Three months in with baby number 3, I have a new-found perspective on what baby gear we actually NEED. And I’ll tell you a secret – it’s not much.
Some of the moms from my son’s preschool wanted to throw me a little sprinkle before E was born and asked what I needed, and quite honestly I couldn’t answer, because we really didn’t “need” anything.
What I have found is that with our third kiddo in tow we use far LESS than what we did with baby #1, and it makes everything (especially leaving the house) far less stressful.
Here are our must have baby essentials:
- Car Seat. You can’t leave the hospital without it. When it comes to picking a car seat there are a LOT of choices in a variety of price ranges, and guess what? – they are all safe. In order to be sold in the US, they all have to pass the same rigorous safety guidelines, but there are certain features that may or may not make one car seat a better choice for you. This time we opted for the Chicco KeyFit 30 Air.
- Stroller. I did an INSANE amount of research on what is the best stroller for what we need daily, and we settled on the UPPAbaby VISTA since it can work whether I have 1, 2 or all 3 kiddos in tow. And 3 months in, I am OBSESSED with it (seriously, it’s amazing).
- Diaper Bag. Do yourself a favor and get a diaper bag that you love. This is the only item that is really more for you than the little ones, and since you will be taking it everywhere with you, it’s worth splurging on something you actually like. I have a couple that I rotate through, but my favorites are my JuJuBe BFF The Monarch and my Storksak Jude in Grey. I strongly suggest getting one that has a backpack option so you can be hands free when you need to be.
- Somewhere to put baby. Bouncers & Swings & things oh my! People swear by the Fisher Price Rock ‘N Play, but I’ve never used it, so I don’t have an opinion on the matter. I personally love the Baby Bjorn Bouncer and the DockATot because both can be easily moved, easily stored and take up very little real estate.
- Muslin Swaddle Blankets. These little buggers are the best multitaskers. My faves are the super soft bamboo Aden & Anais ones. They can become a burp cloth, nursing cover, changing pad, car seat cover, swaddle, you name it. I always have at least 2 with me.
- Baby Carrier. We have 6 (yes 6!!) different carriers, and yes, I do actually use them all. I do a lot of baby wearing, especially since I have 2 other kids to chase after and attached to my chest is usually the safest place for the baby to be (away from her brothers’ grabby hands). For newborn itty bitty babes, I love the Maya Ring sling and the Solly Baby Wrap. But my absolute overall favorites are my Ergo Baby Adapt carrier and Tula Free-To-Grow carrier. I keep one in the car and one in the house so I am never accidentally without.
- Diapers and Wipes. While I’d like to say I’m cool enough to use cloth diapers, I do not. I love Honest Co. diapers and Water Wipes. We used to use the Honest bundles, but you can’t order diapers without wipes and honestly their wipes are not great IMO – they often get recalled for mold and are very dry. We now order on amazon both diapers and wipes.
- Crib/bassinet. Since we have no actual room for baby #3, she is rocking the same pack ‘n play bassinet we used for our other two kiddos. The Graco Travel Lite Crib which is 20% smaller than other pack n’ plays, and has wheels on one side that allow it to be moved from room to room easily.
That’s it.
Are there other things we use, sure…but most of the time this is all we actually use, and quite honestly this is all that we NEED.
What are your baby essentials?
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