We all know that “overwhelming” is an understatement when it comes to having your first baby. Planning out EVERYthing your baby may or may not need before their arrival is tough. How do you even know where to start?
When I was pregnant with Selena, I had no idea what type of baby she would be (one that DOESN’T like to be put down), or that I would be practicing attachment parenting and be a completely different mom than I expected. When she arrived, we had the perfect nursery set up with her crib and baby monitor ready to watch her at night, we had her bassinet set up beside our bed, her swing set up in the living room, and her play pen set up for all the places we would take her. Unfortunately, since I didn’t know the future, none of these things were used.
Once Selena was in our lives for a few weeks I quickly started to realize what I ACTUALLY needed. Of course cribs and bassinets are important for most, but these are the things that I’ve absolutely LOVED for the first 6 months of Selena’s life.
1. A BABY CARRIER or two or three (we use wrap and ring slings).
It wasn’t long after Selena was born that I ordered my Beluga baby wrap. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen it probably a thousand times and probably wondered how my back is feeling. I’ve been using this carrier for HOURS a day for the past 6 months. It keeps my arms free, allows me to have a break from holding Selena, and puts her to sleep INSTANTLY. It’s seriously magic and I couldn’t live without it. Follow the link below to check out Beluga Baby. They make wraps in all different colours and patterns.
Www.belugababy.ca
If you’re more of a ring sling person, I also have links for a few ring sling companies. We have a True North ring sling and a Poppy & Dave ring sling on the way. These are both Canadian companies, so I’ve also shared a link for Wild Bird which is a US company with similar ring slings.
Www.truenorthslings.ca
www.poppyanddave.com
shop.wildbird.co
2. LEVANA OMASENSE MOVEMENT MONITOR
This was seriously a life saver for us! As a new mom, I was constantly checking if Selena was breathing at night, even with her right beside me in bed. The Oma Sense clips right to the babies pants, sleeper OR diaper and monitors breathing movements throughout the night. If movement stops then it alerts you with a loud alarm. When we first got this I thought it would let out false alarms and drive me crazy, but it was AMAZING. Selena wore it every night for her first 4 months of life and it never once had a false alarm, but always gave me peace of mind so I could get some rest without worrying. This would be a perfect gift for a baby shower or something thoughtful to get a new mom when you go to visit her sweet, squishy baby for the first time. Being a new mom is so exhausting and emotionally draining, the OmaSense helps tremendously. You can purchase at www.mylevana.com or on Amazon!
3. BLOOMING BABY BATH FLOWER & ALEVA NATURALS SLEEP EASY BODY WASH
Selena was under 6 pounds when she was born. She was SO small, even the baby bath tubs seemed too big for her. I wasn’t too sure about the blooming baby bath flower when I first got it, it was pricey and I wasn’t sure if it would sit nicely in our sink. I was so wrong. Selena has had every single one of her baths in our sink with the blooming baby bath flower Insert. From birth to 7 months this is the only place we have bathed it. It’s once of my favourite purchases and 100% worth every dollar. Selena gets a cushiony surface to sit on in the sink, it doesn’t slip and slide all over the place, and it washes/dries so easily! I highly recommend this if you’re planning sink baths! You can purchase one in many colours at www.bloomingbath.com or on Amazon!
We also started out our bath journey using honest company, and honestly I didn’t like the smell at all so we switched to ALEVA naturals sleep easy hair and body wash. It smells amazing like lavender and even makes me a bit sleepy. We love it! You can purchase at www.alevanaturals.com or in local stores!
4. WOODEN TOYS
I absolutely love wooden toys and the Montessori style of play. Don’t get me wrong, most of Selena’s toys flash and make sounds. She even watches YouTube already. BUT the wooden toys are my favourite and I feel like she learns the most from them! As a bonus, they are super neutral and look beautiful in a living space.
Of course, our all time favourite is our wooden play gym by Heart & Kinder. Selena has loved this since she was itty bitty, and will still lay there are 7 months super intrigued by the beautiful wooden, dangling toys. Check her out at www.heartandkinder.ca and use code ASHLEY10 to save! (She also makes beautiful baby clothes and pacifier clips!)
We also love our wooden rattle from Charlie’s Chewlery. That’s the first thing Selena ever learned to hold and she still loves it months later. Sometimes wooden is just best!
5. TEETHING
Selena recently started teething and I already know which products are my favourite.
To start us off, Punkin Butt Baby teething oil is amazing! It’s all natural and it soothes Selena’s sore gums so quickly. Sometimes I even dip her soother in it. You can buy this at www.punkinbutt.com!
Selena also loves to chew on EVERYTHING. Her favourite toy to chew on is her pink bear from Little Cheeks. It’s easy to hold and has so many good parts to bite, with a bumpy back (www.littlecheeks.ca) She LOVES IT! She also loves her pacifier clips, and her Cutie PATpat soother from Ryan and Rose. This is an adorable soother but its handle also acts as a teether so it’s perfect. You can get these at www.ryanandrose.co or if you’re in Canada you can get them for an amazing price at www.munchingmonsterchewlery.com!
6. BREASTFEEDING FAVES
I’ve officially been breastfeeding Selena for 7 months. Over the months I’ve really loved my NatureBond silicone hand pump. I bought this off Amazon for under $20 and loved it so much that I got a second one. This pump is perfect for catching leaking milk from the opposite breast that you’re feeding on. I also use this for catching my heavy let down so Selena doesn’t choke and get upset! It’s amazing and another life saver. This can be purchased on Amazon.
For those of you looking for nursing clothes, I’ve really had a hard time with this too. I’ve found most of mine online at Old Navy, Gap and H&M. I’ve also had luck running through Winners or Marshall’s (T.J Max brand) and finding cute nursing friendly dresses and tops with buttons or zippers or wrap-fronts.
7. FAVOURITE BIG TOYS
Selena doesn’t love being put down very often so there’s only a few places she will let me put her. I’m going to start off with our Little Bot Baby Ofie Mat. This is a very modern, toxic-free foam mat that Selena LOVES to play on. We loved ours so much that we bought a second one. You can order yours on Amazon or at www.littlebot.ca!
Next, Selena LOVES her Skip Hop activity table. She interacts with all the toys and will sit in there for long periods of time! I don’t know what I would do without it. You can get yours on amazon or at most retail stores.
We also have a Jolly Jumper on a stand for Selena. It’s insanely cute to watch her jump and giggle it in. I highly recommend one for EVERYONE with a baby. It’s very big but it’s easy to take down and put away if needed. You can get one at www.jollyjumper.com.
Lastly, this is an unpopular opinion, the BUMBO chair. I will strap Selena into this on the counter while I make dinner and I will feed her some food while she sits there. She stays happy in there for a LONG time and I’m so glad we got one even though everyone else said not to. You can get this at www.bumbo.com or most retail stores.
8. FEEDING SELENA
We have a very small amount of space in our home, so when I came across the Joovy Nook high chair I was very excited. This high chair is super small and sleek looking, but also folds up super small to be tucked away. It’s also easy to clean and the tray is easy to remove. It was a great purchase for us! You can buy one at www.Joovy.com, Amazon or in stores!
It was very important for me to find plastic-free utensils for Selena. We got our Avanchy bamboo plate and spoon set for Christmas this year and have used it for every meal so far. Selena can safely chew on the spoon and it’s small enough for her to eat off of. I’m so happy we were gifted this. You can get them on amazon and in stores!
Another thing that is important for me when feeding Selena is HOMEMADE food. Our baby brezza makes this so simple. This tool steams your food for you and then purées it at the end. It’s so great that I only need to clean one thing when I make Selena’s food, and it saves me SO much time. You can get this at www.babybrezza.com or on Amazon!
9. MEMORIES
Last, but most certainly not least, DOCUMENT your days with your little one. The time flies by so fast and you won’t want to forget. Obviously I take tons of photos, but I also have a baby book that I found at Chapters Indigo and I write letters to future Selena. I think it’s so important to have these memories.
Thank you for reading all of my MUST-HAVES. I hope this has helped someone out who is expecting their first little one.
Mamas, comment below what your baby must-haves are. I’d like to know what products you LOVE!
