My Must-Have Products for First Baby

Being a first time mom, there is so much information out there about what you should have for your newborn!

I read what felt like hundreds of articles on every must-have for a new baby and researched so much, I went into deep rabbit holes on products that were probably at the end of the day extremely similar. Now that Kaia is four months old, I’m glad we chose to buy the necessities for her arrival but fill in where it made sense after she’d been with us for a bit. This helped keep me from getting the latest and greatest and instead focusing on the practical!

Here are my favorites that we have been using since Kaia came home from the hospital, and ones that I would not hesitate to suggest to any new parent. Of course, like everything else, so much of this is personal preference so look around for whatever works for your budget and lifestyle, and know that your baby doesn’t need as much as you think.

Haakaa Manual Breast Pump – I used this to catch the let down from my other breast while nursing one side so that the milk wasn’t wasted! I still used an electric pump for actual pumping sessions, but this manual pump helped me store a lot of milk that would have otherwise been lost in a nursing pad.

Love to Dream Swaddles – Ah, the wonderful world of swaddles. There are so many available your head will spin. We found (like most babies), Kaia fought us being swaddled in the very beginning. In a moment of desperation, I bought a Love to Dream swaddle which allows her hands to be up by her face (and make her look like an adorable starfish), and she didn’t hate it so we kept using it! Plus, the zipper means it’s super easy to get her in it with no fighting to keep her arms down, and for diaper changes in the middle of the night, the easy access doesn’t wake her. We ended up buying a second one because she likes to suck on the wings where her hands are for soothing, so one is usually in the washing machine while she wears the other. She’s now using the transition swaddles and loving them.

Hatch Rest+ Baby Sound Machine – This sound machine also serves as a nightlight, and we use it for every nap and night time sleep. It has various sounds as well as color lights, with features that will grow with Kaia as she gets older!

Gathre Padded Micro+ Mat – We were unable to get the changing pad we wanted here in Singapore, so I got this padded mat, and it’s incredible! It wipes super easy, is very soft and comfortable for Kaia during diaper changes, and can double as a tummy time mat, or taken outdoors with us on the patio for her to lay on.

BIBS Pacifiers – Luckily, Kaia took to whatever we gave her in terms of pacifiers and bottles. These BIBS pacifiers come in beautiful colors, and are perfect for soothing Kaia when she is trying to go to sleep.

Solly Baby Wrap – There are tons of wrap companies for you to choose from, but this was my favorite in terms of colors/patterns offered and feel of fabric. Being in Singapore, I wanted a lightweight fabric that wouldn’t make Kaia and myself any hotter than we already are on the equator. My mom got me 2 of these wraps, and Kaia loves being in them. She falls asleep without fail, and for me, they are comfortable and it feels wonderful to have Kaia snuggled so close to me. I would highly recommend these wraps if you are interested in baby wearing!

Burp Cloths – This is an example of a category where I found that name brand does not matter. We had expensive burp cloths gifted to us, and ended up finding that we liked the cheap muslin ones from Amazon much better. Get whatever fits in your price range… after all, you are cleaning up spit with these so no need to get fancy. My only piece of advice is get three times the amount you think you’ll need because if your baby is anything like Kaia, good luck with only a few burp cloths.

DockATot – Loungers can be very expensive, and we only got the DockATot because it was gifted to us. Kaia loves sleeping in hers, and it’s been a lifesaver for naps until recently when we transitioned her to sleep solely in her bassinet. I personally would purchase this a hundred times over, but know that there are plenty of less expensive options out there!

It’ll be interesting to see what products change and what’s new when we decide to have a second baby! Any other products that you love and would suggest for new parents?