Favorite Baby Items — Part 1

Before having Tommy, I was constantly reading blogs and getting advice from family and friends to find out the “must-have” baby items. Now that Tommy is almost 2 months, I’ve decided to make a short list of some of my favorite items that we use on regular basis!

For Baby:

1. Swaddle blankets — Tommy LOVES being swaddled. Our favorite swaddle blankets have been the Aden & Anis brand. He’s a kicker and these stretch enough so that we can wrap him up nice and tight and he won’t break free! They also get softer with every wash which is a nice bonus 🙂 Tommy also sleeps better at night when he’s swaddled. This Swaddle Me brand has been our favorite, and they can be found at Target!

2. Swing — Tommy loves to take naps in it. You can take the seat off and it works as a bouncer as well! It currently sits out in the living room of our condo and doesn’t take up too much space. We use it every day!

3. Rock n Play — Instead of having a bassinet for Tommy to sleep in when we got home from the hospital, we used this instead. We tried him in the Pack n Play for a few nights, but he actually preferred the Rock n Play. I think he liked this better since it’s on a slight incline. Now that he’s sleeping in his crib, he’ll take naps in the Rock n Play. It’s also super easy to collapse and take with us when visiting family and friends. 

4. Sound Machine — I swear this helps Tommy sleep so well at night! We even have a portable one that we’ll use once we start taking him out in the stroller more often!

For Mom:

1. Hands-Free pumping bra — For various reasons, I decided the first week that we were home from the hospital to exclusively pump. {Maybe a future post on that later.} Whether you’re exclusively pumping, or have to pump once returning to work, this bra is a must have! It allows me to multi-task during those 20 minutes. 

2. Pumpin Pal Flanges — Along with the bra, these flanges are a must have. They come in various sizes so you can find your best fit, and are angled down to allow for a much more comfortable pumping session. Both the bra and flanges can be found on Amazon!

I hope these ideas are helpful to someone out there!