no. 1 I buy most of my baby clothes at consignment shops like Kid to Kid. Since babies grow out of their clothes so fast it’s hard to justify a whole wardrobe of expensive clothes. I do like to spend a little bit more on the essentials like H & M onesies. Their onesies are so soft and made of 100% organic cotton.
no. 2 Babies don’t really need shoes until they are walking but it’s still fun to have the “look” of shoes which is why I love Trumpette socks. We used them with Jett almost every single day and we always got tons of compliments on them. They stretch out so we were using them forever.
no. 3 Jane got a cold before she was even two weeks old and the NoseFrida plus Little Remedies Saline Spray saved our lives. It was the only way I could get her nose cleared. The NoseFrida is pretty gross the first time you use it. I had to close my eyes or I thought I would gag but now I love it! I feel like it gets out a lot more than the bulb syringe.
no. 4 All of our bedrooms are on the upstairs level and we are super close to each other. We can hear every single noise that is happening in any room which is why we couldn’t live without our noise machines. We have the Homedics SoundSpa. Jett and Jane both have one in their room. It’s really easy to take places with us so we always travel with it.
no. 5 Now that my office is in the basement I rely a lot on our baby monitor. We looked at a lot of different options and found that the Sony Baby Call was the best for the price. So far it’s worked great.
no. 6 With Jett we only ever had a bath cushion for bathing. I really liked it because we didn’t have to deal with storing a bulky bathtub. With Jane we also wanted something we could use in our sink while she was so little. The people at Puj sent me one of their tubs to try and I’ve really loved it. My favorite part about it is how compact it is. We just keep it under the sink. Jane seems to really like it as well.
no. 7 There are so many amazing baby lotions out there. They all smell heavenly but my favorite one is Noodle & Boo’s Super Soft Lotion. It smells so good and is seriously as soft as silk.
no. 8 I’m sure you are aware of how great aden + anis blankets are. I love how big and lightweight they are. We take them everywhere.
no. 9 There are so many great play items out there for babies. Two things we could not live without are our bouncer and exersaucer. We have the Fisher Price Rainforest Bouncer. I found it on Craigslist for $15 and it has been awesome! I love how lightweight it is so I can move it from room to room.
no. 10 I researched diaper bags for months and months. Since it’s something you use SO much I really wanted to invest in something I loved. With Jett I had a Petunia bag and it was really great. There were a few things that I really didn’t like about it though like the stiff shoulder strap. I wanted something that was going to be big, flexible, wipeable and also a bag that I loved the look of! I came across the MARC by Marc Jacobs Pretty Eliza bag and I was sold! The price tag is really steep but for something you use everyday I was willing to spend more money. Plus if you do your research these are popping up on ebay and for sale on different websites all the time. So far I have loved this bag. I can’t think of anything negative to say about it and I’m so glad I bought it.
no. 11 For our bottles I’ve been using the OXO Bottle Drying Rack. I was actually able to find it on sale at T.J. Maxx for $5! I really like it and we literally use it everyday.
no. 12 Stroller shopping is so hard on me. There are way too many options and it took us way too long to decide on one. It’s hard to say what the best all time stroller is because it really depends on the person and their needs. With Jett we had the Chicco Keyfit Cortina Travel System and it was great! If you are looking for a single stroller I highly recommend it. The search for a double stroller was really hard. We tried out a lot of different options and finally decided on the Baby Jogger City Mini. It’s really easy to maneuver and I like that both seats recline. Ideally I wanted a tandem and not a side-by-side but all the tandems that I liked felt really bulky or they were too expensive. So far we love the City Mini.
no. 13 I honestly haven’t tried that many bottles. With Jett we used the Playtex Drop in Bottles and I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of having to replace the liner each time. So with Jane we have been using Philips Avent bottles and so far they have been great.
no. 14 I love the Ikea Antilop highchair for when your baby is ready for solids. It’s such a good deal, modern looking and so easy to clean.
I love when people talk about baby essentials they actually USE– it seems like there are about a million completely useless baby things. I'm so glad you love that Marc Jacobs bag. I've seen it on sale a few times and I'm so tempted to buy it and just hold onto it until we have kids!
I second the Nose Frida. It seems really gross but honestly it is so satisfying to know you're getting everything that is congesting your sweet baby and now our daughter loves to have her nose cleared when she's got the sniffles. We also still use our diaper champ. It's great because you don't have to use specialty liners, just regular old garbage bags.
great list! other things i've loved: the boppy pillow for nursing and an exer-saucer (for older babies). i think we just got it off amazon but it was easy to assemble and our baby loves it!
I promised myself a stylish diaper bag with my second baby, but alas I never splurged on one. Good for you for going for it. I'd love to see more baby photos, btw. Please, please!
The itzbeen was a lifesaver for me with both of my girls. I always give it at showers or to any of my friends who have a baby. http://www.itzbeen.com/
I really like the idea of your bag! I'm debating if I need one or not with this baby. Good to know you love it!
Great list. I second the stroller, I LOVE it. I love that it fits through standard doors and easy to move. And how small it folds up. I love Sophie the giraffe. My baby Molly loves it! One more ,teething necklace that you wear. I got mine at babinskis, but they have them on Amazon. It's 30 for the necklace, but it's been a life saver. She loves to chomp on it. It's been worth the money. I'd love to see more pictures of cute Jane.
Oh man I need that Nose Frida thing!!! I love clearing out my baby's nose. If it was any other kid I would puke, but not if its mine! Weird.
I have given up on diaper bags and just carry a large purse. My diaper bag just doesn't fit as much as I feel it should, but I don't know if its the style or if I just have too high of expectations!
Such a practical list, Kirsten! I'm thinking we might need to get one of those Nose Frida things this third time around. I almost broke down and did it for our second and then his nose cleared up. Also, we love, love, love our City Mini Double (and Single)! It's a great easy stroller and I found it's rather narrow compared to most side-by-sides.
We had the Nose Frida with our son too and it's really helpful! Like you… I thought it sounded disgusting, but as a parent you just want to help your kids, right? I've been thinking about getting a different sound machine lately.. I'll have to try the one you recommended, great price!
I love these posts! I don't have kids yet so I'm totally bookmarking this for the future.
I love giving those Aden + Anis blankets. They're my go-to baby gift!
Great list! My youngest is 4 and still LOVES his Aden & Anis blankets and they are the softest things on the planet…the other plus is he has so many that if he misplaces one or it needs to be washed there are extras to take it's place without tears. They are the best! Congratulations on baby Jane!!!
Nose Frida by far is the best baby product! works wonders!!!
Thanks for sharing all of your favorite products! I am due in November and I love to hear people's reviews on baby products 🙂
The Nosefrida is SO AWESOME! When I use it people usually get grossed out but it is a total life saver!!!!
great list. i pretty much have all those and agree! Nose Frida- so wish I would have invented that thing!!! It is awesome.
Others to include – that darn giraffe Sophie, dont know why but kids adore her for teething. Also, couldn't live without my Snap and Go the first few months, just snap your pumpkin seat in there and go!
I love your style and I love your list! I have a mommy channel on Youtube and I talk a lot about my 2nd pregnancy (I"m 36 weeks) and also everything I've learned with my 2 year old boy. I have tons of videos on various mommy/baby topics and I'd love it if you stopped by! The link is http://www.youtube.com/imamommyof1
With each baby I learned to be a minimalist:). The *stuff* can get overwhelming. One thing I loved (and still use with our youngest) were Bumkin bibs. The wash and dry so easily (hand or machine) and are light and flexible enough to actually catch stuff. My other must haves would be a simple bouncer to move from room to room, a cradle (nice for those first 6 months or so of nighttime feedings), and Mam pacifiers, or *plugs* as we call them;). I also second the big purse vs dapper bag, but I honestly never carried much around with me.
this is just the sort of thing we're looking for for our #2 & 3. can't wait to see what you think of the babyjogger.
What would we do without Craigslist?! We have bought a lot of stuff used from there. I bought a used bumbleride stroller used and I too have mixed emotions as to if it's what we really wanted, but the price was right and it will do for now!
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