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Barefoot Dreams baby blanket // portable sound machine // Ollie swaddle // Burts Bees onesies // Boppy pillow // Dock-a-Tot // Baby Bjorn rocker // pacifiers // Aquaphor Baby // night light // gas relief drops // Naturepedic Changing Pad

I’ve gotten so many questions about which items from our registry have been “must-haves” for baby Kennedy. To be honest, there really haven’t been any products that we haven’t liked, but some we have definitely used more than others! The items above are our most-used items, the ones that we could not have survived the past four weeks without. (Side note: can you BELIEVE it has been four weeks since her birth?! I look at her birth pictures and cry because she is so big now!) I’m definitely not an expert on newborns or babies, but these are all of the things that have worked for us!

Barefoot Dreams baby blanket

We have a lot of different baby blankets for Kennedy, but this one is by far our favorite! If you’ve felt a Barefoot Dreams blanket before, then you already know how soft they are. Aside from how soft it is, this one is the perfect size for a baby! We use it to wrap her up in during the day when we hold her and we also use it in her stroller (we usually double up on blankets since it’s winter right now). We also love how thick and cushy it is…. the other blankets we own are a lot thinner.

portable sound machine

This portable sound machine has been an absolute lifesaver. Errr, perhaps I should say sleep saver, instead? Lol! We used this in the hospital the first two nights and it helped Kennedy go to sleep. Since then, we have used it every day for her naps, in her car seat and when we take her for walks in the stroller. It has a long battery life and a clip that can attach to pretty much anything. You probably already know this, but in case you don’t – the reason babies like white noise machines is because they’re used to similar sounds in the womb. Your beating heart, digestive system and the sound of blood rushing around your body all sound very similar to a white noise machine, so it’s very comforting to them!

Ollie swaddle

We swaddle Kennedy every night in the Ollie swaddle to help her sleep. Our good friend Mimi got it for us, but it looks like they’re sold out everywhere right now. Definitely get on the waitlist, if you can! The Ollie swaddle is great because it fits all sizes of babies, so it grows with them. We learned from the Taking Cara Babies class that newborns have a startle reflex (called the moro reflex) where they splay their arms out in front of their face suddenly and involuntarily. They can be fast asleep and then, wham!, the moro reflex causes them to wake up. Swaddling them at night keeps their arms and legs in one place and helps them sleep by creating a womb-like environment.

Burts Bees onesies

These are the onesies that Kennedy has worn the most. They’re made of 100% organic cotton and they’re easy to snap on and off for quick diaper changes. They’re also easy to get over her head! She doesn’t like outfit changes, so we try to make them quick and painless. We also put her in these onesies to swaddle her at night (I don’t want to put her in long sleeves and then swaddle her because I don’t want her to get too hot!).

Boppy pillow

The Boppy pillow has been without a doubt our #1 used item! We actually have two: one for downstairs and one for upstairs. I use it every day while breastfeeding her and my husband uses it to hold her. It basically saves your arms, neck and back from pain when holding the baby for long periods! It’s the perfect height for me to breastfeed and it cradles her against my breast without assistance. It’s multi-purpose, too – you can use it for tummy time, and when Kennedy gets a little older, we’ll use it when she starts trying to sit up on her own and needs a little extra support. Chris’s sister visited us last week and kept raving about the Boppy, she said she now knows what she’s getting all of her pregnant friends from now on!

DockATot

Our second most-used item is definitely the DockATot. We only have one of these, but I really wish we had two because we are constantly lugging it throughout the house to use it both upstairs and downstairs! The name describes it all: you can literally dock your tot in it anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes I need to set her down for a minute, but don’t want to put her down on the couch or bed since she could roll off. Enter: the DockATot. It’s a safe, portable and cozy spot to set her down in, and she absolutely loves it (I think cause it keeps her snug and she can’t roll around in it). Chris and I both work from home, and we’ve been able to get a lot of work done with her lounging in the DockATot beside us while we work on our computers.

Baby Bjorn rocker

Kennedy didn’t start using this until she was around three weeks old (she didn’t fit into it at first), but now she loves it! This is the easiest way to calm her down when she’s crying, I put her in the rocker and gently tap it to rock it back and forth. She loves the gentle motion… her eyes get big and wide and she immediately stops crying! I also ordered a toy bar attachment for her to use when she gets a little bit older.

pacifiers

I know there’s some conflicting information out there about newborns and pacifiers, but from the research I’ve done I personally don’t see any harm in using one, especially because it calms Kennedy down SO much when she’s upset! And at 3 am, you will do anything to calm your screaming baby, haha. The Soothie pacifier is one of the most nipple-like pacifiers around and is frequently the hospital’s choice for preventing nipple confusion. They are sized and shaped perfectly for a newborn baby’s mouth and they’re made from medical-grade silicone, which means they are nice and soft and won’t leave a red ring on your baby’s face like a hard plastic pacifier. Also, because it’s translucent, you can see your baby’s mouth when they’re sucking and it’s SOOO cute and funny to watch.

Aquaphor Baby

Our pediatrician recommended Aquaphor for Kennedy’s diaper rash, and it has worked wonders! We apply it to her little bottom in between diaper changes and it acts as a barrier to protect her skin. I’ve also applied it to areas of her body that get dry skin, like her feet and hands.

night light

This night light has been amazing for middle-of-the-night diaper changes and feedings. You just tap it to turn it on, and it gives off enough light so that Chris or I can see what we’re doing without waking each other up (we take turns in the middle of the night).

gas relief drops

My friend Megan recommended these gas relief drops and I will be forever grateful to her!! Kennedy has had some issues with gas, which our pediatrician said is really common for babies since their digestive systems are so immature. These gas relief drops work within 15 minutes and have been a game-changer for us at nighttime (when Kennedy is at her gassiest, lol). She went from crying through the night to sleeping through the night because of these drops. You can give up to 12 doses throughout the day, but we never give her that much (usually only once per day). Also, Kennedy really likes the taste of them since they’re berry flavored!

Naturepedic Changing Pad

We have a couple of these changing pads in our house… one in the bedroom and one in the nursery. This changing pad is GOTS-certified and Greenguard Gold Certified and has an organic cotton cover coated in a waterproof, food-grade polyurethane foam, so it’s completely safe for babies. I had trouble finding one that was non-toxic so I’m really happy with this one! It also comes with straps in case your baby likes to roll!

Mamas, I’d love to hear your must-have baby items if you have them!