People want you to buy everything. There are a million blogs talking about the million things you MUST BUY before baby because you will DEFINITELY NEED. I looked through a ton of them while I was pregnant and just recently took another look. More than 90% of the things these people are trying to sell did not help us parent any better or make our life any easier. As a new mom, that is completely defeating and frustrating. You’re bringing a beautiful baby into the world and going through pregnancy hormones while the internet is saying you aren’t buying enough or paying the right price to keep your baby safe and happy. Rude. And considering our pretty squeezed tight budget, buying the $600 bassinet or the $60 onesies that are supposed to make us better parents by magic pixie dust weren’t really going to make the cut. In the spirit of minimalism and financial stability and not putting a price tag on the value you bring to your child, we bought as little as possible for as cheap as we thought was still worth it to us in the long run. With that in mind, let’s dive into the best baby items we actually use.
My Top 10 Baby Items
Sound Machine
Zip Up Onesies
Perfect Binkie
Baby Monitor with Camera
Baby Fingernail Scissors
Baby Bassinet
Double-sided/Newborn and Infant Bathtub
Newborn Swing
Little Einstein’s Musical Table
Baby Carriers
Let’s start our tour in the baby’s room. First and absolutely foremost, everyone needs a sound machine. This is the absolute best thing we were gifted for our son! This is one of those items that has a very wide variety of features and price tags, but we love our simple, plug in or battery powered, three-button sound machine. Our son loves the ocean wave sound and we use it for both naps and bedtime. I know a lot of moms love the nightlight, which would be great if your baby is in a darker room. The curtain in our room is lower than the top of the window, so we have no need for the nightlight right now. Absolutely love it, the best baby item we own, hands down.
Number two, we have zip-up onesies. You’re going to be exhausted. A new type of exhausted. An exhausted you never thought was possible. Don’t use the buttons or snaps unless that is all you have. They are HARD when you never sleep. On top of that, they’re even harder when you realize that with every passing month your baby will become more and more wiggly. My son is not even nine months old yet, and I can barely hold him down for a diaper change. Just make it easier on yourself and buy the zippers.
This third item requires some trial and error. The perfect binkie. Every baby has one. I chose the one my son uses because of the orthodontic reviews, but he loves it just because he loves it. My son liked the one the hospital provided, but we chose to try a few others that had been given to us. As soon as that binkie hit his mouth, he was never trying a different one again. Babies know what they like and once you find the one they can’t live without, buy them in bulk because you lose those suckers everywhere.
Number four I will definitely be linking a great option under this paragraph, but the one I have isn’t sold anymore. My main criteria for a baby monitor was that it could not be easily hacked, had a handheld display, and had great reviews. The one we bought was the best I could find at the time. I can use it outside of our house, upstairs, downstairs, it is a blessing. We absolutely love it. I recommend a hand-held monitor unless you are willing to not use your phone during nap times. I love the Hello Baby brand because from my research, it was the cheapest option that was not easily hacked. The cheapest version I could find on Amazon from this brand is $56. Similarly, the Vtech version sells for around $50. Mine was only $20 when I bought it in February 2021, so they have jumped pretty significantly in price over the past few months.
The fifth item is fingernail scissors. We were gifted a cute set that had regular clippers, a nail file, and scissors. The scissors changed the game. They make cutting tiny baby nails so much easier and safer. We had a tough time with nicking his fingers in the beginning because of the regular clippers, but the nail scissors are SO easy. Baby’s nails are just so thin and tiny, so it was almost impossible to clip his nails without nicking his skin.
Number six is the oh so wonderful baby bassinet. We used ours until our little guy was over three months old. He was pretty small, so we were able to really get a lot of use out of it. We didn’t have anything fancy. It didn’t come off of the stand or lean over our bed, but if our baby wasn’t being cuddled, he was in there. We absolutely loved it. If my husband wasn’t an aggressive sleeper, we would have tried cosleeping, but this was our next best thing. Also, because of the c-section, it was very hard for me to bend over and using the crib when he was first born would have been a nightmare for me.
I feel like this seventh thing is just something everyone gets, but it is the plastic bathtub with two sides to sit in. I gave my son his first bath in one of those bath seats and we immediately hated it. I am sure you can imagine the whole hot and cold, warm water then cold air dilemma that came about. While the bouncer type is so cute, it is very much not easy. If you don’t already know, babies are SLIPPERY. So the ones with two sides usually have a little mat on the bottom, which is so helpful, and they also have one side for newborns and one side for the sitting up stages. We also tried a Mickey Mouse Inflatable one and all I can say is be careful.
The newborn swing! Very helpful for those times you just cannot stand and rock your baby any longer. Rocking your baby is a job that feels neverending and having a swing is such a blessing.
The Little Einstein table is not really made for newborns, however, if you press the buttons, I am sure they would enjoy the colors and songs. We love this especially because the legs are removable, so when your baby is not yet standing or mobile, you can set it on the floor next to them. It has modes for other languages, which is great! Who doesn’t love a good bilingual toy?
The big number ten is baby carriers. I have two, the one with the clips and a wrap. The clips are quicker and the wrap is more comfortable, so choosing which wrap to wear depends on those two things more than anything else. They are all fantastic, though. As your baby grows, it is nice to have a break for your body, while still having your baby close to you.
I hear that a lot of babies love these items as well, but like everything else on this list, it is not a one size fits all. These are the items that worked the best for us and our circumstances. Please do not feel the need to go out and buy more or new things if you don’t need to. Most of all, enjoy this time with your little bundle, it flies by so fast!
Not So Motherly Instincts 