We finally found an adequate tree stand with the help from a friend on the inside 😉 Jane Marie works at Lowe’s corporate and helped us track one down. Hooray! So now the tree is officially standing in our living and making the house smell like sweet, sweet Fraser Fir!
Why no picture? Because it’s still naked. I had full intentions of decorating it (at least getting the lights on), but after we ate dinner (Greek quinoa salad with grilled chicken)
and put Hailey down, I was whipped. So today I vow to decorate! And maybe even find a present or two to wrap and put under it. But want to know a secret? I don’t think I’ll be buying much for Hailey for Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring her a new book or maybe a new outfit, but truth be told, she doesn’t need much.
In fact, I wish I would have known that babies didn’t need much from the get go…
~~~~~~cue dream sequence music~~~~~~~
I remember driving to Buy Buy Baby for the first time. I figured I swing in, register for some items and call it a day. I was armed with my Baby Bargains book and felt confident I could hammer out what we needed pretty quickly. Then… I stepped through the front door.
Holy baby overload!
The place is the size of a department store and was full of items I’d never even heard of (what the heck is a Mamaroo? Do I need one?) That’s all it took to shake my confidence. I decided I’d start simple (as if there is such thing- HA!) and pick out a stroller. So I meandered over to the stroller section, took one look around, realized there were over 50 strollers each touting to be the best, and turned around and left the store.
I felt overwhelmed. How would I ever figure out what I needed? How did anyone ever have babies without everything Buy Buy Baby claims you ”need” on their helpful (insert eyeroll) registry check list?
Well, I’ll tell you what I did. I started asking around. I asked my mom friends, my twitter friends, my blog friends and finally found the answer!
…everyone has a different opinion. 😉
HAha! The unfortunate truth is that different things work for different babies.
However, since I’ve been asked a few times what worked/is working best for Hailey, I wanted to share my favorite items.
1. Baby Jogger City Mini
I knew that the travel systems (like Graco) weren’t going to work best for me. I found them bulky and difficult to use. I wanted a stroller that I could easily handle with my 5’1” frame and one that would be versatile for walks and simple jogs. This one is perfect. It isn’t too heavy and closes easily with the pull of one handle. You can lock the front wheel to make wogging easier and more secure. My Peg Perego car seat snaps right in with the help of the converter. I don’t see myself needing another stroller, unless I became a hardcore runner and wanted to do long, intense runs with the baby.
2. Sleep Sheep
At first I thought the sheep was cute, so why not get it, but now I see it’s so much more than a furry farm animal. It plays 4 sounds (ocean, rain, heartbeat and whales- Hailey prefers the whales) that help lull her into a deep sleep at night. When she was smaller, I’d bring it with me when we went out because the noises would soothe her, but now we just use it at bedtime. It has an automatic shut off, and you can set it to turn of in either 20 or 40 minutes. I think I’ll miss the whales when they aren’t right next to our bed anymore…
3. NUK Orthodontic Pacifier
I think I briefly touched on it, but I started off being anti-pacifier. The funny thing is, I’m not even sure why I was, but I’m glad I got over it. At around 3.5 weeks I offered Hailey a pacifier when she was inconsolable and it immediately calmed her down. Why was I so worried? The poor thing just wanted to suck on something to self soothe. I know everyone has a different brand they like, and we’ve tried a few, but Hailey clearly prefers the NUK orthodontic nipple pacifier. We’ve had zero troubles with breastfeeding or bottle feeding and I feel much more comfortable going out with her knowing I have a pacifier in my arsenal.
4. Mirror Books
Maybe I’m raising a vain little girl, but she likes to look at herself. I can’t say I blame her- she is pretty cute ;). I always though books for young babies (0-3 months) were pretty pointless, but Hailey proved me wrong. For a while I only focused on keeping her fed and happy, then it dawned on me- the girl needed some stimulation! I whipped out our Baby Einstein mirror book and immediately she was intrigued. When she ‘reads’ her books, her eyes get big, she starts kicking up and storm and reaches out to touch and hold the pages. It’s adorable. And clearly it means she’s a genius, right?
5. Boppy
Originally I thought the boppy would be the ultimate help for breastfeeding. Although I do use it for nursing, it isn’t all that great. In fact, in retrospect I would have bought the My Brest Friend pillow because it is more structured and secures around your body for feeding. However, I do use my boppy everyday because Hailey likes to chill in it. And yes, chill is the right word because it doesn’t quite hold her up in a sitting position, but more so a reclined, gangsta like position. I’m sure I also would have really liked the Boppy Newborn Lounger, but I didn’t know about it until recently.
