Basic Blanket by Little Hip Squeaks
First of all, if you are a Mom and you don't know about LHS, you definitely should! Amy over at LHS makes some of the cutest baby stuff around! These blankets are incredibly versatile, super stretchy, and oh so soft. In the beginning, these were the only blankets that could contain our little Houdini (she absolutely loves her hands, and always wants to rest one on her face. Not such a big deal now, but she was always waking herself up by wiggling out of other blankets trying to get her hands out in the first couple weeks). While we also love the Aden + Anais swaddlers, they were just too big on our little girl in the beginning, but we could get her good and snug in the basic blanket. Now that we aren't using these for swaddling, I have found them to be the perfect throw blanket when she is just hanging out, and the fun colors and prints are perfect for photo backdrops as well!
Boppy Newborn Lounger
While I have yet to use the regular Boppy pillow for anything baby-related (more to come on this in a later post), the Newborn Lounger is the bees knees, let me tell you. It perfectly cradles that little newborn body, and is a great place for these little ones to just hang out.
Sound Machine
Any sound machine will do, but we have the Sweet Slumbers version by Graco, as well as the SoundSpa by Homedics as a portable sound machine that attaches to her car seat. It's no secret that babies like white noise, and we pretty much always have some kind of noise going in our house (we really only run it when she is sleeping, but sometimes we forget to turn it off for awhile, so it just seems like constant white noise!)
Aden + Anais Easy Swaddle
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, these swaddlers were a little too big on our little one for the first couple weeks (she inherited her Mommy's short legs and would just have her legs flying around in these things!), but after she grew into them a little bit, they have been our favorite thing for swaddling her. They really live up to their name of being super easy, and they, of course, are made with that incredibly soft muslin fabric that A+A is known for.
The Wrap by Solly Baby
I am a huge advocate of baby-wearing! First of all, it is very soothing for baby to be close to you and pediatricians are sounding off on how beneficial it is to hold baby as much as possible in these early months (and that you can't spoil a baby this young!), but sometimes your arms need a break, or you really need to unload the dishwasher or take the dog outside. Enter the baby wrap. There are tons of different wraps on the market, and it seems everyone has a favorite, but mine is without a doubt the Solly Baby. Unlike some of the other well-known brands, Solly Baby is still a relatively small business, which I like, but, aside from that, their fabric is very lightweight and breathable, and the colors are second to none! It took a couple tries the first go-round, but once I got the hang of wrapping, it only takes about a minute to get it on and get baby situated.
Carter's Zip-Up Sleep 'n Play
I know some people swear by gowns for easy nighttime diaper changes, and while I totally appreciate the premise, it was the absolute coldest this February, and I just felt like putting her in a gown (even inside a swaddler) was not keeping her warm at night. Sleepers with feet are the best for keeping the little ones warm and snug, but sleepers with zippers are the best for keeping them warm and snug and making nighttime diaper changes easy-peasy. Trust me, you don't want to turn on the lights in the middle of the night, and to effectively line up all those snaps 100% of the time in the dark requires a much higher level of training than most of us ever receive.
So, there you have it! Pretty basic stuff, I know, so, for fun, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite non-essential new baby items! These are great little splurges for yourself or as a fun baby shower gift for a friend!
Freshly Picked Moccasins
Freshly Picked Moccasins are probably my very favorite non-essential baby item right now. They are just so darn cute! There are probably a good ten colors I want for little miss right now, and my BFF and I have joked about how we are going to have to start a separate line item in our monthly budgets to feed this addiction, but at least one good neutral pair will last quite awhile, and, again, they are so darn cute!
Bla Bla Doll
BlaBla carries an entire line of knitted kid products, including dolls of various shapes, sizes, and personalities! While totally not necessary, choosing a fun friend for your little one to love is always a plus in my book! Of course our little mermaid baby got a Melody the Mermaid doll!
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