Baby Must-Haves
On one hand, I can hardly believe that Rhett is already two months old and on the other it really does feel like it’s been a long time that I’ve been a mom! Motherhood has been a challenging transition, but one I have truly loved (you can read more about it here)! Never have I felt so out of my league and so in love at the same time 😉. I am absolutely obsessed with our little Rhett. He started smiling at 6 weeks and has been showing more and more personality every day. He is responding to toys and people by moving his arms and legs and making all kinds of noises when he is excited. His smiles have gotten bigger by the day! He is definitely a mama’s boy and is always busy!
I’ve gotten lots of questions about what we have been using and loving and so I wanted to share all of our baby must-haves with you! Along with some pretty cute photos of my kid 😉.
Clothes + Blankets
Pajamas are pretty much a staple around here as “clothes.” For the whole first month, Rhett almost only wore Kickee Pants footie pajamas! They are made our of the softest, stretchiest material and are so cozy. I bought 7 different ones in newborn size and 7 in 0-3 months. They do run slim and snug, and Rhett grew out of the newborn size at about 3.5 weeks old.
Other than that, we love L’oved baby footie pajamas (they are thicker material than Kickee Pants and run small as well!), kimono onesies (so you don’t have to put them over their head), and Kyte footie pajamas (like Kickee pants but with snaps). Bibs are pretty much a staple because of Rhett’s reflux and these are my favorite. And since it’s been cold, we have put these booties on him almost every day! We have the black, gray, and black/gray combo. They do run small, so I would recommend buying the 6 month size for 0-3 months.
Honestly I think I have purchased just about every item anyone could possibly recommend when it comes to baby gear…haha! In all seriousness, if Rhett was screaming and someone said the words, “You know what my baby liked…” it was over. Add to cart. But I guess that makes me a good resource when it comes to reviewing just about every baby item 😉. While every baby is different, I can say what Rhett’s favorites are.
First, this bouncy seat is the most insane rip off at $200, but worth every penny. Daniel and I are convinced that they know it works so well and that’s why they rip parents off. Rhett spends so much time in this seat and loves the little toy attachment! I bounce it with my foot while getting ready, working, cooking…anything. Lifesaver! The other item that he spends so much time in is this play gym. It has a little light up start that Rhett lays under for 45 minutes some times. Hands down his favorite thing!
Other than those two, we sometimes use this swing, but it really has a huge footprint and takes up a lot of space in our family room.
Car Seats + Strollers
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen that we have both the UppaBaby Mesa and Nuna Pipa infant car seats. I registered for and originally was using the Nuna Pipa because of the magnetic shade that is attached to it and the fact that it was lighter weight than the Mesa. However, Rhett looked really uncomfortable in it and would cry, which led us to test out the UppaBaby Mesa and we love it!!! Yes, it is heavier and it doesn’t have the magnetic shade that I loved on the Pipa, but the seat is more comfortable for him and it works so much nicer with our stroller, the UppaBaby Vista.
As far as strollers go, we love the UppaBaby Vista. I have no complaints at all except for the fact that it can be big and bulky. But that comes with the territory of being able to eventually use it for two kids. The car seat clips on and off so easily with literally the push of one button on the handle. We used this ring adapter while using the Nuna Pipa car seat with the UppaBaby Vista stroller.
And I cannot leave out the UppaBaby Minu!!!! While I think the Vista is definitely perfect for long term since we want more kids, I have to say that my favorite stroller we have is the Minu. It is UppaBaby’s compact stroller and it is so easy to use, fold, and takes up almost no room in the car. We bought the adapters so we can attach his infant seat to it and I rarely use the Vista now. If you aren’t planning on having more kids or travel and need a compact stroller, you have to try the Minu!
After reading great reviews online, Daniel and I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a Snoo bassinet. In case you haven’t heard of them, it’s a “smart sleeper” that sort of “rocks” the baby and responds to fussiness and crying to try to soothe the baby back to sleep. The first two weeks Rhett was home, he slept in the Snoo and did fine, but after about two weeks he seemed to hate the swaddle ,hat you have to use with it and would scream whenever we would put him in it.
About that time is when he developed reflux as well and I wanted him to be sleeping in a more upright position, so we put him in a Rock n Play next to my bed with the consent of his pediatrician. I tried just about every single swaddle on the market, and we liked the Halo sleep sack best.
At about 5 weeks old, I really wanted him to sleep longer than 3 hour segments, so we decided to try and move him back into the Snoo. Long story short, it is working so well!!! We put him down around 9pm every night and he wakes up between 5:00 and 5:30am to feed, and then goes back down until about 8am. Seriously incredible for a two month old! So, while I can’t say that you should go run out and spend that much money on a bassinet, Daniel and I think it’s worth every penny at this point! My advice would be to try renting one or wait until your baby is born to have it delivered so you can take full advantage of the 30 day trial.
