Baby & Toddler Must Haves
Since my pregnancy with Waylon I’ve done a series of ” must haves.” I did a must haves list for each trimester, an updated postpartum must haves, as well and a pumping must haves list. However, I have never really dived into baby and toddler must haves. This will probably be my last must haves list, but I feel like now that I have take two full trips around the sun with a baby, and watched two babies morph into toddlers, I have narrowed down a list of essentials.
I have also been inspired by several registries that I have been viewing lately. When I was a first time mom I was in experimentation mode. I was trying all new things, and didn’t know exactly what I was missing. I wanted to try everything and really felt like I needed everything. With Waylon I wanted to fill in the gaps of things I thought I missed out on, and from there I really settled into a groove, and figured out what I like, what I need, and what works for my type of mothering. For any future pregnancy I now know 100% what I need, and that everything else is just fluff. If anyone is constructing a baby registry these would be my MUST HAVES. My can’t live withouts. My diaper bag essentials and things I couldn’t function out of the house without.
1. WRAP/SLING/CARRIER FOR BABY WEARING
I loved baby wearing with Holden. I frequently wore him in the wrap, and sling. Shopping, running errands, walking anywhere. I wore him. Once I had Waylon baby wearing wasn’t just helpful, nice, or convenient. It was essential. I couldn’t have functioned as a mom of two under two without baby wearing. I also used my Ergo almost daily as I began walking for exercise again. I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite. I love all baby wearing, with all the baby carriers, and if I had to pick just one thing to get as a new mom- this would be it.
I love my Solly wrap. They’re lighter than a Moby, which is much needed in Texas, and a softer + prettier fabric. Just all around great quality. I love my Ergo for anything I am doing that is more physical. It is more structured and secure. It doesn’t have the comfort of the wrap, but I need it just as much. As my babies get bigger I trade the wrap for a sling, which I still use for my toddlers that can’t quite walk around with me yet. I have three different slings, but my favorite is my Wild Bird sling.
2. A PUMP/ PUMPING BRA/ PUMPING BAG
I will direct you to my pumping must haves blog now, but pumping is essential if you want to maintain your breastfeeding relationship while you’re away from baby, so register for all of this because it is not cheap stuff. If I saw a mom was registered for a pumping bra I would buy it for her in a heartbeat. You may also qualify for a free pump through your insurance, so check that out- Thanks, Obama! 😉
3.TRAVEL SYSTEM/ INFANT CAR SEAT/ EXTRA BASE
In order to cut corners while expecting Holden, I skipped a nice stroller. It was fine for one baby because I wore him everywhere, but I honestly had no idea what I was missing by being able to connect my infant car seat into the stroller. I upgraded to a baby jogger city select with Waylon for a double stroller. I bought it used, but it was still a splurge. I also got attachments to connect my infant carseat to it, and it has been a life saver. If you’re on the fence, get a double stroller. Get a travel system. It is worth IT. I wish I would have gotten the Baby Jogger City Select with Holden because it converts from a single to double stroller, so it really is worth the investment.
You may also want an extra base to put your infant car seat in another car regularly or at ease. I love our Graco and Maxi Cosi car seats. You can’t go wrong with either of those brands. But if I was feeling fancy, and wanted to splurge I would be the Uppa Baby Vista travel system in the Bryce color.
4. CONVERTIBLE CAR SEAT
I thought I was covered when I registered for an infant car seat, but realized once they max out of the hight limit (usually when they are no longer an infant) they need to be moved up to a convertible car seat, which can later be turned forward facing. I should have registered for both, but you live and learn and put it on your blog. Again I love our Graco and Maxi Cosi convertible seats, too.
Convertible car seats may be a great option for moms wanting to save as much as possible because they are transitional for infants. You can take your newborn home in a convertible car seat, you just can’t carry it around like the infant car seat, which is great for convenience purposes.
5. A DIAPER BAG BACKPACK
I don’t have a specific recommendation. I picked mine to be gender neutral and not scare my husband away, but I often wish I had gotten one that was cuter and more stylish, so I say splurge and register for a fancy, beautiful, stylish diaper bag- just make sure it is a back pack! I am really loving these though, Luli Baby Diaper Bags.
6. ONESIE PAJAMAS WITH FOOTIES AND ZIPPERS
Sleepers/body suits/onesies that button up all the way are trash. I pretty much passed them over every time I dressed Waylon and then realized they didn’t fit anymore. I was almost always in a rush to get Holden out of the trash, stop him from climbing the furniture, or in the middle of cooking, or taking a shower while Waylon was this little. Ease, comfort and convenience was everything to me. Cloud Island at Target has a ton of zipper/ footie/ mittened sleepers. They’re also double lined, so the zipper won’t lay against their new baby skin.
7. BOTTLE/ STERILIZER/ WARMER/ DRYING RACK/ BOTTLE BRUSH
If you plan on breastfeeding and then going back to work, or even to leave your baby for long enough for them to eat… you will need bottles. I LOVE our Avent bottles and have used them now with three breastfed infants with no problem. I also have an Avent bottle warmer and sterilizer, which are both unnecessary I guess, but if you are using bottles regularly they make the job much easier. I love my drying rack and munchkin bottle brush too
If you end up not breastfeeding you will use this stuff anyway, so these are all must haves.
8. 360 SIPPY CUPS + SNACK CUPS +SILICON PLATES
I’ve tried many different sippy cups. I stand by Nuk and the Munchkin 360 cups. However, we got in a bad habit with the Nuk soft tipped sippy cups, so bad that I had a 2 and a half year old still drinking milk from them each night. I had to cut him off from sippy cups and nightime milk drinking, so I switched cold turkey to the 360 cups. They are better for their teeth, better for training to use a cup, and my 14 month old can use them too, so no need to ever use any soft tipped sippy cups for him at all. He is going from breast/bottle fed to the 360 cups.
The muchkin snack cups are my go-to for the diaper bag and I bring them almost everywhere because they don’t really spill (they’re not perfect) but I can let my toddler carry them around at the zoo without dumping out all of the gold fish, or without them spilling in the car. I love them.
Silicon plates and utensils are also a must have for being dishwasher and microwave safe, but also still healthy for the babes.
9. DIAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS/ CLOTH DIAPERS/ WIPES
I do not cloth diaper my babies, although I am tempted to try now that I am not teaching anymore. However, they are a money saving investment, so they are pricey upfront. If you are wanting to cloth diaper you should register for them! If you are wanting to use disposables I recommend having you husband’s friends throw him a diaper shower. I suggest planting the seed in his brother’s ear, or a friend’s wife or girl friend. It is super helpful, and honestly they should partake too. Women are always showering their friends with parties, gifts, and matching group t-shirts, so men can get a pack of diapers. They just go watch a game at a sports bar, and bring a box of diapers. Easy peasy. I also love our diaper and wipes subscription on Amazon. It’s not like it is hard to buy diapers at the grocery store, but it is cheaper when you subscribe to have them delivered.
10. PHOTOGRAPHY
At this time I will send you to my Why You Need A Birth Photographer blog post. But not just birth photography, get it all: maternity photos, birth, newborn, fresh 48, family photos. Take all the photos and have no regrets. Seriously, it is such a precious time that literally flies by. Your newborn changes before your eyes. Catch it on camera.
11. Infant Lounger
I know there are quite a few different brands and kinds of these, but I use them daily when I have an infant around. I have a Leach Co. pod. It was my first ever impulse buy while watching youtube vlogs. Thankfully it was money well spent. I love having a soft, comfortable place to put my baby when I have to use my hands for a bit. Otherwise I’d be running to the crib, or laying them on the floor. We could travel with it and it washes easily. I just love this thing and wish I would have had it on my registry. I also had a swing and a mamaroo that my boys just didn’t love. I rarely used them because they cried a lot of the time when they were in them. I hesitate to recommend something pricey, like a mamaroo, for it to not be a great fit.
There are a long list of things I would also say are nice to have:
- mittens so they don’t scratch their faces
- nail trimmers
- Infant Tylenol
- Bibs, blankets, burp cloths, swaddles
- diaper rash cream
- nipple cream
- pacifiers (I love soothies and wubbanubs)
- teethers
- some baby bath/shampoo/lotion that smells really good and makes you excited to be a mother
But all of that is generally more affordable, and you can get a big discount on it when you use your registry discount codes. Target and Amazon both offer at least 10% off registry orders for items that don’t get purchased. It is also stuff that you will blow through, use up, lose, do trial and error on different brands. You may find your baby loves Soothies and hates Mam pacis, and California Baby is best for your baby’s skin, while the Honest Co. diaper rash cream you registered for doesn’t do the trick for your baby’s bum. At the end of the day there isn’t a one size fits all list for any baby, and most lists are full of extra unimportant, nonessential stuff you may feel sucked into buying. There really is a basic outline of essentials, or “must haves.” How are you going to transport your baby safely? Car seat. How are you going to feed your baby? Pump/bottles. That is really all you need.
At my baby shower I got more blankets and clothes than I knew what to do with, many I wouldn’t have picked out myself, but was then 6 weeks postpartum making Amazon orders for things I wish I had earlier.
If you are blessing a new Momma with a gift for a baby please, please consult her registry. She picked those things for a reason- and by shopping her registry you are helping her vision come to life, and saving her money while doing so, so she won’t have to buy the things she really wants for herself later.
The truth is, we really need so much less for babies than we could ever believe. And it is so fun to get immersed in the baby gadget world, but I have realized simple is better when it comes to babies and just figured I could share that little nugget of wisdom.
If you liked this blog, you may be interested in some of my other must have lists: