Every Item That Helped Me Survive The First Six Months With A Baby

Just the other day I finally got to post the “9 months in, 9 month out” photo because my baby girl is 9 months old. I cannot believe we’re almost at a year! Time flies! It’s been a while since my last post, and obviously I’ve been busy. But I have been taking notes, via my favorite note keeping app, Google Keep. I have a ton to share, of course a lot of baby stuff, but my typical content too. Everything baby and pregnancy related can be found under the new Motherhood category. Of all the baby info I have to share, I think the most important, the most helpful, is my list of everything I used that got me through the first 6 months of motherhood. These are the items I would recommend friends put on their baby registry and I will be stocked on all of these for baby #2, when we’re ready for that.

• Baby Bjorn Baby Bouncer – The baby bouncer is one of the first things my husband and I recommend to soon-to-be parents. Now the $200+ price tag may seem like a lot but I honestly believe it’s worth every penny. You can also find other baby bouncer brands if you want to spend less money. We bought a second cover for the bouncer, because baby girl went through a phase of having blowouts in it. We bought an off brand cover, because it was cheaper, but I don’t recommend doing that. Buy the same brand for the bouncer you have.
• Button-up PJs for Breastfeeding – I love both these ones from Target and these ones from aerie. It was so much easier to unbutton a few buttons to breastfeed than to lift my shirt up, or take it all the way off.
• Reusable Nursing Pads – I actually had to start putting nursing pads in my bra while I was still pregnant. I started leaking colostrum (aka liquid gold) in the beginning of my second trimester, which I hadn’t heard happening to anyone that early but that’s what happened to me. As a breastfeeder I was a just right to an over supplier and I leaked a lot so the nursing pads, plus backups in the diaper bag, were a need. I liked the reusable ones more than the paper ones and they were very easy to wash. I ordered 2 sets so I would always have plenty.
• Breastpumps – Yes, I recommend having more than one. My recommendation is to have a portable, hands-free pump and an electric breast pump. I had the Spectra S2 Plus as my electric breast pump, I used this one for my morning pump because it was easier to see when I was full. With this pump, I also recommend a bra that allows you to be hands-free. My favorite portable pump was the Momcozy. I used this one for my evening pump. My schedule was to pump twice a day (morning and evening) while my husband fed baby girl a bottle of breastmilk and then I breastfeed for all the other feedings, unless I wanted/needed a break. Make sure to check your insurance before purchasing a pump, in most cases they will cover the cost for one. I’ve also had a friend who got 2 free, one through her insurance and one through her husbands. I tried to do that but it didn’t work for me. I used my HSA/FSA dollars to purchase my second pump.
• Philips Avent Anti-Colic Bottles – This one is 100% a baby preference thing. For us, it was the Philips Avent anti-colic bottles that worked best.
• Baby Breeza Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer – Originally we didn’t have a bottle sterilizer on our list and we didn’t make the purchase until a few days before she arrived. It was when I was sterilizing my breastpump parts via a boiling pot of water over the stove that I realized it was needed. It was so nice to just throw bottle and breast pump parts into a tub of soapy water, rinse them, and then load them into the sterilizer.
• Nanit Baby Monitor and Sound Machine – We decided on the Nanit when it came to a baby monitor and I’m really happy with our choice. I like being able to see her on the nanit app as well as key information like the temperature of her room. I’m also able to easily add users to the account, like her grandmothers, who care for her during the weekdays. I control what other users can see and when they can access the camera, as well. I purchased a Nanit bundle from the FSA store and got the bundle with the sound machine which ended up being AMAZING. It’s a sound machine, nightlight, and clock which can be controlled from an app. We use it for every nap and at night. Having white noise going while she’s sleeping helps to block out other noises, like our beagle going nuts at a neighbor outside.
• Swaddle Wraps and Sleep Sacks – Even though I’ve known how to swaddle since I was 11, when my brother was born, it’s still not the easiest thing to do. The swaddle wraps were our saving grace. We ordered some from the hospital and picked them up on the drive home. When we hit 3 months, we switched to sleep sacks, both long sleeve and sleeveless. Currently we use the long sleeve one at night and the sleeveless for naps.
• Fisher Price Kick and Play – This is a MUST have! I bought 2, one for our house and one for Nene’s house (Nene is my mom’s grandmother name, pronounced nay-nay. It’s a little nod to my Turkish past). You will get all the songs stuck in your head, especially Purple Monkey in a Bubblegum Tree, IYKYK, but it makes play time very easy. When they’re just little potatoes with arms and legs, play time is really limited. We used the kick and play for back time and tummy time everyday after each feeding (except the last one).
• Tummy Time Support Pillow – The tummy time support pillow I purchased was a llama that came with a few teething toys and a mirror but I can’t seem to find it on Amazon anymore. I liked using the support pillow when we were first doing tummy time. It’s very helpful for when baby is starting tummy time.
• Moms On Call – This is the program we used when getting Betty on a schedule and sleep training. It has been amazing! My husband took on the responsibility of reading the book and then sharing the information with me. I had enough going on, I couldn’t handle reading a book too. What we mostly took from the program was the daily schedule and most of the sleep training. We had her napping in her crib 1-2 times a day to get her familiar with it, we set up a sound machine with white noise, and we had her sleeping in the crib overnight by 1 month. I never thought I could have her in another room from me at night but it truly saved me and our pediatrician gave us the go ahead. When she was no longer right next to me in the bassinet, she wasn’t waking up every hour because she smelled me/my milk. She went immediately from waking up 4+ times a night to waking up only twice. By 3 months she was sleeping through the night 7:30pm-7:00am. I cannot stress enough how much this book helped us and allowed me to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time.
