It seems like just yesterday I was uploading pictures to announce our new little bundle and here we are now and my little guy is one month old today!
I thought it was the perfect day to share some of my current faves for the little babes (and their Momma’s.)
There are a lot of options when it comes to baby-wearing, and I’ve tried a lot of things in the past 9 years with 4 babies and the Solly Wrap is my favorite. Their fabrics are so incredibly soft and lightweight, that it doesn’t even feel like it’s on. I wear mine around the house even, when my little Gavin just wants to be held, but I need both of my hands. He is instantly soothed every time I pop him in there.
I’ve even tried similar styled wraps, but one of the things I love about the Solly Baby wrap is that you don’t need an extra suit case to carry around loads of fabric. It’s so comfortable to wear and it folds up into it’s own little pocket and it fits into my normal purse. They come in lots of gorgeous colors, and the Solly Baby team is stellar. I absolutely love companies with great stories, and I love that the founder, Elle, started her business in a little sewing nook at home. I especially love these wraps in the newborn phase when the little babies can just sit there close to your heart, and they’re so light you hardly notice them there!
It’s been 4 1/2 years since I last had an infant, so during my pregnancy I asked for recommendations for favorite baby items on Instagram. One of the most popular things people mentioned were Aden and Anais Blankets, which were new to me. They’re large, lightweight blankets made from muslin, which gets softer with each wash, and they are pretty fabulous.
Aden and Anais however, are also pricey. If you’re interested in name brand, Amazon has some great deals, like this set– which drops it down to under $9 per blanket. They also make discounted lines for both Target and Babies R Us. However, I have several other brands that are just as great. The blankets I use the very most are these very ones by Summer. We started using them to wrap up our little burrito in the hospital the day he was born and he still gets curled up in them every day.
Pick Your Plum has some in stock right now, too. Muslin blankets are great because they’re so light-weight, yet so soft. They’re great for swaddling, using as a nursing cover, covering up a car seat, laying down on the ground to change a diaper, using as a burp cloth, you name it. I reach for these over and over again so I’m glad I have a big stack of them! They make great baby gifts, too.
My favorite newborn item, hands down, are little sleeper gowns. My boys pretty much live in these exclusively for the first 1-2 months of life. Babies basically eat, sleep, and wet themselves in an endless cycle those first few months and these little gowns make it so easy to keep them cozy and get those diapers changed fast. No buttoning, snapping, and fighting. Just pull their little legs out and easy-peasy. I especially love this little set that Carter’s has out right now, and matching hats? Perfection.
My 3 older boys still sleep with a fan on at night, even in the dead of winter, because that’s what we used for white noise when they were babies. This time around we got this slick little noise machine. It’s got lots of noise options, takes up little space, and works great. In our house, it signals bed time and my little one sleeps so much better when it’s on (which means Mom and Dad sleep so much better when it’s on.) If you have a little one who’s having trouble sleeping, seriously, try some white noise.
Have you guys seen The Little Umbrella? It’s such a fun site, and it has an awesome section of free, customizable printables. Play around with it- it’s so easy and so fun. I made these cute initial prints for my boys’ rooms and they look so professional and custom! You pick any colors you like and fill in your info and then it prints right out on your own printer. I made custom art in about 30 seconds and felt like superwoman. These would be super cute baby gifts, too! (Totally unrelated to baby, but I LOVE their *free* Thanksgiving Suite– you can customize all of those colors, too. So fun!)
For the stylish babe who’s SO over those totally infantile paci clips… lol. I love these cute leather clips. The braided one is from Madeline’s Box and the thick strip is from Sugar Lime. I bought both of these through Brickyard Buffalo, where they were discounted. I love how they look with a cute outfit, and again- they’d make a unique baby gift!
Lastly, I just wanted to mention a couple things about keeping memories of those little ones. Knowing this is my last baby has made me insanely sentimental (like, more so than a normal hormonal postpartum lady) and I want to savor every second because they grow SO fast.
I’ve told you lots about my different systems for scrapbooking and memory keeping (you can read about it here). As a busy Mom of four, so many of my photos these days, especially of my newborn, are taken with my phone. With a baby, everything is so in-the-moment so I find myself quickly snapping away while he’s sleeping on my lap, or while he’s looking cute on a walk, or whatever. I love the Project Life App for taking those little snapshots and actually doing something with them.
