Time is crazy, but it's even crazier when you have a kid. Especially the first few weeks and months. When you're in the thick of it, it feels like you'll never get out of it. You're beyond exhausted, overwhelmed, trying to figure out a new schedule, balancing your relationship / life, and learning about your little one and who you are now. It's A LOT to say the least. I'm 99% sure that those first bits are just a blank in our memory now. But it does get better, I promise!

Before you have a baby you rely on others' advice and lots of internet research for what you need or don't need. We definitely overbought items. Now that we have first-hand experience I wanted to share what items we found most useful with a newborn through 3 months - our most used items, products that made our life easier, and our little one's favorite things.

Also check out my posts about Pregnancy Fave: My Must-Have Items and My Favorite Postpartum Products (after a c-section).

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Owlet Smart Sock. Three simple words - Peace. Of. Mind. All first time parents leave the hospital thinking “they discharged us with paper work and a good luck.” :) Well this monitors your baby’s heart rate and oxygen level. Just one less thing you have to worry about as a new parent. 
Magnetic Me Modal Footies with Fold-over Mitts. They connect with magnets! No fumbling with snaps, buttons or zippers in the middle of the night. Plus the modal ones are super soft. We love them. 
Dr. Brown’s Options+ Bottles in Glass. These bottles have an air vent to help prevent colic gas pains. 
Mebie Baby Stretch Swaddles. These are super soft and the only swaddles our baby wasn’t able to wiggle out of. 
Burts Bee Burp Cloths. The soft fabric stays on your knee or shoulder well making burping little one easy. We use them daily for patting her face when she is drooling, protecting our clothes and her clothes from spits ups, and keeping messes off her playmats. I’d recommend at minimum two packs. The more you have, the less frequently you’ll have to run the laundry. 
VAVA Nightlight. In the middle of the night it’s the perfect option for a freestanding, small mobile nightlight for feedings and diaper changes. 
Dr. Brown's Bottle Warmer. This is one of those items that not necessary but really appreciated. You should not boil or microwave milk for a baby. The milk should be lukewarm and it's been proven that microwaves heat baby's milk and formula unevenly. A refrigerated bottle takes 10-15 minutes to warm up in a bowl of hot water compared to the roughly 3 minutes this warmer - which uses steam - does. When your baby is hungry you'll really appreciate the speed. Always swirl the milk and test the temp on your inner wrist before serving. Never shake breastmilk. That adds bubbles which can cause gas.
Philips Avent Soothie Pacifiers. The one piece silicone design allows you to place your finger in the nipple, so you can bond with your baby by helping them suckle. This is the one she was given in the nursery at the hospital. 
Ewan The Dream Sheep. Ewan serves as our sound machine. Our baby loves the heartbeat sound option. 
Solly Baby Wrap. Cozy baby cuddles? Yes please! Plus it’s a great way to be able to use your hands while comforting your little one. 
UPPAbaby Mesa Infant Car Seat. After glowing recommendations from several friends we opted for this rear-facing car seat in a wool fabric (less chemicals).

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Skip Hop Silver Linings Playmat. We use this everyday. The pleasant colors and hanging toys keep baby entertained and it’s great for tummy time. Our only complaint was that the toys were to high up for our little one to reach so we bought a pack of Toy Ring Links to hang the toys lower for her to touch.
Kyte Baby Sleep Sack. The fabric is super soft and it’s available in a wide range of colors and three weights. We used the thickest one (2.5 TOG) during the winter months but have since switched to a lighter version (1.0 TOG). Thermal Overall Grade (TOG) calculates the insulation or warmth of a textile. The higher the number, the warmer the item.
Nested Bean Zen Sleep Sack. Another great option. The “bean” gently weighted to help baby sleep - think of it like having your hand on baby’s chest to comfort them while they sleep. The fabric is a good weight and snaps on the shoulders allow some room for growth. We used this one more until she could roll then we switched to the Kyte Baby sleep sack so the bean wasn’t pushing into her chest if she rolled to her stomach.
Goumi Mitts with Velcro Fasteners. For being so flimsy baby nails are surpringsly sharp and difficult to cut. Besides being super cute, mitts help prevent your baby from scratching themselves. We had several different kinds and our little one was able to escape from all the slip on version. The velcro fasteners were key in keeping them on her hands.
Baby Bjorn Bouncer. This modern seat uses your baby’s movements to create the rock which means you won’t have to have extra batteries on hand, and it has longevity as it can be used by your child from 8 lbs until 2 years.
Buttons Flannel Washable Baby Wipes. We found out early on that our baby’s booty was very sensitive and wipes caused diaper rash. We switched to these flannel cloth wipes which we wet with warm water during changes and she instantly improved. You simply wash them in the laundry. Also because they’re reusable it’s a little less garbage you’re creating.
HaloVa Diaper Backpack. There are so many diaper bag options but this neutral design works for both my husband and I, fits everything we needs while out and about, and is a backpack (AKA hands-free).
Ubbi Diaper Pail. This is a great option for locking in diaper stink. Plus it’s compatible with most tall kitchen bags unlike other brands that require specific branded bags.
Lovevery Subscription Box. All of our little one’s favorite toys have come from this box. The toys are designed to combine learning with play for physical and mental development. The toys are well made and visually appealing. Each box comes with a book about how to make the most of each toy during your child’s playtime and activities you can do together. Lovevery also makes box and individual toys for children of all ages.
UPPAbaby Vista V2 Stroller. The Vista version can convert from a single stroller to a double. It is a larger luxury option with huge storage basket. The bassinet is approved for overnight sleeping and is where our daughter slept the first couple months. It fold easily and fairly compact for its size. It also works seamlessly with our car seat.
Kinsa Thermometer. This digital thermometer pairs with an app on phone to track baby and accurate readings are delivered in eight seconds or less.

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Spectra S1 Double Electric Breast Pump (& extra parts). Not all pumps are created equal. I love this one because it has a rechargeable battery so you’re not stuck in one place and can do small tasks while pumping.
Aquaphor. Smear this on clean diapers to prevent the newborn’s black meconium from sticking to the diaper and baby’s butt. This also works great on diaper rash and eczema.
Flexible Phone Tripod. Perfect for Facetiming everyone with your new addition and watching shows in the middle of the night while up with baby. Hands-free of course!
Boudreau’s Butt Paste. For when that inevitable diaper rash comes on, you’ll be happy to have this soothing cream on hand.
Protein Bars. An additional 450-500 calories are recommended for breastfeeding mothers so keep a stash nearby. The saying is “sleep when the baby sleeps” but it also goes for snacking, “eat when the baby eats.”
Babyganics Shampoo & Body Wash, Fragrance Free. It was important to us to find a fragrance free wash and surprisingly most options for baby’s are scented. We’re not sure why as baby’s skin is more sensitive, but this foaming wash has worked well for us and can be found at most stores.
Baby Brezza Sterilizer. The full cycle will sterilize and dry all your bottle or pump parts. Make sure to use distilled water to avoid build up in the Baby Brezza like you would in a humidifier. The microwave sterilizer bags sound great but are actually quite wasteful. For example the Dr. Brown’s Microwave Steam Bags have a 20 use limit per bag.
OXO Bottle Brush with Nipple Brush. There are always dished to be done. We found this one worked nicely with our Dr. Brown’s bottle. The nipple brush inside helps clean out the tiny bottle parts.
Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads. It’s surprising how much your boobs leak the first couple months and these saves many of my clothes, especially during the night. They are a bit more expensive as you only get 4 pairs in a pack, but the large size and soft fabric are worth it. I ordered another brand that had like 10 pairs but the fabric was scratchy against my nipples and they were much smaller really only covering my nipple area. Stick with the Bamboobies!
Aveeno Baby Lotion, Oatmeal. We used the fragrance-free for our nightly massages and her skin is silky smooth like a baby’s butt. Which is good because that is what she is…a baby, not a butt. Although her butt is tiny, cute, and very smooth. :)
Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bra. I probably use this item more than any other on the list. At the beginning I was pumping 6-7 times per day since our little one was having trouble latching to nurse (a common preemie problem). And I still use it daily 5 months in. You look a bit ridiculous but this bra hold your pump flanges in place so you can use your hands for each 15+ minutes session. It also allows you to be more mobile. I can wash bottles, eat, online shop, or get ready for the day while I pump. Multitasking is the name of the game when it comes to parenting chores.
Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter. The first couple weeks were rough while my nips were toughening up. For the most part I was just rubbing some extra breastmilk on them after feeding but for those deeper cracks or occasional itchiness, this stuff worked wonders.
Oogie Bear Booger Tool. This is great for snagging boogers out of baby’s nose quickly and easily. Many people had recommended the Nose Frida to us, but we couldn’t handle how gross it was. Both of us ended up gagging just thinking about sucking out snot. Also our brother and sister-in-law used the Nose Frida and both caught a cold from their son. No thanks! We’ll stick the Oogie Bear and a traditional suction bulb to tend to our baby’s nose needs.
Large Water Bottle. Breastfeeding mamas need to hydrate. This bottle makes it easy to keep water with you all day.
Babyganics Foaming Dish & Bottle Soap. We like the fragrance-free one. It’s foaming and works great not only for bottles and pump parts but on her toys as well. And it's more cost effective to snag the refill bottles too.
Keekaroo Peanut Changer. We love our peanut changer. Because it doesn’t use a cover when an accident happens (which let’s be real, will happen!), it’s super easy to wipe down. You don’t have to stumble around in the dark trying to switch out a cover in the middle of the night. Our only note is that it can be chilly to lay baby down on if you keep it in a cooler room.
Boon Grass Bottle Drying Rack. Remember all those bottles you will have to wash and sterilize daily? Well this is a great place to let them try and stack them out of the way.

Here’s what shakin’, bacon!

@Studioist