Clothing shopping list for mom and baby

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Ok separate from the baby gear must-haves, thought the clothing required its own list so here they are:

Nursing Friendly PJ

You should be in PJs all. the. time. Seriously. It’s so much better. I mean if it makes you feel bad about yourself then don’t, but if you feel guilty then you shouldn’t so just be in PJs at least for the first 6 months for sure, and then beyond too. I’m in PJs all the time still, 20 months postpartum. And nursing bras are always on lists as a must-buy but I say: don’t get them unless you also don’t mind lounging in a bra. I personally hate any and all types of bras even bralettes, so honestly just wore a comfy PJ and called it a day. This one from Amazon is my favorite. Get 3-4 of the same thing and wear it all day. There are other types of openings, but it’s kind of hard to try and figure it out in the beginning, like how am I supposed to get my tits out of this small opening?? This one is simple and washes really well so I like it.

Bloomaire Dresses

This is actually a friend of mine’s line (pronounced BLOOM-AIR like millionaire), and yes it’s kind of pricey but the fabric is super quality and it’s made in the US and I personally think it’s worth it because you can wear it during pregnancy and way after too. I own this caftan in 2 colors, and this jumpsuit in black, and it was literally the only thing in my closet that was both presentable to the public and nursing friendly. If I was just getting one I would go with the jumpsuit cos you could dress it up or down, and the boob access is a lot more beginner-friendly. 

High-rise Leggings

There are two that I own. I got one from BLANQI postpartum but really wish I got their maternity stuff. I’d definitely do it next time. The only thing is, the fabric is the textured kind, you know the kind you see the weave of? So it’s not my favorite. But I found this one from the Amazon Core10 brand and the fabric is just amazing, it’s the smooth kind, like Lululemon, and I love it. So good.

Maxi dresses. A bunch of Maxi dresses.

Just wear them all the time, even in winter, because all you have to do is throw a cardigan over it and call it a day. Also you can wear it after too. Get one size bigger to make sure you get belly space if you want, but I found that most of the dresses worked fine for me throughout pregnancy. I honestly did not buy a single maternity item while I was pregnant because I just owned baggy shit anyway, and you could totally get away with it.

Baby: 0-4 months just put them in ZIPPER PJs

No joke, I bought SO MANY cute outfits and never put them on him because ain’t nobody got time for that and he like shat or barfed or whatever on them daily anyway so what’s the point. Also I put zipper in all-caps because don’t get tricked into the snaps. NO ONE GOT TIME FOR SNAPS. Even if the fabric is soft, just don’t do it. I liked zippered, footed PJs with flip over sleeves because babies are dumb and they scratch themselves with their sharp nails, and if they’re footed you don’t have to worry about socks (although little tiny baby socks are just about the cutest things ever). I think by the end of it I was exclusively buying PJ packs from Target because they were cute, washed well, came in a pack, and checked off my other requirements. Also, in case you didn’t get the memo please don’t get snaps. 

…Really that’s all you need for a baby because people love giving you clothes. Even if you don’t register for them people will get them. People you don’t really know will give you baby clothes. And they won’t be useful like a PJ, so they will make sure that you have the cute but useless clothes category all covered.

I didn’t start getting cute clothes for Lu until he was mobile. I’ll do a separate list of places to get these fun clothes that are worth paying for.

*Note on sizes and quantity: Generally speaking, for babies, I think it’s the easiest if you just did a small load of laundry every day, if not every other day. It piles up quick and that way you don’t need to get so many backups. I think at any given moment I would have like 6-8 of the PJ in the size he was right now, 2-3 I liked that were getting smaller but he could still fit into, and then 2-3 in one size bigger so I’m ready when he grows overnight (which he definitely did sometimes). 

Must-have baby gear by length of use (18months+)

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that when you follow the link and make a purchase I may receive commission on qualified items at no additional cost to you.

So here are things that we bought when he was born and we still use today. Some of these we knew we’d use for a while, but others I didn’t think I needed and then found out it makes my life so much easier, and wish I got sooner!

