buttons on the side to release the seat from a stroller.

Baby’s first clothes – It’s so nice to have a little outfit to take your baby home in! Think covered arms and legs so that baby still feels warm and comfy and her skin is protected from the hard parts in the car seat.

Extra long iPhone cord – The hospital bed is pretty far from the outlet on the wall and you’ll be there for a while, so having one of these extra long iPhone charger cords was perfect!!

Dresses – The hospital provides you with a gown, but after you give birth it feels really nice to have something comfortable to wear that doesn’t feel like the scratchy hospital gown.

Nursing Bras – If you’re planning on nursing your baby, you should pack a couple of these in your hospital bag so you can practice and use a bit of coverup while you have guests.

Boppy Nursing Pillow – I love this nursing pillow. If you’re tiny, you may find the My Breastfriend easier, but I have bigger babies (8 lbs and over) and so these are comfy, easy, and save my arms from having to hold the baby.

Papayas – Yes, regular run of the mill fresh fruit papayas.  I SWEAR by this trick.  I didn’t have any papayas with my first and so regretted it after she was born.  I had a half a papaya a day with the second and third and was able to easily have bowel movements right after birth.  This is literally my gift to new moms when I visit them in the hospital. Do not skip this… you will not regret it.

At the hospital, they’ll provide you with pads and mesh panties.  Hoard them all… you’ll need them a lot longer than the supply they provide you with so make sure to pack them up in your bags to take home.

First few weeks for mom…

Fridababy Mom Washer – The hospital provides you with a peribottle to help clean your sensitive parts, but this Fridababy Mom Washer is SO much better.  It’s gentle and has an arched spout to help get in areas the peribottle will have a hard time reaching.

Postpartum Belly Wrap – This isn’t very comfortable, but it did help to provide the support I had lost and help to pull everything back in. It comes in stages too so I liked that I could add a layer for added tightening and then add another layer when I was ready without spending too much on this.

Dresses – Super comfy, easy to nurse in, and super cute! This is the same gown mentioned above, but it was nice to have several. When baby was first born I wanted a comfortable no-fluff dress that I could still feel cute in and these were it.  I could have visitors over without feeling too frumpy.  Baby just made a year and I still love these dresses to wear at home or for a quick run to the store. 🙂

Essentials for the baby…

Diapers, diapers, diapers… you’ll need a TON of diapers. A baby will use about 10-15 diapers a day in the beginning, so that initial box will only last you about two weeks.  BUT what I will say is that that baby could put on weight really fast too and you don’t want to buy more diapers than you need, so I started off with a couple of boxes of newborn diapers and one box of size one… and make sure you get the diapers that have the wet line that turns blue when the baby wets her diaper.  We have found that the cheapest diapers are at Costco, but you can always have diapers delivered to your door from Amazon too! We’ve tried all the diapers and frankly, our favorite changes with each child moving to whatever we feel like fits the body type of that child better. Our two favorite brands are the tried and true Pampers and Huggies.

Wipes – We’ve tried a lot but our personal favorite are the Kirkland wipes from Costco.

Diaper Cream – We have two favorites for this one… our babies have very sensitive skin prone to diaper rash so we like Desitin that stays on thick.  With each diaper change we use the peribottle to rinse and then wipes to clean up the rest, but do not attempt to wipe all the cream off. It’s meant to create a seal-proof barrier between your baby’s skin and the sticky poop, so as recommended by our pediatrician just reapply the diaper cream nice and thick like cake frosting until the next bath. If that totally grosses you out, then Aquaphor is a nice alternative that actually wipes off with every change. 🙂

Vaseline – If you have a boy, you’ll need a few tubes of these if you are planning on having a circumcision.

Diaper Pail – We love this diaper pail because it’s a nice place to put all those stinky diapers and contain the smell before we’re ready to take them out to the trash. When you’re on the go, this diaper bag dispenser is handy to wrap up those dirty diapers to prevent smells when you’re out.

Changing pad – We also love this changing pad.  It’s soft, contoured, and waterproof! Not necessarily recommended for safety reasons, but we put ours on a dresser in the corner of the room instead of buying an actual changing table. You’ll also want to get these changing pad covers to help soak up any mishaps.  Without the covers, the pee tends to ride up the baby’s backside… as I found out the hard way.

Changing mat – When you’re out, this changing mat is an ultimate go-to that can hold a few diapers and a skinny pack of wipes.  My husband especially likes this for it’s slim and minimal all-in-one capability.  Further below, I’ll share with you my luxurious option.

Fels-naptha soap – We love this soap.  Any time baby has a blow out, rinse it out, then rub this bar of soap on the stain and toss in the laundry basket until you’re ready to make a wash.  The stain amazingly comes out. No joke.

