Baby Essentials {the beginning}

The beloved baby essentials post. Everyone has their own ideas about what the necessities are for raising a baby. Babies just require so much STUFF it's nearly impossible to navigate it all. Since there's a new mommy link up and I have never really blogged about our baby's essentials or what things have made it easier on us, I figured now would be a great time to do so.

I'm going to keep my "mommy blogging" to Mondays and link up with Rachel each week. Let's get started!

First of all, I used a great book called Baby Bargains to help narrow down things that were needed, nice to have, or not worth buying. It helped give the reader a realistic idea of what you would be spending on cribs, car seats, and diapers. The authors gave a high end budget and a low end budget ... if you wanted the BEST crib you would be for sure spending a few hundred dollars but their recommendation was a much more affordable Graco. I definitely recommend this book to those in the beginning stages of their pregnancy. It will certainly get you organized and make you feel like you are in "Control" of this whole baby buying process.




My little guy is about to be FIVE months old. Instead of separating this into months, I'm going to call this Baby Essentials Post "The Beginning." These are the things you most definitely need in the first two months or so. He didn't really play with anything yet, he was not sleeping in his crib yet, he was just a cute baby hanging out. His needs have definitely changed lately and I will update that next week!

Dr. Brown's BPA Free Polypropylene Natural Flow Bottle Newborn Feeding Set
Dr. Brown's Bottle Warmer
Dr. Brown's Formula Mixing Pitcher
The First Years Spinning Drying Rack, White
* All the Dr. Brown's products have been great! Pampers were my preferred diaper since he was born (the wetness indicator strip was helpful!). I now have a different favorite brand, but that's a post for next week! :) I also found Desitin to be the best. I tried Butt Paste and it didn't really work for us.

Infantino Twist and Fold Gym, Baby Animals: He really goes wild on this now but when he was a baby he liked to look up at the animals.
Halo Sleep Sacks: My favorite. No need to worry about blankets and he's always nice and cozy. I wish I COULD HAVE A SLEEP SACK. ;)
Sassy Go Go Bugs: We hung these on his car seat and he would stare at them. Now, I think he just doesn't care about them. They were interesting when he was younger.
Sassy Ring O' Links Rattle Developmental Toy
Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper, Yellow: An absolute necessity. I don't care about this crazy mold recall they had going on. You need one.
Boppy Pillow with Slipcover, Lots O Dots: Another must -- even if you aren't breastfeeding. ;) We actually have two. One for the living room and one for the bedroom.
Vaseline
Backpack: I had a cute diaper bag...but then spilled formula everywhere and it left some major stains. I said F It and got a backpack. Much easier to use and carry.
Fisher-Price Precious Planet Whale of a Tub
Safety First Nail Clippers: Very easy to hold and use. Everyone seems to be worried about sawing off their little one's fingers, but this was effective. No blood has been shed!
Target Pajamas: Cute and nearly always on clearance! I don't mind snaps at this age (now that he is older I definitely have a preference), and Target's prints and the quality has held up quite well.
Aden by aden + anais 100% Cotton 4 Pack Muslin Swaddle Blanket, Safari Friends

I'm probably forgetting things, but this is what we used the first two months of his life. Yes, formula. I don't want to talk about it (much). Just being honest as there aren't many bloggers who openly discuss that on their blog.

Things We Did Not Need:
Bassinet -- He hated it.
Swaddle blankets -- He also hated being swaddled. He slept just fine in a sleep sack.
Pacifiers -- We only used these a few times. He doesn't use one now. Weird, right? I would give it to him if he wanted but he isn't interested.
Burp Cloths: Luckily, we have a baby that doesn't spit up much. The few times he did were not clothes ruining.

Things We Did Not Need Yet:
Crib & everything that goes with it! While it was set up before he was born, we technically could have waited to get it all ready.
Bibs: Just started using them.

Linking up here today: