Baby items: can live without | can't live without

Over the past 3ish months of keeping a newborn alive and happy, there are items we could not have lived without. On the other hand, there are plenty of items we bought that I haven't used as much as I thought I would. I thought it may be helpful for new moms or soon-to-be moms to see what we loved and didn't love. Obviously this list will be different for everyone, but I'm all about hearing opinions on different products and experiences from moms who have already been through it!

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Can't live without...

Rock n' play

For $75, this was worth every penny. I knew this was absolutely necessary to get after seeing how much my sister used it with her two babies. Vivian slept in this beside our bed for 11 weeks, until we transitioned her into her crib. She also napped in this frequently. It has them propped up just a little which was perfect because she was spitting up a lot and I was terrified she was going to choke on it. It makes them feel super snuggled and comfy. Best money ever spent!

MAM pacifier

Vivian isn't crazy about a paci, but these are the ones she prefers when she does want one. These tend to stay in her mouth better than the others we tried.

Bouncy seat

Vivian loves her bouncy seat. She loves looking at the little animals that hang over her head and she especially loves the vibration and music that the seat can play. It doesn't bounce itself but once they start kicking around, it will bounce and keep them content. Absolutely worth the $60!

Love to Dream swaddle

In every ultrasound I had, Vivi had her hands up by her face and when she was born that's how she wanted her hands! That resulted in her hating being swaddled. No matter how tight we swaddled her, she would cry and squirm and her hands would be out the top in .5 seconds. Then my friend Lindsey Thorne told me about these arm up swaddles and Vivi absolutely loved it. It allowed her to have her hands by her face and feel cozy but also kept her tight and swaddled.

Swing

I don't think I've ever heard of a single baby that didn't like a swing. We got ours second hand from a friend for $15 but it is totally worth the $150! 

Sea Dreams Soother

This little gadget has been the best purchase! It might look tacky on her beautiful crib but who cares when it entertains her and puts her to sleep. I turn this on for every nap and she loves staring at it and the music helps her fall asleep. Kind of pricey at $45 but the best money spent, I promise!

Play mat

I was hesitant about registering for this but we have used it more than any other baby gear we have. We lay her on it every morning after she wakes up and it keeps her occupied forever! She kicks and swats at the little hanging animals and it is also perfect for tummy time. Absolutely need one of these!

Can live without... 

Wipe warmer

The best advice I ever received was "start out like you're gonna hold out". Aka make your baby as low maintenance as possible and you will thank yourself later. If you have warm wipes at home, your baby is going to expect warm wipes when you are out and about. I promise your baby isn't going to die if they get their cute hiney cleaned with wipes that aren't warm.

Bottle warmer

Again, "start out like you're gonna hold out". This goes along with the wipes warmer... if you start out warming bottles up, they will expect it when you're on the go. When I stopped breastfeeding I realized that it is SO much easier to mix formula with room temperature bottled nursery water rather than warming a bottle up and surprise! she didn't mind room temperature milk at all! The only situation I think a bottle warmer may be necessary is if you're breastfeeding and need to warm up pumped milk. But again, for us this was definitely something that was not needed.

MamaRoo

If you have a swing, you absolutely don't need this. For $250, I do not think it is worth the money. Yes it looks "cool" but it barely even moves! I didn't buy one of these but I used a friends' and Vivi did not like it. She preferred a swing.

Soothie pacifier

For some reason Vivi could not keep these in her mouth. They would shoot out whenever she tried to suck on them. I know so many babies who love this paci but it didn't work for us.

I know every baby is different but these are just the things that worked for us! Please let me know if you have specific questions!