The 10 best baby things we bought
Although I know I promised not to make this a mommy blog, we’re coming up on Jojo’s first birthday (tomorrow!) and I wanted to share the products that we absolutely *loved* this first year. I found the act of making a baby registry very overwhelming since there are so many options at every price point: it’s hard to narrow down what you really need, and what makes the most sense for you and your family.
With that in mind: this is a non-exhaustive list of things that we have truly loved and used pretty much every day. I promise you need less than what you think: the gadgets and fancy things can be nice, but definitely not necessary–and more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. I also recommend being open to hand-me-downs or buying used from OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace: so many great baby things are really only great for a few months or so, and the greatest gift you can give to a new parent is to get something out of their house and actually be appreciated and used by another baby.
Moms on Call 0-6 months: this was my actual baby bible, and I cannot recommend it enough. However, it’s definitely the most useful for a specific type of person/parent and that is someone who loves a routine! I am very, very, very schedule-oriented: having a structured day, even with a two-week old, actually helped to relieve a lot of my anxiety. (I know that to some people, having this kind of schedule would create anxiety–so again, know thyself!) I also give MOC full credit for a baby who has pretty much slept through the night since she was three months old, and has thus given us much more sleep and much more energy and good spirits.
I also really liked having ONE resource to go to when I had questions (is this just a common cold or should I email the pediatrician? what should we do to help this runny nose? what does she need to have in her crib? how much should she be eating?) as opposed to googling any of those questions and getting 18797235 different answers. Even if you don’t choose to go MOC, this is something I do recommend: find ONE trusted baby resource that fits your parenting style and stick with it. You will drive yourself crazy if you are constantly second-guessing or getting information from opposing resources.
tavo™ next + pipa™ lite r travel system: This is the stroller/car seat combo that we have and that I deeply, deeply love. This was actually a David ask: he put his sister’s kids in the car when we visited once, and it was SO easy to just click the Nuna car seat into the base. People always complain about how tricky car seat installation is, and it’s true: the Nuna is unparalleled at how easy it is to put the car seat in and take it out.
However, if I could go back I would probably get the tavo next stroller and the pipa rx car seat. We ended up getting the pipa rx for travel since you don’t need a base (aka great for ubers, taxis, etc.) and while it is a little heavier than the lite r, it’s not *that* much worse and think the added convenience/versatility makes up for it! The stroller itself feels super high quality and it also folds down VERY easily, so it’s easy to transport in and out of the trunk of our car. Instead of buying a bassinet stroller attachment, we also just used the car seat as the stroller seat (since it clips right in super easily) until she was big enough to sit up on her own.
Bonus: the basket underneath is big enough to fit one pug! This was actually something I looked for in strollers (and found it surprisingly hard to research) because Gertie can be lazy, and it has worked out perfectly on longer walks.
And although the travel system definitely isn’t cheap, I’ve found it to be worth the price: we use the stroller and car seat every single day, and I have zero complaints!
Ergobaby breastfeeding pillow: I put this on my registry and then decided not to nurse and was like, “oh wait do we need this” and almost got rid of it but I’m so glad we didn’t! It’s really helpful even when bottlefeeding and takes some pressure off all of the hunching over you do. David is a big fan too! (When I asked him at some point what he thought the best baby item was that we owned, he chose this.)
Keekaro peanut changer: I have zero idea why anyone would get a changing pad other than this one. Easy to clean (which is….important) and easy to plop on top of any dresser/table to make it a changing table. 100% of the best things we own that I am grateful for daily–I recommend keeping a thing of Clorox wipes right next to it for easy cleaning!
Hatch Noise Machine: We loved this so much for Jojo that we actually ended up upgrading our own white noise machine to the Hatch Restore (and love it!). It’s super easy to use and you can also control it via the app. We haven’t started using this feature quite yet, but we’ve also heard from friends with older kids that the light settings are super helpful in guiding quiet time or letting them know when it’s time to get up. It also takes up really minimal space on her changing table and blends right in (it’s the white cylinder all the way to the left in the photo above).
Dyper: this is kind of specific but I debated for a long time between cloth diapers and disposable. I didn’t want the laundry that comes with cloth and I also feel very bad about all of the diapers in landfills. I AM SO HAPPY WE DISCOVERED DYPER. They are sustainable and compostable bamboo diapers. I have found them to be really high quality (aka Jojo has never had any issues with diaper rash, etc.) and there is a service that picks them up outside our house every two weeks to be composted. Prices are comparable to what you’d get with leading diaper brands. All of their other products (wipes, liner bags etc.) are also good and they do good sales where it’s easy to stock up. And if you don’t have a place to store a ton of diapers, it’s very easy to do a monthly subscription where diapers will just magically appear every month!
Ubbi diaper pail: we have never had an issue with smelling any of Jojo’s diapers once they are in here AND you don’t have to buy special bags for it. We use the Dyper bags and in general, this is a very “buy it and forget it” product, which frankly, is exactly what I am looking for in a diaper pail.
Bobbie: if you end up formula feeding, this is very high-quality/organic and also super easy to just get shipped to your door. We have been very pleased with the quality of the product and the customer service! The branding and funny stickers on each can was such a bonus: I really got a kick out of the little puns every month. We used Dr. Brown’s bottles, which were also fantastic. (Also: I pumped exclusively for five months, and while I am so glad that Jojo absolutely thrived, I became infinitely happier and more well-rested as soon as we moved to formula. While it’s not something I necessarily regret, I do think we could have all been happier if we used Bobbie from day one! If this is something that resonates with you, I recommend reading this blog post by Jess Keys. Her reasoning on division of labor also played into why we opted to pump.)
Stokke high chair: This is kind of splurge-y, but it is super high-quality and I know we will use it for a long time since it easily converts from high chair to just a good toddler-at-the-table chair. I also truly cannot recommend the Catchy enough: obviously, it is necessary for us with two very food-motivated pugs. But even if you don’t have any dogs, this helps solve so many cleaning issues and spares you from finding food alllllll over your floor: whenever we travel and don’t have it, I miss it so much! We also got this cute padded seat cover from Etsy, which is definitely not required but has been nice to have.
Frida 4-in-1 Baby Bath: Jojo takes a bath every night as part of her bedtime routine, and this baby bath has grown with her so nicely from newborn to now. There are four different seat settings, and Jojo has loved every single one of them!
And an honorable mention to the Baby Bjorn bouncer and the Jolly Jumper! The Baby Bjorn bouncer was absolutely clutch for the first five-ish months: I would pop Jojo in here while I took a shower, or move it to the kitchen while I emptied the dishwasher. She loved it, and it’s super portable. I even took it with me to the park sometimes, or would set her up in the shade in our front yard with the pugs. It also converts into a toddler chair, so we are looking forward to that second life in the next few months.
And once she outgrew the bouncer, Jojo was absolutely obsessed with the Jolly Jumper: from about five to seven months, she was just thrilled to jump in here and hang out “standing up” as much as she could. (Both of these were hand-me-downs from my friend Katie: since both can’t be used for thaaaaat long, definitely worth checking on OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace as well!)
Bonus travel recommendations: Slumberpod and Guava Lotus Travel Crib: if you are planning to travel with a baby, both of these are nice options to add to your registry. They’re not cheap, but they’re best-in-class and will make traveling much easier!
Lastly, note on baby clothes: we absolutely love the options at Target, Old Navy and Primary. Affordable and cute! For good splurges (or great gifts), Magnetic Me, Kyte and Posh Peanut onesies have been some of our favorite hand-me-downs.
