Rug | Pouf | Side Table | Wooden Toy | Lamp | Glider | White Button Down | Leather Baby Bow
We've reached the 6 week mark with our third daughter, Polly, and now that we're in a groove with sleeping, nursing and hormones have even balanced out, I wanted to share a few of my favorite newborn necessities. Some I have used with all three of our girls and some we have become converted to in these last few weeks. The 4th trimester is no joke and while it's easy to accumulate so much unnecessary baby gear, I 100% recommend all of the items here--all things we have purchased ourselves.
No. 1 Rock 'n Play | No. 2 DockATot | No. 3 MamaRoo | No. 4 Summer Infant Insert | No. 5 Fawn Design Diaper Bag | No. 6 Target Jammies | No. 7 Nipple Butter | No. 8 Windi | No. 9 Gel Pads | No. 10 Baby Monitor | No. 11 Calming Lotion | No. 12 Sound Machine | No. 13 Madewell Button Downs | No. 14 Nursing Bra | No. 15 Spanx | No. 16 Boppy | No. 17 Water Bottle | No. 18 Cover
1. We’re on our second baby with our Rock N’ Play and this is a must-have! Our daughter sleeps in here (for now) and the incline helps with reflux immensely. She also already sleeps 7 hour stretches (at 6 weeks old!) and I give the Rock N’ Play some of the credit for that. We don’t use the vibrating feature, but it’s nice if she starts stirring, to go in her room and rock it easily with my foot.
2. The Dock A Tot is a recent purchase, and I’ll put it in the nice-to-have column if you can swing it, because it is pretty pricey. But, for us, it has been worth every penny. It’s basically a very portable baby lounger and the sides mimic a womb so babies feel very safe and cozy in it. There have been so many times, whether we’re eating dinner and it’s on the table, making dinner and it’s on the counter, outside and it’s on a blanket or just running around the house and we set it on the couch where it has been a life-saver to lay Polly down in it. She’s often fallen asleep on her own while lounging in it, too. (See it in action at our house here.)
3. We are on our second baby with our Mamaroo, a stationary swing with lots of settings for movement (car ride, kangaroo, etc) and sounds. We’ve lent it to many friends in between because this swing is magical. Not only does it look good and take up a lot less space than many other swings, but babies love it. We keep it in the corner of the living room and Polly mostly uses it for naps right now—or play that ends up as a nap.
4. This newborn insert is inexpensive and has come in handy so many times! Right now, we mostly have it docked in the Mamaroo to support Polly’s head and keep her a little more cushioned, but it’s great for carseats (if yours doesn’t come with one), and strollers, too!
5. Every one of my friends have a Fawn Design diaper bag, and now I see why. It fits everything without looking like you’re carrying around ALL the baby things! It’s stylish and buttery soft and I’ll likely carry it around long after babies. I personally have this gray one, but they have a few other colors.
6. For the first couple months of life, I can barely stand to put my babies in anything but something super soft and warm. While I purchase most all of my baby clothes from H&M, Old Navy and Target (all budget-friendly options because, shoot, they grow too fast!), I prefer Target’s jammies (or sleep & plays as they call them) above the rest for one reason—the reverse zipper! That means when it’s time to change a diaper for the tenth time, I don’t have to completely undress her. Plus, built-in mittens. :)
7. The first two weeks of breast-feeding are never fun for me. In fact, they’re down right painful. Even with my third, I just know I have to make it through those two weeks! This nipple butter was heaven sent, and in my opinion, way better than Lanolin. It goes on a lot easier and doesn’t need to be wiped off before nursing either. My friend brought it over to me around day 8 when I was ready to give up and It healed me almost overnight.
8. A gassy baby (what has this blog become!? ha!) is a cranky baby. Occasionally we have used the Windi to help immediately relieve Polly’s gas pains. It literally whistles as they pass gas, instantly. It’s the craziest thing only parents find amazing. This comes in a 10 pack and we always make sure we have some on hand.
9. This is another breastfeeding must-have for those first couple weeks when your nipples may crack (and even bleed!). These gel pads were cooling and they allowed me to heal without re-opening any cracks or sores unlike a traditional nursing pad that could get stuck or dried in place on a sore.