We also use this sound machine that I love because we can control it from our phones as well as this baby monitor and an Owlet smart sock for peace of mind! I tried all the fancy monitors (including the Nanit) and this monitor is our favorite.
We have a farmhouse sink in our kitchen and bathe Rhett right in the sink every night. I had heard lots of great things about this $20 bath seat, and we love it! Other than that, we love this Aveeno body wash and Honest baby lotion. Rhett had cradle cap and so I researched what could help and found great reviews on this shampoo. It really does work amazing, and I think the cradle cap was completely gone after like three washes. Our favorite towels are these Burt’s Bees hooded towels and these washcloths.
Our first couple of weeks as parents we went through so many diapers! Not (just) because he was having blowouts or leaking, but because I really think you have to find the right brand of diaper that fits your baby’s body well. We started with Huggies because that’s what the hospital used, then went to Pamper’s Pure (which leaked the gelatin from the diaper almost every time), and lastly ended with Honest diapers. If you’re a soon to be mom, I would recommend not buying a huge pack of any one type because they may not work! As far as wipes, we tried the Honest wipes and hated them, but love the Pampers Pure Aqua wipes. Who knew finding the right diapers/wipes could be so difficult 😂.
I’ve gotten lots of questions about our Hatch Baby Grow changing pad and whether or not I think it is worth the money. We own two of them (one for our room and one for Rhett’s) and I’m not sure if they are worth the price. The fact that they can easily be wiped down when you have a little boy that can accidentally pee while being changed 😂 is nice. However, we have never really used the scale feature which is the reason they are so expensive in the first place. The idea is that you can weigh them before a feeding, record that weight in the app that connects to the scale, and then weigh them after to see how many ounces they ate. To me that was just way too much work. Also, it has given me significantly different weights than his pediatrician’s office so I am not sure how much I trust it’s reliability. To be honest, we just use it as a pad to change him on at this point.
The only other thing I would totally recommend is a wipe warmer! We use this one and it is so nice to not startle him every time we wipe him…especially during a middle of the night changing! And this diaper pail is the bomb. You can use regular trash bags and it never smells!
I really struggled with what to carry as a diaper bag because I am such a handbag kinda girl. Right now it seems like backpack diaper bags are really in, so I decided to try this one and it is really nice. However, I am just not a backpack girl! I started using this stroller caddy as my diaper bag and I LOVE it. It’s perfectly simple and streamlined and doesn’t try to take the place of a handbag. The structure keeps it from being a bottomless pit and it holds everything. Seriously I can’t say enough good things about it and am so, so happy with it.
Our other favorites are these burp cloths (yes, they are worth the extra money!), these pacifiers, this lounging pillow, and this car seat cover that doubles as a nursing shawl! And we use these little wooden signs for our monthly photo updates 😉.
Well, those are our favorites from the first two months! If you’ve tried any of these, leave your reviews in the comments as well as any must-haves other mamas have to try!
I was so happy to see you guys use a lot of the same things we do! The Baby bjorn bouncer is our newest addition and it’s the best! I got my second hand but still had to pay $100 for both the seat and toy attachment. We also have the Uppababy Vista/Mesa and it seems to be the best for our lil man right now also. I’m happy you posted about the cradle cap shampoo! This is our main ordeal right now, besides his reflux. Did you brush or comb it out after each wash also? Thank you sooo much for posting his booties!! Can’t wait to get my son a pair! He turned 2 months last Thurs. Can you believe how quickly these two months flew by?
Hi Kayla! Aw, thank you for the sweet comment! I’m so happy we are loving the same things 🙌 The time really does go so fast but it’s such a blessing to see him grow! I hope your little one finds some relief from his reflux 💛
Kekaroo peanut changer is a great alternative/ less expensive for those wanting something like your changingbpad but without the scale feature. It also is just a wipe down type material that is good for those diaper changing mishaps lol
Expecting my first baby in July! I remember looking through your baby registration post for help creating mine and now this list is awesome to help narrow down the important items. Did you end up purchasing a swing instead of the MamaRoo rocker?
Aw, so excited for you! We did get the Mama Roo but right now Rhett has preferred the swing (really just the bouncer)!
Where is the pacifier clip from! I love it!
Hi! What is the name of the carrier/sling you use?
Solly Baby Wrap!
The Baby Bjorn is sooo worth it!!! We love that it packs up unlike other bouncers that are more heavy duty and electric. When my little when was just a week old I took him to the beach and he sat in it in the shade and it was the best. Looking forward to reading more on your blog!