These are my favorite 5 items, but to be honest, what I really learned is that babies don’t need a whole lot. Diapers, sure. Clothes, a few outfits, of course. But as long as you are there to talk to them, cuddle them and carry them, you don’t need a whole lot of fanciness.
That being said… no, I will not relinquish the sleep sheep.
What baby item would you most recommend?
Least recommend?
Molly @ Duchess of Fork says
Maybe it’s just a glorified trash can, but I love my Diaper Genie! I also use my Bumbo every day.
Brittany says
Our diaper genie is upstairs in her nursery and we have yet to use it because we keep using the pack and play downstairs as our changing table. I look forward to trying out the glorified trashcan though 🙂
Kristen @ The Concrete Runner says
Ah, we will have to use that book now! MacKenna LOVES looking at herself in a mirror and I never thought about even getting that book out yet (even though we do read to her every night). Looks I have something new to do during her playtime today!
Speaking of mirrors, we got this really cute girly playmat as a gift that has a mirror you can move to different places on it. My husband hung it from one of the toys so when she lays directly under it, she can see herself perfectly. She LOVES it! I get the biggest smiles from her when she’s looking at herself. Ha!
Brittany says
Sounds like both our cute babies think they are pretty cute 😉
kristin point says
I hate to burst everyones bubble but I’m a psychology nerd and I remember learning about how babies don’t have the self-awareness to recognize themselves in the mirror until about age 18months. Until then they think they are looking at another kid! Haha. Either way its super cute, they think they are playing with a friend in the mirror! When they are self-aware you can test it out by putting a dot on their head (or changing their appearance in some way) and seeing if they notice when looking in the mirror. I used to do this to kids I babysat haha.
Casey W. @ thislittlechickpea says
I agree with all of your recommendations! I have the Baby Jogger City Elite and while I do plan to run with it, it is a bit bulky for me – I’m 5’2″. I have found the Boppy to be less helpful in breastfeeding, although I do still use it, just bunched up next to me and a regular pillow would work fine for that to be honest! I have the newborn lounger and LOVE it. Ben loves to kick and play in it and often will fall asleep in it as well.
If there is one thing that helped out the most for us though, I would have to say it was this chair – http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4230352 – it is a vibrating infant chair that converts into a toddler rocking chair and Ben wouldn’t sleep in anything else for 6 weeks!
Kate says
I’m with you on the Sleep Sheep…my daughter is 5 weeks and my husband and I have agreed that when we move her into her room to sleep we are getting a second Sleep Sheep for us.
The other thing that has been a lifesaver is our Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper. Claire has pretty severe reflux and she will throw up if she lays flat on her back for too long. This keeps her on an incline so she’s less likely to spit or throw up.
Paulina says
My favorite item is the baby carrier to wear the baby. I have both the Moby Wrap and a BabyGo.
Jessie @ Graze With Me says
Favorite item – Aden & Anais swaddle blankets. Lifesaver for the first 10 weeks of Lyric’s life!
Least favorite/useless items – mittens (for scratching) and breast pads (I never need them & I have a billion)
Also, blankets. My god I think we have around 35 of them now? And if course they’re all girly so if we have a boy next I’ll end up w/35 more.
Brittany says
I hear ya on the blankets! We have a billion and only use about 4
Katie @ Pop Culture Cuisine says
OMG the blankets…we must have about a million and my m.i.l just gave me like 4 more…seriously we have one child and she could use a blanket every day for a month and not repeat and I really only love like 4 of them haha.
Susan @ Real Life Travels says
My favorite baby item is the Rock and Play Sleeper and once they get a little older the Rainforest Bouncer … both awesome!
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers says
Awww, I love Sheep Sheep – it’s an adorable (and apparently practical) toy.
K says
I so agree that babies need very little to thrive! We are expecting our first little one this spring and we basically anticipate buying whatever few necessities don’t get given to us as gifts. I am very clutter-conscious and seriously turned off by baby consumer culture, but I love posts like this that are so incredibly valuable for discerning need from want. Thank you so much…your daughter is beautiful!
