If you’re anything like me, you looked at every single Pinterest board and parenting website “essentials” list when you were expecting your first bundle of joy. Everyone has their favorite products, toys, and baby hacks, and here are some of mine! Just click on the picture of each product to go directly to Amazon for purchase.

For the nursery

Delta Children Portable Mini Crib, Cherry  This was invaluable to us. We used in our bedroom after Alexandra grew out of the bassinet. Very sturdy, so easy to roll, and folds down super thin!

Dream On Me 3 Portable Non-full size crib mattress, White Vinyl – Ordered this for our mini crib – fit super snug with no room around the edges!

Crane Cool Mist Humidifier – Little noses + daycare = colds. Enough said. We now have THREE of these in our house.

Diapering Essentials

Aquaphor Baby Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment Skin Protectant – my personal go to for diaper rash and drooling rash. It clears everything up the same day, plus no white residue.

Johnson’s Hand & Face Baby Wipes – I always have a pack of these in my diaper bag for on-the-go messes. Super gentle and a light fragrance.

Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter – this is fragrance-free and a lovely texture. Absorbs super quick. I used this on my growing belly, shrinking belly, aching breasts during breastfeeding, and all over moisturizer. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Mealtime

The Wholesome Baby Food Guide: Over 150 Easy, Delicious, and Healthy Recipes from Purees to Solids – If you’re embarking on the baby food making journey like I did, this book was super informational and had great recipes.

Elbee 613 Coolest 15-Cube Silicone Ice Tray – 2-Piece Mold Set – Make 30 Cubes – Also for the baby food makers, these trays were great for freezing puree and popping them out into storage bags for the freezer.

Nuby 2-Pack No-Spill Clik-It Cup with Spout, 10 Ounce – These were the first sippy cups we used and loved them. They do spill, but not horribly. Great as a training cup for weaning off the bottle!

Philips AVENT Powder Formula Dispenser – We did a combo of breastfeeding and formula due to tongue tie and this dispenser was great. Even if we weren’t going out, I always had this set up to make bottle making easier during the day.

Reusable Baby Food Pouch Squeasy Snacker Featuring No-Spill Insert – We got one of these in a Bluum box and LOVE IT. Perfect for yogurt, applesauce, and purees. I can confidently give this to my little in the car and know she’s not going to squeeze it all over the seat and her hair while I’m driving.

Munchkin 2 Piece Snack Catcher – Whether we are snacking and watching TV or out shopping, these are great. The hold in Cheerio’s and yogurt melts alike with very little spilling (which disappoints our dog).

Munchkin Miracle 360 Sippy Cup, Pink/Orange, 10 Ounce – these are our “big girl” cups and we love them! Some people have said that they spill when dropped but we have never had that happen (and trust me, they’ve been dropped and thrown plenty!)
Nuby Garden Fresh Fruitsicle Frozen Pop Tray – These are great for the summer and when the little has a fever to try and get some extra liquid into her. They’re super easy to hold and the drips are limited (unless you turn it upside down)

Rubbermaid LunchBlox Lunch Bag, Small – This is great for daycare and on-the-go meal packing for the little. We also bought the insert with the cold pack and containers. Holds a lot for a little lunch bag!

For Play

Sassy Floor Mirror – this was perfect for tummy time! The turning bee and rattle in the ladybug kept our little occupied for a long time. It’s also super soft and lightweight so when she started grabbing things we had no concerns with keeping this right where she could reach it (and apparently the bee was fun to chew on)

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo – This kept our little entertained for a long time! The sounds are not super annoying, the colors are bright, and it’s super easy to collapse down if needed.

Summer Infant Pop N’ Play Portable Playard – we used this indoors and outdoors and it is fabulous! Folds down super thin and almost one-handed. We always made sure to place it on a foam playmat when we were outside. Super high sides so it was hard to throw toys out of reach until she started standing.