Alrighty! Henry is five weeks old tomorrow and I’m finally getting a blog post up! Behold: the list of products we use pretty much every day if not multiple times a day and have come to love and rely on with baby boy!

Also coming – hopefully this week – is my One Month with Henry post and my birth story! The latter of which is just taking me forever to write… and typically when I have breaks (he’s sleeping) I am showering, washing bottles, taking him on a walk, or sleeping myself… so your patience is appreciated!

Let me know if you have any questions!

1. humidifier: a week in to having Henry at home, he started making funny breathing sounds – nasally, almost like he was struggling to breath which of course worried new mama over here. Turns out this is super normal as infants have very small nasal passages… one solution to help make them feel better is having a humidifier on all night – so we sleep with this Dyson humidifier on, and it definitely helps! Our house is insaaaanely dusty and we have rugs and a shedding dog and construction a couple doors down… so we love this model because it “uses UV light to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria, and produces hygienic, humidified air both quickly and quietly.”

2. flat bassinet for nighttime sleeping: we didn’t have everything set up exactly right when we brought Henry home from the hospital since he was two weeks early. We also didn’t know I’d have a c section which made getting around our two-story house VERY different the first two weeks… my sister met us here when we arrived from the hospital, and having two kids of her own, proved very helpful in getting things organized and advising what we’d need and where. Dan quickly set up the guest room for Henry and me since getting in and out of our taller master bedroom bed was a no go for me that first week or two w/ my incision and pain level. They quickly unpacked the pack n play we had which is the 4Moms Breeze and we LOVE because it comes with a bassinet and changing pad top layer you can attach (and then stop using once you no longer need it) – and that’s where Henry slept at night the first couple of weeks.

This worked in the guest room where space was limited, but now that we’re in our master bedroom,  it became a nuisance to have to get up multiple times and walk across the room any time we heard a peep out of him only to realize he was just stirring or his paci fell out… it’s much easier to have a sleeper RIGHT ALONGSIDE the bed… we have a very narrow bed nook but fortunately, our UppaBaby stroller bassinet (which comes with the Vista model) and Jolly Jumper rocking stand just fits. We were originally going to have him sleep in the moses basket at night, but it bows slightly, so now we use the UppaBaby stroller bassinet in the rocking stand instead and it’s working great!

3. portable sound machine: Wherever Henry goes, this goes. I used to question whether the baby would be dependent on a sound machine, and I definitely didn’t want that, but it’s more about recreating the sounds he heard in the womb and calming him than drowning out other sound. We got this advice from Cara of Taking Cara Babies sleep course – and so far it really helps. We even place it in the carseat when we hit the road or take Henry anywhere with us. It’s charge with a cord, not batteries, and lasts ALL night and more unplugged so seriously impressive battery life. We also use this awesome sound machine next to our bed that I’m not going to lie I use for myself!

4. Dr. Brown’s bottles: these came recommended by my sister and sister-in-law and so far we’ve loved them. A lot of people complain about the number of parts they come with… but anything that claims to prevent colic has me sold. Plus we don’t have a dish washer and are accustomed to washing everything by hand. We got one set of five and it’s definitely plenty… yes they have to get washed a couple of times a day, but that’s ok by us!

5. bottle drying rack for bottle and pumping parts: this style doesn’t take up a ton of counter space, it’s super easy to use and clean. We keep it on the counter and use it all day long. We use this bottle cleaning brush (which is never used on any non-baby stuff) and this organic baby dish soap. We also use the Dr. Brown’s mixing pitcher to bulk mix his Holle Pre baby formula. Crucial for making multiple bottles at a time! Much easier than scooping and stirring individual bottles.

6. muslin burp cloths: these are organic and oh-so soft. Highly recommend! We keep a burp cloth or two in literally every room of the house because once you’re in feeding mode, it’s a pain trying to run around and find one. We also have a few cute burp cloths from Monica and Andy!

7. newborn nightgowns: makes nighttime (and day time!) changes MUCH easier!

We also got this set of inexpensive short-sleeve onesies he wears a lot (our boy runs hot…)! And a few newborn-sized outfits he is still in at five weeks because he’s such a little guy.

8. snuggle-me organic: Henry slept in this every time he fell asleep during daytime hours his first month… the side cushions let the baby feel snug like in the womb and he felt right to sleep. We also took a few naps cosleeping with him in it! It was soo fun and cute and a special time and it felt so much safer having him in his little nest between us. (He sleeps flat swaddled in a bassinet at night.)

