Worth it or Not: Baby Gear

Now that I’ve been a mom for a full month I am pretty much an expert … (kidding ha!). But in reality  though there are somethings I’ve found I really don’t need/use. 

First off let me talk about a few of my Favorite Baby Items: 

Rocker

Since Chappy went back to work within a week of Waylen’s birth (thank you tax season) there’s been times where I need to set him down so I can actually make lunch/ shower/ get dressed/ etc. This bouncer has been a lifesaver! It’s lightweight, collapsible, and not a giant eye sore. I keep this upstairs and easily can move it from room to room depending on what I’m doing 

Ergobaby Carrier

I basically use this every day when I go on walks. I love having Waylen snuggled up close to me and as an added plus he adds a little weight to my work out. 

Swaddle Blankets

Maybe it’s because I had been squishing an over 8lb baby in my stomach but Waylen loves to sleep all swaddled up at night so these have really been really helpful. Also if you have a baby who resists the swaddle or you just struggle to get the swaddle tight, try these Love to Dream swaddles! Waylen has a few and they are great and easy to use.

Keekaroo Changer

I seriously love this changer, especially since we have a boy who loves to pee on his dad ha. It is so easy to just wipe down when messes occur and I really can’t imagine having to change a cover every time that happens!

Some things I Could Live Without are:

• Breast Feeding Pillow: surprisingly I have actually never even used this. I typically just hold him, rest him on my stomach, or just use a throw pillow from our couch for added support.
• Sleepers: I received so many cute sleepers -and don’t get me wrong I still dress him in them- but at 3am it is MUCH easier to change him if he is just wearing a onesie or a sleep sac so I typically stick to those at night 
• Wipes: I honestly never even thought that wipes could be bad for your baby’s tush. At our first pediatricians appointment though we were told to just stick to water and towels or to at least purchase WaterWipes instead 
• Sound Machine: I think we received 5 different sound machines between our two showers. Most of them were adorable stuffed lambs that you could hang off of their crib. In reality though they haven’t helped Waylen sleep. He either wants to sleep or he doesn’t ha. 
• Peepee Teepee: We got these as gift and as cute as they are, (they have little wiener dogs on them,) they were completely useless. Chappy tried using them a few times and they either fell off from him moving or shot off from him peeing ha. 
• Newborn Bath: so we actually never really got one of these. We ordered one, they sent us the wrong color so we sent it back to exchange it. Long story short we ended up never getting the correct color and decided to try and go without it. So far Waylen basically just gets sponge baths with some hair washing so I haven’t felt any need for an infant bath and am glad we didn’t end up getting one! 

 

Now there are a few other things that I don’t necessarily neeeed but still love having. Here are a few of my Favorite Splurge Items: 

4moms Swing

This is by far Chappy’s favorite baby item. He seriously thinks it’s the coolest thing ever and loves to show it to anyone who comes over to visit ha. It has an app., plays music through Bluetooth, and has a bunch of different speed and rhythm settings. We also purchased this infant insert for it so Waylen could use it right away. 

Activity Mat

Obviously you don’t need a mat to do tummy time with your baby but this one is just so cute. It has different textures and sounds in the sea animal shapes to keep your baby interested and alert during tummy time.  

Babble Band Baby Monitor

So basically my house isn’t large enough to not hear when Waylen is crying, (and quite honestly at this point he mostly just sleeps in my arms,) but this monitor is still great for when I need to take the dogs out or do something in the garage. I am not a huge fan of the video monitors (because I’m paranoid someone is going to hack in and watch us ha) so this monitor was perfect for me and the band lets you carry it around hands free!

Activity Gym

You never need to have an activity gym and Waylen is still a little young for this BUT the contrasting colors, rattlers, and mirrors make this a great playtime accessory! 

Now I know every baby is different but these are the things that have/haven’t worked for me! When I was pregnant I would read a million posts trying to find what I did and didn’t need so hopefully this helps some of you first time moms to be! In general I would just say less is more. I’d much rather run to get something I need that I didn’t purchase then have a bunch of items laying around that I don’t need.

Hope this helps!