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When I found out I was pregnant all I did was spend hours and hours (I’m not kidding I spent hours….) on youtube and google researching what I really needed for a baby. As a first time mom I had no clue what I really needed but I didn’t want to waste money on unnecessary things that he would only use a short period of time or not at all. These aren’t things you absolutely must have, honestly all a baby really need is food diapers and lots of love. But these are things that worked for me and my family and I couldn’t live without because they helped make our lives easier. If you can afford it these things are so worth it, at least it was for me and my family.1. Owlet
At a price tag of $279.99 I had this thing in my cart for months… I watched tons of youtube videos read tons of comments even asked veteran moms if they thought this really was necessary. Some moms said it was worth it and others said it wasn’t. First let me tell you what this thing does then you can decide if its worth it to you…. The owlet is a sock sensor that monitors your babies heart rate and oxygen level while they are sleeping using the app that you download on your phone. It comes with 3 socks of different sizes, base station, smart sock sensor, charging cord, and this can be used until your little one is 18 months. Knowing how paranoid I could be I decided to bite the bullet and purchase it, and I have not regretted it. This is one of those things that really isn’t a must have but if you can afford it your peace of mind is totally worth it. Ive noticed on the nights where I don’t put it on him because I forgot to charge it I don’t sleep as well. So this thing pretty much just gives me peace of mind especially when he is laying next to nursing and we both end up falling asleep. The only con I can think of besides the price is that base light is pretty bright and you can’t dim it, but being so sleep deprived it doesn’t even bother me while I’m trying to sleep. I used to be one of those human being that the tiny light coming from the TV would prevent me from sleeping that I ended up putting a tape over it, well…..having a tiny human that wakes up every 2 hours to feed I no longer have that problem.
2. DockATot
Another pretty pricey item but so worth it is the Docakatot. This thing has been a life saver! It has become very useful if I need to put him down on the bed and not worry about him rolling over, or have him on the floor in the bathroom while I take a shower or even on the kitchen island while I’m in the kitchen, the dockatot has been my go to. He even sleeps in it at night (yes I know the manufacture says that placing the DockATot in a crib, bassinet or other sleep surface is against the manufacturer’s warnings and is not safe, but you can decide what is right for you and your family). If you plan on traveling alot I suggest purchasing the travel bag as well. It is super lightweight and portable. You can also purchase additional covers which I definitely recommend because as I am sure you have learned by now or will learn very soon that babies are messy. Since the cover needs to be air dried its nice to have two of them. The only down side is that its only good until your little one is about 8 months, but you can open the bottom if they get too tall. I Will definitely be purchasing the Dockatot Grand when he outgrows this one.
3. Uppababy Stroller / Carseat Travel system
I can’t tell you enough how much I love my stroller and carseat travel system. Uppababy has multiple models but I went with the vista because of all the different configurations (see below) since we plan on having another baby in the future.
First lets talk about the stroller; It comes with the bassinet, toddler seat, toddler seat rain shield and bug shield. You do need to purchase the upper and/or lower adapter for the different configurations. I purchased both adapters and I actually use the upper adapter in order for his car sear and bassinet to be higher up when I am home so that our dogs can’t reach him. Aside from the different configurations my second favorite thing is the extra large basket that is perfect for those target trips.
Now lets talk about the carseat. I debated between getting the Nuna Pipa car seat and the uppababy mesa car seat for a while, ultimately I decided on the Uppababy because I can easily snap it on to the Uppababy Vista stroller or the Uppababy Cruz stroller. They do sell adapters for the Nuna Pipa car seat to fit onto the Uppababy stroller but I didn’t want to have to deal with that. The carseat comes with the base which is awesome you only have to install it once and the carseat just clicks into place! It might be a good option for some to purchase the additional base if you have two cars, but for us it was not necessary. It has an adjustable headrest so you don’t have to rethread the harness as baby grows, it also includes an infant insert to be used for infants 4-8lbs.
4. Copper Pearl swaddle blanket
Before my little one was born I purchased lots and lots of swaddle blankets from different brands, mostly muslim ones and only one that wasn’t a muslim blanket from copper pearl. It turns out that I am not a big fan of muslim blankets for swaddling but I do love them for everything else. My absolute favorite swaddle blankets are from copper pearl because they are huge and stretchy they have such cute prints and they are one of the only ones that my little one can’t break out of, well most of the time….. He figured out how to break out of the swaddle since he was 2 days old! I did find an alternative to copper pearl HERE thats just a good and cheaper but they don’t have cute prints like the copper pearl ones so I own both.
5. Ubbi Diaper Pail
This diaper pail is on the pricier side but you end up saving money in the long run because you don’t need any special bags for it. It really does a good job at keeping the smell trapped in. We keep it in our bedroom for now and it does not smell like poop! You definitely smell the poop once you open it to throw away a diaper, but once its closed no poop smell yay! I keep a roll of bags at the bottom so I don’t have to worry about going to the kitchen to get a bag every time. The cloud print I purchased is unfortunately no longer available, but it does come in lots of other color. You can purchase yours HERE.
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