Throughout my lifetime, I have learned a great deal about babies. And as most people know, with babies comes stuff, and lots of it! Baby products are everywhere we look. Almost every store we go to, all over social media. It can be overwhelming (especially as a first time mom) trying to figure out what baby products to purchase. So from a momma to a momma let me break down a few of my very favorite baby products for you!
So you may be asking yourself, “how do I know so much about baby’s?” Well of course, from having my sweet baby boy, but also through my role as an older sister of 5 (way older! 10+ years older than all of them) plus my family was a foster family and we had 25+ kids (all under the age of 3 years old) through our home in a short amount of years. And lastly through my experience as a newborn photographer and seeing/working with multiple babies weekly for several years now.
The only thing newborn babies truly know is the womb, for 10 months that’s all they’ve known and that’s what makes them feel SAFE. With that said, we must do our best to mimic the womb for our sweet babies. But how do we reenact the womb?
Darkness (dim lights), warmth, and sound (white noise).
Here are my top MUST-HAVES for new mommas, from a mom who has a GREAT sleeper and works with infants daily! (Click the name of each product below to be directed to it’s sale page.)
Bassinet
So… funny story. My original bassinet was $900! YEP! That’s the truth…and guess what? Leo hated it! I got this one soon after Leo refused to sleep in the expensive one, and it was the BEST, we all loved it. And I love that it connected to our bed for easy nursing in the middle of the night!
Black Out Shades for Nursery
Blackout EZ! These are the very best blackout shades for a baby’s nursery!
Darkness helps the baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer! These have been a lifesaver in our home. And they are completely custom to your exact window size.
The Shusher
The Shusher: Sleep Miracle Sound Machine
This is a great tool to have to help calm baby down. This isn’t a sound machine meant to last for long periods sleep (I will link one of those below), so its better for when baby is worked up and just needs a little help calming down. It has a few different time settings and adjustable volume. This is a must have in the studio!
Sound Machine
I use this noise machine in my little guys’ room. I used to have the Hatch Baby, but a sleep consultant (if you don’t follow any I will link some of my favorite people to follow on insatgram in my next blog) told me that it was a recording not true white noise. This one is simple and also has some basic options. I LOVE it. Added bonus- it’s super easy to travel with.
Books
This right here is one of my very favorite books. Although I do not agree with everything in the book, and chose to tweek things to what I felt comfortable with in my momma heart… I love this book, and felt that it helped me so much as an anxious first time momma, and has helped me teach leo the importance of sleep. I give this book lots of credit, because I have to say I have the happiest little guy! (Pictured above is my husband, who swaddled our sweet Leo using the Moms on Call swaddling technique.)
Swaddles
Happiest Baby 5-Second Swaddle
I used quite a few swaddles, but if I had to choose ONE this would be it!
Sleep Sack
This is my absolute favorite sleep sack. LOVE LOVE LOVE it for transitioning out of the swaddle. Leo had a really hard time getting out of his swaddle, and this really made the transition much easier! They also made a swaddle one that I plan on trying with my second babe!
Play Mat/Floor Play Gym
This play gym is worth every penny! We put it out when Leo was around 2 months old, and still use some of the toys from it to this day (Leo is 17 months old!). It truly is the best and I love that it showed me what Leo should be doing developmentally at each stage, and how to help him accomplish those milestones. Hands down the best!
If you are a momma or momma to be, I hope that you found this to be helpful! some of my favorites for newborns! Want to know some of my favorite toddler items? Let me know by commenting below!
Love, Shaina
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