10. We purchased this Yi Home surveillance camera to use as a baby monitor and then purchased two more for other areas of the house (the girls’ bedroom and playroom!) because we love it so much. It has a lot of the same features as the Nest Cam, alerts when there’s movement or sound (we’ve turned this option off now that we’re several weeks in and used to her noises) for a fraction of the price.
11. There’s a million calming lotions out there, but I love this Babo one. It smells so good and is a part of our nightly routine. I use it to massage Polly every night after bath and she lulls off to sleep for 7 blissful hours before waking up to feed again.
12. We use white noise to help Polly distinguish between day and night. During the day, there’s all the normal household noise and then after bath, it’s lights off and this little sound machine on. As soon as she hears those waves crashing (there’s a few different options), her eyes close almost immediately now. I like that it’s portable, too, so we can easily take it with us when we travel.
13. I’m D-O-N-E with maternity clothes, they are packed up and shipped off to a friend that’s currently pregnant, hallelujah! But now I’m dressing for nursing. Which means easy access and trying to downplay my huge boobs—ugh. I love Madewell’s slouchy button downs. (Here's the one I'm wearing in the first image.) They make me feel like me again and check off all the necessities, too.
14. If you have to wear a bra 24-7 (and when I’m nursing, I do!), this is the softest, you-can-sleep-in-it, nursing bra ever.
15. After I have a baby, I can feel my insides are all out of place. I tried the popular postpartum Bellefit girdle, but I found it so uncomfortable! I’ve since moved back to wearing what I did with my other two babies, these Spanx! Not only does it help slim things down, that's a bonus to my core feeling so much more supported and things moving back to where they're supposed to be. I highly recommend this route.
16. I have had the same Boppy nursing pillow that I got with our first daughter 7 years ago, but I keep updating the cover. I adore Pottery Barn’s stylish options that come with the oh-so-necessary pillow.
17. I’ve never been more thirsty in my life. Having a water bottle by my side is 100% a must-have. I love this one that holds nearly a liter, but I can still operate with one hand—because let’s face it, that’s all I have these days.
18. Lastly this Milk Snob cover is beautiful and fits snuggly over car seats, carriers and shopping carts AND it’s the perfect 360 nursing cover. A Must-have, for sure!
And some just-for-fun recommendations (I'll update occasionally)
• If you love little baby moccasins, but not paying $60 a pair (woof!), I adore this brand of baby shoes and they also sell my favorite tiny leather bows. So delicate and sweet!
• Clementine Kids makes the most gorgeous swaddle blankets. We have the Buttercup Blossom one. (For sleeping at night, we find it easiest to use this velcro one.)
• These baby blankets are fun.
To see Polly's full nursery (with all the sources), check out this post.
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Would you recommend the Fawn backpack original or mini for the diaper bag?
Many thanks !
Ciats
I have the original and love it!
Did you guys get an air purifier for Polly’s room? I thought I saw in IG you did but don’t remember
We had a Rowenta heater for Polly's room during the cooler months, and a Rowenta air purifier in our bedroom as well.
Thank you so much for making this list! It’s my first baby and the families first grandbaby so no one knows what the best items are or what all we need. I appreciate this comprehensive list that I can go and register for!! Thank you SO SO much!!!
Hi Julia, I remember reading something on your blog about how you got your girls to sleep through the night at 8 weeks old. I keep telling my friends to check it out but now I can't seem to find it. Any chance you can send me the link to this content? Thanks!
Check this post and podcast out: https://chrislovesjulia.com/2017/09/ep-46-amazons-worst-products-getting-babies-sleep.html
Hello! I love following your blog and podcast. I just have a little lifestyle-ish blog (still finding my voice and what I want to talk about - your input on the podcast has been so helpful surrounding this topic!) that I post on and was wondering about how you make your collage up above. I'm assuming you use in-design or illustrator or something along those lines to put it together, I don't have those programs but am using Canva to design one for a round up post of my own. So what I was wondering, if you are okay with answering, is what size do you make the graphic (pixel) to get it to show up so large on your post? I can make a layout any size using pixel, mm, or in and then add the images. It may be an issues with how my blog editor is converting the image for posting/size optimization. I am a newbie so I have a lot to figure out yet! I'd appreciate any input you have. Thank you!
I always make them 1000 px wide and I use illustrator
Thank you for the quick response!
I wondered now that you have used the baby monitor for a few months, how do you like it? Do you wish you would have bought an actual baby monitor?
No, we love it so much!! Couldn't recommend it enough. We got two additional cameras, one for the girls' room and one for the playroom and we can watch and talk to the girls through it, too.
My cousin is the creator of Clementine Kids -- so its so fun to see Polly wrapped up in her swaddle! I LOVED this post -- for all its information. Have you considered doing a post on stroller/car seat/high chair preferences (well, I guess Polly isn't quite in a high chair yet, but one day!) I love love love your blog and podcast. It's what I listen to on my commute to work every other monday :)
We'll add it to the list!
Not that you asked for any suggestions but one of my favorite nursing must-haves are the nursing dresses from Roolee. They have hidden zippers down both sides that are genius! Anyway thanks for the great post, I love your blog and pretty much everything you do!
I think we have a gassy 4 week old on our hands...and this only happens at nighttime. Is thay what happened with Polly? I haven't purchased the Windi- but about to pull the Amazon purchase trigger...the fussiness and crying/pulling away while nursing isn't fun anymore after a long day. Thoughts? Was it useful? And this gassy stage will pass, right?! Ha!
Yup!! The Windi will do wonders.
Oh yay! That is my Milk Snob Design - thanks for including the cover in your round up! I have a handful of them and they are a definite must!
Wow!!! Amazing! It's gorgeous.
This list is SO helpful since I'm starting to register for our first child. Question: Does the rock n play and Mamaroo essentially do the same thing or do you feel like having both of these is helpful?
Ps Love your Blog!
The motions are different (Rock n play is a rocking motion, Mamaroo does multiple back and forth bouncey, swingy, wtc motions.) Also, the mamaroo is powered. The RnP has a new powered version, but usually it required hand/foot of parent (or a quick jerk movement from baby) to rock it.
The vast majority of moms who have the RnP use it for a side-of-bed sleeper for babies in the first few months. It also folds flat for storage or easy transportation. I haven't heard of moms using the mamaroo as a sleeper.
Though mamaroo has different movements, most parents try to decide between a mamaroo or a swing for keeping in the living space. The tough thing is, many kids are particular and will like one but not the other. Or neither. So, sometimes it's a toss up.
So happy that your little Polly sleeps like a champ. I have 9 kids and more than half have been excellent sleepers where they too, were sleeping through the night at about 6 weeeks. It's wonderful and a confident booster for your parenting skills for sure. But, unfortunately some babies just don't get with the program no matter what you do. I've had a few of these challenging babies and I used to wonder what I was doing wrong or what I could do differently so they'd sleep through the night. But then I realized that some babies are just difficult and it's not because of anything you're doing wrong. It's just the way they are. So, to any moms reading these success stories, don't beat yourself up thinking you're not doing it right. Sometimes you hit the sleepy baby lottery and sometimes unfortunately, you don't. But it will get better and sleepless nights will be a thing of the past!
This is worth highlighting, a lot of sleep related stuff is based on baby temperament and it doesn't mean you have a easy/hard baby or a good/bad sleeper for life. While parents should do what works, this is a reminder that the AAP recommends room sharing for a lot longer than 1 week. https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/american-academy-of-pediatrics-announces-new-safe-sleep-recommendations-to-protect-against-sids.aspx
I have a 2 week old and our pediatrician has advised us to feed our daughter every 2-3 hours, just curious how you're able to skip the feedings in the middle of the night because we also try to "top" her off at night in the hopes that she'll sleep a little longer but it doesn't seem to work.
Thank you for such a great post! I have a 10 week old girl. Since you are so good at the nighttime routine, would you be able to share a typical daily schedule? I think the day helps with the nighttime sleeping. I'd love to copy you so that I may get some glorious sleep!!!
