Must-have baby gear by length of use (3 months or less)
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Ok so the most annoying part about all the baby gear lists that I didn’t realize until Lu came was I had no idea how long each of the products lasted. Like yes, most of the stuff I did end up using daily but only for like 3 months, then another thing I still use today and here I am thinking I should’ve invested in some things over others. Another thing I learned was that every kid is different, and you MAY not need the thing that every list tells you to get because your baby is different. Like Lu refused to ride a stroller all. his. damn. life. Until now. So yes, you need to get a stroller, but you gotta be ready for them not needing it.
Anyway, so I’m listing thing in order of length of use. All of this stuff I used daily for the period I’ve been using it, so nothing too frilly here.
4th Trimester for Mom
This section is all about you. It sounds cheesy to say the first 3 months postpartum is the 4th trimester, but it’s so true. You’re still gonna be recovering. Like bleeding profusely or possibly still sore or sad or whatever, think of it like recovering from major surgery. I got a myomectomy (removing ovarian cyst) which was an outpatient procedure but I recovered about the same, if not slightly easier on the surgery when compared to labor. Don’t be scared because you will heal, but don’t have high expectations for it either. So a lot of this stuff is medical, for recovery.
Depends
For those first few weeks you’re going to feel like you’ve got the craziest period of your life. Seriously, dealing with pads and the mesh underwear was super annoying because it bunched up. Use those for the first couple days, then switch to Depends.
Period underwear
If you don’t have one already, get one. After the bleeding seemingly goes away, it sometimes spots. So just wear them for the next 3 months. The one I have are THINX but I think they got some bad press lately so maybe you need to research them.
Stool softener
Just take them, even if you don’t think you need them, because you do not want to have to push anything for a while. I actually got Colace during my pregnancy so I just had them around and continued taking them for the first 3 months.
Witch hazel pads
I seriously don’t know what it does but the hospital gave them to me and it felt so nice. This is the one I had.
Water bottle
You are going to need to drink a shit ton of water, especially if you breastfeed. If you don’t already have one, get a good water bottle. Keywords here are leakproof (so you can have it on the couch next to you and knock it over), easy to fill, and straws. These are really nice, and you can just have it laying around the house.
3 Months
Ok so while you’re using the stuff above, there are some other things that’ll really only last about 3 months of use. But these things you will use the entire 3 months, every day, multiple times a day so to me they’re totally worth it.
Solly Baby Wrap (0-3 months)
The wrap is technically good for the first year weight limit wise. I used it religiously for the first 3 months every day all day, then carried him a little less but still used it like a few times a week until he was 6 months or so. But since daily use was only in the first 3 months I’ve listed it here. By the time he got older he got a lot wigglier so I wanted a baby carrier that was easier to get him in/out—this one is a bit of a commitment. BUT the soft fabric and the snug tightness is really nice.
Play Gym (0-3 months)
A nice place to “park” your baby. That is going to be a pretty common theme throughout, because those first few months baby does not go anywhere but you can’t just put them down on the floor, so unless you want to hold them it’s nice to have a place for them to play. This one from Lovery is the one every one on instagram is going crazy for, I think it’s really cute but didn’t get it because it felt a little extravagant at the time. With that said, the one I did get from Skip Hop is no longer available but pretty similar to this one and since it was so baby baby, he only used it for 3 months. SO in the end it might be worth investing in the Lovevery one.
Floor Seat (3-6 months)
Same as above, you need to put them somewhere, and as they got older he needed to be entertained so this was nice since you can attach toys. This Fisher Price floor seat is the one that he had and it worked great, he still plays with the toy that it came with.
Jumper (4-7 months)
Once he was a stronger sitter and bigger, he was in this jumper like all the time. You get the drill, another baby parker. I received this one from Skip Hop as a gift and it was totally great, but if I was being honest I’d probably have bought this one from Fisher Price which is cheaper and he would’ve been happy with it.
Baby Parking Pillow (0-3 months)
Last parking spot. I had this Boppy lounger and a now-recalled and no longer available rock-n-play. I used the lounger pillow for the couch and the rock-n-play everywhere else. People swear by the Dock-a-Tot which is expensive but I do see the appeal of it. If I didn’t get the lounger as a gift I may have gotten the Dock-a-Tot. I’ve also heard that Snuggle Me Organic is a good (but still expensive) alternative to it.
Honey Bear Straw
So this I used it for less than 3 months really just a couple days but it is a miracle worker. This stupid bear bottle that just looks like a honey bear, so yes it’s called Talktools Honey Bear Drinking Cup, will teach any kid how to use a straw. Using a straw is a really hard concept to try to teach, and some how this does it. I can’t explain it. Just get it.
