Nursery

Crib - Love the details on this one, it feels a little more traditional and classic which is what I was going for in our nursery.

Crib Mattress - We chose this one because not only is it supposed to be more breathable, but I liked the idea that you can easily wash it so it won’t get moldy like traditional mattresses can from accidents and it’s recyclable.

Glider - I was able to score this amazing glider off of Facebook Marketplace—I highly recommend checking out what you can get second-hand for baby stuff, it can reduce the cost (and waste) and sometimes you can even find things brand new, or lightly used since babies can be picky about what they like or grow out of things so fast.

Hatch Sound Machine - Truth be told, we have a Hatch Sound Machine that we use for ourselves, so this was a no brainer, it’s simple looking and chic and also provides a dim light that will be great for middle of the night diaper changes when you don’t want to turn on bright lights.

Diaper Pail - I’ll have to report back on how I like this one. The pros were that it can take any kind of regular garbage bag, so while initially more expensive than some of the others, saves you money on bags, this also appealed to us because we’re going to try out a compostable diaper company and to use them we have to use their bags. The cons are that there aren’t any foot petals to open it up and the benefit of having the specialized bags are that you can pinch and tie off the bags at any size making it easy to take out the trash more frequently when things get stinky without wasting a whole garbage bag that isn’t full.

Baby Monitor - This one had great reviews and seemed simple enough to serve out needs. I didn’t want one where you had to use your phone as a monitor (this drains your battery pretty fast) and I’ve heard some creepy things about people being able to hack into the ones that use Wifi. There are also a lot of gimmicky monitors out there that claim to tell you sleep quality and lots of other stats and I just don’t believe those are accurate and imagine they might just induce more stress when there’s already so much to think and worry about as parent.s

Transportation

Stroller - We chose this one for multiple reasons (we’ll see if those end up being the right ones!). I wanted a full size stroller with big wheels making the ride super smooth, I wanted it to work with both the regular seat and a carseat and let’s be honest, I wanted it to look nice. We were between the Uppababy Vista and the Nuna Mixx Next and in the end decided on the Nuna because we didn’t want to store the bassinet after it’s limited use in the newborn stage and felt the Nuna looked just a big nicer compared to the sportier silver frame on the Uppababy.

Carseat - This was an easier decision than the stroller. These have high safety ratings and are lighter than a lot of other carseats. We went with this model because you can use it with the carseat base which makes it easy to take in and out, but it can also be used with the seatbelt if you’re getting a taxi or getting in someone else’s car.

Baby Carrier

Portable Sound Machine - For travel and just on the go, this seemed like a great thing to have in our diaper bag.

Stroller Fan

Baby Wrap Carrier - This soft wrap carrier is not only pretty (and comes in lots of patterns), but seemed like a great option for around the house, when baby is little and you want to be hands-free.

Clothes & Accessories

Velcro Swaddles - I’ve heard these are much easier for parents to put on and much harder for baby to escape. I’m actually planning to try a double swaddle technique using both the traditional muslin swaddle, followed by the velcro swaddle.

Muslin Swaddles - Muslin swaddles seem so practical to have on hand, obviously for swaddling, but they also function as a blanket or burp cloth. Doesn’t hurt that you can find them in a million colors and patterns which makes them pretty too!

Bibs - Simple cloth bibs seem practical for drooly babies to keep them dry and prevent you from having to change outfits too often due to the drool.

Feeding

Bottles - We’re giving these a shot because they’ve come highly recommended, but I know each baby has different preferences so we’ll see how they work out!

Pacifiers - I’ve heard this is the type that hospitals typically give out and that most newborns prefer. I think they usually come in a standard green, but I found them in this blue and slightly preferred them. I believe they also come in pink and purple.

Silicone Bibs - We’re a ways away from eating solids, but these silicone bibs are easy to clean and catch all the extra food that falls.

Health & Grooming

Bathtub - Simple and inexpensive, I’ve heard this one is easy to clean and does the trick!

Hooded Towels & Washcloths

Nail Trimming Kit - I’m a little terrified at the idea of having to cut baby’s nails, this is supposed to be much gentler and easier than traditional clippers.