There you are, staring at that BFP (big fat positive) and feeling all the feels. Completely terrified, excited, anxious, and just totally overwhelmed with so many emotions. You spend the first half of your pregnancy just feeling all those crazy new feels, and then the reality sets in that you actually have to be prepared for this life-altering event! There’s your heart, your relationship, the nursery, and the baby products that you’re all of a sudden expected to know about. With all the dozens of baby products and companies out there, it can be hard to know what you really need when you bring baby home from the hospital. Yes, you can google baby registries or hospital bag checklist for ideas (I used maybe 2 items out of my “hospital bag”), But to a new mom who knows nothing about what babies need, this can be extremely overwhelming!

I spent most of the second half of my pregnancy reading reviews, asking friends, and on google trying to sculpt the perfect registry. That being said, if you had asked me to make a list of the things I thought I’d need and use most prior to actually having Brooks, that list would look very different than what I’m about to share with you. That is exactly why I share this with you today… to provide a framework checklist for the expecting mom who, like me, hasn’t a clue! In my experience, here are the most valuable products for those first few weeks home with baby (and beyond) plus my honest review of each! I’ve split these up into MVP’s and assist awards… because there are also the items that I enjoyed having but could have survived without. So mama, grab your pen and write these down!

MVP Baby Products

The baby products I NEEDED

Boppy Pillow – In the first month this was my “everything pillow”. Nursing, holding Brooks while he slept, giving me free hands while keeping him tucked on my lap, it is just so adaptable! As we enter the 4th month, this pillow is now our favorite way to prop Brooks up on the couch next to us or under his playgym. We’ve enjoyed having him practice “tummy time” on it also! This pillow is a MUST for any new mom. I would recommend to spend the extra $10 on getting the “luxe” fabric pillow – it is MUCH softer than the traditional cotton and for as much use you’ll get out of it, it is absolutely worth it! (Another “must have” are these Wubbanub Binky’s – we call them all “Sebastian” and he LOVES them! I linked this cute lion one above!)

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Owlet SmartSock – This has saved both my sanity and lots of sleep!! The Owlet sock tracks your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels and alerts you if they fall out of normal range. I have never once had a false alarm in all 4 months of Brooks’ life. It is pricey, but if you want to save $100.00 on the product you can purchase a certified refurbished Owlet (which in my opinion would work even better since it’s been through more rigorous testing)! I’m telling you, this thing is worth the money. I do think the makers of the product are sort of preying on the fear of new parents, but it worked! The peace of mind that comes with knowing I’d be alerted if something went wrong allows me to fall asleep much easier (and keeps me from abruptly jumping out of bed to check if he’s breathing in the middle of the night). If I ever wake worried, I simply glance at the base station and the green light puts my mind at ease without ever having to get out of bed. I know “babies survived just fine in the old days” without this technology, but we have it and it saves me a LOT of worry, so no shame here!
Disposable Bed Pads – when you’re in the hospital, you’re given a bunch of padded bed liners to catch all the “fluids” that come out of you during your stay (oh yeah, that also happens). These are GOLD when you take baby home- but NOT for you! I grabbed a handful of these from the hospital before coming home thinking I’d want to have them as backup for myself, but I ended of relying heavily on them for Brooks. In the first few weeks home it seemed that Brooks had diaper leaks 3+ times a day (and yes, we were changing his diaper often and “pointing his pee pee down”)! I ended up washing the bedding on his doc-a-tot and bassinet almost daily, until I remembered I had the bed pads! I would simply fold one of these up to cover the bottom half of his bed at night (so it wouldn’t be by his face if he squirmed) and it worked like a charm! I went through several of these over the first few weeks home and it saved me many loads of laundry. If you can’t snag these from the hospital, order some on amazon here – you’ll be glad you did! (Especially if you have a boy…)
SwaddleMe Swaddlers – I know the Halo Sleepsacks are all the rage… and we have a couple we use… but my favorite swaddlers for those early weeks were the “SwaddleMe” brand! And not to mention you can get 3 of these babies for the same price of ONE Halo sack. I thought these were the off-brand cheap ones so I didn’t realize their magical powers until I got fed up with all the bells and whistles that accompanied the Halo (especially when I’m taking it on and off ten times a night for diaper changes). These SwaddleMe swaddlers are amazing because you can keep baby’s upper half swaddled (and the Velcro in tact) while pulling down the bottom half to change a diaper – which is SO convenient in the middle of the night!
Doc-A-Tot – or some variety of baby snuggler that fits in your bassinet (I’ve heard great things about this Snuggle Me Organic snuggler and it is a more affordable option). We used the Doc-a-tot SO much. It was the only thing he would sleep in horizontally and was the easiest way to move him around while he was asleep. If we wanted to move him from the basinet to the couch, we just grabbed his doc-a-tot with him inside instead of waking him up during the transfer! If we traveled, the doc-a-tot allowed us to bring the same “bed” he’s used to wherever we went without lugging his whole bassinet system (we just plopped the whole doc-a-tot down next to us in our bed if we stayed the night somewhere other than home). If I had to run to the restroom, I grabbed the lightweight doc-a-tot and set him in it on the floor for a minute (as opposed to holding him or lugging the carseat in the room). Another version of the “everything pillow” in a safe bed form… this thing was SO helpful!