• Evenflo Car Seat – There were several reasons I chose the Evenflo Revolve 180 NXT with Sensory Soothe and Sensory Safe. The first and biggest was the Sensory Safe feature that would connect the car seat to my phone so that I’d never accidently leave my baby in the car. The other 2 features I learned I loved after using the car seat. The Sensory Soothe would play white noise and changing lights which would help distract Betty when loading her into the car seat. The revolve 180 feature is perfect for when I’m taking her out of the car seat while it’s in the car. I can turn the seat to face me so I can easily buckle and unbuckle her. The seat clicks back into place and has a green lock sign to show when it’s securely locked and safe for driving.
• Huckleberry App – When it came time to find an app we could use for tracking feedings and diaper changes all roads led to Huckleberry. I paid for a premium subscription and it was 100% worth the cost. My husband and I shared an account so we could see when a diaper change happened, how much she drank at her last feeding, etc. It was easy to use and I loved that I could export the data for the pediatrician, if I had wanted or needed to. I love the Huckleberry app but I am glad to be done with tracking every diaper and feeding.
• Costco Wipes – We get wipes and diapers at Costco, because it makes the most sense. For diapers we stick with Huggies because that’s what our warehouse stocks and I’ve heard the Kirkland brand aren’t as good since they changed them. We do purchase the big box of Kirkland brand wipes though. One box has like 900 wipes so it will last you a while.
• Tubby Todd All Over Ointment – I really love that I can get this at Target now and I will be purchasing it as an extra gift for the next 2 baby showers I’m attending. I use this cream almost exclusively for Betty’s face and neck area, it helps to eliminate baby acne, redness, and irritation. I will also use it on her whole body after bath time, if I notice her skin needs some extra attention, otherwise I use Aveeno baby lotion.
• Carter’s PJs – I love these 2 pack sets of Carter’s pajamas. I have at least 10 pj sets from Carter’s in every clothing stage because they are the best. I love the 2 way zipper for easy diaper chages in the middle of the night, or anytime really. Betty mostly wears PJs because they’re easy and honestly, there’s no need to put her in an outfit if we’re not leaving the house.
• Muslin Burp Cloths from Amazon – These are my absolute favorite burp cloths! I ended up purchasing 2 sets (white and pink) so that I had 24 burp cloths and I came very close to ordering a 3rd set. You want to have burp cloths all over the house, in every room, in your purse, diaper bag, and car. Trust me.
• Cute & Affordable Clothes – I shop at a few different places for all of my baby clothes: Target, Carter’s, Old Navy, and TJ Maxx/Marshall’s. I’ve purchased a couple clothing items and swimsuits from Amazon but it’s pretty much exclusively those 5 stores.
• Portable Bottle Warmer and Cooler – When we were finally ready to venture out with Betty I knew we needed an easy way to also transport her milk if I wasn’t going to be breastfeeding. I purchased the Momcozy Portable Bottle Warmer and the Momcozy Portable Milk Cooler. I ended up purchasing these on Prime Day so I got a good deal. Now that we feed Betty formula, we’re only using the bottle warmer to warm her water. It was extremely handy when we traveled to Hawaii recently. We didn’t just use it on the plane during our travel days, we used it for every bottle and it was very convenient.
• Butt Paste, Aquaphor, Butt Spatula – So within the first week of having Betty, she got a bad diaper rash and we vowed to never let that happen again. Our pediatrician told us to mix diaper cream with aquaphor to help clear it up and avoid future ones. So we put diaper cream on her for every change. Sam uses just the diaper cream, while I continue to mix up the concoction the doctor told us about. We actually have the 3 pack of Butt Cream from Amazon automatically shipped to us every month or so because we use it so often. Regardless, it’s working and she hasn’t had a diaper rash since.
• O Ball – This was recommended to me by another parent and they were not wrong when they said it would be my baby’s favorite toy. I think that’s mostly because it’s one of the few things they can grasp onto at that age. Betty would sometimes fall asleep with it still in her hand
• Aveeno Baby Wash and Lotion – I’ve been using Aveeno baby wash and lotion on Betty every day since she could have a bath every day (after her umbilicale stub fell off). So almost 9 months now. It’s been great, she’s had no bad reaction to it. I love the lavender scented one as well, that’s honestly perfect for bedtime.
• Skip Hop Bath Time Set – I’m 35 years old now. I had Betty when I was 34. I know I’m still young but my knees and back aren’t what they use to be. This bath set from Skip Hop comes with both a kneeling pad for your knees and one that drapes over the tub for your elbows/arms. Plus it has a spout cover to keep baby safe and a cup for rinsing. Pair it with the Skip Hop Whale Tub for a matching set. We have bath time every night so these have all been put to good use.
• Kirkland Baby Formula – When it came time to switch Betty over to formula I had a lot of questions surrounding baby formula and what would be best for her. I have one friend who ordered her formula from Germany and has it shipped and I have another friend who used Gerber brand because that’s what she had as a baby. For me, I wanted to go with a brand I trusted and after some research, I decided on Kirkland’s baby formula. In Costco I Trust!

Well there you have it, all the items I recommend for the first 6 months with your precious bundle of joy. If there is anything you recommend to new parents, throw it in the comments! I have a lot more to share on motherhood, pregnancy, and post-partum so stay tuned for additional posts.