I had a couple of pages done before I even left the hospital! I also still love and use the Collect Photo App, which makes it easy to capture a cute photo of the baby every day and watch him grow over the coarse of the months.
So those are some of MY favorite things- tell me, what are your favorites??
A friend gave me a little white noise machine and the heartbeat sound saved our sleep. Definitely recommend that one!
The fisher price rock and play. It helped my tiny baby sleep. In the crib anytime she would kick she would almost roll herself over. That would break her swaddle and it was just tough to sleep. The rock and play kept her nice and cozy the first few months until she gained some weight.
I have a 2 month old and she loves hanging out in her carrier – however I was intimidated by the miles of fabric involved with many wraps so I only have a soft structured carrier….this may have convinced need to give the Solly a try!! My most lifesaving item has been Velcro swaddlers for sleeping. Immediately after I started tightly swaddling my little Houdini she began sleeping giant 8 hour stretches. Bliss…. 🙂
I really like the OXO Wipe dispenser. (It’s not a warmer.) Only one wipe comes out every time! Really works!!
No need for baby items here yet, but I’ll keep this post in mind, I will hopefully need it in the not-so-distant future!
Just a question, is the Collect photo app only available for Apple devices? I have been looking and looking for it for Android but it doesn’t seem to be available. I’ve found other photo-a-day apps but I really wanted to try out Collect!
I’m still enjoying my birth control
I have a for month old, and Swaddle me blankets are my must have. No during with a too big blanket, or then wiggling out of their bundle.
*No fussing
I am having my second in February and love this list. My 3 year olds blanket is still one of those Aden muslin blankets. I wanted to add that we use white noise with him but we got an app on our iPhone for a couple of dollars that works great. We luckily have an old iPhone that we don’t use except for his room so we can leave it in there all the time.
I love the muslin swaddling blankets too!
I’m having my second on the 4th, and am going to completely sound like a dork, but I was excited to see what you liked, Sara, because it’s been 6 years for me since my first. I’ve heard about the solly baby wrap and have thought about getting one. And I haven’t ever been steered wrong by you or Kate since I discovered you guys years ago! Thanks!
I loved this! So personal and such a sweet baby boy.
I just bought everything that you showed, with the exception of artwork,
for my DIL. Our first grandson is due in February and I loved all your new things.
PS, I also love your recipes!!
I’m just finding out about project life, it’s great! I’m so excited to try it.
So I learned something new on Facebook today that I felt so dumb not knowing but since I posted it, I am definitely not alone in my ignorance! Did you know that onesies have the envelope top around the neck so you can take it down from the top when they blow out instead of having to pull it over your head? Four kids later and I had never ever thought to do this. And they say Facebook is a complete waste of time 🙂 Your little guy is so cute! Thanks for sharing your favorites. I have always been a ring sling girl but those Solly Baby wraps are tempting me if there is a baby 5 in my future.
Mind blown! Thanks!!
Wow! Thanks
We got gerber bowls with lids when I oldest (11 now) first started on solid food. They are still used every day!! The perfect size for a snack. Love seeing the pictures of your new little one. Thanks for sharing!
Had my last baby two years ago, so I’m not really in the baby phase anymore, but these were all of my favorite things when I was having babies…I swear it’s like you read my mind before you post stuff! 🙂
I love this list! I am having #3 next week and so this is on my mind. I love the muslin blankets and we also can’t live without our Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play … so much better than a bassinet for me. I laughed at your baby gowns… they can be hard to find these days and so I scoured yard sales all summer so that I could get my stash built up. I would add to your list that we love Wubba Nub binkies…. they are attached to the hospital green soothies (the only binkies my kids will take until they are around 3 months) and have sweet little animals that you can swaddle right in with the baby so the binky stays in place. We learned about them with #1 who was in the hospital for months with heart surgeries and then couldn’t live without them for #2. I just pulled ours out and tossed them in the washing machine to get them ready for #3!
I have never heard of Solly baby wraps. I think they sound awesome. Thanks for sharing your list! I love the pictures of your cute little guy. Keep the pictures coming!