We try to stick with the eat, play, sleep routine during the day. So I feed her and then she is awake for a bit (play at 6 weeks old might just look like laying around, haha) and then she takes a nap. I never have her awake for longer than 90 minutes at a time at this age. Sleep begets sleep, so even though you may feel like if you keep them up for a long time during the day, they'll sleep better at night, often times, they just get over tired. Her naps are usually about an hour to an hour and a half right now. As she gets older, these will stretch, but right now we're just focused on getting the longest stretch of sleep at night.
Any suggestions to help babies to get to sleep after play? Once a nap gets skipped we seem to be in an endless cycle of over tiring and fussiness.
It's so true! They get overtired so easy. I just pick her up and rock her or walk around until she falls asleep at the first signs of being tired.
I can totally vouch for this method! We did the same with our son. We've gone out of our way to protect his nap/nighttime schedule. It's not always the easiest or most convenient but neither is staying up half the night or getting up multiple times. He's now 6.5 and continues to be a great sleeper. I don't recall sleep regressions at various ages, and other than an occasional nightmare, he almost never calls for us during the night.
We did this same method with all four of our kids! All of them art good sleepers, and our last one took the longest to sleep through the night (6 months) even though we used the same methods for each. But the best part of it is teaching them to learn to put themselves to sleep? They lay down in to their cribs instantly with no rocking and go right to sleep. Drop and walk away. When you have a busy life and other children this is a sanity saver!!
Thanks for your response!
We just had our third girl yesterday!! This list is perfect timing :) and the sleep reminders in your comment! Thank you so much for all the great info AND for including your personal description for each item instead of *just* a list. So Helpful!!!!
Just wondering if you've had any issues with dirt/staining/scuffing on the gray Fawn Design bag. I'm thinking of getting one, just trying to decide what color. Thanks!
I've only had it about a month, but none whatsoever thus far.
I've had the brown one for 9 months now and it's still spotless! (And I'm not easy on it)
I've also had the tan brown bag for a while now and it still looks great! Went through a lot of travel this summer too :) I recommend it to all who will listen. Haha
My brown one just weathered a rainy picnic. No problem.
Love this! What color and fabric is the glider?
It's their dove gray one. :)
Such a helpful post... will definitely bookmark for the future :) ...even if we do buy the YI camera for our doggie now hehe
PS I can't believe how much you look like Amal Clooney here!
I get that all the time! (Especially before the pregnancy weight.) Thank you. :)
Congratulations on your newest little one! I'm pregnant and my youngest is 8. I feel like we're starting all over again so thank you for posting this list!!!
Yes yes and yes!! That's a good list right there.
Please don't recommend generic infant inserts for use in car seats. Only the inserts that come with the car seat should be used. In the end of a crash an unapproved insert can compress and compromise the seat safety. Just wanted to add that as you are making product recommendations.
Our carseat comes with an infant insert, but I was just passing on the information that this snuggly insert says it's good for. We use ours in the Mamaroo and it's priceless!
Yes, this! Only inserts that come WITH a seat are safe to use. (No matter how they are marketed.) Nothing should be added to a car seat, especially those snuggle zip things for winter & head supports. Use rolled up receiving blankets for the car seat. Putting it in a seat at home is fine though.
Thirding this. Only manufacturer-provided inserts that come with your carseat are safe to use with that carseat. Unfortunately there are a lot of unscrupulous 3rd party aftermarket insert manufacturers that try to get moms to use them in the carseat. I wish they would just bill themselves for use in a stroller, bouncer or swing!
Love this list! It sounds like you're using the Dock a Tot as recommended, but I see so many moms on message boards in NC using it in a way that is potentially unsafe (putting the baby in it and then in the crib), that I wanted to pass along this link. This is a highly reputed, independent baby products testing site: http://www.babybargains.com/dockatot-review-not-recommended/
I completely agree with you on the rock n play! It's been a life saver with my 4 month old. I had the Windi in my cart so many times, but I kept putting it back. I wish I would've given it a try during the more gassy weeks. I probably would've saved us a lot of tears.
I rounded up my newborn favorites as well!
http://dahliasanddimes.com/2017/07/05/newborn-favorites-and-essentials/
Congrats on making in thru 6 weeks!!! :) my daughter is 10 weeks so I can relate. I have to know though, how do you get her to sleep 7 hours??? What's her napping like? Mine is almost doing at least a one 5 hour stretch sometimes.