Puj Baby Tub – Once baby’s umbilical cord fell off, this puj tub was super convenient to bathe baby in the sink. As baby got bigger, we moved up to this Euro tub and as a one year old we are still using it!

Tubby Todd Soap and Daily Lotion – Remember how I said my babies have sensitive skin? My first two babies had cradle cap, eczema, and other rashes… but this third baby has been on this triple threat from Tubby Todd every day and has not had a single. skin. problem. yet.  We love this set because it’s clean, gentle, smells great, and more importantly my baby’s skin loves it!  If you fall in love with it too, they have big sizes and it goes on sale twice a year which is when we stock up for sure.

Hooded Towels and wash cloths – There’s a bunch out there… just don’t get the super cheap ones that don’t soak up any liquid.

Nail Trimmer – Baby’s nails will need to be trimmed every week.  They grow like crazy and are super sharp! My trick is to clip their nails towards the end of a feeding when baby is dozing off to sleep.  If you’re comfortable using regular clippers, these baby clippers work great and are no fuss. If clipping baby’s nails gives you anxiety I’ve heard that this zoli buzz b nail trimmer is easy and effective too.

Thermometer – You’ll also need a thermometer in case baby starts to run a fever.  Hopefully you’ll never have to use it, but it’s so important to catch a fever when they’re so young so have one on hand just in case!

Feeding Time!

For the first at least four months, formula or breastmilk is the best and perfect drink AND food for baby.  Your baby won’t need water, juice, or solids for a while. We opted to do a combination of nursing and formula feeding so that in case something should happen to mom (or mom just needed a break!) someone else could feed the baby without problem.  Of course, you can do what’s best for you because you’re a great mom no matter what… as long as that baby is being fed!  Here are some things we like for feeding!

Nursing Bras – If you’re planning on nursing your baby, you should pack a couple of these in your hospital bag so you can practice and use a bit of coverup while you have guests.  If you want to treat yourself, Kindred Bravely has some really comfortable options too!

Nursing pads – I also subscribed for these on Amazon. They’re super helpful so that you don’t leak through your tops every moment you hear a baby cry. lol.

Nursing covers – I honestly hate these. My babies hate these. They’re hot, awkward, and totally not discreet.  This time around, I opted for these nursing friendly tops, dresses and rompers like this one and boy has it changed my nursing life!!  You really can’t even tell I’m nursing!

Pump – If you’re planning on nursing, contact your insurance company to get a pump. It’s usually fully covered by insurance! I like the Medela pump here, but did not order it from Amazon as that’s not covered by insurance. If you plan on pumping on the go, get one of these adaptors for your car.  On wedding days I would skip out to my car, turn it on, enjoy some ac, and have a quite and private area to pump in. 🙂

Comotomo Bottles – We like these bottles the best as they are made to mimic the shape of the breast to reduce nipple confusion. Just get two if you intend to mainly breastfeed.

Avent Steam Sterilizer – After washing your bottles, you’ll need to steam clean that and the pump parts to prevent any bacteria from growing.

Sleeping…

Obvi you should get a crib. Here are some that I like!

Dock-a-tot – We first heard about this on a blog and thought this would be a nice luxury… but it quickly became a necessary item that traveled all around the house and to other people’s homes.

White Noise – We’ve tried a few, but this one is by far my favorite.  Not only does it come with different sounds and a light, but I can adjust everything from an app on my phone. So as the baby dozes off, I can dim the light, change the sound, and quietly put him in his crib. If you value your sleep, you should get one.

On the move…

Bugaboo Chameleon Stroller – We’ve had so many strollers over the years… cheap ones, umbrella strollers, compact, luxury, joggers… but this one is my favorite for the every day. If you plan on traveling a lot, I’d recommend getting this one as it folds really tight and isn’t super flimsy.

Carriers – I’ve also had MANY of these over the years and I’ve now narrowed it down to three different ones I love for different reasons.  Solly Baby Wraps are great for that new baby stage where you want to keep them close all the time and they’re still light.  For the occasional quick visit where you know baby will be coming in and out of the wrap, this modal Wildbird sling works really well and is super comfortable and cute.  I always keep one in my car. As they get bigger, the Ergo 360 carrier backpack will provide the most support for my now 24 pound crawler.

Nice to have, but not necessary…

Gathre Mat – This changing mat is gorgeous, slim, and sleek. It’s the upgraded version of your regular changing mat and the best part about it is that it’s made of vegan leather and wipes clean if ever soiled.

Fawn Design Bags – I love this diaper bag. Super cute, super comfortable, lots of pockets and doesn’t look like a typical diaper bag!  It’s also hands free when you need it to be and the company sells cute little adapter clips for your stroller.

There are so many other things for travel and stuff that we like too, so if you have any questions, feel free to reach out!