Baby Must-HavesBaby ProductsKnox and LiamLifeTwins
Tried & True: Baby Must-Haves (0-5 Months)
Monday, April 9, 2018
With the boys now being
The amount of baby and new mom products on the market is staggering. I didn't know what to get, if I really needed it, if I would ever use it, etc. As always, everyone has an opinion on what worked for them (which is exactly what this is!), but I highly recommend that you DO YOU, and trust your gut.
In the end, if you have your mind set on something, chances are you'll make that work. But anyway - here are some of my go-to items for the boys.
1. Dock-a-Tot: I cannot say this enough. WORTH EVERY PENNY. Knox and Liam are still using this, and have since they came home from the NICU. It is easy to travel with, move around, and I think gives them a sense of protection and comfort. It snugs against their bodies (now, not at 4 pounds), and keeps them from moving around a ton. It is seriously perfect. Not gonna lie. It is a challenge to get the cover back on after washing it, BUT if you can handle that part, the rest is a no-brainer. More importantly - who can guess the twin below?!
2. Swaddles: Okay, so one of my babies loved these (Knox) and the other did not (Liam). Liam likes to be swaddled, but with his hands free, so we stayed with a simple blanket for him. Knox on the other hand loved to be strapped down. If his hands are free he jumps and scares himself, and that results in a woken up before he should have been, cranky baby. So, swaddle. Our favorite is the SwaddleMe Original swaddle with the velcro. Easily adjustable for different weights and sizes, and great quality! Now that they're 6 months old we no longer use the swaddle. I think we transitioned Knox around 4 months old when he started to roll over.
3. Mamaroo: Definitely another item that is quite an investment. When this works, it works. I say when because we've gone back and forth with which baby likes it. Knox did not care for it much when he was newborn and Liam loved it. They have completely swapped now though. Knox will hang, take naps - anything. Liam likes it for about 10 minutes and then he's done. When they were younger we always played the heartbeat sound and it seemed to soothe them a bit as well. If you're not quite ready to take the plunge, see if you can find someone who has one. Try it out for a bit - from what I've heard - some babies love it, and some hate it.
4. Boba Wrap: We have multiple carriers, and so far (at least while the boys are small) this one has worked great. It's a bit complicated at first to understand how to wrap it, tie it and insert baby - but once you do it a few times it goes pretty fast. I like this one because it snugs the baby close to you, and you can move around the different pieces of fabric for more or less support. We also have the Chicco carriers which are good, but when they were younger and smaller, they just didn't fit quite right. They hang a little more in that one, so full head/neck control is definitely needed. Update: we've started using these more recently and they are great, now that the boys have more control. All in all, I recommend taking your pick on the hundreds on the market. The fabric one was a lifesaver for the days the boys just wanted to be held. Now, if I could just put two babies in one. Ha!
5. Sleep Sheep (or any white noise machine): When the boys were in there twin nursery by our bed, we didn't use anything specific. We just left the TV on a very low volume, and that seemed to do the trick. Once we moved them to their cribs and nursery we started using the sleep sheep (You can see it hanging on the crib in the photo). We turn it on every single night, and sometimes in the middle of the night, if the boys wake up at all. It just helps muffle some of the outside noise. The one we have turns off after 30 or 45 minutes; most nights that seems to do the trick. That way, if you have a monitor in your room you don't have to hear lullabies all night.
6. Twin Nursery: Okay, so this is really only applicable if you have, or are expecting multiples. We have the Joovy playard with the twin accessory that snapped on top. This was WONDERFUL. They slept in this for the first couple of months, up until we moved them to their cribs. We put their dock-a-tots directly inside and they slept great... perfect size for both babies and their dock-a-tots. It also has a changing pad that snaps to the top. So literally everything that we needed was right there. Can't say enough how beneficial this product was. We can also use the playard portion (basically a playpen) once they are more mobile as well. I think it'll be perfect for camping, the lake - whatever!
7. Bottle Drying Rack: This one is on a much smaller scale, but it's the small things. Minimalist alert over here, and I was going crazy with the amount of bottles (feeding and pumping) and pumping gadgets that we had to clean and dry. I like my counters to be clean and un-cluttered, and that wasn't the case in the beginning. These little drying racks are great. They keep everything confined to one area, and they aren't super bulky. The only thing I could ask is that maybe they upgrade them to be black and white or gray and white. The green doesn't really go with my decor. Ha!
8. Owlet Monitor: Okay, I know these are expensive. Like really expensive, but for Chris and I it was more for peace of mind. Two babies, preemies, NICU - just a few of the words that had us completely freaked out. We decided, literally the day we brought Liam home from the NICU that we needed these. We toyed with the idea previously but always shut it down because of how expensive they were. Then we got used to the monitors in the NICU; constantly watching their oxygen levels and heart rate, and knew we would not calm down (or sleep) if we didn't have something letting us know they were okay. For their first couple of months here we used them every. single. day and night. There are multiple settings and light colors - one letting you know that everything is perfect, one letting you know baby is okay, but the monitor is experiencing a bad connection and third that you need to check on your baby because something isn't right. I won't lie, when the third setting goes off you literally jump up like a mad person, but I like knowing over not knowing.
9. Backpack Diaper Bag: I registered for two diaper bags and really like having both of them, but I couldn't decide early on if I would like the backpack or the shoulder bag. With having two babies and a lot of stuff, the backpack is the first one I go for. The XX that we have is roomy and highly functional with a lot of pockets... plus it's cute, so that's a plus. With constantly bending over to grab a baby, or something that I dropped (all the dang time), it's easier having a backpack rather than a shoulder bag that tends to slide off my arm.
10. Cloth Diapers (as burp cloths): This is literally the smallest and most inexpensive thing, but a complete life saver. Don't get me wrong, I love cute burp cloths as much as the next person, but really only care for those when I am out and about. When we're hanging at home, simple cloth diapers come in handy. Burp cloths get used SO much and get dirty SO easily, it's great having stacks on stacks to pull from.
As the boys get older I will continue to share what has worked for us. It was helpful for me to read other moms opinions on what they liked and what they felt was a waste of money, so I hope this helps you as well.
Until next time.
5. Sleep Sheep (or any white noise machine): When the boys were in there twin nursery by our bed, we didn't use anything specific. We just left the TV on a very low volume, and that seemed to do the trick. Once we moved them to their cribs and nursery we started using the sleep sheep (You can see it hanging on the crib in the photo). We turn it on every single night, and sometimes in the middle of the night, if the boys wake up at all. It just helps muffle some of the outside noise. The one we have turns off after 30 or 45 minutes; most nights that seems to do the trick. That way, if you have a monitor in your room you don't have to hear lullabies all night.
6. Twin Nursery: Okay, so this is really only applicable if you have, or are expecting multiples. We have the Joovy playard with the twin accessory that snapped on top. This was WONDERFUL. They slept in this for the first couple of months, up until we moved them to their cribs. We put their dock-a-tots directly inside and they slept great... perfect size for both babies and their dock-a-tots. It also has a changing pad that snaps to the top. So literally everything that we needed was right there. Can't say enough how beneficial this product was. We can also use the playard portion (basically a playpen) once they are more mobile as well. I think it'll be perfect for camping, the lake - whatever!
7. Bottle Drying Rack: This one is on a much smaller scale, but it's the small things. Minimalist alert over here, and I was going crazy with the amount of bottles (feeding and pumping) and pumping gadgets that we had to clean and dry. I like my counters to be clean and un-cluttered, and that wasn't the case in the beginning. These little drying racks are great. They keep everything confined to one area, and they aren't super bulky. The only thing I could ask is that maybe they upgrade them to be black and white or gray and white. The green doesn't really go with my decor. Ha!
8. Owlet Monitor: Okay, I know these are expensive. Like really expensive, but for Chris and I it was more for peace of mind. Two babies, preemies, NICU - just a few of the words that had us completely freaked out. We decided, literally the day we brought Liam home from the NICU that we needed these. We toyed with the idea previously but always shut it down because of how expensive they were. Then we got used to the monitors in the NICU; constantly watching their oxygen levels and heart rate, and knew we would not calm down (or sleep) if we didn't have something letting us know they were okay. For their first couple of months here we used them every. single. day and night. There are multiple settings and light colors - one letting you know that everything is perfect, one letting you know baby is okay, but the monitor is experiencing a bad connection and third that you need to check on your baby because something isn't right. I won't lie, when the third setting goes off you literally jump up like a mad person, but I like knowing over not knowing.
9. Backpack Diaper Bag: I registered for two diaper bags and really like having both of them, but I couldn't decide early on if I would like the backpack or the shoulder bag. With having two babies and a lot of stuff, the backpack is the first one I go for. The XX that we have is roomy and highly functional with a lot of pockets... plus it's cute, so that's a plus. With constantly bending over to grab a baby, or something that I dropped (all the dang time), it's easier having a backpack rather than a shoulder bag that tends to slide off my arm.
10. Cloth Diapers (as burp cloths): This is literally the smallest and most inexpensive thing, but a complete life saver. Don't get me wrong, I love cute burp cloths as much as the next person, but really only care for those when I am out and about. When we're hanging at home, simple cloth diapers come in handy. Burp cloths get used SO much and get dirty SO easily, it's great having stacks on stacks to pull from.
As the boys get older I will continue to share what has worked for us. It was helpful for me to read other moms opinions on what they liked and what they felt was a waste of money, so I hope this helps you as well.
Until next time.
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