#FaveFiveThings {Newborn Necessities} -

Hey, y’all! You are getting two posts in one week from me, which hasn’t happened in quite a while! Now that Olivia is getting into a little more of a schedule, I feel like I have more time to get things done, and one of the things I’ve wanted to do is talk about some of our favorite things we’ve been using over the last five weeks!

When I was pregnant and trying to make our registry, I was so lost when it came to what we did or didn’t need, and what was just extra, or not necessary. I read blog post after post about the so-called “must haves” and everyone said something different, or it felt like they were trying to just peddle a product for a paycheck/ free merchandise. I remember feeling super overwhelmed trying to make our wedding registry, but this was like that tenfold, mostly because a lot of marketing made it seem like the wrong decision put your child’s safety on the line.

Well, the good news is that that is not the case. For the majority of baby items, you can’t really go wrong, it’s just a matter of personal preference. So, I’d like to share some items we’ve found to be really helpful, or have been used very frequently, or we would consider “must-have/ necessary”. I’ll admit that some were not things I expected us to use so much, or frankly even own, but now it would be hard to function without them! And I add in the disclaimer that I wish others had said when I was researching– this is just our experience. Every baby is different, and this may give you some ideas, but I would be open to different items with your baby depending on his or her preferences and not ride or die with these. If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far as a mom, it’s to just go with whatever works!

Note: all links to products are to Target’s website. We purchased all of these items ourselves, or received them as baby gifts from friends/ family, so there is no product promotion or affiliate links. These items are certainly available at multiple retailers, but I linked to Target because that is where I did buy the item, or where I likely would have bought it if it wasn’t a gift. Feel free to shop around if you would prefer! 🙂

Gerber Newborn Flat-Fold Diapers

So, I don’t cloth diaper. That whole process intrigues me, but we just went the disposable route with Olivia and I don’t regret it. But, my sweet office staff put together a big baby bathtub full of goodies and it had a package of these inside. They are the BEST burp cloths! They are larger than the average burp cloth and are absorbent when it comes to spit up. I also have a set that are like this, but were jazzed up by a sweet friend’s mama, and they are also awesome! I love these so much, I’m planning to buy more packs because I use them so much I feel like I’m constantly washing them to get them back in the rotation. Olivia has had some reflux, so we burp and spit up often, and go through burp cloths quickly. 🙂

2. Elephant Wubbanub

I whole-heartedly believe in pacifiers. It’s fine if that’s not your thing– I get it. But for my sanity, we love us some pacis. We love the Soothies the best (I linked the pink and purple ones, but you can get them in green, and I also buy them in bulk from Amazon because Lord knows it’s almost impossible to find one when you need it, amiright??), so the Wubbanub is actually a Soothie pacifier with a little stuffed animal attached. Before motherhood, I thought the purpose of the stuffed animal part was just to be cute, or like a way they could carry a stuffed animal while serving a dual purpose or something. I didn’t really think about it a whole lot, honestly! And then after Olivia was born, I learned that the purpose is basically to create a counterweight so that it is easier for newborns to keep it in their mouths. They can hold on to the stuffed animal part, and that in turn helps keep the paci pushed in so they don’t lose it. And as someone who has picked up pacifiers off the floor more times than I can count because it just popped out like a cork, I really appreciate that even if she does let the Wubbanub fall out of her mouth, it will just rest on her torso until I put the paci part back in. We chose the elephant because we love elephants and she has a few other things with elephants, but they have almost every animal imaginable, so search for “Wubbanub” and check out all the options!

3. Baby K’Tan Baby Wrap Carrier

I have a sweet friend in our ladies’ Bible study at church that is like a baby wearing guru. She told me the differences between some of the wraps and carriers, and which ones she has liked best before Olivia was born, and based off that, I registered for the Baby K’tan wrap. And she was sweet enough to gift it to us! Our joke is that because Olivia is the first grand baby for both of our parents’, she has been held and cuddled so much that she doesn’t really care to be put down, which makes getting things done around the house a little challenging! Cue this nifty invention… I can put her in this and she typically goes to sleep, and I can iron, or fold clothes or whatever while having both hands free.

The other major way this has helped is when we are out in public and don’t want to lug around her car seat (which are pretty dang heavy, honestly!). This is the only way I grocery shop now (if I’m in the actual store and not doing grocery pick-up) because her car seat doesn’t fit in the seat part of the cart, so having her in her seat is obstructive and cumbersome. I also wore her like this a few weeks ago when we went to a Tech baseball game in Waco so we wouldn’t be taking up leg room or an extra seat with her car seat. This kept her snug and cozy while we watched the game and didn’t require a ton of extra room. Before having her, I wasn’t really sure this was my thing or if I’d really like it, but I love it, and use it almost daily. They are sized, so since I usually wear a 2-4, I got the XS and it fits well– there is plenty of room for her, but not too much.

4. Munchkin Waterproof Changing Pad Liners

When I found these, I thought, “Oh, this will help keep my changing pad cover (which is this one) nice and clean”, and that’s about all I thought about that. And then I found out the hard way that girls will go whenever they please whether they have a diaper on or not just like I’ve been told boys do. I’ve had several close calls on the changing pad that these handy things saved, and I’ve got a few hooded bath towels, pj onesies, blankets and burp cloths that did not luck out quite so well. I try to have one of these for every diaper change regardless of where I am in the house, and what’s nice about the 3 pack is that you have extras to use when one has to go in the washer because there was an accident. Highly, highly, highly recommend these! 🙂

5. DockATot

This is probably the one thing I swore we wouldn’t have before Olivia was born. I thought they were crazy expensive and unnecessary, and the fact that they aren’t recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a safe sleep surface scared me.

I naively thought that we were just going to set her in the pack-and-play in our room and she would sleep just fine, and then at the recommended 6 months of age, she’d move to her crib and that would be that. Ha! We got home the first night and she flipped out when we set her down in the pack-and-play, and would only sleep when one of us would hold her. So we slept holding her the best we could. On Day 2 of being home, I showed this to Steven and we ordered one as fast as we could. Yes, they are expensive, but we honestly probably would have paid more for it just to sleep. We agreed that it was worth it to at least try to see if it would work.

Y’all. There are almost 500 reviews on Target’s website and it’s rated 4.5 stars. Obviously it doesn’t work for everyone, but that’s a pretty good rating for a large number of reviews. And it works for us. We have the DockATot Deluxe with the Mod Pod cover. The cover can be removed and washed (and we have!), and air dried and it goes right back on. The Deluxe size is recommended for babies 0-9 months, which is perfect for us because she should be transitioned into her crib by then (but they do make a larger size you can graduate into). It is great for her to nap in while I try to get stuff done as well because it is easy to move around the house and keep up with. All in all, I would recommend trying it if your little has trouble sleeping in big, open spaces, or just trouble sleeping in general!

Honorable Mentions:

Our Boppy pillow with slipcover…

The Boppy is another great place she will hang out while we are at home. I like sitting her in the Boppy if she’s just eaten, or if she’s having reflux rather than the DockATot because it keeps her upright rather than laying flat. Since she’s still a little small for it, I usually cover it with a blanket so that it’s harder for her to sink down in the hole, plus it makes it a little more cozy.

Our swing/bassinet combo…

We have the Graco Soothing System Glider, which includes a bouncer and bassinet that can both be put on the swing track, or the bouncer can work by itself. She does really well in her carseat so she also does well in the swing because it’s a similar set-up. She has times that she doesn’t care for this and will still cry, but she likes it for the most part. (Part of the reason she didn’t like it as much at first was the fact that I had put part of it together backwards and it wasn’t swinging right… Now that it’s working correctly, she seems to enjoy it more 😉 ).

And lastly, I love the Up and Up diapers! Honestly, I like them better than the brand names we were given. They all work, obviously, but the only blow-outs we’ve had have been with Pampers or Huggies (these are the only 3 brands we’ve tried), so I think the Up and Ups seem to hold up for longer!

And here’s just a montage of pics of my girl because she’s just the cutest 😉