After receiving all of my baby shower goodies, I quickly ran out and purchased the rest of my registry list that every baby store, magazine, and website told me was "essential" to surviving the first year. However, looking back over this past year, I have realized that all of this stuff was not "essential." In fact, I never used several of the items that I registered for at all.
To shed a little light on the real "essentials" for your baby's first year, I compiled a list of all of the baby items that I could NOT have lived with out. This list doesn't include obvious things like a crib, diapers, clothes, and toys.
**Disclaimer: Everyone is different...and what I find super important may not be what someone else finds "essential"...and what works for one baby may not work for another.**
1. Swing
- The swing was my LIFESAVER. Payton would sleep in this thing waaaay better than she slept in her crib for the first month. I would put her in her swing and let it do the work for me so I could get some precious hours of sleep. Our swing went back-and-forth and side-to-side, which was great because she preferred side-to-side the best.
- This was an item that was used and abused in our household. She loved her activity mat. We got one that had a lot of lights, hanging toys, and entertaining songs (they were even tolerable to me after months of hearing them over and over). This toy allowed me to get dinner ready or fold laundry. "Essential" in my book.
- Another favorite! She absolutely loved spending time in her jumperoo, which allowed me to get chores done or take a quick shower.
- It doesn't matter what brand you purchase, but a baby carrier is the BEST invention every created. How the heck would I have managed at the grocery store without this thing? I took her everywhere in the baby carrier - on walks, to the store, even around the house to vacuum. Worth every penny I spent!
- Pretty self explanatory, but it definitely was helpful for late night diaper changes and feedings.
- A wearable blanket that zips up...genius!!! Perfect for the winter months so that you don't have blankets in the crib with your little babies.
- If you are breastfeeding, buy quality nursing bras so that they withstand the abuse they will endure in the next year.
- Breastfeeding hurts for the first week or two. I mean really hurts...like we are talking sore, cracked, bleeding nipples. I used gobs and gobs of this stuff. I even sent my mom out for another tube after we got back from the hospital because I was afraid I'd run out.
- Even if you are not going back to work after you have your baby, it is still "essential." It is good to build up a stock pile in your freezer for when you may leave baby with Daddy or go for a date night. Clearly, if you are like me and are returning to work, you most definitely want to get a top-of-the-line pump to take with you to work.
- Breast milk leaks. End of story.
- I swear by this thing. I used this every time I breastfed. It allowed me to have my hands free so that I could read or check Facebook on my phone. I also used it to surround her when she was learning how to sit up on her own. I used this thing every day for the past year, so money well spent.
- I know that everyone doesn't use/have these, but my daughter loves white noise. It puts her right to sleep...and sleep is a good thing.
- These baby bathtubs come with little slings so that you can lay your baby down and give them a bath without the worry of them slipping and sliding around.
- We have a lot of stairs, so these are clearly "essential" in our household.
- You don't need 3-4 strollers, with one for every occasion, like baby registries suggest. Just get a good one that you like. We love to go on walks, so clearly this an item that gets a lot of use. I also use it when we go to the zoo, children's museum, etc. My only request was that my stroller had a cup holder for me so that I could always have a cup of coffee on our walks. :)
- Ok, so lots of people have the monitors that have the video on them, but I have no desire to watch my baby sleep. That would only make me paranoid and I don't need more stress in my already stressful life. Therefore, we just got a plain old baby monitor. It doesn't do anything cool besides being able to talk to the baby room, but it does its job. I hear her when she makes any sort of noise, and that is good enough for me.
