Baby stuff I actually used (and what I didn't)

When you're a first time mom, you want to get ALL OF THE THINGS...am I right? You spend hundreds of dollars on these things that you absolutely NEED to have....am I right again? A lot of this "stuff" includes things that you'll maybe use once or twice, or maybe not at all....okay, how about am I right this time? Don't get me wrong, I'm ALL for getting fun things for your babies that might make your life easier, but I can honestly say a lot of this "stuff" is not necessary. I've created a list of things that I found super helpful, and some that I think were completely nooot needed. Now, I get that every baby is different and every parent is different. So, please don't come at me with BUT THIS THING WAS SUPER HELPFUL SO YOU'RE WRONG. Haha, this is just MY list, deal? ;)

USED FREQUENTLY:

Grass Bottle Dryer: We are OBSESSED with this thing. It's so easy to use and makes drying bottles super easy. It's a little clunky to wash by hand, so we've started just throwing it in the dishwasher once a week. When we first had Aubs, we had one of those contraptions that had all these points to stick the bottles on, but the bottles NEVER stayed on and ended up rolling around on the counters. So I highly recommend this one!

iBaby Monitor: Okay, this one might be controversial. Some people might get worried about connecting a baby monitor to their iPhones, but I'm serious when I say this thing brought me SO much peace of mind. You connect it to your phone and you are able to see your baby from thousands of miles away. No joke, Ty and I took a trip to Jamaica and we were able to creep on our snoozing babe all the way in Minnesota! It's a little spendy, but definitely worth the splurge.

Nose Frida: OMG SO AMAZING I LOVE SUCKING SNOT OUT OF MY BABY'S NOSE. No, literally, I absolutely loved it. I was soooo hesitant on the Nose Frida because I thought there was no way I would ever do it. But let me tell you - SO SATISFYING. Walker suffered from super stuffy noses as an infant and he could barely breathe at night. This thing was so helpful during those early morning hours when he would wake up screaming for air. I always felt comfortable knowing I could help him when he felt that way. Again, highly recommend!

Vix Humidifier: Along with the Nose Frida, we tried the Vix Humidifier and loved it! I wouldn't necessarily say it was 100% needed, but with Walker's super stuffy noses as an infant, it was a great thing during the winter. If your kiddo suffers from dry nose, nose bleeds, or stuffiness, then I would give this a try! The Vix smell is actually super gentle so it doesn't feel like you're breathing in straight Vapor Rub.

Baby Walker: With a gadget that has the same name as my babe, I had to get it ;) We absolutely loved Walker's Walker because it made him 1000000x less cranky. He was able to follow his sister around constantly and I finally got a break from my incredibly whiny little one. I never used a Baby Walker with Aubree because, to be honest, I held her for the first 2 years of her life lol. So, when you've got multiple kids, this thing will be a life saver. You can find them pretty darn inexpensive too at Target!

Fresh Food Feeder: We loved this thing not for food, but for ice! Aubs and Walk both had suchhhh a hard time with teething, so sticking some ice in this gadget was super helpful. I actually have never even tried putting food into it because we get so much use out of it with strictly ice. And hey, easier to clean ice out of it than food ;)

Baby Carrier: LET ME TELL YOU MOMS OF MULTIPLES: GET THE CARRIER! So so so so so so so much use out of this thing. I literally wore my second child on my body for half of his life. I actually got this when I first had Aubree, but I never once used it with her because it wasn't necessary. When I had Walker and Aubree wanted to play, this thing was a life saver. Easily one of the best purchases I made. I bought the cute sling from Amazon, but that thing never worked - Walker was either uncomfortable or falling out of it. So my carrier from Target was the best!

Doc-A-Tot: So here's the deal, we bought a cheaper version of the name brand Doc-A-Tot on Amazon, and we loved it. I don't know if the name brand option is like, made of silk or has secret baby sleep mechanisms in it, but I think the Amazon version works just fine ;)

BARELY/RARELY/NEVER USED:

Diaper Genie: LOL, no. The only reason we used it for Aubs is because we lived at my parents house for a while and didn't want her defecation all over their kitchen garbage. We never touched it with Walker because we threw his diapers immediately into the outside bin.

A $500 carseat: I need to preface this with "not all car seats are created equal." However, it is pointless to spend a fortune on a carseat when they will grow out of it super quickly. I love the carseats that grow with your kiddo! You can find affordable options at both Walmart and Target that are fantastic. My advice is to look at reviews. My husband is the "Review King" in our household and always lets me know about reviews.

Baby Bath Temperature-Taker: I mean, seriously, so you can't just feel the water yourself to make sure it's not too hot? I can't with this one, lol.

Baby Bum Brush: If you can't handle putting diaper rash cream on your baby's behind, then you have bigger problems ;) I don't think this brush is ever truly needed because hello, use your hands.

Helpful tip: When buying clothes (especially outdoor clothes) for your babe, check the time of year lol. If you have your baby towards the end of winter, you probably won't be bringing that tiny thing outside in the snow - so that $100 "newborn" snowsuit is NEVER going to be used. If you have your baby near the very end of summer, don't splurge on a newborn-sized swimsuit because let's be real, that's not happening. Babies tend to stay wrapped in your arms on your couch for the first two or so months of life, so getting those (adorable) outfits in newborn-size just isn't necessary. My suggestion is to wait on those adorable outfits until after the newborn stage. You'll probably have a naked babe or a onesie-clad babe for 60 days anyways ;)

Hope this was helpful for all of you new mommas or mommas-to-be! Follow me on Instagram and LikeToKnowIt (@theminneblonde) for links to my favorite products!

Xo, Jess