Welcome new mom Kristin to the blog! She’s sharing “Must Have Baby Gear for 2018”. Kristin is the mother of a 2 month old little boy and after tons of research and registry gifts, she’s sharing what she used most and what was truly key the first month with a new baby.

Must Have Baby Gear for 2018

I recently became a first-time mother, welcoming my son at the end of January. Being the naturally over-prepared person I am, it didn’t take long after seeing “Pregnant” on the pregnancy test before I was vigorously Googling everything I could think of in regards to a new baby. Fortunately, I am surrounded by moms of all types – some new, some on their second child with a toddler at home, and others with multiple children at various ages. With this diverse group of moms comes a slew of advice and recommendations, especially regarding baby gear. I read dozens of articles on “What Not to Buy” for a new baby, but very little on “What TO Buy.” So, as a very new mom in the very new year of 2018, I have compiled a list of my five “Desert Island” baby gear items. [For those of you not familiar with Desert Island, it’s a survival scenario game: If you were stuck on a desert island and could bring only five items, what would they be?] I would consider the following gear as my lifeline for survival of the first month as a new parent. There is a bunch more gear that I use on a daily basis as well, but given the rules of Desert Island, I’m keeping my list to my must-have five.

In this scenario, if I were on a desert island and could only bring five items for my baby, they would be:

Boppy Pillow

I was told by a friend to register for a Boppy Pillow, and when she had her baby a month before me, she told me to bring it to the hospital as it was a lifesaver for first-time nursing. She wasn’t kidding! I wasn’t home from the hospital 24 hours before I was on Amazon purchasing a second one. For this stage of my baby’s life, I’m using the Boppy to support him as I nurse. Breastfeeding can be a battle on its’ own, so having one less thing to worry about (supporting baby’s head and body simultaneously) was ideal. As he grows, I can use the Boppy for tummy time, propping, and sitting up. The cover easily comes off for washing and travels well for overnight stays.

Graco Pack n’ Play

I originally thought of the Pack N’ Play as a glorified playpen, but as it turns out, it’s so much more! Around 32 weeks pregnant, I found out that my baby was breeched and not likely to flip, so a cesarean section for scheduled. I immediately went into panic mode, this not being my ideal birthing situation. I tried to prepare myself for being “out of commission” for a few weeks, quite possibly being unable to walk up and down a flight of stairs. To avoid using the stairs to get to the nursery for changing, my husband set up the Pack n’ Play on our first floor to be used as a changing station/naptime spot. It was a lifesaver from day one. Even without the side effects from my c-section, I would’ve preferred having this first floor changing station out of sheer convenience. One might be thinking, “How lazy must you be to not just walk up a flight of stairs to change your baby?” [this person would most likely not be a mom] and I might have thought similarly some time ago. But when you have an infant, screaming from a dirty diaper, after only changing him what seems like just seconds prior to the meltdown, you will be thanking your lucky stars that you have this conveniently located place for wipes and diapers.

Babyganics Products

Throughout my entire pregnancy, I tried to be more conscientious about the products I was using topically, including makeup, lotions, and soaps. Being pregnant made me suddenly very aware of the fact that everything I placed on my skin could be absorbed by my baby, which left me in drug stores for hours reading labels of every item I purchased. I was adamant about continuing this trend once baby arrived too, so I began my research on the best and cleanest baby products on the market. Babyganics topped most lists on my internet searches. I had seen their products at friends houses but didn’t really begin to appreciate them until my little one arrived. Not only are they non-allergenic and fragrance free, but they are all pediatrician and dermatologist tested. With a baby born at the height of flu season, I had bottles of Babyganics Hand Sanitizer in every room of the house, plus bottles of Babyganics Hand Soap in each bathroom as well. My favorite is the Babyganics Tear Free Shampoo and Body Wash. It leaves my baby smelling fresh without an overwhelming perfume scent. Their laundry detergent and dish & bottle soap are must-haves as well.

DockATot

The DockATot is the newest must-have on everyone’s registry this year. I didn’t know much about it, just that “I had to have it!” according to all my new mommy friends. The item is exactly as it sounds: it is quite literally a dock that you can station on any surface to place your tot in. It is advertised with uses such as lounging, tummy time, bonding, resting, and play. I know some moms that use the DockATot as a co-sleeper, whereas I use mine as a place for my baby to safely nap and lounge under my supervision. I love how light-weight it is, made with multiple handles all around for easy transport from room to room. My favorite feature is that the cover is machine washable, especially as my tot gets into the spitting up phase.

Pajamas with an Inverted Zipper

One of the daily dramas with my newborn is getting his diaper changed. He screams, kicks, throws his body around, and unfortunately for him, his diaper changing is a fairly consistent event. Diaper changing is especially cumbersome in the middle of the night, not only because both he and I are half asleep and uncomfortable in the cold, but because baby pajamas are notoriously difficult to maneuver, with all their buttons and snaps. I was thankfully gifted a pair of pajamas with an inverted zipper, something I’d never seen before (similar to these pajamas). The zipper starts at the foot rather than the neck, so it’s easy to change his diaper without fully undressing him. Genius! Never in my pre-baby days did I think such a small change would turn out to be such a clever time saver.