AWESOME BABY PRODUCT “ASSISTS”

The products I’m SO glad I had

Belly Belt – I started wearing this belly belt the day after Brooks was born and wore it every day/night for the two weeks after that. I swear it helped squeeze everything back together. Here’s my biology teacher way of thinking about it: Toward the end of your pregnancy and shortly after, your body produces excess amounts of the hormone “Relaxin” which allows your bones and ligaments to loosen up so they can spread apart to make room for baby. Once your body stops this excess production of relaxin, the ligaments and bones will settle somewhat back into their normal spot but of course do not make it all the way back to the tight frame they used to hold. This was the benefit of the belly belt in those early weeks – to synch everything back up while the relaxin still allowed all those loose parts to move with added force. Except instead of moving them apart further, the belt was guiding them back together! I’m no doctor, but from what I understand about the body, this makes sense. I was able to slip into a pair of jeans 5 days post partum that didn’t come close to fitting over my hips before giving birth, so I believe it worked! There are lots of belly belts that prove to be the best, but when deciding which one I wanted I went with one that focused on adding pressure on the hips to help guide all those parts back into place. My goal with the belly belt was not to temporarily “suck everything in” or “give a smooth appearance”, it was instead to try and coerce my abdominal wall and ligaments back together, and I needed more than a stretchy fabric tube for that! I chose this 3-in-1 belt because it was cost-effective and appeared to check these boxes. I even used the “pelvis belt” in the few weeks before Brooks was born to help with the SPD pain I had (highly recommend if you are suffering from this as well). I will use it again! (Pictured below is 2 weeks Postpartum and 4 weeks Postpartum – I swear the belly belt made a difference!)

2 Weeks Postpartum

4 Weeks Postpartum
Muslin Blankets (LOTS of them)- These were much more than blankets – they were napkins, towels, swaddlers, sun shades, carseat covers, EVERYTHING. We had them lying all over our house at all times. The muslin material is so absorbent so you can go a while without washing them! My favorite are the Aden and Anais brand. You’re also going to want to load up on these Muslin Bibs while you’re at it because, once teething sets in, these will be a part of your baby’s everyday attire.

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Newborn Birth Story
Lovevery Playgym – You’re going to want somewhere fun to lay your babe down to play in those early weeks! I cannot say enough awesome things about the lovevery playmat. Not only is it easy on the eyes and made from organic materials, but it is designed to promote development of all the senses in the first year. The mat is split into 5 sections – one for each important developmental milestone (textures, colors, sounds, object permeance, and recognition/images). In addition, it comes with several fun hanging toys/teethers and a book that describes ways to utilize all the features through each month of baby’s first year! And for the day when your babe outgrows the mat, it comes with a tent cover to turn it into a fun fort for toddlers! We just LOVE the versatility of this playmat and recommend to any new parent!

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Baby Brook’s nursery was FAR from finished! For more on his nursery, check out his nursery tour!
Momaroo – If you’re building a baby registry, I’m certain you’ve heard of the magical 4Moms Momaroo! This was definitely on our “wish list” and we were fortunate enough to have it gifted to us. The verdict – it is as good as it sounds! I’ll be honest, we don’t use all the techy-features it has (I downloaded the app and used it for maybe a few days), but the contrast hanging balls and the motion/sounds of the momaroo were perfect for putting baby to sleep! It was often the only thing I could put him in while he was awake without him crying for me to hold him!
Halo Bassinet – There are LOTS of great bassinets out there, but unless you have the dough to drop on a Snoo (the Bentley of Bassinets), the Halo is it’s middle class cousin and a great option! Here’s why I love it: the Halo bassinet is on an adjustable swivel that can be fitted to your bet height. SO, in the middle of the night when baby wakes up, YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO GET OUT OF BED. You simply swivel the Halo toward you and it sits right on top of your mattress so you can grab baby out and feed/change him! Other great features about the Halo that make it worth the money – it has vibration settings to help baby fall asleep, a built in sounds soother, a night light, and an attached diaper caddy making it even more convenient for midnight changing sessions. It was rare that I had to leave my bed at night thanks to the Halo. If you’re currently bassinet shopping, I highly recommend the Halo!
Knotted Gown & Magnetic Me Onesies – If you follow me on Instagram you already know how much I love Brooks’ magnetic onesies! Anything that makes midnight changing sessions easier is definitely on the “must have” list – and both these knotted gowns from Lou Lou & Company and these magnetic onesies do just that! The magnetic onesies will last you longer than the gowns because they come in a wider range of sizes and are so stretchy – we use them almost EVERY night!

Using the Solly Wrap around the house!

Our favorite Lou Lou Knotted gown carried Brooks home from the hospital!
Solly Baby Wrap (or any baby wrap) – Again, if you follow my Instagram page you’ve seen how helpful this wrap was for me in the first few months! I used it when Brooks was being too fussy for his momaroo and I needed to cook/clean/get ready, etc! The added bonus of this wrap is that it put him to sleep and is lightweight so it didn’t trap too much heat (because things get toasty when you’re wearing your baby)!

Trying to prepare for a baby as a first time mom is already overwhelming enough. I was so lucky to have my sister and neighbor as a “go-to” for guidance while assembling my registry, otherwise I swear I would have filled Brooks’ room with the most random and useless items!! My hope is that this list will help guide you in your purchasing for baby so you have exactly what you NEED and what will enhance your early months with your baby! Whether you are an expecting new mama, one who has had a break between babies and wants to know “what’s new”, or someone shopping essentials for a loved one, these items are all well worth the money! But don’t just take it from me, to validate my review of the products above, I put out a question/poll on Instagram to see if anybody agreed with my “must have” products – below are the ones that made the list from others as newborn necessities: