When I was pregnant with my first Amorcita I had no idea what I was going to need for my baby. I searched the internet and got a general idea what I was going to need. Car seat (of course), crib (yeah, for sure), stroller for getting around (uh huh, makes sense). But what about all the other things? And what works? And what about the things no one tells you about (hello insane tear inducing nipple pain)? So here’s a list of my favorite items I used day in and day out with my first and chose, uhh cancel that, needed to use with my second. I hope this helps even just 1 parent to be. P.S. You got this!

Both of my nuggets like to kick, kick, kick. Socks didn’t stand a chance on their little piggies. These soft, organic cotton booties are incredible. They stay on. They keep their feet warm. I loved how they have 2 different snap sizes so they grow with your pee wee. If your baby is born in the cooler months you will need these warm little feet mittens – aka booties. Love these Burt’s Bees Baby Booties.

These Honest jammies ^ swoon! These soft jam jams come in so many different patterns and colors. They are easy to quickly put on and unzip to do diaper changes. Made with organic cotton and without toxic chemicals you can rest assured your tiny is staying safe and healthy. They also have built in mittens! I did not realize the importance of built in mittens until having a newborn. Their nails are bendy, soft and yet also razor sharp knives attached to your tiny’s little paws. Their nails are so hard to trim, they grow like bamboo and with the insane amount of sleep deprivation you are living through placing a trimmer up to those precious little sausages every other day may not be the best idea. So answer – fold them into soft mittens. And you can try and close your eyes assured they won’t accidentally scratch themselves while they snooze. Love these. Wish they came in my size.

My husband and I went to all the baby 101 classes, we learned how-to and practiced swaddling with the numerous muslin swaddles we had stacked in the nursery. We had it down, we felt good, when you come out baby, we’ve got you swaddled. And yet, our swaddling was no match for both of our infants muscles. Apparently juiced up on pure protein our gals busted their way out of every swaddle. But they so desperately wanted to be swaddled to sleep and they liked it tiiiight. Enter Keababies velcro swaddles – a godsend. A quick and easy 3 part system of adhering velcro and wrapping and voila – snug as a bug in a rug. Loved these. Pro tip – Put the baby in the swaddle before nursing or giving them their evening bottle and then hold your breath transferring the sleeping pee wee to their basinet or crib. Pulling velcro strips apart within a block radius of a sleeping babe will most likely result in eyes popping wide open.

*We used these swaddles until our babes were close to rolling over (4 months for us). Once they can roll over babes shouldn’t be swaddled for safety. We then switched to our next sleep godsend, Nested Bean Sleep Sack. Read about the sleep sack below.

Nested Bean makes these sleep sacks worth every penny. They are gently weighted to resemble your touch so your babe can sleep soundly. Helping everyone in the house get the zzz’s you very much need. The snaps on the shoulders and the long zipper all around the edge of the sack make it so easy to put your babe in for night night time. They make several different styles of sleep sacks. This one, The Zen Sack, is loved by our gals. They worked perfectly for us.

Speaking of sleep, the Yogasleep Dohm sound machine is a must have. They drown out all the outside the nursery noise and mimic’s the soothing sounds of being in the womb. Both of my littles love their sound machines. It’s part of their sleep routines, as soon as we turn them on I can see them visibly relax and the tiny one starts to look for the boob to nurse.

I tried a few different bibs with my first and then discovered these after having my second. These ^ are the bibs. Soft muslin cotton and they come in every gorgeous hue of the rainbow. I had bibs with velcro and I never remembered to stick the two pieces of velcro together before throwing in the washing machine. The velcro stuck to and pulled threads from bras, yoga pants, shorts, you name it. Velcro bibs yeah – “That’s a no from me dawg”. The adjustable snaps on these Konssy bibs is where it’s at. So cute and won’t ruin your bras. Bingo.

These Aden + Anais crib sheets are my favorite. The are soft Muslin fabric that will feel great on your babes cheeks as the drift off to dreamland all night long (fingers crossed). Or for when they are newborns and their sleep is sporadic. Don’t worry new parents the sleep will come again, I swear. And when it does these crib sheets are the best. Soft, easy to put on/take off and last through all the washes. We are currently using the sheets we bought for our first daughter with our second and they still feel and look great. They have tons of cute patterns to match or mismatch any crib decor you have going on. I found 3 is the right amount of crib sheets to buy – if you’re wondering that too.

We received our Baby Björn Bouncer as a gift for our second and she loved it. She wanted to be up and in the mix but wasn’t able to sit up on her own yet so the bouncer provided a fun, safe place for her to scope it all out and work her legs. When your little kicks their legs that action causes the Baby Björn to bounce. It’s a fun way for your little to learn cause and effect and to get a mini baby workout in. The fabric seat can easily be removed for washing and the whole thing folds flat to slip under a couch or bed for when you don’t need it. This was such a wonderful gift. Even if we didn’t end up getting this gifted to us from our registry I would have splurged for this one. It’s worth it – my gal loved it and wanted to bounce. It was also helpful to set her somewhere safe while I had to run to the bathroom or quickly take a shower. Loved it.

This is a wonderful thermometer. For these littles who are building up their immune systems and fighting off colds and viruses, this is an excellent tool for a parent to have. We love this thermometer. We had a different thermometer before getting this one but we were seeing such a wide range in readings we wanted a different brand. We’ve been very happy with this Goodbaby Thermometer. It quickly gives temperature readings along with showing a colored screen either green, yellow or red so you instantly know what range of temp your sweet pea is in. It has the ability to silence all sounds so you can rest assured no beeps or boops from this thermometer will wake up your sleeping babe. We like this one big time!

This is the stuff right here! Wow, is there anything Aquaphor can’t do?! It is the best for diaper rash, dry cracked hands (washing bottles is bonkers), scratches, dry lips, rough feet…and the list goes on and on. It’s soft and gentle for your newborns skin and even works great on my old worn out mitts of hands, I use it every evening to bring back my newborn glow. haha! This stuff is great I can see us buying this for years and years to come.

Me gusta Water Wipes. My daughter has sensitive skin and she was getting a skin reaction when we were using other wipes. We learned about these wipes which are 99.9% water and they work perfectly. They get the job done (blowouts don’t stand a chance when these are around) and are so gentle on her sensitive skin. These are often being bought around our house.

*Pro Tip – Do not flush down the toilet unless you have extra time and moola to call a plumber out to your home. Learned that one the hard way.

So where do you put those wipes and diapers when you can’t be running out to the garbage bin every hour or so? Here ^, In the Diaper Genie. This baby works great. Easy foot pedal to step on and toss in that little stinker of a diaper. It holds the stink in. Not sure how it does it, must be some kind of sorcery, but whatever it is it works. When it fills up you open the front door trim the bag, tie it off and out to the garbage. My husband and I use to joke that the full bags resembled the large bags of kettle corn you get at a fair. haha! Don’t much on this one though. Diaper genie works great, and the one listed here comes with a bunch extra inserts. Amazing.

This is the memory book from Lucy Darling, we got for our second daughter. The design is adorable and has a space and page to document every new thing in your littles life. It’s so cute. The pages are smooth and easy to write on and it’s thin enough to keep on your littles shelf in their room for when you remember to jot something down. Or what I tend to do – write a list on my phones note app then jot them down all at once 😉

Great memory book. Love it.

The Ruvalino diaper bag/backpack is up to the task. So many pockets for all the bottles, wipes, diapers, change of clothes, toys, snacks, water bottles…all the things. This pack comes with a changing pad that fits perfectly into its own pocket and a special pacifier case. We love it. This thing comes with us everywhere. Excellent diaper bag!

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For the New Parent

Sometimes the new parents forget to take care of themselves with everything going on. I discovered some things that made my life easier through the newborn/baby days. Below are some things I recommend for the new parents. Also, I chose to breast feed my babes and I am grateful that I was able to do so. I realize that it’s not in the cards for all parents. For those breast feeding mama’s I have some rec’s down below.

These shoes right here are a godsend. Hands-free slip on. It’s perfect, what more can you ask for as a new parent with hands full of baby, diaper bag, coffee, keys?! You don’t have to sit down to untie or tie laces as you’re trying to get out the door. What’s more is they are comfy and cute. I highly recommend.

Use the link below to link you $20 off your pair of Kizik shoes.

For all the breast feeding mamas, I love the Elvie breast pump. Hands free and cordless. You put the pumps in your bra and continue playing with the babe, washing dishes whatever you need to do and not be restricted to sitting next to an outlet for the next 20-30min while you pump. Believe me that time adds up and if you can move around it can help.

*Pro tip – Do not bend over while pumping, it will leak. I soaked many a shirt and nursing bra this way. Makes sense it has a hole in it where it collects the pumped milk. So save your burpies til after pumping. haha!

The Haakaa breast pump is so helpful. I used it every time I nursed. For instance if I was nursing my babe on my right breast I would put the Haakaa on my left breast right before nursing. While my nugget nursed my right breast my left breast would let down meaning I would drip and leak so much milk. With the Haakaa I was able to catch all the let down milk, save all the precious goods and save my shirt from the splash zone. For application I recommend watching some videos on how to put it on your breast. It’s easy to do but watching a vid helps know exactly how it goes on.

Silverette Nursing nipple covers will become your best friend. Something I never heard before nursing my newborn babe, nursing will hurt! Even if they are latching correctly, your nipples will be sore as this is something brand new they are doing. Even when nursing my second babe my nipples hurt and were sore for every nurse for about the first month. But mamas, You can do this! And it does get better. I found these nipple covers so helpful for many reasons. They are anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial, keeping you and your nugget safe. They are sturdy and keep your gals in a safe place when even clothes touching them is painful. You don’t need to use any other creams or ointments with these, and that helps ya’ save some bucks. I love them, I recommend them to any new breast feeding mama.

Those are my favorite items. Share if you have some other recommendations that can help a new parent out as well. Congratulations, and remember – YOU GOT THIS!