So I have several clients who are having babies this year! And one of the things we talk about during their maternity sessions is about our favorite baby items we use, what they registering for, etc. So I figured I would out together a list of the things we ACTUALLY have used and Wilder has loved since he was born.

We registered for quite a bit and our friends and family were so generous. But there are a few items I thought we would absolutely need/use and we have hardly touched. While every family and baby is different, here are the most used and most loved items we have!

Craft cart

we got ours at Michaels but they also have them Amazon and at Ikea! We love it so much we got a second one for the library with all of the stuff Wilder will need when eating or in his high chair. I had a c-section so we basically lived on the couch in our basement living room for the first 2 months because our bed was too hard for me to get in and out of. We had the cart with us and it was full of pj’s, wipes, swaddles, diapers, and burn clothes so Lex didn't have to go upstairs in the middle of the night to get anything.

Caddies/Baskets

I am a visual person so I love having all of the essentials out and open for us to see. We have baskets for all of his diaper changing needs by his changing pad. We use caddies when we go anywhere longer than a couple hours for diapers, bottles, formula, toys, etc instead of a suitcase. You can never have too many of these.

Changing Pad liners

Must have!!! We have 6 and just swap one out every time he has a blow out or pees through his clothes/on the pad. Makes it super easy to keep the pad clean especially in the middle of the night when you are exhausted. You can find them at Target or on Amazon.

Zip PJ’s not snaps

Save the snaps for the daytime. There is nothing more annoying than being dead tired in the middle of the night and not being able to quickly get their clothes back on.

Burp Clothes

Buy a ton. You will use them. Especially in the first few months.

Mittens for scratching

Wilder scratched the crap out of his face until he was about 3 months old so he was pretty much wearing these day and night. Unless you found awesome pj’s that came with them on the sleeve already!

Play gym

This was one of Wilder’s favorite favorite toys in those first couple months. Now he loves a good spoon ;)

A good diaper bag

We were given one of our friends’ old diaper bags which was great to start off with! We didn’t know how we would use it or what we would like in a diaper bag. I realized a couple months in I did not like how many compartments there were in the bag so if you filled on it made it difficult to put stuff in another. I just got this bag and am OBSESSED. It meets all the requirements, especially with the one large compartment that fits a ton.

Sound Machine + portable black out curtains

We use this sound machine every night and for every nap. Its small and easy to clip on the stroller or bring with us and is a must to get Wilder to sleep. He also now needs a dark room to sleep in so we have these portable black out curtains we can bring with us wherever we go.

Stroller fan

Now that it has been SO hot out, we are trying to find ways to keep Wilder cool while out. The stroller fan with the bendable legs has been awesome.

Crinkle paper

My mom made Wilder a little crinkly paper toy and he just loved it! And now, he loves to play with it and he is 7 months old.

Outdoor blanket

This one has been HUGE. I love our blanket from Little Unicorns. Anytime we go outside to sit I the grass or on our stoop we use it. Thanks to our awesome clients Caleen and Ryan for telling us where they got their :) And thank you Allie for getting it for us!

Baby wearing wrap

Love love love ours and both Lex and I have our own. We use to for walks or if we are out and we can’t put him down for a nap. Mine is from Baby K’tan and Lex’s is the Infantino Flip Advanced Carrier. There are so many to choose from so find one that is right for you!

FREEZER MEALS

This item is more for you than the baby but we asked several friends and family members if they could make us a bunch of food we could put in the freezer and then make after Wilder was born. We do not like cooking on a. good day let alone right after we had a baby and I am recovering from major surgery. But this was one of the greatest things we asked for. We really didn’t make our own food for about 2 months. Between the freezer meals and the rule that if anyone came over to see Wilder, they must pick up food, we were set. Thank you again to everyone who brought us food or made us food, you have no idea who much we appreciated it!!

Wipes and Diapers

We had a diaper raffle at our shower so we were fortunate to get A LOT of diapers. We also were gifted an entire box of wipes. Put these on your registry. Not having to buy these for a few months was amazing.

Other items we love:

-Baby nail clippers/files (you can’t initially clip baby nails, you must file them)

-Baby bath tub

-baby safe detergent

-Baby safe dish soap

-Hamper

-Thermometer

-Travel changing pad

-Car seat cover

-Carseat/stroller combo

-Shades for windows in car

-Binky clip

-Silicon bibs with pouch to catch drips

-Activity center for once he could sit up

-Carseat mirror

-Highchair

-Baby shampoo

-Baby bath towels

-Baby wash clothes

Things we have but hardly ever use:

-Bottle sterilizer - our dishwasher can do more than the one you put in the microwave

-Formula mixer - we mix it by hand, its way quicker

-Our crib - Wilder does not like sleeping in it, we could have waited to get him one

-Newborn outfits - he just wore p’s all day since we were just sitting on the couch most of the time at home

-Baby headphones - we didn’t really go anywhere with him for the first few months besides our families’ houses so we have not used them. Plus he did well with noise when we did.

Something I wish we would have invested in

-A better bassinet - Wilder also hated his bassinet and I would have gotten a better once that was comfier

Our Favorite Baby Items 2022