Here's the method that we used for all three of our girls and they all slept completely through the night by 7-8 weeks. We start focusing on sleep at around day 7--that's when we move our babies to their own room. A lot of time we took their grunting for being hungry, and I'd wake them up to feed them before they were actually awake and ready to eat. When they're in their own room (right across the hall from us), I can sleep through the grunting and attend to them when they are actually hungry (obviously).
We also do a warm bath every night at the same exact time. After bath, there's no talking (at all!), and we don't even turn the lights on in her room--until morning. I use the flashlight on my phone, face down on her dresser, to allow just enough light for me to nurse her for feedings.
1 hour before her bath, I nurse her and then right after her bath I top her off--like a cluster feed, so her belly is nice and full. Besides that, we use the sound machine only at night and we only swaddle her at night, too.
Throughout the day, she takes frequent naps--I never keep her up longer than 60-90 minutes or she'll get overtired. Sleep begets sleep. And babies need a lot of it. Right now she sleeps from about 8pm to 4am, I nurse her, and then she'll go back to sleep until about 7:30. Ensuring she wakes up around the same time every morning also keeps the schedule going seamlessly.
Thank you so much for such an indepth response!! I really appreciate it. We swaddle at night too and I'm trying to get her to no longer swaddle during naps but she's not making it past the 45 minute mark. When I do swaddle, she'll take a 2 hour nap. :/ any suggestions???
Every baby is different! Our older girls loved being swaddled all the time and Polly prefers her arms free (but makes an exception for night time.) I say if swaddling during naps gives you a longer nap time--do it! But maybe keep the blinds open and sun shining through for the day time until baby starts sleeping longer through the night--just so there is some distinction.
That's very true!!! Good point!
When do you stop swaddling? Do you wean them off?
Yes, we usually wean after their startle reflex dies down around 6 months.
You've been a great help today! Thank you so much!!!!
I just wanted to let you know my daughter slept from 8pm -4am, ate and went back to sleep until 7:15 when I woke her up! :) I couldn't believe it!!! Thank you for you advice! I'm hoping this lasts now especially since I go back to work on Monday!
Wonderful!!!!
This post is so helpful- thank you! When were you able to stop the night feeds? How did you do it? Expecting my first in March, so I need all the help I can get :)
Thanks for the info! I also have a 6 week old and find this very helpful. I'm wondering, do you pump during the 7 hour stretch or has your body adjusted?
Also- how often are you nursing during the day?
Polly nurses about every 2 hours during the day.
I've adjusted now.
How do you maintain the schedule if you are away from the house into the evening? Also, what time do you start your night time routine? Thanks for the info!
Well, the thing is these first several weeks, we're actually sleep training her for life so we prioritize sleep over everything else right now--that means we're not away from home past 7:30 when we start her bedtime routine. Eventually, if she follows the same pattern as our other girls, she'll be asleep by 6pm (by around 5-6 months) and sleep until morning, and there have been many times that we would put all the girls down and THEN have a date night as to not interrupt their sleep schedules. Like I said, we put sleep pretty high on the household priorities.
We started "sleep training" when my daughter was 3 months (she's 4 months now). It was out of desperation, because she would only fall asleep nursing and wake up screaming if I laid her down. My biggest tip, along with Julia's great tips, is to put them down awake but drowsy as early as possible.
I now shut the door once I bathe, sleep sack, and nurse and she falls asleep on her own by 7:30-8 every night and can put herself back to sleep if she wakes up during night. I still nurse her at least once a night just because she's still so young, and it only takes 10-15 minutes now.
I absolutely agree with you, Julia. Sleep is the #1 priority right now. We are home by 7 every night. I just remind myself that it's only a season, and she's only a baby once, so we can adjust our schedules in the meantime.
We are doing something similar but haven't come anywhere close to 7 hrs. Do you swaddle after bath and before topping off? Are you using a sleepsack or swaddle blanket?
I prefer a sleepsack. I linked the one we use in the other fun stuff links.
First time mom question- first of all THANKS so much- I'm reading Babywise now, and really hoping we can set him/her up for a lifetime of sleep early like you do!
