Photo Cred: Tabby Z Photography
Recently I have been asked for some of my must have baby items… I guess having 3 kids makes me a parenting expert now…ya right, I’m just trying to survive until nap time by sneaking bites of my kids piñata candy from the last 3 birthday parties they attended – p.s. Dear parents, piñata candy is lame…please buy small sized reeses and hersheys and maybe throw in a few Lindor truffles next time for the mommas who need a little pick me up.
In the spirit of making Mommas lives a little better I want to share with you my 10 most loved baby items.
- Owlet Baby Breathing Monitor. Essentially this is a super high tech sock that even George Jetson would be proud of. It monitors your babies’ oxygen and heart activity monitor that alerts you through an app on your phone if your baby isn’t breathing well or is having an irregular heart beat. This is my favorite baby item. I slept so much better when we got this for Finn. I am so glad we had it for Finn because he basically refused to sleep anywhere but daddy’s chest for the first 6 weeks of his life. This also travels with you wherever you go, giving you confidence that your baby is breathing and doing well. Its also very comforting if your baby is sick to know that their heart and lungs are doing well!
2. Backpack Diaper Bag. I’m going to share with you my tale of diaper bag folly. Before my 1st born was born I saw a diaper bag that reminded me of a really cute purse and I imagined myself carrying it, hair dried and styled, make up on and a cute outfit and I thought of course I will be a cute hip Mom with the diaper bag no one even knows is a diaper bag because it looks so much like a purse…what I failed to forsee was what I really will care about much more than being a cute/hip Mom with a diaper bag that people wonder “is it a purse or a diaper Bag?”…. is Having my HANDS!!! Because when your wrangling a car seat and toddlers and trying to keep everyone alive… you could really care less if you have a bag that looks like a purse-trust me on this one- you will need both of your hands ready at all times to handle this parenting gig- I have the JuJu Be backpack and I love it- it has spots for all the things and I actually know where everything is in this back pack- bonus: the padding on this back pack is legit… like having a pillow top mattress topper but on your back, it is soft and supportive. These other backpacks have been loved and used by other Mamas I know- so I also listed them as options… if you leave this post with one memory – let it be this… YOUR HANDS… you’re going to need YOUR HANDS!!! Get the backpack!!!!
3. Game Changer Pacifier– I spent so much time crawling on the floor of Caden’s nursery searching for the pacifier that inevitably he had lost in the night – begging God that I could find it and he would take it and go back to sleep- of course I couldn’t turn the light on because that would really wake him up – so instead I fumbled around in the dark and sustained all sorts of shin and head injuries from bumping into furniture I didn’t see… then… mercifully… a friend told me about glow in the dark pacifiers!!! Who knew $6 could be the difference between a good nights sleep and a bad nights sleep (not to mention multiple injuries)…. ???? this brand was recommended to us by a Lactation consultant and is a total game changer when you are frantically searching for the paci in the night! Also when your baby gets old enough to put the paci back in their own mouth, they can easily spot it in their crib and… wait for it… PUT THEMSELVES BACK to SLEEP!!! this is the stuff you will dream about, beg God for and pretty much declare you would give anything for.. get the pacifiers… have back up pacis – I am telling you/ when I got these my night time sleep increased by 2,000%
4. Best Nursing Poncho – This nursing cover is the bomb.com…it covers every side of you, is light weight, CUUUTE Stripes and has a pocket..for keeping your phone and snacks close by. It also can be used as a car seat cover and shopping cat cover…also its $12!!! I am so glad after trying many other nursing covers I finally found one that I feel like really covers all sides and is breathable. The other one listed here is similar but slightly more expensive.
5. Bags for poopy diapers – These are so handy for having a place for all the POOP!
6. Best Pack n Play – Our first flight with Caden (our 1st born) was a little nerve wracking. He was about 9 months old and it was going to be a LOOOOONNNGGG travel day, with layovers ect…I was panicked that he wouldn’t nap all day and we would be “that” family with a screaming baby on the plane. We bought this pack n play before our trip because it folds into a back pack (fitting airline carry on standards) making it super easy for travel. We literally set up this pack n play in the San Fransico airport turned on a noise maker app and he slept in the middle of a huge airport. Wow! That experience alone has made me a huge advocate of this pack n play. It is so simple to put together and take down, and the mattress is actually comfortable, so your child will have at least a 75.9% chance of sleeping better in this while traveling than in the traditional pack n plays where the mattress is really just cardboard covered by a thin piece of plastic.