• High chair: Option 1 / Option 2

• Apron

• Plate and Open Cup

• Play mat: Rug / Modular

• Changing Pad

• Sakura Bloom Baby Carriers: Ring Sling / Scout / Onbuhimo

• Change Pad and Wipes Case

• Video Monitor: the one we have / the one I wish I got

• Sound Machine + Ok to wake light: the one we have / new model

• Thermometer

Eating Stuff: High chair, apron, and plate/utensils

High chair is something I did NOT invest in, and I sort of regret it because I hate ours. I kind of wish that invested in a good one (Stokke Tripp Trapp is a cult favorite, although it’s kind of ridiculous) or just went with a super simple one. The IKEA one is amazing from what I hear. The reason I hate ours is it has a fabric cover (it gets so gross), it has so many like slits and openings and little nooks and crannies because it “converts” (food gets in every corner and is a bitch to clean), and is SO. FUCKING. HUGE. Hate it. Don’t do that.

This baby apron (perfeclty named Bapron) is the only bib/apron that Lu would put on. It’s soft, ties in the back instead of on his neck so it’s comfy, and you can wash it in the sink and hang to dry and it’ll be dry in like 30 minutes. Amazing. Babies are so messy when they eat, so it’s either he’s naked or wearing a Bapron at meals, or I have to plan on changing his clothes. Even now.

Eating gear wise I like this ezpz Mini plate because it stays in place (he flips over other plates) and taught him to use this open cup also from ezpz like 4 months ish, because I guess it’s good for their brain development to learn the cup? He also never took a bottle anyway so it made the transition from this to straw cups really easy.

Play mat

A surprisingly important thing that I kept using from baby to now, especially if you have hardwood. I have this random one from Amazon which works really great downstairs in our living room because you can configure it to go around our sectional. We also have this one from Skip Hop for his room, and it’s really soft and nice. Even if you have carpet I think it’s nice to have one of these because they fall a lot, and also spill a lot, so having a surface that you can wipe off will save you.

Changing Pad

Steven fought me ’til the very end over this Keekaroo Peanut saying it was dumb, but I am so glad I told him to fuck off. We still use this all the time and it makes the disgusting task of changing diapers a little more tolerable because he’s comfier on it vs. on the floor. You’ll use it for a long time. Get it.

Sakura Bloom Baby Carrier

Before you look at the price on the website and freak out, hear me out when I say these things are worth its weight in gold. They have three types of carriers, I have all three and also a ring sling in two different fabrics, and use them all the time. While the Solly Wrap from the 3 month list is great for the newborn stage and then not thereafter, I used these at varying stages and still use them today because my Lu is super needy and wants to be carried when he’s fussy and I need hands to do stuff. To break down the styles they offer, Ring Sling is great for quick up/down and for newborns, this is what I use most often. It does require some learning and getting used to, but once you figure it out it’s super easy. Scout is the style that’s most comparable to the other baby carriers on the market like the super famous Babybjörn and the like, but with no buckles. It’s the most versatile since you can carry front or back, and carry up to 35lb. Onbuhimo is what I call my chore carrier because it is combines the ease of Ring Sling but in a back carry, and I wear him in this when I’m trying to get stuff done.

If I was to recommend just one carrier, I’d say the Scout because this is the one Steven likes best too and so we both use it (I use the Ring Sling the most). There are lots of fabric choices, but linen is a good bet and you can’t go wrong with it. Second choice for me would be a Simple Silk Ring Sling, which is my favorite. And if you fall in love with baby carrying and want more, an Onbuhimo is a great one to have in your adventure stash.

Change Pad and Wipes Case

I didn’t get this Logan + Lenora Change Pad ’til later and I regret it because the change pad that came with my diaper bag was so fucking bulky and I hated it, it took up so much space in the bag and it was awful. This is slim, packs great, and has a magnetic closure.

Same thing with a wipes case, I was just using some random one I got for free and then received one as a gift that was slimmer, and it makes such a huge difference. The one I have I can’t find online, but this one from Amazon is pretty close.

Video Monitor

I can’t find the Summer Infant monitor that we got and it’s probably just outdated, but this one seems to be in the same price range (but now you get two cameras! That’s cool) Ours just recently stopped working though, so we just got this LBtech one. I liked that you could buy additional cameras in case we have more kids or need more monitoring, and there was a review that specifically referenced Summer Infant saying this one they liked better. The battery life is SO MUCH BETTER and I really like it. I can’t speak for the newer Summer Infant model though, and we did like it at the time so you really can’t go wrong with either.

I will say though if I had a newborn again I would totally try to go with the Nanit. It logs all their sleep and the way they thrashed around, which I manually entered into a separate app and forgot to do it all the time. Ain’t nobody got time for that. You will use a video monitor for a long time, so don’t be scared to invest in it.

Sound Machine + Ok to wake light

I preface this first by saying Lu is a shitty sleeper. And I don’t know if it’s because the white noice machine isn’t working, but I do really like the look and functionality of the one we have, which is Hatch Baby Rest. They also have a more upgraded version called Rest+ that I haven’t tried but it looks cool, and has additional functionality for not that much more so worth looking into. He does not yet abide to the ok to wake light, but I’m now finally sort of explaining to him the difference in light color and when it’s time to wake up. Since kids can’t tell time for a while, this clear indication is supposedly how you teach them rise time. So we’ll see, and either way I would use it for a long time so I thought it was worth the buy.

Thermometer

He only got a fever a few times, but the few times he did I was such a fucking mess that having an accurate, reliable thermometer is really key. This Braun one is the second one I got, the first one was garbage, and this one I hate less. It’s just kind of tough to measure temperature accurately in general it seems, which is insane because there are AI out there designing our future, but whatever.

Must-have baby gear by length of use (6-12 months)

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• Travel system infant car seat

• Swaddle sleep sack

• Swaddle blankets

• Pack and Play: Option 1 / Option 2

• Nursing cover

• Bumbo Multi-Seat

• Baby tub

• Mini crib with Mattress

• Breast pump

• Haakaa hand pump

• Avent bottles

• Big diaper backpack OR a small one for good packers

• Animal link

Items from the list for 3 months use you could possibly use up to 6 months, and in the same way things on this list you could potentially use it until your baby is like 9-10 months and even up to 18 months.

Every baby is so different and some of it also depends on your baby’s temperament, so based on my description here you could even make the call whether to wait on some things. The first 3 months you do not have any time or mental capacity to replenish anything, but by around 6 months you’re going to feel a little more relaxed and flexible.

6 months

Travel system infant car seat

Ok so the stroller system we went with was Nuna, and I don’t see the exact package, looks like they updated it to this one. Pipa Lite LX car seat was seriously the best—super light, the straps and buttons were so smooth, just amazing, and that was very helpful because he HATED being in a carseat—so having functions that are simple and well-designed was a lifesaver. I would also recommend the travel system because when you have to go out with baby, especially in the first 3 months, baby is usually sleeping and it’s nice to just be able to click the carseat out then click into the stroller without transferring them. Lots of strollers are compatible with multiple carseats, so if the set doesn’t work out you could also just pick the carseat first and then find a stroller that is compatible with it. You will use the stroller for a lot longer, until they’re a year old and beyond.

Swaddle sleep sack

The Love to Dream swaddle worked well for us, and I loved that it was a zipper so easy to change his diaper. It claims better sleep but I really have no idea if it’s true. I do think it calmed him down though. I recommend getting like 2-3 in each size, but just start with the newborn and size up as you get closer to the weight limit. 

Swaddle blankets

Get like maybe 6 and you’ll be fine. These ones from Little Unicorn are my favorite, so soft. I liked it for lining any surface he was on, and used it as a burp cloth too so didn’t really need one. I would pack it in my diaper bag at all times just in case too.

Pack and Play

Since we slept upstairs but hung out downstairs, and I didn’t want to take him up for a nap all the time, I had a pack-and-play which technically you can use for longer but he wasn’t in it for more than 6 months. Also by the tail end of it he didn’t sleep in it and I used it more as a diaper changing station which is pretty useful too. I can’t find the exact Graco one I have but it’s similar to this, and the extra little hammock part converts into a lounger too. BUT something like this with a travel bassinet could work really nice, I didn’t need it since I had a rock-n-play but that extra dome could make a great baby parker.

Nursing cover

I didn’t really like to nurse him outside so I didn’t do it often, especially not as he got bigger, but when I did this nursing cover came in handy. It was also a nice blanket if I forgot a swaddle or he had thrown up on it. I owned a Copper Pearl one, and also heard good things about Milk Snob. I think just pick based on the print you like.

Bumbo Multi-Seat (4-10mo)

We used this thing ALL. THE. TIME. Anytime we went over to someone’s house who didn’t have a high chair, which was every one, it was a life saver. Used it a couple times at restaurants too, and as a second floor seat to park him on top of the kitchen counter while I cooked or something. 

12 months

Baby tub

We registered for this one from Skip Hop, and it worked pretty well. Once he was close to a year old he kind of wanted to wiggle around more and we ended up just letting him sit in the tub. 

Also confession: you probably see I own a lot of stuff from Skip Hop because of all the big baby brands they had the best design and colors that aren’t primary and disgusting and all their stuff go together really nicely. I have many brand loyalties in the baby space and they are definitely one of them.

Mini crib with Mattress

We went with the Babyletto origami mini crib because we knew we wanted him to be in our room for the first 6 months, and didn’t want something that took up much space. If I was doing it again though, I may opt for a convertible crib so you can side car it onto my bed. Totally up to you, on how close you want the baby to be to you sleeping—and sometimes the baby sleeps better on its own too. In either scenario, go for the Newton mattress it’s great, and comes in both a mini and standard crib size. Get an extra cover for blowups.

Breast pump

I loved my Spectra pump. BUT check with your insurance whether you get one, and if you do get one if it’s a hospital grade one. If they’re only gonna get you a cheapy one it’s worth investing in a good one especially if you’re thinking of going back to work, or your baby is an asshole like mine and won’t take the nipple but you still want to give them breastmilk…you’ll have to pump a lot. 

Haakaa

Ok this weirdly shaped Haakaa pump looks strange but I loved it. It is technically a manual breast pump but what I did was attach it to the boob that I wasn’t feeding on, and it’d collect milk. Because your boobs are dumb and when the faucet opens for milk it shoots out milk from both sides. Stupid. I also hated wearing nursing pads, so this was much better, and then I could save the milk to feed him or stash in the freezer. Best.

Avent bottles

If you’re going to get bottles, my recommendation is to get maybe 3 kinds, one of each, and see if your baby has any preferences or aversions. If not just keep rotating, if they do like something just get more of that. My personal favorite Was the Philips Avent. It was the easiest to use, he liked it the most, and there are lots of like handles and additional tops to keep growing with the baby.

Big diaper backpack

I had a huge diaper bag for the first 12 months, and then sized down to a smaller one. With that said if you’re an over-packer like me you may just want a big one throughout, or if you want to pack light you could get away with a smaller one. For the bigger one I 100% recommend backpacks because it’s so much better, I liked mine from LEADER Bag Co. and the way it looked, but it did get kind of big once he was a toddler and was pretty stiff/bulky which was nice for carrying a lot of stuff. Now I have this one from Azaria which looks almost like a purse and is super soft and it fits a good amount of stuff. On super quick trips I wear a fanny pack because it’s the best. 

Animal link

This was a super random gift I got and was like WTF but it was so useful. I recommend it as a gift all the time now. Not only is it a toy, you can use it like a carabiner, or a toy leash, and now he still plays with it as a sorting toy. You can also make any toy into a play gym toy to hang, and literally the best. Get 2 sets.