My Absolute Top 3 Must-Have Baby Items as a Veteran Mom
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Being pregnant again nearly eight years after the birth of my last child means we didn’t exactly have a stash of baby stuff laying around the house. I’ve moved three times since my last baby, and because we didn’t plan to have more children, over the years all that baby gear was gradually gotten rid of.
So preparing for this baby has meant starting completely over from scratch.
Baby products have changed a lot in the last eight years. There are definitely some new things I wanted this time around that I didn’t have before.
But there are also a few things I absolutely knew I wanted again based purely on experience.
So here are my absolute top three must-have baby items — the ones I would buy myself no matter what.
#1. Snuza Hero
To tell you I loved this thing with my last baby is an understatement.
If I could travel back in time to my first baby and give myself one piece of advice, getting this would be it.
I am, by nature, a nervous new mom. When my babies are tiny and new, I can hardly sleep for fear that they’ll stop breathing. I don’t know what brought on my deep terror of SIDS — beyond the fact that it’s a fear many mothers quietly carry — but it’s very real.
Especially after having a baby in the NICU. I was so used to her being constantly monitored by machines that bringing her home without that felt terrifying.
Enter, the Snuza.
There are many different kinds of wearable baby monitors on the market. The Owlet Dream Sock is another popular one. There are also pads baby sleeps on, or monitors that detect movement patterns through sleep sacks.
All of those are great in their own way.
But this one is my favorite.
It has no fancy bells and whistles. No oxygen saturation numbers for me to obsess over. No graphs to chart baby’s heart rate while he sleeps.
All it does is clip onto the baby’s diaper and monitor that their belly rises and falls with breathing. If it stops detecting movement for more than 15 seconds, an alarm goes off.
That’s it.
And truly — that’s all I need to feel a sense of peace.
There is no real way to prevent SIDS, and this monitor doesn’t stop bad things from happening. I wish I could tell you it did.
What it does do is remove the fear — at least for me — that if something bad did happen, I would sleep through it.
And that sense of peace is worth every penny.
You can see the one I use here.
#2. A Baby Wrap Carrier
If you have ever had a newborn, you know they can be clingy little creatures.
And honestly, rightly so. They are brand new to this world and everything in it. Of course they want their moms. Contact is important — for new babies and for us.
But I also kind of need my hands.
Especially now, having other children to take care of and a home to maintain.
So the second thing on my list was a baby carrier. And for my newborns, definitely a wrap.
They love being all cozy and tucked in. Close to your heartbeat. Warm. Secure.
There were days with my babies when they were really fussy and completely inconsolable. I would strip them down to a diaper, take off my shirt, and wear them skin-to-skin in a wrap.
Instantly asleep.
And then your hands are free to read books, make lunch, scroll TikTok, or whatever else you need to do.
I personally gravitate toward simple stretchy wraps like the Moby Wrap or the Boba Wrap in those early weeks.
Nothing complicated. Just closeness.
I’ll be using the Boba Wrap for this baby. This is the one I have.
#3. A Baby Lounger (for Supervised Use)
The last thing I wanted desperately wasn’t something I had with my older babies — it was something my sister had.
My younger sister had her first baby six months ago (which means yay, I’m an auntie!), and I’ve gotten exposed to some newer trendy baby items.
One thing she had that I had never seen before was a baby lounger.
Essentially, it’s just a cushion with raised edges that baby lays in. Doesn’t seem that exciting, does it?
But seeing her daughter contentedly resting in that cushion — and then eventually becoming a beautiful sleeper in her bassinet — really got me thinking.
When my babies were young, they would never sleep in their cribs.
But I also never had them laying flat any other time.
During the day, for all their naps where they actually slept, they were either in my arms or in rockers or swings or bouncy chairs — all of which keep them upright or inclined.
It’s no wonder they never learned to be comfortable sleeping in their cribs. I never really gave them the chance.
So this time around, having safe, flat baby spaces for supervised daytime rest felt important.
Loungers like the Snuggle Me Organic Lounger or the DockATot Deluxe+ are popular options.
Very important: these are not for unsupervised sleep. Just supervised, awake time or short rests while you’re right there.
This is the one i’ll be using..
There are, of course, many other things on our baby registry that I felt we needed.
But these were the top three things I knew I would buy for myself even if they weren’t gifted.
None of them are typically considered traditional “essentials.” They aren’t car seats or clothes or blankets.
But they are the things that I know will make my life with a newborn calmer and easier.
And for me, that makes them top of the list.
Thank you so much for reading!
Is there anything you would add to this list? Comment below and let me know what your top baby items are. Maybe I’ll find something new to get!
And if you liked this post, you might enjoy reading these:
Why I Cried When I Found Out I Was Pregnant — And Why That Doesn’t Make Me a Bad Mom
Why Reading Is Self-Care for Moms (Especially When You Feel Like You’ve Lost Yourself)
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