We have similar favorites:) The swaddle blankets are my most favorite. I also love Cetaphil moisturizing lotion. It doesn’t smell and works the best on dry baby skin. I am going to have to try a baby wrap with my next one. I have used the Bjorn with my first 3 but that wrap looks so much more comfy for baby and momma:)
Love these Scoop posts by the way!
My little boy is 4 months now, and I use the Baby Bjorn One ALL THE TIME. I love that the baby can face in, out, and go on the back! Now that he is bigger he loves facing out, and my husband didn’t want a wrap because he wanted to feel manly carrying around our child. ha-ha! I also love our Summer Infant video monitor. So many people said it was just an unnecessary purchase but we love it, worth every single penny.
Thanks for sharing! I’m going to have my third baby in a few weeks and I’ve never heard of a Solly Baby Wrap!
Thanks for this post! My boy #2 is a week old now. He caught us by surprise and came a month early! So I feel like I am playing catch up a little with the things I wanted to get for him. I especially like the Little Umbrella prints! So cute!
This is so timely! I’m having my fourth (also my last) on the fourth and I second all of these. I just started playing around with project life and I’m sure it’ll be such a saver with baby memories. I have a moby I didn’t love so you just convinced me to buy the Solly id been eyeing for awhile. I love my a+a wraps from my last baby and added a few more, plus the crib sheets this go around. While I’m ready to be done being pregnant-I’m starting to be a little sad it’s my last!
We bought the exact same sound machine for our fourth last year and I love it. When we travel we have an app we use that we leave on all night and it has helped so much!
I love those blankets and sleepers! I also love my boppy pillow. I’ll have to look into the Solly for my next one.
I love those leather pacifier clips. So edgy! Our daughter is almost 5 months old and someone gave us their old Fisher Price Newborn Rock and Play Sleeper. We have LOVED it. It lets your baby sleep inclined so she’s slept much better through colds or gas bubbles in her tummy. You can cart it all over the house and has a tiny footprint which is good for us in our small home (where the doors are too small to let a pack and play through!) She likes to sit at the dinner table in it, too since she’s up at the level the rest of us are, instead of near the floor where she was in a bouncer or swing.
I love the wrap, I wish I would have invested in one for my first; definitely on the list for baby number two!
I don’t have any baby product suggestions (my “baby” is now 12-years-old and there are all kinds of things now that didn’t exist when she was an infant). I just had to comment that I LOVE the baby pictures! He is absolutely perfect and those are some seriously kissable little cheeks!
I love Aiden and anais burpy bibs, and gift them to all of my pregnant friends. They’re thick and absorbent and much cuter than the white cloth diapers I used to use.
They are amazing! I just tried one yesterday with my 10 day old and I loved it.
Hi there! Someone just told me about your blog post. What a sweet surprise to see my binkie clips on here! Thanks so much!! I’m so glad you love them and shared your love for them on here! Xo
I seriously love these posts in The Scoop as much as your food posts. Thanks for taking the time to do them! I discovered the muslin blankets with my last baby, she’s 20 months now, and we still use them all the time. They’re especially nice here in Vegas where it gets so hot. They’re so lightweight and breathable I can use them even during the summer. I’m dying to get a wrap from Solly Baby for my next one. I’m due on April. I follow you on IG and have loved the striped hat and sleeper your little guy has been sporting. Thanks for letting us know where it’s from. Enjoy this newborn stage! He’s adorable.
I have a muslin blanket that someone gave me when my daughter was born. We loved to swaddle her in it and it quickly became one of her favorites. As she got older she wouldn’t go to bed without having it with her. I noticed that if she dragged the blanket by a corner it would get long and skinny and I had the thought that it could get wrapped around her neck. A couple of times I took it out of her crib after she had fallen asleep, but I didn’t always remember. One night when she was about 18 months old I went in to check on her after she was asleep and found her on her stomach with the blanket around the front of her neck with both ends down her back. I quickly pulled the blanket off and and as I did she coughed like she was trying to get air. This was one of the scariest moments of my life and I am so grateful that I checked on her when I did! I know these blanket are meant for swaddling, but they are often used other ways too. I just wanted to put this out there so that people realize they can be dangerous if used after a baby can get loose from a swaddle. I now tie my daughters blanket in knots and she snuggles up to that to go to sleep.