Brittany says
I’m very clutter conscious, too! I always swore my house would never be overrun with toys. So far, so good, but who knows what the future holds. Congratulations on your little one on the way! 🙂
Emily says
Not sure how Hailey is but my twins have recently gotten into toys, which is a lot of fun! We’re getting them some toys like 6-12 month+ for Christmas, a lot that will help with sitting and standing…and eventually walking! yikes! and fine motor skills and things like that, that they seem to have started showing interest in. For stocking stuffers I got them baby spoons and tooth brushes…they’ll love them I’m sure haha And it’s so fun seeing their eyes light up when they realize the snail will sing to them or their octopus will light up haha I def agree that a pacifier is a must have item! we never had a boppy or sleep sheep and made do without them, but a swing was a must have for us! Especially with twins! I only have so many hands to rock the babies and while I can do 2 at once, if 1 is in need of a little more cuddle time, the swing is a great sub for the happier (usually sleepier) baby 🙂
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says
I am a HUGE fan of the sheep! So darn tootin cute.
Madeline @ Food Fitness Family says
Your top five mimics ours! The only thing I would add would be our Halo sleepsack swaddle! Love love love my City Mini. Seriously the best stroller ever!
Brittany says
It is- I love it! I’ve had multiple friends go and buy it after their first stroller didn’t live up to what they hoped. And we love swaddles, too! We usually swaddle using a blanket, but have started using a second swaddle sack over the first one as Hailey gets stronger. My mom calls it her straight jacket 😉
Jen says
I need to look into that book! So far, the only thing that stimulates Wyatt is the carrots hanging on his playmat. I guess he likes orange and already knows he’s a Clemson fan? 🙂 We also love Sleep Sheep and the newborn lounger!
Shanna, like Banana says
Love the list!
I have the Baby Jogger elite and think we’ll love it. Also have the boppy and ortho nuk.
Since my baby boy isn’t here quite yet (2 more weeks!), I can’t say what will work well, but once I do, I’ll be sure to share 😉
Brittany says
Only 2 more weeks?! So exciting!!
Maria says
Do they make Boppies for adults? The closest thing I can find is a Love Sac and I just don’t have the square footage.
Brittany says
We have a Love Sac, too! It was our only living room furniture for at least a year when we moved in with each other. It was awesome!
Maria @ a life to Bragg about says
I loooooove my city mini too! Have you heard about the new city mini GT?!
Brittany says
No I haven’t?! What is it?
Julia says
My little W is 10 months old and sleep sheep is like her BFF. id on’t even thinks she NEEDS it, but she climbs on him, and sometimes even falls asleep in his lap. And sometimes when I go in to get her in the am she’s turned him on and he’s singing like a whale. It’s real funny! Ya, babies don’t need much, just mommy, milk, sleep and diapers 🙂
kristin point says
im so glad that you love the city mini even with the attachment for carseat, i got it and forsee loving it but heard some negative reviews on one of my birth boards! i cant wait til march to use mine 🙂
Katie @ Pop Culture Cuisine says
Yeah our little ones are only a few weeks apart and while I first started to only use the pacifier sparingly, it has become a part of necessity in our daily lives and a lifesaver. Her favorite is also the Nuk and I had to go get a few more to make sure we have one or multiple with us at all times!
Jen@FoodFamilyFitness says
I think the only thing that I had with all 3 that I would recommend is a swing.
blackhuff says
I told my husband, that one day when we visit the States (USA) for vacation, it should be done over Christmas time, so that I can experience the places you buy a Christmas tree. Here in South Africa, we all have fake Christmas trees because they just don’t grow the fur trees here. And you talking about the sweet smell coming from the tree, that also is something I am not familiar with.
Can’t wait to see your decorated tree.
Love the stuff you posted which you like about baby must haves. Mine was Nuk teets for bottles and also a rocking chair.
Brittany says
You absolutely must visit during Christmas, even it’s just to smell a freshly cut Christmas tree. It’s my favorite smell in the whole world! Let me know if you decide to visit NC 🙂
Lindsay says
Brittany, I do not have any children but I was a baby once and my mom loves to recount stories of my child hood. I was NOT a pacifier baby and would actually spit it out when my parents would give it to me. I did have a blanket from day one that I needed to comfort myself.
My also tells me that her MUST HAVE for babies is a Mini-Van. Do you have a mini-van or do you drive an SUV/Car?
Brittany says
We have an SUV and a car, but I have a feeling if a #2 kid comes along, we may hop on the mini-van bandwagon. I also hear they are awesome!
TheCrunchyGemini says
The Snuza monitor! It clips to their diaper and will alarm if they stop breathing .. Sooooo helpful for paranoid new moms like me! Lol
Gina says
I love my baby carrier! We have a Beco carrier that is awesome (will hold babies from 7-45 lbs. either front or back carry!!!) Ergo carriers are also very nice!