Slings/Strollers/Car Seats/monitor
- Ergo (A MUST!!!) Great carrier for long walks, or traveling - used it through airport security with my first son until he was 2 years old. Can't say enough good things about it and I've also nursed both of my boys everywhere in Ergo - beach, mall, eye dr appt, airport, museums, etc - it's very freeing to be able to nurse on the go. In fact, figuring out to nurse on the go was a parenting game changer for me!
- Car Seat and the protector that goes under the carseat (we used Chicco Keyfit carseat and Eddie Bauer seat protector)
- Car seat/stroller toys - keeps them entertained in car/store. I like the Lamaze toys like this one
- Snap N Go stroller - for use with the infant car seat - it was so easy and portable.
- Jogging Stroller - we have the BOB and love it. If you get BOB, get the cup holder. We have both a single and a duallie (we loved our single too much to get rid of it when we had our second son!)
- We also used a Bundle Me Lite for the carseat - the regular Bundle Me's get a little too hot in my opinion.
- Swing- My first son loved his swing - and actually slept in it at night for the first few months - and our second son has also used it regularly for naps. Get one that plugs in!!!!!!
- bouncer seat and/or Rock N Play
- Pack N Play
- Video monitor - we have this one and love it
Bath, etc
- Infant tub
- baby washclothes
- 1-2 hooded towels - get nice thick cozy towels (Pottery Barn Kids has great towels)
- Lotion - great for infant massage after the bath - we use Earth Mama for both lotion and baby soap. Check EWG's website for safe baby products.
- Baby thermometer
- Nosefrida snot sucker (sounds gross but works!)
- Baby nail scissors
- Baby tylenol (0-6 months) and ibuprofen (6+ months) in case of fevers
- baby thermometer (we like the ear version)
- Hylands Teething tablets
- Be Green Bath and Body has a great oil for cradle cap
Feeding
- A really good breast pump - don't skimp on this! it makes all the difference. I like the Hygeia pumps - they are hospital grade and can be charged so you can use without batteries. They are also dual user - meaning you can sell it after you are done with it (unlike Medela)
- bottles - it really depends on the baby - don't stress too much over this, just buy a few and test them out. We used Born Free.
- Burp clothes - LOTS OF THESE
- Bottle brush and drying rack
- Highchair or booster seat
- sippy cups
- We also love the baby bjorn bibs
- Learning tower - again this can wait, it's awesome, we started using it around 18 months. Our son can be up with us while we cook and now he measures ingredients etc. He will also eat a snack or do art projects in it.
Clothes
- bibs bibs and more bibs - for drool and spit up
- socks - lots of socks bc they always seem to disappear
- side snap baby t's for the beginning when the umbilical cord is still attached
- Lots of onesies - and simple clothes that are easy to change and wash - because there will be LOTS of changes in first few months with spitup and poop blowouts. One piece outfits are great. PJ's with zippers are your friend (snaps suck)
Sleeping
- Sleep Sheep - we have the travel size - Cole still uses it every night. Great for white noise.
- a few good blankets - lightweight for swaddling - I like the aden & anais blankets.
- MIRACLE BLANKET - this is a must have!!!!!!
Diapers/Wipes
- We use Seventh generation wipes/diapers - and have had minimal diaper rashes. Also if you are breast feeding you can use breast milk on diaper rash (in study, it was shown to be just as effective if not better than cream). We had great plans to use cloth diapers - but alas, it never happened.
Toys/Books
- Cole loves books - his favorites when he was really little were Goodnight Moon and anything with bright colors, or black and white. We started reading to him right away.
- Playmat - there are lots out there, definitely recommend one that has music. And he liked any dangling toys from the playmat - particularly if they jingled or made scrunching noises.
- Mozart Music Cube - he loved the music and lights.
- Balls
- cups - these were his favorite from about 6 months to 18 months (along with the balls)
- Music table
- The Indestructible books are great
Baby Room
- Glider/rocker with a foot rest
- Crib/mattress - try to get an organic mattress to avoid toxins
- crib sheets and mattress pads
- changing table or dresser (we actually used changing table and never a dresser - I put bins underneath for all the clothes - for me was so much easier than putting away in dresser - but it's just personal preference)
- changing pad and cover - and we use the Boppy Changing Pad Liners 3-Pack - White and also chux pads in the beginning when the poop is a hot mess.
- We also have a bookshelf next to rocker with a little light on it that is good for reading before bed.
- Humidifier
- Air purifier
- Diaper pail or garbage can with lid.
- Nightlight
