Top Baby Items: 0 – 2 Months

Well, the last 8 weeks have been amazing, and flown by! Romy and I don’t have family that live close to by, so our friend network in Milwaukee has become like family to us. While they have been amazing with stopping in and bringing us a few meals, we have definitely had some assistance from a few different gadgets. Here are our top 10 baby items, we really couldn’t be more grateful for!

1. DockATot® Deluxe+ Dock in Pristine White – This was one item I was really on the fence about putting on our registry. It is not cheap and seemed kind of silly to me. While here I am 8 weeks later and we couldn’t live without this little bed! August really does love it and it is so convenient that we can move it from his crib to our bed to the living room and so on.
2. Spectra S1 Breast Pump – Since August decided he didn’t want to breastfeed, we made the decision to pump. I love my spectra! The biggest plus is that it is rechargeable and can be taken on the go and moved around. That way for the 6+ pumping sessions I had a day, I am not tied to a power source. My insurance did cover the majority of the purchase price, but there was an upcharge that we did have to pay for it.
3. Hatch Rest⁺ Sound Machine, Night Light, Time-to-Rise, and Audio Monitor – One of the biggest recommendations we had was getting a sound machine to assist with sleeping. The Hatch Rest⁺ was the perfect machine for us. Not only does it assist with sleep training a newborn, but it;s functions grow with your child. With the time-to-rise” mode, allowing your child to understand the acceptable time to get out of bed before they can read a clock with color-changing features. But for now, we are able to set timers and control from either of our phones.
4. Hatch Baby Grow Smart Changing Pad and Scale in White – When Romy told me he wanted the furniture in our nursey to be white, I was on the hunt for a white silicone changing pad. I always knew I didn’t want a fabric-covered pad due to quick clean-ups and honestly the only one I found was the Hatch. The Hatch changing pad actually had a built-in scale also, so we can monitor August’s growth. This came in handy when we were transitioning to bottle feeding.
5. Sublime Hands-Free Pumping & Nursing Bra – With our pumping journey starting earlier than expected, I was caught off guard with only one pumping bra and a few nursing friendly sports bras. I didn’t really know what I needed or what I was looking for. Well, I soon learned convertibility was key to this type of undergarment. I stumbled across the Kindred Bravely sublime bra via an Instagram targeted ad.  The bra seemed too good to be true and I hadn’t found anything else on the market. Both a nursing and pumping bra, I bought instantly and have since purchased enough for a weekly rotation. I can’t speak highly enough about this bra, plus it is very comfortable and supportive with my extra-extra-large titties.
6. Baby Shusher – This gadget as weird as it may seem, is a lifesaver. I was skeptical at first, but after a few scream sessions, I ordered on Amazon. Let me tell you, this little sound machine is the perfect soother for our little guy. Not only do we use at home, but we also use it on the go!
7. UPPABaby Visita – Our big investment piece! I had my eye on a couple of high-end stroller systems, but the UPPABaby was the winner. Really the biggest selling feature was the convertibility to a double stroller. But instead of turning into a double-wide outward, the chairs stack almost on top of one another. We live so close to downtown Whitefish Bay and want to take advantage of all the things within walking distance from our home, so not being able to easily get in and out of doors was a deal-breaker. Now, we also utilized the bassinet as our actual bassinet in our bedroom UPPABaby has a compatible stand that mounts the bassinet.
8. Breast Pump Bag – I was very particular about what I needed for a breast pump bag. I did want another tote bag and I wanted to ensure everything could be housed in one bag (pump, parts, cooler, etc). After hours of research and asking some friends I found this bag on Amazon. I love that the pump has a separate compartment from the cooler sections. And since the Spectra S1 is rechargeable, taking my pump on road trips over the holidays was very convenient.
9. Halo SleepSac – So we were actually gifted (I am sure we paid somewhere) a Halo SleepSac from our hospital. So from day one August has only used the Halo SleepSacs.  Once we got home from the hospital we had read that fresh babies really like the company of their hands and would prefer hands out in when swaddled, so we started keeping his hands out. Eventually, we just stopped swaddling him, until one afternoon he wouldn’t nap. It went on for hours. As a last resort, we swaddled him in his sleepsack so tight, and he instantly fell asleep. He now gets swaddled for every nap and has turned into a great sleeper.
10. Gerber Reusable Diaper Cloths – Now I know with the title you are thinking WTF? But stick with me, babies spit up a lot and I have found that the best rag for clean up is actually reusable diaper inserts. They are super absorbent and they are large enough to catch the really big spit-ups so they don’t end up all over you and baby.

I am sure as we continue down this path of parenthood, we will continue to find more products and hacks we love!