9. swaddles: I’ve heard a lot of people have babies who are picky about nipples and bottles and not taking a pacifier and what not… our babe is rather picky about swaddles. We’ve come to rely on three… and own about 6 different types. The first couple of weeks home when he was super tiny, we relied on blanket swaddles – we LOVE this lightweight muslin set from Aden and Anais in light grey and white – and still bring these blankets with us EVERYWHERE even though we’re no longer using them as swaddles since they’re lightweight for summer. Another favorite: Henry’s a big arms up sleeper so we use this awesome arms-up swaddle a lot. But most nights he sleeps in his Happiest Baby Sleepea swaddle which unfortunately is sold out in most places.

10. a comfortable glider or rocking chair: the glider is a big investment but we are obsessed with it. It’s SO comfortable. We’ve had a couple guests now compliment how amazing it is. We clock a lot of hours in this feeding Henry, rocking him to sleep, calming him when he’s crying… eventually it will be used for story time for years to come. It’s been so wonderful to have. We got in in the light grey Ash fabric so it would work should any future babies be a gal. Like I said, investment piece for years to come!

11. pacifiers: we have four: a yellow Natursutten which is still a little too big for him, one with a cute lil stuffed pup next to it, and the two we took from the hospital which as of now are Henry’s favorite. They really do calm him and have proven themselves tiny little superheroes many times over. HIGHLY recommend pacifier clips if your kiddo likes a pacifier, because eventually they spit it out either on accident or if they fall asleep, and this clips to their clothes to prevent the paci from falling on the floor or getting lost. REALLY awesome when you’re out in public…

12. MamaRoo Infant Seat: This guy is an infant lounger that vibrates/rocks, all five motions recreate natural motions a parent might have while holding the baby – plus the additional “car ride” bouncing option. We didn’t originally get this because we were trying to avoid another expensive item and had heard not all babies love them… but after a month once Henry started hitting the “I want to be held and bounced all the time if you want me to be calm or fall asleep during daylight hours,” Dan and I realized we needed to give it a try. Turns out he does like it! We went through Bed, Bath, and Beyond using one of their discount codes to save a little cash.

13. infant carrier: right around the end of the third week, Henry started entering the “hold me all the time please” phase during daylight hours… which made getting anything done impossible. We had this Boppy Comfort carrier but he had to be 8 lbs to fit in it – which happened just around 4/5 weeks. The first day we put it on it was a game changer. Sometimes he fusses, but I just need to walk and bounce around and eventually he falls asleep. We looove how easy this is to use and fast to get on – but it does seem like it might be too hot in the summer. TBD!

14. car seat: I think this is self explanatory as to why it’s essential! And lucky for us he’s been great in the car – it basically puts him right to sleep! We’re really happy with the brand and model we got – if you’re in the market! The Mesa by Uppababy!

15. stroller with bassinet: I debated between the Uppababy Cruz and Vista for a good while, and I’m so so glad we went with the Vista for the bassinet alone! Well, that’s all I can say because that’s all we’ve put Henry in so far! And we use the bassinet for him to sleep in at night. Everything about it is easy to open, close, attach, etc.

16. Keekaroo changing pad: this is amaaazing to have with a baby boy – super easy to clean when he pees everywhere.

17. waterproof changing pad liners: we place one of these on the Keekaroo changing pad for when the house is cold to keep him a bit warmer on the changing pad!

18. diaper pail: we went with this Ubbi metal option in white that works great! Easy to clean, change the bags, and keeps odor in!

19. 4moms infant bath: we’re clearly big fans of 4moms products as this is the third item on the list by the brand. We’re obsessed because it reads the temperature – which SOUNDS gimmicky, but we turned the water on to what we thought was a nice warm/hot temp, and the reader started flashing 104 in BIG RED NUMBERS alerting us the water would be too hot for baby. It would’ve been impossible to tell what was just right without it… so as the water flows into the tub, it keeps reading the temp, and when it’s a nice 92-100 in GREEN, we know the temp is good to go. Highly recommend!

20. hooded towel: we have two towels and have been using this super cozy one from RHbaby that’s actually meant for a toddler but SO cute and cozy around Henry’s tiny body. We also have this lighter weight towel that has a gingham border we’ll use more now in the summer!

21. Mustela baby bath product newborn set: this stuff is the greatest smell in the world… we use the lotion, no-water cleanser, diaper rash cream, and bath soap and shampoo… Henry literally LOVES when we apply any of it. He instantly calms down. It’s adorable. It’s a French brand so contains none of the bad stuff. We’ll be buying and using these for years to come!

A COUPLE PRODUCTS I DIDN’T REALLY NEED:

The Boppy pillow for feeding – really any pillow does the trick!

The three other swaddles we bought…

We got a wipe warmer and really like it… but that probably wasn’t a need since we use cold ones when we have to change him outside the house anyway.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Happy to share the knowledge and anything we’ve learned!