In distinguishing the nap from night sleep, can both still happen in the crib, but one has daylight and one is completely dark? I feel dumb asking but just have no clue yet...obviously they can nap in other areas besides crib but wasn't sure if early on crib should be just for night or not.
also planning to get rock and play- you said baby only in your room til day 7- do you still get enough use out of rock and play, since you can use that anywhere? Baby goes to crib after week 1? Again, I'm newbie just trying to learn...thanks so much for responding!
Our daughter is still in her Rock N' Play for now (she has some reflux and the incline helps with that), but crib all the time is great! Right now, Polly is napping wherever, but I think it's great to distinguish "this crib is for sleeping" no matter the time of day.
This is EXACTLY everything I did too and all of my babies slept through the night early on! IT WORKS!!!!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing! I have a not so great sleeper. I am hoping you can help. Polly only wakes once now but if she has nights where she wakes up more than once do you feed her every time she wakes or do you only feed her at 4 and then just try and calm her back to sleep if she wakes up at different times?
There are definitely nights where it doesn't go perfect and I may feed her more than one, but they are few and far between.
So she actually sleeps in the Rock n Play all night? It sounds like such a life saver, but everything I've read on safe sleep advises against babies sleeping in rockers/swings/bouncers..basically anywhere besides an empty crib on their backs! I'm feeling really discouraged right now as I just had my second daughter (5 weeks old today) and she is an awful sleeper at night so far. We keep her crib in our room as that is what is advised and what I'm most comfortable with, but all night she grunts and fusses until we pick her up. The longest uninterrupted stretch we are getting is about an hour and it's really wearing on me and my husband. But putting her in her own room at this age sounds a little scary to me and again, everything I've read says not to let them sleep in anything that they'd actually be comfortable sleeping in haha, so I'm at a loss :( Just curious if you were aware of those guidelines but are just doing your own thing anyway and if so how do you not freak out and worry about SIDS? It seems every time I see "sleep solutions" for babies, a quick Google search tells me they are unsafe and not recommended, but my daughter absolutely hates sleeping on her back in a crib. Zombie mama here looking for help! Also I hope my comment isn't snarky or something, definitely not trying to lecture you on safe sleep! I'm just curious how it works for others in terms of factoring in the "official advice" on the matter, so to speak.
Same here. We were planning on our 10 day old sleeping in the rock n play but the hospital strongly advised against that.
Our friends' baby died in a Rock N Play. I was using one for my fifth child and I loved it, but once the accident happened I threw it away. It is fine to use if you are sitting right there, awake, supervising the baby. But it's not safe for night time use when the baby is not being supervised.
Hi Jessica, I am paralegal working on a case RNP. Would you be willing to email with me and speak about the death of your friends baby? This is not the first death associated with the RNP product. THANK YOU! [email protected]
I know it's SO hard in the beginning, when you are so exhausted and can barely function. But really, it's true that an empty crib is the safest place. I allowed my fifth baby to sleep in the Rock N Play at night, but then our friends' baby died in the RNP after turning at an odd angle and suffocating. We moved ours to a crib after that. He cried a lot at first, but adjusted after a few days. It just wasn't worth the risk.
You look stunning! That white top is gorgeous. Classic and effortless and perfect on you! You and Chris are baby sleep masters. I'm always so impressed by how quickly you get your little ones to sleep. There's nothing better you can do for them or you, than to prioritize that part of life. Polly is a doll. You are killing it.
Thank you! Perfect timing for me as I'm expecting my 2nd any day. This thoughtful list helped me get back into newborn mode. :) I remember cleaning out all of my newborn stuff last time and tossing those gel pads, thinking "I can buy these again if I really need them..." and now I did! Thanks, Julia!
I enjoy following this blog, mostly for home inspiration but it also bring me joy to see your little ones. My kids are both teens now and so I thought I would encourage you in your path of instilling healthy sleep habits. I read "On Becoming Babywise" in 2001 and followed it strictly with my babies. All throughout their toddler and childhood years, both have been amazing sleepers and still are! People told me it was unusual and rare and I firmly believe it was due to training. It is hard to wake a sleeping baby just to feed and keep her on a schedule, but it will be fully worth the effort in just a few weeks. Keep at it!