When you are expecting you often find yourself entering a world that you never really gave much thought to. By this I mean you’ve probably gone to baby showers and bought gifts that they registered for but now you are making the registry for you and your little one. Do a simple search of things that you need for a little one and you will find plenty. Plenty that saw you need X number of receiving blankets, X number of swaddles, etc… What is really needed for baby? Well, that really depends on you.
Not only are the recommendations for quantities of things but there are so many brands to pick from. You will find what is best for your little one once they are here. For example, some diapers fit differently and I truly think that their build with determine what you feel is best.
So….. Did we need everything? Absolutely not!
Everyone will offer advice. Some is solicited, others is unsolicited. Some you will agree with, some you won’t. With that, this is simply a list of things that we feel are completely necessary for having a baby.
- Owlet Baby Monitor
For those of you who do not know what this is it is a life saver. It is a small pulse oximetry and heart rate monitor that is strapped onto the baby’s foot when sleeping to monitors the oxygen level and heart rate of baby. It works from birth to 18 months.
Although, you will find mixed reviews on this we love it! I totally believe that this works magic! It has given us peace of mind which then has allowed us to get good sleep (when baby is sleeping of course!)
Also, a great plus is their costumer service and warranty. We have had 3 or 4 sensors that have gone bad. Thankfully, if they stop working within a year of purchase they send you a new one. Each time you receive your new sensor the year starts over. So, we bought our Owlet in late 2017 and we have yet to have to purchase a sensor because they have all been within the year warranty. - Diaper Genie
This is a diaper trash can that you place soiled diapers in. There is a lid and a second interior flap that you must push the diaper past. Once it is full you have to open the container and cut the bag with the built-in cutter, tie a knot (that’s what we do), and toss. Very little smell escapes. However, as you push diapers through the second flap you will get little whiff of stench which are daily reminders what the room would smell like without one if we didn’t take the diaper to the outside trash every time.
We got a hand-me-down from a family friend. Personally, I didn’t feel that we needed it but, boy oh boy am I thankful that we have one!
Cons: They require special bags. Therefore, you can’t just place a kitchen garbage bag in it but they do last quite a while. We buy our bags at Costco or a knockoff brand on Amazon. We can almost always find them there in a 4 pack. - Changing table
I remember when my mom would visit and mention that she never knew anyone that always used their changing table. This too was a hand-me-down. And the fact that we live in a small house, <900 sq. ft., makes it very, very easy to walk to little one’s room and plop him on the changing table. But my main reason for always using it is saving my back. I find it very uncomfortable bent over him on the floor, bed, couch to change his diaper, especially as he has become much more wiggly. - Port-a-crib
These are super convenient for traveling, staying the night at grandparents, or needing a temporary crib in our room. We got ours for less than $100 with a changing table and additional rocker chair. It is a tad bit heavy but we haven’t found any difficulties or problems with it. After we had a large earthquake, 7.2, last November it was wonderful to have because I did not feel comfortable with little sleeping in a different room for the first 2 weeks. - Swaddles
This is a given. I believe most babies love to be swaddled. I had one that really did and one that did for a shorter bit. But there are many different swaddles. I wish I had found Copper Pearl with my first one. They are super soft and stretchy! Which I absolutely loved and so did little one.
I would love to hear what you find to be a super important thing for new parents.