I wanted to take a minute (while it’s still fresh in my mind) to do a little post about my favorite baby products for newborns the second time around. Because let’s be honest, my list of must-have products is really scaled back the second time around and only includes the best of the best. No frills!
1. Milk Snob Nursing Cover/Car Seat Cover/Blanket/Etc.
This cover is great! I LOVE multi-function baby products like this one. It functions as a nursing cover and a car seat cover (my main use for it) as well as a blanket and a grocery cart cover. It’s really cute, soft and washes well.
2. LeachCo Infant Lounger
This was gifted to us for Ainsley and we have gotten SO much use out of it with both girls. They have both napped in it a lot during the early weeks (while supervised since it’s not technically a safe sleep surface) and I love that it’s super portable and can be moved from room to room.
3. Wubba Nub Pacifier
Ainsley wasn’t a paci baby, but this little girl certainly is. We love the Wubba Nub because it stays in place when they are little and learning to keep the paci in their mouth. We have three around the house so we are never without one!
4. Halo Micro Fleece Swaddle
We have tried a lot of different swaddles and sleep products but it’s a little funny to me that the one we keep coming back to time and time again is the swaddle that our hospital gave us for free when Ainsley was born. It’s a “swaddle for dummies” since it has velcro and makes it super easy to get a nice, tight swaddle that stays in place.
5. LectroFan White Noise Machine
Our girls both sleep in their cribs, with the room dark and the sound machines running. We have two of these sound machines and I don’t think they can be beat for the price and functionality.
6. Ergo 360 Baby Carrier
All the praise hands for the Ergo 360. We didn’t end up using it nearly as much with Ainsley when she got older. I had envisioned using it a lot for hiking and walks and such, but we did use it a LOT in those early months when the evening fussies would strike and she would want to be held close and bounced but I still wanted to get dinner on the table or do something else. I sort of forgot about using it until last week, when Collins was really fussy, and bingo! She loves the carrier, and usually I can get her to fall asleep for a short cat nap during her fussy period while I’m cooking or playing in the yard with Ainsley toward the end of the day.
7. VTech Baby Monitor
I knew this time around that I didn’t want a fancy video monitor since we hardly used ours with Ainsley. Something about always seeing every little movement and grunt and wiggle just stressed me out. So this time around we went with a simple sound monitor, the same one we have for Ainsley. I rarely use it since all our bedrooms in the house are close together, but this monitor has lasted for a long time with Ainsley and done everything I need it to do!
8. Keekaroo Peanut Changer
This is a product I didn’t know I needed but now I can’t imagine doing without! This changing pad can be wiped down, sanitized and doesn’t need a cover. I mean, I can’t imagine having a regular changing pad with a cloth cover given how many times we wipe this thing down. It’s amazing!