My Newborn Must Haves
We had planned on giving birth in Montreal, but because of the changes in the hockey season, we will now be giving birth in Washington. We are due in late October, so we probably won’t be here too long before heading back to Montreal, but I will still need Carey to ship a few items from Montreal for the arrival of the new baby. I was putting together a list of things he needs to pull out of storage, so thought I would share it with you guys, as well as few items we are leaving behind in Montreal, but I’m sure we will get lots of use out of once we are back.
Sleep:
1. Snuggle Me - We used this with Millie and loved it. With Liv, we used the (2) DockaTot which we also really loved, but I believe those are no longer available in Canada. Either way, I will be using one of these starting as soon as we bring the baby home.
Snuggle Me vs. DockaTot
I had a lot of people ask me to compare the two. I prefer the Snuggle Me, because I feel like it is more comforting when they are newborns, but they will grow out of the Snuggle Me a lot fast than the DockaTot. With Liv, we only used the DockaTot and it did work fine for us, so I think you are safe either way you go.
3. The Snoo - With both my girls, we used the Fisher-Price Rock and Play CONSTANTLY. It was a life saver. It has since been recalled, so I am a little bit (or a lot) worried about what we will do without it. With Millie, a girlfriend who had the Snoo let me try it and we really liked it, enough that we are thinking about getting it this time around. It is a big purchase, so I would feel a lot better if we were getting it for the first baby instead of potentially the last, but I think it is worth the splurge.
Lounge:
4. Boppy Lounger - We used this ALL THE TIME with Liv and Millie. I find that I always need to a place to put the baby down and this one is comfortable, easy to move around and overall just convenient.
5. MamaRoo - This one is a coin toss. Liv hated it, but Millie loved it and I have a lot of friends who their kids either loved it or hated it, too. I feel like going with a normal swing would probably be a safer bet, but I definitely prefer the look of the MamaRoo.
6. Stokke Chair - This was a new one we got for Millie and I LOVED it. I especially love it, because it is good from birth up to age 6! How is that for an investment?! With a newborn, you just use the little newborn bed accessories, once they get older you can transition it into a highchair and then once they outgrow that then it is just a chair for them. I love the look of this way more than booster seats and other options we have seen, so I went ahead and got just the chair for Liv as well.
Baby Carrier:
7. Ring Sling - I have been using the ring sling a lot with Millie and we have been liking it. It takes a bit to really learn how to use it, but once you do it’s simple. I don't know if I like it more than the Ergo baby carrier or any of the other wrap carriers, but I do think it is prettier!
Blankets:
8. Numpfer - The ONLY blanket we use for swaddling!! I know I am being a bit dramatic here, but it is only because we love this blanket that much. The Aden + Anais are super cute and great to have on hand, but I feel like they are so hard to use for swaddling and my girls always busted out of them easily. The Numpfer blankets are so soft and have a little stretch to them, which makes it so much easier to get a tight swaddle. We love them and I will be telling Carey to pack every single one we have!
Clothes:
I love getting cutsie outfits, but at the end of the day when we are just home relaxing, Millie is in the zip up onesies from (9)Old Navy.
Diapers:
We have been using The Honest Company just for the ease of being able to have the bundles shipped right to your door.
Baby Monitor:
I had a traditional baby monitor with Liv and I hated it, so we are just using our (10) Nest Cam this time around.
Bottles:
We switched over to (11) Lifefactory Bottles with Millie, we had been using plastic Dr. Brown bottles, but when through a shift of wanting to reduce toxins and we ended with these glass bottles and I was really happy with them. Will for sure use them for the new baby.
Breast Pump:
I have the Medela Freestyle and I love it. I also got the Willow Pump with Millie to make pumping on-the-go easier. I am having Carey pack both of these, because I can not pick which one I like better. I prefer the Medela while at home pumping, but the ease of using the Willow pump on-the-go cannot be matched. I have even worn it in to the grocery store and its amazing.
Pack and Play:
We have the 4moms Pack and Play and I love it. It is so easy to put up and down and looks beautiful. The only downfall is that it is a bit heavy. I am having Carey leave this behind though, because we have this Dream on Me Pack and Play we keep at my moms house and we actually really like it. It is not as convent as the 4 moms one because it doesn’t have the bassinet option, but it is good to have for a pinch and an awesome price point.
Car Seat & Stroller:
For our bucket seat, we have two: the Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio is the first. I chose this one because of the safety reviews and because it was pretty lightweight compared to others. I am finding that it is not compatible with some strollers and our Veer, so that is a bit of a bummer. Overall, I love it. I was gifted the Nuna bucket seat with Millie and we also really liked that one and found it was more compatible with things such as our Veer wagon.
Once the girls grow out of bucket seats, we transition them to Diono Car Seat. You can actually use this at birth, but because I usually keep them in the bucket seat when running errands, I like the ease of being able to take the car seat into stores and such.
As for strollers, I have been gifted quite a few over the years and have a few favorites. We already have one we keep at each home, so these are the ones that have made the cut:
The Silver Cross stroller, this one works great plus looks great - so chic! We got if after Millie was born, so I really only know it as a double stroller and it worked great for that.
The (12) Valco stroller, we actually had the single and went ahead and got the double when Millie was born, because we liked it so much. It’s only downfall is that you have to get an entirely separate stroller for the double option. I absolute love how easily it folds up and down though, the easiest out of all of them by far.
The Maxi Cosi this is the one we have here in Washington and there are quite a few features I really like about it. It folds up and down pretty easy, a little harder with the second seat attached, but still not bad. My favorite part is that the basket underneath is not attached, so when you are folding it down or getting home from a walk, you don't have to empty everything out, just grab the basket and take it with you. I don’t know why every single stroller doesn’t have this option.
Hopefully this is more than enough to get us through the first few months with our baby. I’m really hoping things go back to normal very soon so that we don’t feel displaced while trying to welcome a new little one into the world. Let me know in the comments below what you must have when you have a newborn - we could all use some suggestions, I’m sure!
Much Love,
