I don't think I have anything I regret buying! I tried to keep it very minimal. But I regret NOT dressing my daughter in cute girly colors as a newborn. I tried to keep things so practical and gender-neutral for future babies, but I wish I had dressed her cute and girly.
A sound machine- we haven’t even turned it on! We also bought a few different bottles and we had a surprise NICU baby, so we just used the bottles the NICU sent us home with.
Any kind of sleep aids. If you never introduce it, most babies will never need them. But getting them out of the habit is killer, especially the sleep sacks and things that are only made to x size.
Swaddles! My baby hated them, and I’ve since learned that they’re not all that great for their development. Also, if you don’t swaddle, you never have to wean from it. 👍🏻
The My Breast Friend pillow doubles as portable snack bowl table and remote control holder. Never took it off. Still wear it on the weekends and my kid is 6
expecting my first baby in November and I've been really trying to be minimal and mindful in what I get - this was SO helpful! And your voice is so soothing, I could listen to you for hours 💚 best of luck with baby O!
My pediatrician gave great advice when it comes to the Owlet. He said that there are no studies that show it reduces SIDS but that he thinks it’s worth it if it gives the parents more peace of mind and helps them to sleep better at night because a rested parent is so important! We ended up not getting one, which worked for us, but I like his explanation on it.
I liked our Owlet for the peace of mind. Our pediatrician advised us against it when we mentioned we had one because he was worried we were going to have more anxiety using it and loose sleep watching the monitor all night. But it actually helped me get more sleep because I wasn’t sitting there watching my baby making sure she was still breathing. Everyone is different. So many baby things are personal preference for the parents.
Best advice I can give to new parents that know they want multiples: Ask for all the fancy stuff now with baby #1. Most family and friends are thrilled for the first baby and more willing to help you out. As more kids come along the thrill runs dry really quick. Also find a good storage solution for all of these things. You never really know how long of a spacing your multiples will be and knowing where everything is and that it is in good condition to use for the next will save you so much money.
Yes agree. If you have space to store things ask for the high chair and stroller and convertible car seat now while people are willing to help. When you have baby 2 and 3 people assume you have what you need already. They might throw a “sprinkle” but you won’t get as many big ticket items.
True, we only had a shower with our first. When I was pregnant with #5 I decided to make a registry because we needed some new things with having multiple little ones. Only 1 person bought us anything. My husband's cousin was pregnant at the same time also #5 and had a shower. She had people still buy her things. People are less likely the more you have, but part of it is also who you know. She has a circle of friends that do home births and homeschool. We don't really have a circle of friends, we just have family members.
First time pregnant mama here. Loved your practical advice! Its overwhelming the amount of products that are out there, but at the end of the day - a quick trip to Target or an order on Amazon can get items we need when the time comes.
Something that I discovered after months of stress, was to boil water for formula in an electric kettle then let the water cool off to a good warm temp and add that to a thermos to use during night feeds.
My formula milk said to boil water for 5 min. Then cool down to 40 and add milk. So I boil it, put it in the thermos bottle and baby bottle. I put a baby bottle with water to bottle warmer for 40 degrees, and my Avent is not turning off so when baby is hungry I just take the bottle and add powder to perfectly heated water. Takes less than 5 seconds. I love my bottle warmer.
I boil the water and add it to the bottles than that the call down and when my baby wants a bottle I just add formula and give it to her room temperature
This is an excellent list. As the mum to a baby who’s just over 3 months, I agree with pretty much all of this. Especially the diapers (3 extra boxes of size 1 in my garage as we speak 🙈). Babies honestly mostly need your attention and love, but also space and time to learn and grow at their own speed. Another thing you don’t need..all the baby books and internet giving you advice about what you should or shouldn’t do. Yes, having some go-to references are good, but your instincts and your doctor are the best. It will keep you less stressed and more focused on the precious time with your little babe.🥰 Love the mom content Ashlynne, thank you!
I will say in regards to seasonally appropriate clothing, about 90% of our clothing was gifted for our shower most of which I didn't ask for. While I had specific size requests on our registry based on our baby's age during each season, some people just didn't pay attention and got us things that wouldn't be appropriate in different seasons, so I think that's something that's hard to avoid when other people are purchasing things for you
Yeah that was our situation too. 🙈 I think it’s especially hard if your friends aren’t also parents themselves. But it’s one of those things you just learn as you go!
@AshlynneEaton agreed! Amd definitely agree with everything else you said too. Currently navigating all of this as we prep for our baby girl to get here and definitely can get overwhelming so quickly
Same!! I didn’t realize this would happen, but heard from friends that no matter if it’s a baby or wedding registry, folks just will get you what they want to get you. 🤷♀️
I am so worried about this happening! This is my first, and I'm thinking about putting on the shower invites no clothes please. Doubt that will help much though😂
My baby is currently 5 months old and I love how many things you mention are true, you don’t need a wipe warmer they don’t need a lot of toys. And I’m glad you mention the subscriptions, they are expensive and I feel bad sometimes when I hear so many influencers talk about it but your right you don’t need it, you can find things around the house or cheaper items they can play with. One thing I do regret buying is the gripe water, I used it a couple times but found no need. Also clothes with buttons, I prefer zippers much easier than all buttons.Love this video!
These are great. It's super awesome the you mentioned Love Every and similar subscriptions. I think lots of influencers (and many of which are into minimalism) tend to talk highly about them - many times because they're working with Love Every. As a first time mom watching those videos, I wished I could get them but I could not get myself to spend that much on them. Instead I found really good functional pieces that serve a similar purpose and eventually the guilt of not getting those went away.
Yes! Came here to say the same about the subscriptions. I really wanted them too but could not justify the price. It's nice to let go of that guilt. I saw another channel that said she stopped her love every because at some point the toys came with so many tiny pieces it was overwhelming.
@@essentiallylau i have the LE subscription and I did enjoy the 0-12 months but the next kit was a flop. They're definitely a nice to have, not a necessity. NOT TO MENTION how many toys you end up getting from them. It's actually a lot when you have to store them ☠️ we stopped at 16-19 month kit bc my baby was no longer interested. But it's nice bc now I'm having my second baby and we get to reuse those toys
LOVE how practical and minimal you are, as most new parents of today I've seen aren't quite so. I'm not even expecting, but I still found this quite helpful for future reference!
I do think it's worth spending a bit extra on a higher quality stroller if you can. We first bought a cheap stroller for our first and it didn't even last a year before it wouldn't push straight anymore. It would have been worthwhile to spend a bit more up front to avoid the need to purchase a whole new stroller. Also worth considering warranties, availability of spare parts, etc.
I was sent home from the hospital with a little bit of formula even though I intended to breastfeed and I’m so thankful. My son was soooo sleepy and I could not get him to latch our first night at home. I spent almost two hours trying to get him to latch and eat. It had been six hours since he had eaten so we panicked and gave him the formula. In that moment I was so thankful we had the formula already on hand. My milk hadn’t come in yet either so we didn’t have another option. Also, I think the snuggleme is soooooo overrated. 😅 Love your videos, Ashlynne!
We personally ended up using a pack & play as a mini bedside crib/ bassinet. It’s larger than typical bassinets and the mattress can be raised to the height of your bed and one of sides rolls down for easy night time changes and feeds. I wouldn’t completely write off a pack & play for this reason.
Oh my, I have two nieces and I have found out how different each of them are… the oldest ended up in a jumper contraption that she loved! Then when her sister came along, she hated it! 😅😂 and also I went to several baby showers and noticed how many baby clothes they got, and thinking they’ll never get to wear half of them! If I gift clothing I usually go for several sizes larger, but you reminding about the seasonal clothing is really a great and valid point! Thanks for a great video! 😁
You’re so right, every baby is just so different! And yes. I’m all about buying clothes for the 6-12 month age range! People rarely gift for those sizes, so it can be really helpful!
about to have my first kiddo and we got 90% of our stuff from Buy Nothing or fbook marketplace. I really didn’t want to create more landfill, and we’re planning to pass as much along on Buy Nothing as possible.
I’m incredibly thankful that my sister had a baby girl a year before I had mine, so she has somewhere to send all the old clothes that have been outgrown, and I got a ton of baby stuff (way more than I ever needed). Now I just had my second little girl, so I still have all the old clothes and barely have to buy anything.
I agree with most everything! I'm a minimalist and also, when our baby girl was born we lived in a small house, with one very small bathroom and I didn't have space for much stuff, which was fine by me. I didn't buy all the things, I had a good stroller, a mattress on the floor for a bed and I could lay down beside her anytime she needed extra comfort and also, I had tge same baby bathtub as you and it was so handy the first three months. I had my husband fill it on the kitchen table and I could bathe her while standing up and he would clean it up. After 3 months I put a towel down in the bathtub and just bathed her that way, she loved it! She never took a single bottle, she was exclusively breastfed so I had no need for sterilizers and she also never took a paci. All she needed and wanted was attention from us and being held, she didn't care for stuff. I'm so glad I didn't fall for all the marketing stuff, cause I saved myself tons of money, and every time I wanted to buy something I made sure it would be multifunctional, that I could use it for different purposes. I dont like being wasteful or impulsive with money, my husband works too hard for it for me to be mindless about it
1000% this! I could not agree more!! Great video! I would have loved and appreciated watching this two years ago prepping for my girl. Sometimes people can push getting everything and it can get quite overwhelming.
TOTALLY AGREE!! I definitely bought more than we needed just because it’s hard to know what all you actually need as a first time mom. Hoping this can be helpful to others as well!
I love videos like this 🙌🏼 I like to take a "wait and see" approach. I found there were so many things I didn't need were considered buying once, but my babies quickly grew out of that stage and I was glad I resisted!
I never used our crib. Well I did use it for dumping laundry for sorting. My kids are 6 and 3. Started using a floor mattress with kid #1 and never looked back
For me the owlet is a must have. I’m a nurse and have done a lot of fundraising for Red Nose Day so just having peace of mind makes it worth it. However I agree with everything else
You nailed it with this whole list. I fell for the snuggle me aesthetic BF pillow. I really like the BBhug me pillow but breast friend is great too. Another is skip the crib and go from bassinet or bed share to a Montessori floor bed at 6 months.
Great video! One item that I didn’t need was a diaper pale. To me, it’s just a glorified garbage can. Baby’s poop doesn’t start smelling until they start solids. What we did was wrap the poopy diaper in a doggy poop bag to contain the smell and throw it in our regular trash. We are usually downstairs when we change her diaper so there was no point in having a trash can and a diaper pale on the same floor. During the newborn phase, we just used our regular trash can we already had in our room to throw her diaper in and emptied it in the morning when we went downstairs for the day.
Yes to so much of this! The nappies we bought as we went. Went to a lactation consultant and ditched the nursing pillow as we did a method where my baby lay diagonally across me. The outfits, yup my Mum warned me about season and age of baby. I sooo tried heaps of options. Must have five different types of drink bottles. We skipped the swing. I think I spent so much time researching and then the time had passed when he was too big. I don't agree about the steriliser! But I had breastfeeding problems and was doing breast feed, bottle top up and then pumping for every single feed for the first four months. We absolutely needed our microwave steriliser! Oh agree about the bath. My husband just sat in our bath with our son. And he still does. It's such a nice bonding session for them. Agree to not getting mits. We used the Haaka battery operated nail file to keep our son's nails trim. And I see you got a trimmer too! We had a baby monitor and the baby movement detector as our son was born five weeks premature so we were paranoid and the movement detector was in the special care baby unit and we wanted to replicate that at home. Agree about the humidifier. I bought it cos it was recommended by a RUclipsr. I live in New Zealand and not sure if the climate really is dry enough. Yes we got the Lovevery baby gym. It was cool but I didn't do any of rhe activity cards. It actually stressed me out a bit that we weren't doing all the activities! Argh impractical clothing! Yeah all that cute stuff, jeans, dungarees.... Even now that our boy's five we still do track pants, sweatshirts. Never jeans. We did get a good stroller that grew with him. We don't have a car so it was pretty essential. Travel crib or pack n play we bought a second hand travel crib and used it once. They're so heavy and without a car no point. I borrowed a changing table from my sister and loved it. Have to have an elevated place to change nappies. I tried the floor for a while and it was so hard on my back. I bought a nice diaper bag. It was so pretty but impractical as it was a shoulder carry. Ended up buying a cheaper backpack that we still use for my son's daycare bag. We needed formula as it took a while before I could exclusively breastfeed. Absolutely agree to not buy it ahead of time - unless you live in a food desert. Your list is so spot on!!!
we also bought too many wash cloths. they came in handy once starting with real food, though! i was told to get formula also. around the time i was expecting, there were shortages everywhere for formula and i never purchased because i was planning to exclusively breastfeed and someone who actually needs to use formula needs that one container infinitely more than i do. use a haakaa to catch the letdown on the opposite side and freeze it if you’re concerned about not having it in an emergency situation.
I have used the my Breast friend pillow with now my 5th newborn and I couldn’t do postpartum without it. It’s so comfortable, I love the back support and also it really saves my arms and back, especially at night when I’m falling asleep nursing! Gives a lot of security!
I found this video to remind myself of everything since my kids are now 17 and 12. I'm now starting again with my 3rd child, and have forgotten so much about the baby stage. Plus, so many new things are out there this time around. Practical is always the best, for sure!
Agree with most of these! However, for us the Owlet significantly reduced anxiety. To roll over and see the green light pulsating instead of feeling the need to check breathing 24/7, and knowing that if something was off I could respond immediately, provided so much peace of mind and allowed me to sleep. It’s also great reassurance for oxygen levels and heart rate, as they’re a big indicator of illness that can’t always be identified otherwise. Our other must-haves were the monitor (for naps to get things done), swing (but not the one you have! Ours didn’t like it either - regular one was used daily), variety of bottles (there was only one that truly worked for us), angel baby bathtub was the best, mitts (had to buy them because baby scratched a lot), and playmats (be careful recommending a blanket - big entanglement/suffocation hazard when they grab & roll). A lot of the other things you’ll find are helpful as baby gets older, but agree can be skipped for the first couple of months or totally!
So true about the loveevery subscription. Our baby is 5 weeks old and all he wants to do is just stare at our faces, or light play on the wall. All that other fancy developmental stuff just feels like a guilt trip of making sure you’re “doing enough” as parents
we asked for the 1 year old babbler kit for our son's 1st birthday and it's the only kit we ever got from there. he's 3 1/2 now and I will say he still plays with several of the toys regularly. asking for just one of the kits you think your child will like as a gift is a better approach than signing up to pay like $100+ every 3 months
I think Lovevery is better for older kids. Especially for Under 1’s, they have very generic (or classic, depending on your point of view) toys and there are SO many dupes on the market. But starting from age 2 onwards, they are really fun and educational, and more importantly, unique and so thoughtfully designed (a lot of them are also redesigned Montessori materials, if you’re into that philosophy. And more attractive than the traditional Montessori options). It’s totally fine to skip them, of course. They won’t get your child into Harvard. But we have lots of fun with them.
100% agreed. I was able to buy the swing I wanted second hand and I used it every single day until my son grew out of it. But, my friend also lent us the mamaroo and i literally never used it. My son hated it. So, i feel like an actual swing is more useful and it’s a little deceptive to tell new moms “oh you don’t need a swing” when you haven’t actually tried a real swing… just my humble opinion.
If that is the swing you used, I have heard a lot of moms say their kids don’t like these (and a lot of child care providers). The older style ones that swing with two motions and take up a lot more room were loved by my first four. My fifth gets so much attention, we skipped the swing. Always someone to entertain him around! 😂
This was a great video. The alternative options were helpful and the idea of taking a deep breath with one day at a time with some items is so needed. Thank you!
Lovely tips, I've found how little babies need with being a mum of 3, nearly 4 children too. The only point I feel differently on is about formula milk (if it's your first baby). When I was pregnant with my first, I had my heart set on breast feeding and thought there was no way I would need formula, and had very little money so didn't buy a tub to put in the cupboard incase. I regretted this when it got to the point where I was holding a screaming starving baby from 3am, waiting for a shop to open at 10am because it was a Sunday in the UK. My midwife had visited at 8am to find me in pieces, my baby had lost a pound within days, I felt so much guilt about breastfeeding not being possible for me, and it took that midwife to say "oh darling, it is OK to give him a bottle" for me not to feel terrible about it. So I would totally recommend having 1 tub of formula in your cupboard, two bottles and a way to sterilise them, it's one of those things that you will come across another new mother that you can pass the tub and bottles to if you thankfully don't need them 😊
Thank you so much for this video! We're expecting our first child and people keep on pressuring us to buy things, I just don't think are necessary. Your video was the first I encountered that was actually helpful contextualizing my idea of what we do and do not need.
As a first time mom, the amount of products and options for every little thing is so overwhelming and overstimulating! I truly enjoyed watching this video. Thank you for all the helpful tips and for helping de-influence when we live in such an over-consumerist, capitalist society filled with ads and influencers!
Obviously everyone’s experiences are different, but I think it is important to mention that some things are definitely essential if they help your mental health. I had a baby in the NICU so going home, we had to have the owlet monitor otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to sleep at all because our anxiety levels were so high already so that was the ONLY way that we actually got rest. Otherwise we were constantly watching over to check breathing. Everyone is different so I’m glad your mental health benefited from not using it!
I agree a lot but would say that we were very happy that we did have our highchair right away. My son wasn’t a fan of lying down and with our highchair, the Stokke TrippTrapp, you can add a newborn “seat” (they are not sitting but lying a bit upright) and it worked wonders for us in the first three months. :)
My 5 month old LOVED her play mat’s hanging toys. It was her favorite toy until she started rolling over and the poles got in her way…but we got great, daily use out of it for 3-4 months. Definitely a favorite product for us!
Oh, and for bathtime, I always just get into the bath myself and hold him. I always felt way more comfortable doing it that way. Leaning over the bathtub or sink was just too much straining
I absolutely love our dedicated changing table. It's at the perfect height for me to change my baby girl and has space for me to put everything. But we also bought a legit furniture one, so when we no longer need it to be a changing table it can just be storage shelves
This was VERY helpful, thank you so much! Also, your information delivery style was really easy to listen to and take in and I think you gave just the right amount of info on each item. There are a couple of things that I'm now not going to worry about, really appreciate the video, thank you!! (First time Dad, two months till she arrives!)
I would recommend getting a humidifier if it has a diffuser included as it’s great to add olbas or snufflebabe vapour oil if your little one has a cold. Honestly absolute lifesaver and they will sleep better when unwell
Regarding formula, you can just buy one bottle of the ready to feed stuff, which is like £1 and have that for a rainy day. It has a long shelf life too, so if you don’t end up using it, you can just pass it on to someone else.
The Shantala bucket bathtub was a must have for me because you can wash your baby wherever you like (in a sink, on your knees etc) but also sometimes just give him a full water bath to relax (like our idea of taking a bubble bath) and then give him a scalp and body massage. A cosy bucket bathtub is perfect for these baby spa sessions and no sink can replace that comfort I think. It’s also quite cheap and you can also use it to soak stained baby sheets, bibs or whatever ;)
We have a Graco bouncer swing combination and love it. I would recommend not buying all the things but instead pick a few minimal items that have multi purpose. Also the best advice I have is dont buy new, marketplace is your friend!! 3rd time mom and have definately reduced the amount of items we own for baby
Pack n play with bassinet topper was a life saver for us since grandma couldnt watch him at our house otherwise being a split level home. Kept it setup for grandma days so we didnt have to drag out the bassinet every time. Depends on your cituation. Also we got a free crib and changing table from others that were only 2 years old and still useable so we didnt mind one bit having them in addition to our iherited bassinet i altered to make safe next to our bed. Crib for the baby room.
I couldn't have made it without my Moby Wrap baby carrier. I have used one with all 4 of my babies. It is HUGELY helpful to just secure baby close to my heart all day. Frees your hands and arms to work, frees your mind from worry.
Hey ! That was a great video, thank you ! I'm at the "what should I buy?" phase and this was very useful , specially your thoughts on trying different brands, baby monitor, mittens/nail clippers.
We had a group of friends and we passed equipment round the group as each of us had babies. So moses basket/bassinet, bouncer chair, baby gyms, mats etc Conversely to you, gripe water was great for my 3.
Some of your advice is helpful just be careful with certain aspects because as NICU RN, I seen mamas struggle with poor feeding and only having one bottle version and we let them know to have few on hand if they are not breastfeeding. Not every baby is the same. Some are more easy to please than others.
Oooh that’s a great point. Obviously was just speaking from my experience as someone who exclusively breastfed through the newborn stage. Thank you for sharing 🤍
@@AshlynneEaton Of course love the content its just we have re-educate with First time parents sometimes due some numerous opinions from influencers. The video was lovely ☺
i love this video! very helpful. ❤ the one thing i kinda disagree with is the owlet. i know folks who have had kiddos pass from SIDS who were recommended the pulse oximeter option!
I did not got formula for my baby, because I only wanted to breastfeed. 🤱 however at the beginning I had lots of issues and my baby was starving. I end up having to give him whatever my doctor had for free and let me tell you, not the best type. I wish I had make some research and have the best just in case. After all we’ll talking about nutrition for your baby, you want the best. Thankfully i resolved the issues I have with breastfeeding and I’m now breastfeeding, but I always will regrets not getting informed and had the best available at the beginning.
I was the same! I was expecting breastfeeding would be easy. Our son was in the special care baby unit and he was prem so he had access to formula there. But it was stressful trying to buy the best breastbump and get domoeridone medication etc. I wish the breastfeeding classes I went to before my son was born would have addressed the fact that there are often difficulties with breastfeeding. I, like you, got there in the end ☺️
I use an old, thick comforter as a breastfeeding pillow and as a sleep support and it’s so much better than an actual pillow! I tried the fancy pillows and a blanket just works so much better! You can mold it into the exact shape you want and get the perfect support and position for your baby
I found the dr brown sterilizer and dryer to be super convenient as a breast feeding and pumping mom! Those pump parts are so annoying to dry! So the drying portion is super convenient for us.
Great video! I agree with all of these. I do like the baby tub but it’s not necessary. We never covered our babies hands, never used the gas drops, barely used the swing, never got a bottle warmer, sterilizer or wipe warmer. We also borrowed the lovevery 0-3 and only used the contrast cards 😂 (my baby is 11 weeks). We just bought a high chair because I found one I wanted locally on Facebook marketplace. We haven’t used a stroller at all. The one thing I disagree with is formula. I was so happy we had some on hand but honestly a few sample packs would be perfect to have just in case.
Getting ready to be a second time mom and when it comes to baby monitoring stuff I think you should use whatever is going to put you at ease. I personally loved using the owlet sock because it eased my anxieties. I didn't wake myself up every 30 minutes to check my baby was still breathing because I knew it would alarm if anything was wrong. You know you best and you know whether it'll be a hinderence to you.
I definitely agree with a most of these! The My Breast Friend is such a great breastfeeding pillow! I'm so glad my lactation consultant recommended it to me, as it was one of the reasons I was able to continue breastfeeding. We never used a baby bath and just rolled one end of a towel to make a mini pillow with the rest of the towel laying out and put a couple of inches of water in the tub. I will say we had to go through like 8+ different pacifiers before finding one my daughter would take, so I was definitely glad I had a few on hand to try (I also have a handful of friends who experienced the same thing!).
That was exactly my experience with the My Breast Friend pillow as well! And love hearing how you made the “no baby bath” setup work. Want to try that out! And wow!! Glad you found one you like. Sounds like it was a journey to get there!
Thank you for sharing this information. It was very informative. I just want to share that in our culture we don't let the new born wear new cloths, in case of allergy or irritation, cause due to fabric, instead we opt for fully sanitised cloths wear by probably older siblings or cousins, which is both safe and cost effective too, because yes they outgrown of them very quickly.
Great list! And I like how you see through the "created needs" the industry tries to make us believe in. Getting items as the need arises has been my motto too with my 7 month old. I totally agree with you on the breastfeeding pillow, a good one is essential! 🤱 Some things will always depend on lifestyle, eg I bought a good, solid and versatile stroller, which is also ergonomically correct for the baby, because I don't have a car and walk a lot, so I've been out with my baby in the stroller in all kinds of weather since the beginning. As for changing the baby, I always change diapers on a mat on the bathroom floor. The floor is heated, so it's nice and warm, and baby is safe while I have running water within arm's reach. This also means I can use wash cloths instead of wipes, which is one less thing to buy. 😅
Well done, your baby is learning to develop a relationship with you the home the extended family so much learning. Be in the moment it goes by so fast. Thank you
New mom here and I think I agree with the majority of this list. So many baby products out there that aren't needed and can actually be detrimental to development if used incorrectly (ex: excessive use of baby mits). Absolutely agree that there are so many fear-driven products out there, and getting second hand items or hand-me-downs is what we found to be so much better than brand new stuff for the majority! A few things on this list that I do actually use and like though: - Bottle sanitizer and warmer. I really like these because of how quickly they work and because I can't run the dishwasher as often as I need to clean bottles. I always hand wash with soap and water and toss them into the sanitizer and I think this was super helpful especially in the first month when we were fighting oral thrush. That said, dishwashers are absolutely a great alternative, and also some babies don't even need their bottles warmed at all! (Mine does 😂😭). These just work really well for our routine but definitely aren't necessary - Baby bath. While you don't necessarily need to give newborns a full bath (and actually shouldn't until their umbilical cord falls off), we found it to be an activity that is both fun and soothing for our baby, especially before bedtime. It makes it easier to get spitup out of her folds, so we do a bath once a week. We don't have a tub in our apartment either so a baby bath is going to be our alternative to bath time for a while! - Baby monitor. While I do cosleep with my newborn in a special bed the majority of the time, the baby monitor has definitely been useful for times when we want her to sleep without us. You don't need anything fancy here, but I do like the cry detection on ours because it will set off a loud alarm. I'm a heavy sleeper so this was very useful. Also, we have 3 pets and plan to use it as a pet monitor later so it was a good investment for us (useful since ours has a phone app and two-way voice. We don't use these features for our baby [yet] but definitely will for our pets!)
1. You can exchange unopened boxes of diapers for different sizes. 2. If you do a registry online, they often include an extended return window and a discount (and a welcome gift that may include samples of bottles/pacifiers/etc. so you don't have to buy them!). Instead of buying everything on my registry, I left the other options on there to try later if the first few didn't work out and returned returnable (non-mouthed/non-expendable) items. Also, ask for gift cards on your registry so you can purchase what you find out you'll need later. 3. Try out furniture like swings and bouncers in a consignment/second-hand store. If germs are a concern, put a swaddle completely behind them. 4. We got the angel care bath support and hung it on a command hook in the bathroom. You can flip it over and pop the mesh the other when they are able to almost sit up on their own. After they can sit without falling over you won't need one at all. 5. You can make your own kits of Montessori toys, contrast cards, etc. Print and laminate. Just test them thoroughly for baby-proofing and durability. My son loves playing with giant pompoms from the craft store and a muffin tin. 6. I do recommend getting soft washcloths if yours are not already soft.
I don’t like a lot of clutter so I tried to go extremely minimal when I had my first baby. The only thing I purchased that was a want and not a need was the snuggle me lounger and I definitely think we could’ve gone without it. It did make some cute photos though lol. I would say maybe getting a small container of formula just in case. My plan was the combo breastfeed and bottle feed breastmilk but unfortunately my baby was born at 36 weeks and my milk never came in so we exclusively formula feed now. You just never know what is going to happen when your baby gets here and if you don’t open it you can return it. (At least to Target) Now that my baby is 6 months old I do use some of the things from this list but there is still so much that you don’t need, even at this age. Can’t wait to see an updated video when your baby gets older!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I find these videos so helpful. I will say every baby and every parent/household is different and you did a great job taking that into account. The humidifier and owlet are must haves on my registry but that’s because baby has a medical condition affecting his lung that he’ll need surgery on 💙🩵
Your video is really handy for people who weren’t able to get everything on their registry. Like I think I’ll still put the bassinet and crib on my registry bc I think it will come in handy when baby gets bigger. But if someone doesn’t buy a crib then maybe I’ll wait until later to buy a crib
I agree with most of these but would buy the owlet again and again (indeed, we’ve actually bought it three times now - one unfortunately died, the other two we use on our daughters, one four months and the other three). Our eldest daughter turned out to have lung issues and our Owlet has been a godsend in letting us know how she’s getting on, especially when she has a virus. We’ve never found that it makes us worry more, quite the opposite, and our doctor has always found it useful that we have it and can report on how things are going with her breathing
For me, the humidifier is definitely not some thing I use every night, but when your baby has a cold, it is extremely helpful! They sleep better when the air is moist, and it keeps their noses from getting too crusty. I’m glad you haven’t needed it, because that means you haven’t had to deal with a bad cold yet!
We would use them when our kids had croup. We'd need to do a shower treatment first, but then would run the humidifier to help maintain the airs humidity after we'd gotten the croup under control.
So true that there is a lot that you don't need. Our twins ended up NEVER sleeping in their cribs! Luckily we had not purchased them. A close friend passed along the cribs that his twins had used. When my kids reaching the standing phase they enjoyed using the cribs as trampolines--they stood on the mattress, gripped the sides, and jumped. Ditto the baby swing. They played with it, but did not find it soothing. We did like the baby washcloths. Ours were much thinner than normal washcloths and we found it much easier to wash their tiny fingers and toes with the thinner material.
Great video! My baby also loves having his hands free, so the mitts didn't help. The baby monitor has been really great, but I would suggest one that doesn't use wifi
I disagree with the baby monitor. It is VERY helpful when they are mobile and taking a nap. Ask me how many times I've saved my baby from falling off our low to ground bed 🤣 you are right that it's not needed during the newborn phase though! Otherwise I wholeheartedly agree with you list! I did splurge on a $125 backpack (valley pack from walker family goods) to use as a diaper bag. Best money I've spent bc it holds way more than we need so it's great for long trips, will work for 2 babies, and, after we no longer need a diaper bag, is an amazing backpack on its own. Initially I was using my college jansport backpack (I wanted a diaper bag that was gender neutral for my husband) and it wasn't cutting it AT ALL.
I would add that if you live in an apartment in a larger city with no in unit laundry or dishwasher, whether or not you need a bottle sterilizer as well as numbers of towels and other need-to-wash items will change!
Instead of a crib and bassinet I really like a pack and play. I used the top bed portion (length of the full pack and play) part till my little one could sit up then transitioned her to the bottom. I also used it for when hubby and I went on trips and little one stayed with grandparents. I did buy a breathable mattress for it. Best investment!
Oh I know this is what NOT to buy, but a front pack was awesome for us (especially as we have no car - don't want one). In terms of the baby movement sensor we actually took a few weeks to set up. After our baby got out if hospital (he was prem), we were so paranoid that we''d hold his hand while he slept so we could make sure he was moving. We'd sleep on the sofa next to his crib in the living room because it was warmer there. When we finally got the movement sensor set up, he'd still keep putting his little hand out for us to hold! 😍
I think it's also good to give things time. Babies may not like a swing for the first month or two, then fall in love with it later. There were so many things we thought were duds, but our LO just wasn't ready yet.
My son's name is Oliver too! For us, we would use the bassinet at night in our room and do naps in the crib to get him used to it. For the bottle warmer, we bought an electric kettle instead. They are like 20$, can use for so many things, and we don't have to wait for water to boil in a cup. Kettle takes like 2 minutes.
I cut up 100% cotton cloths that I received from the baby shower into small squares to use as spit up cloths and washcloths. We used the air purifier we had as a white noise machine and we also already had LED lights around our bed that we used as a night light. ☺️
Gripe water gave my poor baby sooo much relief when she was struggling with terrible food sensitivities , we only used it when it was absolutely necessary. But there definitely was positive results
as a mother of two, electric temperatures controlled kettle is a big game changer for who using formula, fill up the kettle set temperature to 45f. Bottle sterilizer is needed for who doesn’t have a dishwasher to dry the baby bottle, this will made everything easier. ❤
I think everyone ends up with stuff for baby they regret buying or tried and found it didn't work out. My nephew's wife ended up getting one of those "Baby Keurig" (my nickname) for making formula, but the baby didn't like the texture of the powdered formula, so that registry item went to waste, maybe she was able to give it to someone. A lot of items feed off new parents' anxiety, babies that young need very little material items, they mostly need you! 💙
I'm so silly for watching this video since I'm expecting my third but I love all your content. I walked away feeling like now I need a nail filer and a new nursing pillow 😂
I got so lucky with the bottles, pacifiers, etc. I ended up getting a couple of a bunch of different kinds, because I kept hearing babies were often super picky about these things - but, thankfully, she ended up using ALL of them & did not care. She did have pacifiers she liked best, but she'd still use all the other ones.
It's so hard to predict baby clothing sizes that you need! I listened to the advice about not getting too much newborn clothing, and then I needed a lot because our baby was a late stage premie who had trouble gaining weight and is still wearing newborn at almost two months. Another piece of advice I heard is to just avoid taking off the labels and washing more than a few outfits, so then you can return or exchange what you don't need. People always want to give you clothing that you don't ask for anyway because it's cute. 😅
What are some baby products that you REGRET buying or think that you can get by without? Drop your wisdom in the comments! 🫶
@@AshlynneEaton the snuggle me. I've been trying to sell it and no one wants it. I just want it gone before my second baby arrives 😭
I don't think I have anything I regret buying! I tried to keep it very minimal. But I regret NOT dressing my daughter in cute girly colors as a newborn. I tried to keep things so practical and gender-neutral for future babies, but I wish I had dressed her cute and girly.
A sound machine- we haven’t even turned it on! We also bought a few different bottles and we had a surprise NICU baby, so we just used the bottles the NICU sent us home with.
Any kind of sleep aids. If you never introduce it, most babies will never need them. But getting them out of the habit is killer, especially the sleep sacks and things that are only made to x size.
Swaddles! My baby hated them, and I’ve since learned that they’re not all that great for their development. Also, if you don’t swaddle, you never have to wean from it. 👍🏻
Be cool to do the inverse video of this, items you didn’t think you would need, or that you hadn’t heard of that you use all the time with your baby.
Yes please I second this 😁✌🏽
I third this
yessss please!!!
Yes please 😊
Yes please
I watched a bunch of "baby products you don't need" but I have to says that yours is the one that talked to me the most ! Thank you !
The My Breast Friend pillow doubles as portable snack bowl table and remote control holder. Never took it off. Still wear it on the weekends and my kid is 6
😂
I have the momcozy with a small top pillow that works great as a phone holder 😂
expecting my first baby in November and I've been really trying to be minimal and mindful in what I get - this was SO helpful! And your voice is so soothing, I could listen to you for hours 💚 best of luck with baby O!
My pediatrician gave great advice when it comes to the Owlet. He said that there are no studies that show it reduces SIDS but that he thinks it’s worth it if it gives the parents more peace of mind and helps them to sleep better at night because a rested parent is so important! We ended up not getting one, which worked for us, but I like his explanation on it.
Totally makes sense! Sounds like it was helpful for you! 😘
Right I liked the idea with the "peace of mind" aspect but also I hear some parents got more anxiety bc it would go off all the time lol
I had a NICU baby, so it 100% gave me that peace of mind. To each their own! ❤️
I liked our Owlet for the peace of mind. Our pediatrician advised us against it when we mentioned we had one because he was worried we were going to have more anxiety using it and loose sleep watching the monitor all night. But it actually helped me get more sleep because I wasn’t sitting there watching my baby making sure she was still breathing.
Everyone is different. So many baby things are personal preference for the parents.
I have mine ready idc I need that peace of mind even if it goes off at night accidentally I’m def okay with that as long as baby is okay.
Best advice I can give to new parents that know they want multiples: Ask for all the fancy stuff now with baby #1. Most family and friends are thrilled for the first baby and more willing to help you out. As more kids come along the thrill runs dry really quick. Also find a good storage solution for all of these things. You never really know how long of a spacing your multiples will be and knowing where everything is and that it is in good condition to use for the next will save you so much money.
Yes agree. If you have space to store things ask for the high chair and stroller and convertible car seat now while people are willing to help. When you have baby 2 and 3 people assume you have what you need already. They might throw a “sprinkle” but you won’t get as many big ticket items.
This! And Facebook Marketplace🎉
True, we only had a shower with our first. When I was pregnant with #5 I decided to make a registry because we needed some new things with having multiple little ones. Only 1 person bought us anything. My husband's cousin was pregnant at the same time also #5 and had a shower. She had people still buy her things. People are less likely the more you have, but part of it is also who you know. She has a circle of friends that do home births and homeschool. We don't really have a circle of friends, we just have family members.
First time pregnant mama here. Loved your practical advice! Its overwhelming the amount of products that are out there, but at the end of the day - a quick trip to Target or an order on Amazon can get items we need when the time comes.
Get the Amazon registry perks! Saved us a ton
Something that I discovered after months of stress, was to boil water for formula in an electric kettle then let the water cool off to a good warm temp and add that to a thermos to use during night feeds.
My formula milk said to boil water for 5 min. Then cool down to 40 and add milk. So I boil it, put it in the thermos bottle and baby bottle. I put a baby bottle with water to bottle warmer for 40 degrees, and my Avent is not turning off so when baby is hungry I just take the bottle and add powder to perfectly heated water. Takes less than 5 seconds. I love my bottle warmer.
@@justynaneuvonen3566 I liked using the thermos bc then I didn't have to use a bottle warmer at all!
I boil the water and add it to the bottles than that the call down and when my baby wants a bottle I just add formula and give it to her room temperature
On wipe warmers, they say now that they actually foster the growth of mold so definitely steer clear!
I saw someone talking about wipe warmers a few weeks ago and I was actually shocked something like that exists
I work in the baby industry, this industry is dedicated to creating ways to maximize your spending during parenthood.
This is an excellent list. As the mum to a baby who’s just over 3 months, I agree with pretty much all of this. Especially the diapers (3 extra boxes of size 1 in my garage as we speak 🙈). Babies honestly mostly need your attention and love, but also space and time to learn and grow at their own speed. Another thing you don’t need..all the baby books and internet giving you advice about what you should or shouldn’t do. Yes, having some go-to references are good, but your instincts and your doctor are the best. It will keep you less stressed and more focused on the precious time with your little babe.🥰
Love the mom content Ashlynne, thank you!
I love the glow & maturity motherhood has given you. Amazing video. Great tips through trial & error & overall experience.
Thank you so much 🤍🤍
I will say in regards to seasonally appropriate clothing, about 90% of our clothing was gifted for our shower most of which I didn't ask for. While I had specific size requests on our registry based on our baby's age during each season, some people just didn't pay attention and got us things that wouldn't be appropriate in different seasons, so I think that's something that's hard to avoid when other people are purchasing things for you
Yeah that was our situation too. 🙈 I think it’s especially hard if your friends aren’t also parents themselves. But it’s one of those things you just learn as you go!
@AshlynneEaton agreed! Amd definitely agree with everything else you said too. Currently navigating all of this as we prep for our baby girl to get here and definitely can get overwhelming so quickly
Same!! I didn’t realize this would happen, but heard from friends that no matter if it’s a baby or wedding registry, folks just will get you what they want to get you. 🤷♀️
@@laurenp1922idk why but I find that sort of rude when people do that instead of go off the registry. People have a registry for a reason.
I am so worried about this happening! This is my first, and I'm thinking about putting on the shower invites no clothes please. Doubt that will help much though😂
I just put everything in think ill need on my registry for the next two years and honestly got blessed by getting it all.
I did something similar
My baby is currently 5 months old and I love how many things you mention are true, you don’t need a wipe warmer they don’t need a lot of toys. And I’m glad you mention the subscriptions, they are expensive and I feel bad sometimes when I hear so many influencers talk about it but your right you don’t need it, you can find things around the house or cheaper items they can play with. One thing I do regret buying is the gripe water, I used it a couple times but found no need. Also clothes with buttons, I prefer zippers much easier than all buttons.Love this video!
The sterilizer & bottle warmer is very helpful if you’re exclusivity bottle feeding :)
These are great. It's super awesome the you mentioned Love Every and similar subscriptions. I think lots of influencers (and many of which are into minimalism) tend to talk highly about them - many times because they're working with Love Every. As a first time mom watching those videos, I wished I could get them but I could not get myself to spend that much on them. Instead I found really good functional pieces that serve a similar purpose and eventually the guilt of not getting those went away.
Yes! Came here to say the same about the subscriptions. I really wanted them too but could not justify the price. It's nice to let go of that guilt. I saw another channel that said she stopped her love every because at some point the toys came with so many tiny pieces it was overwhelming.
Same!! It took getting a few things (found them used) for me to realize they're just toys.
@@essentiallylau i have the LE subscription and I did enjoy the 0-12 months but the next kit was a flop. They're definitely a nice to have, not a necessity. NOT TO MENTION how many toys you end up getting from them. It's actually a lot when you have to store them ☠️ we stopped at 16-19 month kit bc my baby was no longer interested. But it's nice bc now I'm having my second baby and we get to reuse those toys
LOVE how practical and minimal you are, as most new parents of today I've seen aren't quite so. I'm not even expecting, but I still found this quite helpful for future reference!
My Breast Friend pillow is amazing! I struggled nursing in the beginning. The combo of a lactation consultant and that pillow was a game changer!
I do think it's worth spending a bit extra on a higher quality stroller if you can. We first bought a cheap stroller for our first and it didn't even last a year before it wouldn't push straight anymore. It would have been worthwhile to spend a bit more up front to avoid the need to purchase a whole new stroller. Also worth considering warranties, availability of spare parts, etc.
I was sent home from the hospital with a little bit of formula even though I intended to breastfeed and I’m so thankful. My son was soooo sleepy and I could not get him to latch our first night at home. I spent almost two hours trying to get him to latch and eat. It had been six hours since he had eaten so we panicked and gave him the formula. In that moment I was so thankful we had the formula already on hand. My milk hadn’t come in yet either so we didn’t have another option. Also, I think the snuggleme is soooooo overrated. 😅
Love your videos, Ashlynne!
So glad you had that!!
We personally ended up using a pack & play as a mini bedside crib/ bassinet. It’s larger than typical bassinets and the mattress can be raised to the height of your bed and one of sides rolls down for easy night time changes and feeds. I wouldn’t completely write off a pack & play for this reason.
Oh my, I have two nieces and I have found out how different each of them are… the oldest ended up in a jumper contraption that she loved! Then when her sister came along, she hated it! 😅😂 and also I went to several baby showers and noticed how many baby clothes they got, and thinking they’ll never get to wear half of them! If I gift clothing I usually go for several sizes larger, but you reminding about the seasonal clothing is really a great and valid point! Thanks for a great video! 😁
You’re so right, every baby is just so different! And yes. I’m all about buying clothes for the 6-12 month age range! People rarely gift for those sizes, so it can be really helpful!
Amen. My kids are 6 and 9 years old. Babies need very little. Borrow what you can. You will just have to get rid of all of this stuff eventually.
Yes!! 🙌 I’m definitely on team borrow > buy as well
about to have my first kiddo and we got 90% of our stuff from Buy Nothing or fbook marketplace. I really didn’t want to create more landfill, and we’re planning to pass as much along on Buy Nothing as possible.
I’m incredibly thankful that my sister had a baby girl a year before I had mine, so she has somewhere to send all the old clothes that have been outgrown, and I got a ton of baby stuff (way more than I ever needed). Now I just had my second little girl, so I still have all the old clothes and barely have to buy anything.
I agree with most everything! I'm a minimalist and also, when our baby girl was born we lived in a small house, with one very small bathroom and I didn't have space for much stuff, which was fine by me. I didn't buy all the things, I had a good stroller, a mattress on the floor for a bed and I could lay down beside her anytime she needed extra comfort and also, I had tge same baby bathtub as you and it was so handy the first three months. I had my husband fill it on the kitchen table and I could bathe her while standing up and he would clean it up. After 3 months I put a towel down in the bathtub and just bathed her that way, she loved it!
She never took a single bottle, she was exclusively breastfed so I had no need for sterilizers and she also never took a paci. All she needed and wanted was attention from us and being held, she didn't care for stuff.
I'm so glad I didn't fall for all the marketing stuff, cause I saved myself tons of money, and every time I wanted to buy something I made sure it would be multifunctional, that I could use it for different purposes. I dont like being wasteful or impulsive with money, my husband works too hard for it for me to be mindless about it
1000% this! I could not agree more!! Great video! I would have loved and appreciated watching this two years ago prepping for my girl. Sometimes people can push getting everything and it can get quite overwhelming.
TOTALLY AGREE!! I definitely bought more than we needed just because it’s hard to know what all you actually need as a first time mom. Hoping this can be helpful to others as well!
I love videos like this 🙌🏼 I like to take a "wait and see" approach. I found there were so many things I didn't need were considered buying once, but my babies quickly grew out of that stage and I was glad I resisted!
I never used our crib. Well I did use it for dumping laundry for sorting. My kids are 6 and 3. Started using a floor mattress with kid #1 and never looked back
For me the owlet is a must have. I’m a nurse and have done a lot of fundraising for Red Nose Day so just having peace of mind makes it worth it. However I agree with everything else
You nailed it with this whole list. I fell for the snuggle me aesthetic BF pillow. I really like the BBhug me pillow but breast friend is great too.
Another is skip the crib and go from bassinet or bed share to a Montessori floor bed at 6 months.
Great video! One item that I didn’t need was a diaper pale. To me, it’s just a glorified garbage can. Baby’s poop doesn’t start smelling until they start solids. What we did was wrap the poopy diaper in a doggy poop bag to contain the smell and throw it in our regular trash. We are usually downstairs when we change her diaper so there was no point in having a trash can and a diaper pale on the same floor. During the newborn phase, we just used our regular trash can we already had in our room to throw her diaper in and emptied it in the morning when we went downstairs for the day.
Yes to so much of this! The nappies we bought as we went. Went to a lactation consultant and ditched the nursing pillow as we did a method where my baby lay diagonally across me. The outfits, yup my Mum warned me about season and age of baby. I sooo tried heaps of options. Must have five different types of drink bottles. We skipped the swing. I think I spent so much time researching and then the time had passed when he was too big. I don't agree about the steriliser! But I had breastfeeding problems and was doing breast feed, bottle top up and then pumping for every single feed for the first four months. We absolutely needed our microwave steriliser! Oh agree about the bath. My husband just sat in our bath with our son. And he still does. It's such a nice bonding session for them. Agree to not getting mits. We used the Haaka battery operated nail file to keep our son's nails trim. And I see you got a trimmer too! We had a baby monitor and the baby movement detector as our son was born five weeks premature so we were paranoid and the movement detector was in the special care baby unit and we wanted to replicate that at home. Agree about the humidifier. I bought it cos it was recommended by a RUclipsr. I live in New Zealand and not sure if the climate really is dry enough. Yes we got the Lovevery baby gym. It was cool but I didn't do any of rhe activity cards. It actually stressed me out a bit that we weren't doing all the activities! Argh impractical clothing! Yeah all that cute stuff, jeans, dungarees.... Even now that our boy's five we still do track pants, sweatshirts. Never jeans. We did get a good stroller that grew with him. We don't have a car so it was pretty essential. Travel crib or pack n play we bought a second hand travel crib and used it once. They're so heavy and without a car no point. I borrowed a changing table from my sister and loved it. Have to have an elevated place to change nappies. I tried the floor for a while and it was so hard on my back. I bought a nice diaper bag. It was so pretty but impractical as it was a shoulder carry. Ended up buying a cheaper backpack that we still use for my son's daycare bag. We needed formula as it took a while before I could exclusively breastfeed. Absolutely agree to not buy it ahead of time - unless you live in a food desert. Your list is so spot on!!!
we also bought too many wash cloths. they came in handy once starting with real food, though! i was told to get formula also. around the time i was expecting, there were shortages everywhere for formula and i never purchased because i was planning to exclusively breastfeed and someone who actually needs to use formula needs that one container infinitely more than i do. use a haakaa to catch the letdown on the opposite side and freeze it if you’re concerned about not having it in an emergency situation.
I have used the my Breast friend pillow with now my 5th newborn and I couldn’t do postpartum without it. It’s so comfortable, I love the back support and also it really saves my arms and back, especially at night when I’m falling asleep nursing! Gives a lot of security!
I found this video to remind myself of everything since my kids are now 17 and 12. I'm now starting again with my 3rd child, and have forgotten so much about the baby stage. Plus, so many new things are out there this time around. Practical is always the best, for sure!
Agree with most of these! However, for us the Owlet significantly reduced anxiety. To roll over and see the green light pulsating instead of feeling the need to check breathing 24/7, and knowing that if something was off I could respond immediately, provided so much peace of mind and allowed me to sleep. It’s also great reassurance for oxygen levels and heart rate, as they’re a big indicator of illness that can’t always be identified otherwise. Our other must-haves were the monitor (for naps to get things done), swing (but not the one you have! Ours didn’t like it either - regular one was used daily), variety of bottles (there was only one that truly worked for us), angel baby bathtub was the best, mitts (had to buy them because baby scratched a lot), and playmats (be careful recommending a blanket - big entanglement/suffocation hazard when they grab & roll). A lot of the other things you’ll find are helpful as baby gets older, but agree can be skipped for the first couple of months or totally!
We totally relied on the owlet also! Wouldn’t have slept a wink without it! ❤
So true about the loveevery subscription. Our baby is 5 weeks old and all he wants to do is just stare at our faces, or light play on the wall. All that other fancy developmental stuff just feels like a guilt trip of making sure you’re “doing enough” as parents
we asked for the 1 year old babbler kit for our son's 1st birthday and it's the only kit we ever got from there. he's 3 1/2 now and I will say he still plays with several of the toys regularly. asking for just one of the kits you think your child will like as a gift is a better approach than signing up to pay like $100+ every 3 months
I think Lovevery is better for older kids. Especially for Under 1’s, they have very generic (or classic, depending on your point of view) toys and there are SO many dupes on the market. But starting from age 2 onwards, they are really fun and educational, and more importantly, unique and so thoughtfully designed (a lot of them are also redesigned Montessori materials, if you’re into that philosophy. And more attractive than the traditional Montessori options). It’s totally fine to skip them, of course. They won’t get your child into Harvard. But we have lots of fun with them.
Baby swings are a lifesaver. Especially when baby likes to be rocked and is heavy!
100% agreed. I was able to buy the swing I wanted second hand and I used it every single day until my son grew out of it. But, my friend also lent us the mamaroo and i literally never used it. My son hated it. So, i feel like an actual swing is more useful and it’s a little deceptive to tell new moms “oh you don’t need a swing” when you haven’t actually tried a real swing… just my humble opinion.
If that is the swing you used, I have heard a lot of moms say their kids don’t like these (and a lot of child care providers). The older style ones that swing with two motions and take up a lot more room were loved by my first four. My fifth gets so much attention, we skipped the swing. Always someone to entertain him around! 😂
Oh interesting! Yeah, our baby LOVES his bouncer, but never seemed to enjoy being in the swing 🤍
Yeah absolutely
This was a great video. The alternative options were helpful and the idea of taking a deep breath with one day at a time with some items is so needed. Thank you!
Lovely tips, I've found how little babies need with being a mum of 3, nearly 4 children too. The only point I feel differently on is about formula milk (if it's your first baby).
When I was pregnant with my first, I had my heart set on breast feeding and thought there was no way I would need formula, and had very little money so didn't buy a tub to put in the cupboard incase. I regretted this when it got to the point where I was holding a screaming starving baby from 3am, waiting for a shop to open at 10am because it was a Sunday in the UK. My midwife had visited at 8am to find me in pieces, my baby had lost a pound within days, I felt so much guilt about breastfeeding not being possible for me, and it took that midwife to say "oh darling, it is OK to give him a bottle" for me not to feel terrible about it.
So I would totally recommend having 1 tub of formula in your cupboard, two bottles and a way to sterilise them, it's one of those things that you will come across another new mother that you can pass the tub and bottles to if you thankfully don't need them 😊
Thank you so much for this video! We're expecting our first child and people keep on pressuring us to buy things, I just don't think are necessary. Your video was the first I encountered that was actually helpful contextualizing my idea of what we do and do not need.
SO glad to hear that! Exactly why I made this 🥰
As a first time mom, the amount of products and options for every little thing is so overwhelming and overstimulating! I truly enjoyed watching this video. Thank you for all the helpful tips and for helping de-influence when we live in such an over-consumerist, capitalist society filled with ads and influencers!
Obviously everyone’s experiences are different, but I think it is important to mention that some things are definitely essential if they help your mental health. I had a baby in the NICU so going home, we had to have the owlet monitor otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to sleep at all because our anxiety levels were so high already so that was the ONLY way that we actually got rest. Otherwise we were constantly watching over to check breathing. Everyone is different so I’m glad your mental health benefited from not using it!
I agree a lot but would say that we were very happy that we did have our highchair right away. My son wasn’t a fan of lying down and with our highchair, the Stokke TrippTrapp, you can add a newborn “seat” (they are not sitting but lying a bit upright) and it worked wonders for us in the first three months. :)
The breast friend is my favorite!! So helpful in the early days of nursing and helped my back a lot!
Yes!! Totally totally with you 🤍
My 5 month old LOVED her play mat’s hanging toys. It was her favorite toy until she started rolling over and the poles got in her way…but we got great, daily use out of it for 3-4 months. Definitely a favorite product for us!
Oh love that!!
Oh, and for bathtime, I always just get into the bath myself and hold him. I always felt way more comfortable doing it that way. Leaning over the bathtub or sink was just too much straining
I absolutely love our dedicated changing table. It's at the perfect height for me to change my baby girl and has space for me to put everything. But we also bought a legit furniture one, so when we no longer need it to be a changing table it can just be storage shelves
Love that!! I feel like everyone finds a slightly different setup that works for them 🤍
This was VERY helpful, thank you so much! Also, your information delivery style was really easy to listen to and take in and I think you gave just the right amount of info on each item.
There are a couple of things that I'm now not going to worry about, really appreciate the video, thank you!! (First time Dad, two months till she arrives!)
I would recommend getting a humidifier if it has a diffuser included as it’s great to add olbas or snufflebabe vapour oil if your little one has a cold. Honestly absolute lifesaver and they will sleep better when unwell
Regarding formula, you can just buy one bottle of the ready to feed stuff, which is like £1 and have that for a rainy day. It has a long shelf life too, so if you don’t end up using it, you can just pass it on to someone else.
The Shantala bucket bathtub was a must have for me because you can wash your baby wherever you like (in a sink, on your knees etc) but also sometimes just give him a full water bath to relax (like our idea of taking a bubble bath) and then give him a scalp and body massage. A cosy bucket bathtub is perfect for these baby spa sessions and no sink can replace that comfort I think. It’s also quite cheap and you can also use it to soak stained baby sheets, bibs or whatever ;)
We have a Graco bouncer swing combination and love it. I would recommend not buying all the things but instead pick a few minimal items that have multi purpose. Also the best advice I have is dont buy new, marketplace is your friend!! 3rd time mom and have definately reduced the amount of items we own for baby
Pack n play with bassinet topper was a life saver for us since grandma couldnt watch him at our house otherwise being a split level home. Kept it setup for grandma days so we didnt have to drag out the bassinet every time. Depends on your cituation. Also we got a free crib and changing table from others that were only 2 years old and still useable so we didnt mind one bit having them in addition to our iherited bassinet i altered to make safe next to our bed. Crib for the baby room.
I couldn't have made it without my Moby Wrap baby carrier. I have used one with all 4 of my babies. It is HUGELY helpful to just secure baby close to my heart all day. Frees your hands and arms to work, frees your mind from worry.
Hey ! That was a great video, thank you !
I'm at the "what should I buy?" phase and this was very useful , specially your thoughts on trying different brands, baby monitor, mittens/nail clippers.
We had a group of friends and we passed equipment round the group as each of us had babies. So moses basket/bassinet, bouncer chair, baby gyms, mats etc
Conversely to you, gripe water was great for my 3.
Some of your advice is helpful just be careful with certain aspects because as NICU RN, I seen mamas struggle with poor feeding and only having one bottle version and we let them know to have few on hand if they are not breastfeeding. Not every baby is the same. Some are more easy to please than others.
Oooh that’s a great point. Obviously was just speaking from my experience as someone who exclusively breastfed through the newborn stage. Thank you for sharing 🤍
@@AshlynneEaton Of course love the content its just we have re-educate with First time parents sometimes due some numerous opinions from influencers. The video was lovely ☺
i love this video! very helpful. ❤ the one thing i kinda disagree with is the owlet. i know folks who have had kiddos pass from SIDS who were recommended the pulse oximeter option!
I did not got formula for my baby, because I only wanted to breastfeed. 🤱 however at the beginning I had lots of issues and my baby was starving. I end up having to give him whatever my doctor had for free and let me tell you, not the best type. I wish I had make some research and have the best just in case. After all we’ll talking about nutrition for your baby, you want the best. Thankfully i resolved the issues I have with breastfeeding and I’m now breastfeeding, but I always will regrets not getting informed and had the best available at the beginning.
I was the same! I was expecting breastfeeding would be easy. Our son was in the special care baby unit and he was prem so he had access to formula there. But it was stressful trying to buy the best breastbump and get domoeridone medication etc. I wish the breastfeeding classes I went to before my son was born would have addressed the fact that there are often difficulties with breastfeeding. I, like you, got there in the end ☺️
I had planned on EBF but got cans of unsolicited "samples" in the mail, which came in handy in a pinch.
I use an old, thick comforter as a breastfeeding pillow and as a sleep support and it’s so much better than an actual pillow! I tried the fancy pillows and a blanket just works so much better! You can mold it into the exact shape you want and get the perfect support and position for your baby
I found the dr brown sterilizer and dryer to be super convenient as a breast feeding and pumping mom! Those pump parts are so annoying to dry! So the drying portion is super convenient for us.
Great video! I agree with all of these. I do like the baby tub but it’s not necessary. We never covered our babies hands, never used the gas drops, barely used the swing, never got a bottle warmer, sterilizer or wipe warmer. We also borrowed the lovevery 0-3 and only used the contrast cards 😂 (my baby is 11 weeks). We just bought a high chair because I found one I wanted locally on Facebook marketplace. We haven’t used a stroller at all.
The one thing I disagree with is formula. I was so happy we had some on hand but honestly a few sample packs would be perfect to have just in case.
Haha love that!! Sounds like we’re super similar on a lot of these. And the sample formula packs sounds like a great in between option 🤍
Thank you for your honest review. I also love how budget friendly you all are.
I agree 100 percent with everything you said! My son is 8 weeks old! 🎉 Congratulations on your first baby! You are doing amazing! 🎉
Getting ready to be a second time mom and when it comes to baby monitoring stuff I think you should use whatever is going to put you at ease. I personally loved using the owlet sock because it eased my anxieties. I didn't wake myself up every 30 minutes to check my baby was still breathing because I knew it would alarm if anything was wrong. You know you best and you know whether it'll be a hinderence to you.
I definitely agree with a most of these! The My Breast Friend is such a great breastfeeding pillow! I'm so glad my lactation consultant recommended it to me, as it was one of the reasons I was able to continue breastfeeding. We never used a baby bath and just rolled one end of a towel to make a mini pillow with the rest of the towel laying out and put a couple of inches of water in the tub. I will say we had to go through like 8+ different pacifiers before finding one my daughter would take, so I was definitely glad I had a few on hand to try (I also have a handful of friends who experienced the same thing!).
That was exactly my experience with the My Breast Friend pillow as well! And love hearing how you made the “no baby bath” setup work. Want to try that out! And wow!! Glad you found one you like. Sounds like it was a journey to get there!
Thank you for sharing this information. It was very informative. I just want to share that in our culture we don't let the new born wear new cloths, in case of allergy or irritation, cause due to fabric, instead we opt for fully sanitised cloths wear by probably older siblings or cousins, which is both safe and cost effective too, because yes they outgrown of them very quickly.
Great list! And I like how you see through the "created needs" the industry tries to make us believe in. Getting items as the need arises has been my motto too with my 7 month old. I totally agree with you on the breastfeeding pillow, a good one is essential! 🤱 Some things will always depend on lifestyle, eg I bought a good, solid and versatile stroller, which is also ergonomically correct for the baby, because I don't have a car and walk a lot, so I've been out with my baby in the stroller in all kinds of weather since the beginning. As for changing the baby, I always change diapers on a mat on the bathroom floor. The floor is heated, so it's nice and warm, and baby is safe while I have running water within arm's reach. This also means I can use wash cloths instead of wipes, which is one less thing to buy. 😅
Yes!! Created needs is SUCH a thing with baby products. Sounds like you’ve been able to find some great solutions!!
Yes, that's the thing: finding what suits each family's needs. 😊
Well done, your baby is learning to develop a relationship with you the home the extended family so much learning. Be in the moment it goes by so fast. Thank you
New mom here and I think I agree with the majority of this list. So many baby products out there that aren't needed and can actually be detrimental to development if used incorrectly (ex: excessive use of baby mits). Absolutely agree that there are so many fear-driven products out there, and getting second hand items or hand-me-downs is what we found to be so much better than brand new stuff for the majority!
A few things on this list that I do actually use and like though:
- Bottle sanitizer and warmer. I really like these because of how quickly they work and because I can't run the dishwasher as often as I need to clean bottles. I always hand wash with soap and water and toss them into the sanitizer and I think this was super helpful especially in the first month when we were fighting oral thrush. That said, dishwashers are absolutely a great alternative, and also some babies don't even need their bottles warmed at all! (Mine does 😂😭). These just work really well for our routine but definitely aren't necessary
- Baby bath. While you don't necessarily need to give newborns a full bath (and actually shouldn't until their umbilical cord falls off), we found it to be an activity that is both fun and soothing for our baby, especially before bedtime. It makes it easier to get spitup out of her folds, so we do a bath once a week. We don't have a tub in our apartment either so a baby bath is going to be our alternative to bath time for a while!
- Baby monitor. While I do cosleep with my newborn in a special bed the majority of the time, the baby monitor has definitely been useful for times when we want her to sleep without us. You don't need anything fancy here, but I do like the cry detection on ours because it will set off a loud alarm. I'm a heavy sleeper so this was very useful. Also, we have 3 pets and plan to use it as a pet monitor later so it was a good investment for us (useful since ours has a phone app and two-way voice. We don't use these features for our baby [yet] but definitely will for our pets!)
1. You can exchange unopened boxes of diapers for different sizes.
2. If you do a registry online, they often include an extended return window and a discount (and a welcome gift that may include samples of bottles/pacifiers/etc. so you don't have to buy them!). Instead of buying everything on my registry, I left the other options on there to try later if the first few didn't work out and returned returnable (non-mouthed/non-expendable) items. Also, ask for gift cards on your registry so you can purchase what you find out you'll need later.
3. Try out furniture like swings and bouncers in a consignment/second-hand store. If germs are a concern, put a swaddle completely behind them.
4. We got the angel care bath support and hung it on a command hook in the bathroom. You can flip it over and pop the mesh the other when they are able to almost sit up on their own. After they can sit without falling over you won't need one at all.
5. You can make your own kits of Montessori toys, contrast cards, etc. Print and laminate. Just test them thoroughly for baby-proofing and durability. My son loves playing with giant pompoms from the craft store and a muffin tin.
6. I do recommend getting soft washcloths if yours are not already soft.
I don’t like a lot of clutter so I tried to go extremely minimal when I had my first baby. The only thing I purchased that was a want and not a need was the snuggle me lounger and I definitely think we could’ve gone without it. It did make some cute photos though lol. I would say maybe getting a small container of formula just in case. My plan was the combo breastfeed and bottle feed breastmilk but unfortunately my baby was born at 36 weeks and my milk never came in so we exclusively formula feed now. You just never know what is going to happen when your baby gets here and if you don’t open it you can return it. (At least to Target) Now that my baby is 6 months old I do use some of the things from this list but there is still so much that you don’t need, even at this age. Can’t wait to see an updated video when your baby gets older!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I find these videos so helpful. I will say every baby and every parent/household is different and you did a great job taking that into account. The humidifier and owlet are must haves on my registry but that’s because baby has a medical condition affecting his lung that he’ll need surgery on 💙🩵
Your video is really handy for people who weren’t able to get everything on their registry. Like I think I’ll still put the bassinet and crib on my registry bc I think it will come in handy when baby gets bigger. But if someone doesn’t buy a crib then maybe I’ll wait until later to buy a crib
Absolutely! That’s pretty much exactly how I approached it
I agree with most of these but would buy the owlet again and again (indeed, we’ve actually bought it three times now - one unfortunately died, the other two we use on our daughters, one four months and the other three). Our eldest daughter turned out to have lung issues and our Owlet has been a godsend in letting us know how she’s getting on, especially when she has a virus. We’ve never found that it makes us worry more, quite the opposite, and our doctor has always found it useful that we have it and can report on how things are going with her breathing
For me, the humidifier is definitely not some thing I use every night, but when your baby has a cold, it is extremely helpful! They sleep better when the air is moist, and it keeps their noses from getting too crusty. I’m glad you haven’t needed it, because that means you haven’t had to deal with a bad cold yet!
We would use them when our kids had croup. We'd need to do a shower treatment first, but then would run the humidifier to help maintain the airs humidity after we'd gotten the croup under control.
Omg, I'd love to know what changing pad you have, it looks so nice!
So true that there is a lot that you don't need. Our twins ended up NEVER sleeping in their cribs! Luckily we had not purchased them. A close friend passed along the cribs that his twins had used. When my kids reaching the standing phase they enjoyed using the cribs as trampolines--they stood on the mattress, gripped the sides, and jumped. Ditto the baby swing. They played with it, but did not find it soothing. We did like the baby washcloths. Ours were much thinner than normal washcloths and we found it much easier to wash their tiny fingers and toes with the thinner material.
Haha that’s so fun!
Great video! My baby also loves having his hands free, so the mitts didn't help. The baby monitor has been really great, but I would suggest one that doesn't use wifi
I disagree with the baby monitor. It is VERY helpful when they are mobile and taking a nap. Ask me how many times I've saved my baby from falling off our low to ground bed 🤣 you are right that it's not needed during the newborn phase though!
Otherwise I wholeheartedly agree with you list! I did splurge on a $125 backpack (valley pack from walker family goods) to use as a diaper bag. Best money I've spent bc it holds way more than we need so it's great for long trips, will work for 2 babies, and, after we no longer need a diaper bag, is an amazing backpack on its own. Initially I was using my college jansport backpack (I wanted a diaper bag that was gender neutral for my husband) and it wasn't cutting it AT ALL.
I would add that if you live in an apartment in a larger city with no in unit laundry or dishwasher, whether or not you need a bottle sterilizer as well as numbers of towels and other need-to-wash items will change!
Instead of a crib and bassinet I really like a pack and play. I used the top bed portion (length of the full pack and play) part till my little one could sit up then transitioned her to the bottom. I also used it for when hubby and I went on trips and little one stayed with grandparents. I did buy a breathable mattress for it. Best investment!
This was soooo helpful! Thank you! And what you said about baby companies selling fear is sooo accurate!
Oh I know this is what NOT to buy, but a front pack was awesome for us (especially as we have no car - don't want one). In terms of the baby movement sensor we actually took a few weeks to set up. After our baby got out if hospital (he was prem), we were so paranoid that we''d hold his hand while he slept so we could make sure he was moving. We'd sleep on the sofa next to his crib in the living room because it was warmer there. When we finally got the movement sensor set up, he'd still keep putting his little hand out for us to hold! 😍
I think it's also good to give things time. Babies may not like a swing for the first month or two, then fall in love with it later. There were so many things we thought were duds, but our LO just wasn't ready yet.
My son's name is Oliver too! For us, we would use the bassinet at night in our room and do naps in the crib to get him used to it.
For the bottle warmer, we bought an electric kettle instead. They are like 20$, can use for so many things, and we don't have to wait for water to boil in a cup. Kettle takes like 2 minutes.
I cut up 100% cotton cloths that I received from the baby shower into small squares to use as spit up cloths and washcloths. We used the air purifier we had as a white noise machine and we also already had LED lights around our bed that we used as a night light. ☺️
Everywhere you mentioned, i totally agree and actually did with all my 3 kiddos. 👍👍
Gripe water gave my poor baby sooo much relief when she was struggling with terrible food sensitivities , we only used it when it was absolutely necessary. But there definitely was positive results
We found board books are perfect for tummy time!
Later I used string and a piano stool to make a mobile for baby to bat at! Use what you have!
as a mother of two, electric temperatures controlled kettle is a big game changer for who using formula, fill up the kettle set temperature to 45f. Bottle sterilizer is needed for who doesn’t have a dishwasher to dry the baby bottle, this will made everything easier. ❤
I think everyone ends up with stuff for baby they regret buying or tried and found it didn't work out. My nephew's wife ended up getting one of those "Baby Keurig" (my nickname) for making formula, but the baby didn't like the texture of the powdered formula, so that registry item went to waste, maybe she was able to give it to someone. A lot of items feed off new parents' anxiety, babies that young need very little material items, they mostly need you! 💙
Totally with you. Your presence is the best gift you can possibly give your baby 🤍🤍
I would definitely have the humidifier on hand because the first time your little one is sick you don't want to be having to go out to buy one.
I'm so silly for watching this video since I'm expecting my third but I love all your content. I walked away feeling like now I need a nail filer and a new nursing pillow 😂
Me too! I'm expecting my first and those are the 2 things that sounds so useful!
This is so true. So many products are over kill and pointless or just obtained far too soon from when needed
I got so lucky with the bottles, pacifiers, etc. I ended up getting a couple of a bunch of different kinds, because I kept hearing babies were often super picky about these things - but, thankfully, she ended up using ALL of them & did not care. She did have pacifiers she liked best, but she'd still use all the other ones.
It's so hard to predict baby clothing sizes that you need! I listened to the advice about not getting too much newborn clothing, and then I needed a lot because our baby was a late stage premie who had trouble gaining weight and is still wearing newborn at almost two months. Another piece of advice I heard is to just avoid taking off the labels and washing more than a few outfits, so then you can return or exchange what you don't need. People always want to give you clothing that you don't ask for anyway because it's cute. 😅