I have four children ages seven and under. (Yes, I said four.)
We have always lived in a small space, so I have never been one to over-do it on “baby gear.” In my opinion if you follow the “must have” suggestions of the major baby retail stores, you’ll end up swimming in mostly useless, bulky contraptions. Admittedly, I  didn’t invest in a wipe warmer, bibs, baby shoes, baby bullet or many of the other “must haves”. In fact when I found out we were pregnant with baby #2 I got rid of the diaper genie and changing table.  Why? Because we owned a trash can and found the floor or bed sufficient for diaper changing. That’s just how I am: pretty minimalist in regards to baby gear.
However, with my fourth baby I feel like I am constantly discovering new items that I wish I would have had with my first baby.
Here my (newly discovered) Four Must Have Baby Items:
- Pretty Muslin Blankets – You know the ones. The really nice blankets  you admire in Target. The elephants, cute airplanes, or dinosaurs catch your eye. You touch them, love them, look at the price, and try to justify spending almost $40 dollars on cute blankets. Yes, those. Get them. Splurge. Just cover your eyes and put them in your cart. You will thank me later because they are so wonderful. Perfect for the early weeks of swaddling, an amazing lightweight nursing cover (just tie it around your neck), and perfect for baby to play on. These things are adorable , comfortable, and completely worth the splurge.
- Nose Frida – OK. I had heard my friends hail the power of the Nose Frida for years. I however, could not get over the weird looking demo picture on the box. It looks like she is slurping up the contents of her baby’s nose. It looks gross. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t. About a month ago, my daughter had a cold like none I had ever experienced before. Her nose was constantly overflowing. On a whim, I grabbed the Nose-Frida and prayed I wouldn’t get snot in my mouth. I didn’t. And this thing is AMAZING. No, your kid is not going to suddenly enjoy the snot-removal process like the cartoon on the box, but it takes like a third of the time as the bulb and it gets so much more! I was floored. My first session ended with me running around the house trying to show my husband how much snot I sucked out of our daughter’s teeny nostril. Talk about a change in attitude!
- Nursing Tanks – I had a sports bra, and some tank tops. I thought I was prepared for easy access nursing until I tried nursing tanks. The top clips to the straps in a similar way to a nursing bra. Nursing tanks are all I wore under my clothes for 3 months postpartum. They are comfortable enough that you can sleep in them, but restrictive enough that you won’t leak much overnight. Target carries some really cute and affordable styles. Oh, but you won’t find many in the maternity section; most are with the other undergarments and shape-wear.
- DIY Baby food Pouch filler –  My baby is obsessed with those baby food pouches but at $2 a pouch, I had to find an affordable alternative. My friend introduced me to the squeeze stations. Amazon has a good selection that run about $25. You can also purchase reusable pouches as well. You still know exactly what is in your baby’s food, and you don’t have to worry about the unnerving recalls that pouched food is susceptible to.
I just want to say, I did not get paid a dime to promote any of these products. This is my honest opinion about products I use, love and wish I’d known about (or been brave enough to try) when my first baby was a baby. I hope you find something you love in this list as well!
