Happy Tuesday, friends!
With Louie officially turning one last week, I figured I have some a handful of posts that have allowed me to reflect a bit on his first year. ou might have seen my post on five takeaways from my first year of motherhood that I shared last Friday, and today’s is all about the top 10 most-used baby items from our first year with our sweet boy. Some of these items are a given, at least now that I have the experience of one year as a mom to a baby, lol, others I ended up valuing and loving much more than anticipated! I highly recommend saving this one to your Pinterest if you’re expecting so you can reference it later! My goal was to make it as helpful as possible so hopefully it is and sheds some light on products we loved most for our sweet Lou Lou during his first year!
10 Most Used Baby Items
1. Travel Sound Machine
A sound machine is pretty widely known as a must-have but it really proved to be a source of comfort for Louie. From the day we brought him home to today, it’s a big must-have for him and always helps him sleep. There are some really great stationary sound machines out there but we have loved this one, whether at home or for travel.
2. Breathable Crib Mattress
If you’re a first-time momma, or even a veteran momma, you can read a lot of things that can scare you about baby’s sleep. I get it and I’ve been there. One thing that put my mind at ease was having a Newton crib mattress because it’s completely breathable, washable and recyclable! Anything to help bring that anxiety down is worth it in my opinion, especially during those first few months.
3. Baby Sleep Sack
Louie loves his sleep sack! After a bit of research, we went with this one because it helps to regulate his body temperature through the wool material it’s made of. Something that I think can contribute to him feeling more comfortable during bedtime and throughout the night to help him sleep better.
4. Avent Natural Baby Bottles
You might think all bottles are created equal, but in my experience, they absolutely are not. The nipple on the Avent Natural baby bottles never inverted unlike other bottles we tried, and it never leaked!
5. Ryan & Rose Bear Pacifier Holder & Paci
See this bear and paci combo in the photo above that we love! If Louie ever woke up at night and couldn’t find his paci, he knew he just had to find his bear, which has always been really easy for him to find, and that the paci was attached to it so, when he woke at night, he was able to quickly soothe himself back to sleep.
6. Sponge Bottle Brush & Collapsible Tub With Drain
I’m a freak and always wash Louie’s things separate from everything else. Because of this, his things got washed with his own brush and in this basin, which has a drain at the bottom making it easy to empty!
7. Baby Breeza Formula Mixer
If you’re on the formula train like us, the Babybrezza made making bottles a breeze. I’m all about efficiency so this was one of my absolute favorite products to use this first year. I’m sad to see it go soon [at least for now]. It would make an amazing gift if you have a shower coming up or have a friend/sister that’s expecting. Maybe go in on it with a girlfriend or two as it is more of an investment [but so worth it!].
8. Doona Infant Car Seat & Latch
I’m a huge advocate for travel, especially in the first year, and I’m also a huge advocate for figuring out ways to make it less overwhelming and easier because, there’s no way around it, you are managing more when traveling with a baby. It can feel overwhelming but one such product that took some of the ‘hard’ out of our travel days was having the Doona. If you’re not familiar, it’s the only travel system that can go from a car seat to stroller in seconds. It’s designed to comply with top safety standards in both the US & UK and is extremely lightweight. It is both TUV and FAA aircraft approved for travel, as well. We were able to use it on international flights from the UK to the US. I did get some pushback flying from the US to the UK and I wish I had had that information at the forefront of my mind at the time but, for most flights, they will allow you to use it if you have a free seat next to you on the flight or if you have purchased the seat for your child.
Let me know if you want me to do a full review on the Doona before we retire it. We have a little more time with it so leave a comment below so I can plan accordingly!
9. Wingback Manual & Power Swivel Glider Recliner
I mean, they sleep so much in the first year or you spend so much time trying to get them to sleep in the first year… how could the glider not make the list? We decided this was something we’d rather invest in and I’m glad we did—it’s so comfortable and is hands-down one of the most aesthetically pleasing recliner/glider combos I came across.
10. Luxe Baby Blanket
Sure, muslins and burp cloths are on heavy rotation in those first few months but I felt like, by and large, we used a blanket consistently throughout the whole year. Once Louie’s digestive system matured a little more and he stopped spitting up so much, I felt like I only needed a burp cloth every so often. We also live in England too so using a blanket might also contribute to why we used a blanket a lot but yeah, I found it to be one of our most used items.
Fellow mommas, how does this list stack up against your top 10 most-used items in the first year? I think we all find our go-to’s and favorites depending on our baby’s needs, so this is what worked for us and I hope it was helpful! xo.
