Thank goodness Miles was in the stroller for the first half of these pictures because once we take him out of it, BYEEEEEEE! Ha! He is off running anywhere and everywhere. Now that Miles is almost a year old (only a few days away), I thought I would round up all of my essentials from the first year. I have a good idea now of what was an absolute necessity and truly worked for us and him. I’m happy that almost every single thing I received or purchased ended up getting used. I tried to see what he was liking or what suited our lifestyle before buying things so I wouldn’t end up drowning in baby stuff all around the house. Most things worked for him at various stages so while something may not have been a hit at first, I would often revisit it months later and find it very useful! So I encourage you to not give up on something that may not be your baby’s favorite at the moment, and try it again at a later date.
1. Boppy – Goodness, this was THE single most useful contraption we used in those first few months. We could rest him in it, use it while feeding him, have him nap in it – I get one now for any of my pregnant girlfriends. I want everyone to have a Boppy!
2. Dockatot – In addition to the Boppy, the Dockatot was a product we used from the day we brought him home. He would sleep in it, nap in it, rest in it and hang out in it when we needed him to be near any of us if we were doing something else.
3. Solly baby wrap/Ergo baby carrier – I used both carriers and found them essential for me at different times. When he was a newborn, I would use the Solly wrap when we went out and to carry him around the house. The Ergo has been more useful now that he is older and he still loves to be carried in it.
4. Blooming Bath Lotus – I preferred using this bath cushion out of any other ones I came across because it is so soft and bendable making it easy to fit into any bath tub or sink. Once he was old enough to begin sitting in the tub, I transitioned to this one and really liked it. It helped encourage him to sit up by himself and engage with me during bath time. Now that he is standing/walking, he plays in our regular tub and I added this mat to prevent him from slipping and this over the water spout.
5. Skip Hop Activity Table – I don’t know what we would have done without this table! We began putting him in this around 4 months old and he would spend a good portion of the day in and out of it. He loved playing with all the attached toys and because the seat could pivot 360 degrees, he could turn himself to look around the room.
6. Boon High Chair – I really love this high chair. It’s very sturdy, easy to raise up and down and locks so it won’t move around on the floor while I am feeding Miles.
7. Wubbanub – I can’t mention essentials without including these. These ended up being his favorite pacifiers and the soft animal at the end did help to ensure they didn’t fall. There isn’t a main toy that he can’t live without these days but he does (and did when he was younger) enjoy Sophie la Girafe, this teething banana and this teething ball which was wonderful for helping develop his eye/hand coordination.
8. Copper Pearl bandanas – I won’t tell you how many of these I currently own but it is A LOT! LOL These are the best looking drool bibs and really do help to catch drool easier than a regular ol’ bib. In fact, my mom even said to me that she wished these were around when I was a baby because they are so much more effective (a bandana style) at catching drool than a regular bib. The prints are cute, they hold up well in the wash and they look adorable on him.
9. Mustela face wipes – I am not loyal to any particular diaper wipes and enjoy a few different brands, but for face wipes I love Mustela. The scent is amazing, they clean his hands/face so well and they are softer than most others I have tried.
10. Silver Cross Jet Stroller – This stroller has made outings with Miles SO much easier because it is incredibly lightweight and compact. When completely folded, it is only 17.5 inches tall! When it first arrived, I actually thought they sent me the wrong product because the box was so small. Ha!
11. Halo Sleepsack/Merlin Sleepsuit – These were the two most successful sleep wraps/suits that we used and liked. Miles slept in the Merlin from 3 months – 6 months and it really helped to weigh his arms down so he wouldn’t wake himself with the little movements they would make. I used the Halo on and off in the first few months, but now it is exclusively what Miles uses every single night.
12. Aden and Anais swaddle cloths – Before I had Miles, I didn’t even know what a swaddle cloth was let alone what made one so great. Boy did I learn fast after bringing him home from the hospital. I couldn’t swaddle with those hospital blankets and but could do it effortlessly with the ones from Aden and Anais. In addition to the Boppy, I like to get these for all my pregnant girlfriends.
13. 12 Hours of Sleep by 12 Weeks Old – This was the sleep training book that I decided to use and it changed our life. Miles began sleeping through the night (12 hours) around 7 weeks old and still does. Of course he has his off nights here and there, but for the most part he is a wonderful sleeper and napper. I owe all of that to this book and the techniques we implemented. It’s not for everyone but it worked for us and I am so grateful I found it.
14. Little Tikes Walker – This really encouraged Miles to begin walking and was steady and easy for him to balance against. And he still uses it and plays with it to this day!
15. Bumbo Multi Seat – There are a few different Bumbo seats, but this is the one that we preferred. We would take this with us to restaurants and use it around the house to encourage him to sit up on his own.
16. Skip Hop Activity Gym – He was on this ALL the time as a newborn and loved looking at all the lights and hanging toys. As he grew older, we used it for tummy time and he really engaged with all the toys that hung from it. When he started crawling, I put these foam mats down which worked perfectly (and aren’t an eye sore!).
17. Fisher-Price Piano Gym – In addition to the Skip Hop Activity Mat, he loved this one as well. He would tap on the piano constantly and loved the sound it made. Both were used every single day for months. The piano can be detached and played with separately and Miles still plays with it to this day.
18. Fisher-Price Frog Seat – As soon as Miles was able to sit up, I bought him this seat and he absolutely loved it. And the fact that it is so inexpensive is a bonus!
19. Ubbi Diaper Pail – This was an expensive diaper pail, but it sure was worth it. I made the mistake of buying a second much less expensive diaper pail for another room and it was awful. It didn’t mask the smell and was awful to use. This was worth every penny.
20. Crane Humidifier – To be honest, I have not tried any other humidifiers so I can’t compare but we use this every single day for him and it has done wonders with helping his skin not get so dry. I also have not had any issues with Miles getting the sniffles in his first year (that could be due to a number of factors), but I do believe this humidifier has really helped.
Shop all of my first year baby essentials:
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