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. 

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.