Baby product breakdown
I’m sitting outside on the back patio writing this, with my babe sitting on a play mat on the table I’m writing on. It’s glorious.
A few people have asked me to make some kind of list or spreadsheet with the baby/mama products we’ve gotten and loved for when it’s their turn and can refer to it. If that was you, this post is for you, as well as for myself so I can refer back to it when Baby Reis #2 comes along one day. These products are ones that have worked for us so far and why. I’ve also added links where I can.
Baby K’tan
This wrap is probably our number one for baby and mama/dada benefits. You can literally be hands-free with it. I don’t know how I’d get anything done without it. Babe stays tight against you so bending over isn’t a problem. Sage falls asleep within about 2 minutes almost every time he’s put in it and it doesn’t have tons of fabric like other wraps I’ve seen. Babe can also be upright straddling your sides or can be swaddled and worn like a sling. Here’s the Baby K’Tan website where you can find it. I got it as a gift, but it looks like it’s also at Target, Buy Buy Baby and other stores.
Hello Bello diapers and pretty much any and all of their other products.
We have a subscription for their diapers so we get them sent every 3, 4, or 5 weeks (it can be changed with every order if you need to adjust). You get to pick your diaper prints and 3 packs of wipes come with each bundle. You can add onto each order too. So this last month, we got the diapers, wipes, an extra 3 pack of wipes cause this boy POOS a lot, prenatal vitamins (they’re gummies so duh of course I’m a fan), and diaper rash cream, all for under $90. Last bundle, we also got their sunscreen. We love the mission behind the Hello Bello company so we love to support and talk about it.
Bib’s binky
We ordered quite a few different binkies knowing not all babes like the same binky. It took a few tries but we landed on this one. Sage was able to keep it in his mouth the longest without it falling out. He doesn’t always like a binky and he lets us know with the funniest facial expressions as well as spitting it out or locking his lips shut. It’s hilarious. These binkies are sold everywhere, but we ordered ours off Amazon.
Boon NURSH bottles
We got this bottle in the mail from Baby List when we created our registry. They sent us a bunch of samples of things and this was one of them. Sage took to it best. And maybe this has nothing to do with it, but he latched onto my boob without a nipple shield the day after we used this bottle with him in the NICU sooo we decided to stick with it. And it’s cute. We also tried others like Dr. Brown’s and didn’t like them (Sage kept leaking milk out of his mouth- yes, we tried the slowest dripping one). We don’t use bottles a ton anymore now that I have a better understanding of how much milk he’s drinking from me (thanks to the puppy scale we have at home to use to weigh him before and after feedings). But when we do use a bottle, this is what we use. They can be found on Amazon and lots of other websites.
Young Living Thieves hand sanitizer
I’ve never liked using hand sanitizer for a number of reasons, one of them being that I don’t like things like lotion or oily things on my hands. But I’m also a low-key germaphobe. With this stuff, I actually look forward to using it. Mostly cause it smells heavenly, but also because I know how effective it is. The link to this one will show you wholesale and retail price of this stuff. If you’re interested in getting it at wholesale and joining my Young Living team, lemme know. Once you’re a member, you get all of their products at wholesale price. And if you do it right, you get free oils and products along the way :) The next 2 products are also Young Living and the same applies to those.
Young Living Seedlings Baby Oil
This lavender baby oil smells incredible. Anything lavender seems to calm Mr. Sage down quickly. We trust all of Young Living’s oils and products on ourselves and now our little babe. We recently got this for after bath calm down, as he doesn’t like the post-bath procedure. Young Living has a whole Seedlings line, which is their baby line. I have yet to try it all, cause #budgeting. We’ll get there soon.
Lavender and Cedarwood essential oil
I combined both of these oils with a carrier oil into a roller bottle for Sage’s bedtime. Both Lavender and Cedarwood have so many benefits. I’ve linked what some of them are. We apply this roller to Sage’s feet and toes (vitaflex points!) and he chills ouuuuut in his bassinet until he falls asleep on his own. This took more work than just oils, but I do believe they play a role in the process.
Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads
Get these asap before babe is born. I was constantly soaked from my boobs leaking in the NICU/hospital. I also have super super sensitive skin. So normal reusable or disposable breast pads did not work for me. They were so itchy. I got these super soft ones for sensitive skin from Amazon like a month and a half after Sage was born- before that, it was changing my bra multiple times a day and doing laundry every day to make sure I had a bra to wear. NOPE. Not a fan of that.
Here are a few products that I don’t have photos of, but I’ve linked:
Haakaa manual breast pump- This was HUGE for me. It doubles as a milk catcher and breast pump. Those first few weeks/months when my milk was regulating was brutal and my boobs were always engorged. This pump is silicone and suctions to your boob. While Sage was eating on one side, I would attach this to the other side and it would catch the milk that was letting down so it could be stored, as well as pulled milk out. This was super helpful when he would only eat on one side and I needed to do something with the other side, often in the middle of the night and I didn’t have energy to use the electric breast pump.
Ergo Baby lightweight swaddle- We looooved this swaddle. It wraps up his arms tight and tucked in near his neck/chest which we quickly found out was Sage’s preference, but also let us easily change his diaper in the middle of the night.
Love to Dream swaddle- We just started using this swaddle a few nights ago and like it so far! It has a slight compression to it and reduces the startle reflex. It also allows for easy diaper changes because it has two way zip so you can zip it open from the bottom.
Double leg snap footie pajamas- This is one the hubs called out as a must-have. Snap (not zip) double leg footie pj’s. We don’t like the zippers because they are stiff and get all up in Sage’s neck and the double leg snaps make middle of the night changes easier because we don’t need to pull Sage’s other leg into a weird angle to get it free from the leg that doesn’t snap.
Kindred Bravely- 100% the hands-free pumping/nursing bra. I don’t know how anyone pumps without a hands-free pumping bra. I tried once and milk was leaking everywhere. I mean, everywhere. The nursing and sleep bra is also wonderful. Comfortable to sleep in and easy to nurse in.
Aerie bralette- I had this bra before I was pregnant and bought 3 more in my 3rd trimester in different sizes to accommodate my growing boobies. It’s so comfortable and supportive but easy to pull down or up for nursing.
MamaRoo- We were gifted this baby swing and it’s been very nice for those times when I want to get a workout in, play a board game hands-free, or eat without a babe in my arms. I was hesitant with things like this (swings, vibrating bouncers/bassinets, etc.) because I was afraid Sage might get dependent on that thing to go to sleep and then what happens when we’re somewhere without that thing and he can’t fall asleep? We’re trying to do things to keep from this happening, but who knows if it’s actually working. We’re not really sure if what we’re doing is right more than half the time anyways.
Spectra breast pump- I got this breast pump through insurance and was given a Medela breast pump (unopened/unused) from someone who didn’t need it, so I was able to try both and compare. Hands-down, the Spectra pump won. It also has “backflow protection” filters that attach to the tubes to keep milk and moisture from getting in the tubes. I have a deep love/hate relationship with pumping, but this pump rocks. Highly recommend.
Essential oil blends and products for your Hoo-Ha. One of them is Claraderm- a little bottle of magic for pre and post delivery. I swear spraying this stuff on my lady parts twice a day for the last month leading up to delivery made it possible for me to only have a tiny internal tear that required one stitch when Sage was born, even though his head measured HUGE. Maybe I wouldn’t have torn anyways, but I fully believe this stuff helped a ton. As well as some other blends I made with other essential oils that can share with you if you’re interested. Claraderm is also heavenly during post-partum healing in your nether regions.
because it’s cute AF.
There it is, y’all! Most of our must-haves or helpful products. Send me a message on Instagram, Facebook or to my email if you have any specific questions about any of this (info is on the contact page). I’m an open book and love talking about this stuff, even down to the nitty gritty :)