7. Easiest way to Disinfect Pump parts, bottles, pacis – these magical bags are genius! Every time you need to disinfect a pump part, pacifiers, bottles, just throw them in this bag with some water and microwave for 1 1/2 min. Amazing and it is a major time saver over boiling a whole pot of water.
8. The Best Swaddle/All Purpose Blankets. When Caden was born, I think we bought every Velcro swaddle in the Target aisle. Yet, somehow our little Houdini managed to wiggle out of every one of them, as did Finn, and Zeke. The best swaddling we have ever done has been with these blankets, and they are perfect for summer weather or Texas weather because they are lightweight and breathable. I also have used these for a blanket to set my babies on while they crawl and play and also as a nursing cover and let’s be honest a spit up cloth in a pinch. I love them, they get softer with every wash.
Ok, Mamas the next 2 items are for you if you are planning to nurse/are nursing or have a friend/daughter/acquaintance/neighbor ect….Basically any woman who is personally providing milk for her baby/babies NEEDS these.
9. World’s Best Nursing Bra…it only took me 3 kids and a few rounds of mastits due to poorly fitted nursing bras to find this. Ladies, your boobies go through enough trauma nursing to have to endure nursing bras that don’t fit right because you are a “weird” size that most major manufacturers don’t produce for (not that I’m bitter)- so you just settle for soft sleeping bras that come in S, M, or L and offer zero support and do absolutely nothing to support, lift and shape. This bra is soft, it lifts without an underwire (which can cause mastitis-so you want to avoid!) and its COVERTIBLE to a racerback ummm HELLO… its perfection. I bought 2 of these and can I just say…I feel much more like a woman and less like a milk cow wearing these. The one I have is the Marvella Bra. If you are also looking for soft sleep/lounge nursing bras, which I also think every nursing Momma needs they sell this 2 pack for an extremely affordable price. I already have sleep/lounge bras from my first go around, otherwise I would get these.
10. Nursing Apparell. This is the first time I have ever bought an actual nursing shirt to wear in public. Yes, I have a few nursing tanks bought mostly when I was pregnant with my first that I wear at night, but I have never been able to justify the cost of nursing clothing that I always thought was ugly and SCREAMED ” I am a nursing shirt, that cost $50 million dollars because there is one extra piece of fabric layered on me.” But it seems a lot has changed in the fashion realm of nursing ware even in the past few years, and so I took a low cost gamble (actually not really a gamble with Amazon’s free shipping/returns) on this 3 pack of nursing tanks. I have LOVED them!!!!!
I LOVE these tanks for so many reasons:
A. They are affordable, like the price of a target tank top affordable.
B. They have cute on trend prints and colors.
C. They are soft!!! so so soft!!!!!! p.s. I am a fabric snob…if the material on something is slightly scratching or itchy I CANNOT handle it, and it will cause grumpiness all day…so when I say its soft…I mean SOFT!!!!!!!
D. The straps are adjustable.
E. The cut of this shirt hides my post baby bump
F. Easy to layer or change the look for super casual or more dressed up.
Note: I sized up from my pre-pregnancy size on these tanks and that was perfect for me. As other reviewers noted I feel like they run a bit small, so size up!
I haven’t bought any of their other shirts or dresses yet, because I wanted to see how I liked these first, but I was excited to see that they have other shirt/tank styles, as I realize a lot of people don’t like spaghetti straps! And honestly I am not a huge fan either, but lets be real, I live somewhere where it is 90 degrees by 9 am…my main hangouts include my backyard, my friend’s backyard and the park…if I feel like I need to cover up a little more, its super cute and easy to throw a cardi over it. It was 105 here on Monday so I’m not exactly into the layering look right now…but many of you don’t have this problem…or you do but you find yourself experiencing a 40 degree climate change the second you walk into the grocery store….so bring your layers for inside…not outside…that’s the Texas way…
I also think their tank dresses look super cute – so easy to wear in the summer and through the fall/winter/spring with a cardi and leggings! I have seen nursing dresses for easily $60 so these are a steal and if the fabric is the same softness as their tanks its going to be awesome…
p.s. There are tons of prints/colors in each style!
*(Note: Clarity with Charity is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. These are my amazon affiliate links, if you should decide to buy them, I receive a tiny percentage.)
Alright Mommas, Daddies, Grandparents and baby caretakers, I want to hear from you, what are some of your must have baby products???
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