We cannot believe it’s been three months since Liam arrived. It has been a wild ride. When we put our registry together, we thought we had everything. However once Liam arrived, he showed us what he liked, didn’t like, and needed. With three months under our belts, we put together a list of baby essentials. Please note: not everything is listed below, so use the link at the end for a full list.
As we found out with Liam, no two babies are the same. They may not like the products you buy for them. In Liam’s case, he didn’t seem to like anything. This made us feel so unprepared, however, that’s life. That’s why you save all of your boxes and receipts so you can exchange those products for ones your baby loves.
We’re not trying to say this list of our baby essentials are going to work for you and your baby. That’s something you need to figure out yourself. We have a very particular baby who knows what he doesn’t like. Hopefully this list can give you an idea of what you’re looking for and to help jumpstart your registry!
Our Baby Essentials: Three Months
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Amazon Registry items
We used Amazon to create our Baby Registry
Then there are the perks. You get a welcome box. We got a lot of very useful samples
Second, as things on your registry are purchased and you hit $1000, you unlock Baby Bucks. You get a $100 credit for items. We didn’t use this until about a month after Liam was born. It was a lifesaver. We bought three month’s worth of Burts Bees Baby Wipes and as many Diaper Genie refills as we could get.
Once your due date has come and gone you get a Completion Discount. If there are things on your registry that you still need to buy, Amazon gives you a 15% discount on two different orders. Be sure to use it within 60 Days of your due date because you’ll lose it! We were only able to order one because we forgot to use it by the expiration date!
Thank you to our friends and family for helping us out on our registry items. Having a baby is expensive and your gifts made it easier for us to breathe a little easier. Liam loves you for it.
Bottles
Our LO is a BF baby, exclusively. Early on we did not want to create nipple confusion. Once Fatima’s milk supply was established and we felt comfortable to introduce a bottle, we started to mix breast-feeding and bottle feeding. We only do one bottle a day to get him used to being fed via the bottle. There’s been ups and downs, but he’s getting used to the bottle more and more. We used a set of bottles that were supposed to be “great for BF babies” but they weren’t for our LO. He refused. So we found this bottle by Como Tomo. It’s the only bottle he’s taken so far.
Why we love it: as said, it’s the only bottle he takes. It’s silicone so we can squeeze some milk into his mouth before feeding so he knows there’s food in it. The opening will only allow milk out if he sucks on it.
Swaddles
Harry Houdini was reincarnated. Liam gets out of every single swaddle we put him in. Even the one in the SNOO, but that’s another story. While the blanket swaddles are absolutely adorable, his hand began to escape when he was a little over one week old. Our swaddles were secure and he still managed one arm out.
So we got the Miracle Swaddle. And it was a miracle! He no longer escaped and he slept better. By better, I mean a full 1-2 hours in his crib (more on that below). Like all babies, Liam’s startle reflex woke him up. All. The. Time. I think he had a more intense startle reflex because it seemed like he was falling all the time! The Miracle Swaddle kept him bound up like a burrito all night.
We also tried and recommend the SwaddleMe. We tried this after much sleep deprivation. Since the Miracle Swaddle is a little involved, the SwaddleMe is a quick fix best friend for late night feedings. All velcro. But, in Houdini fashion, Liam began to escape. However, it’s a wonderful, light swaddle we’ll use again. Great for daytime napping, too!
Why we love them: kept our LO secure, snuggled, and reduced his escapes.
Sleeping
No surprise that a new baby would keep us up at night. Especially one who breast feeds on demand. Fun fact, breast milk digests in 1-2 hours compared to 3-4 hours for formula. We have so much respect for mom who breast feed. It’s a ton of work.
We have this beautiful crib from Target. It’s sturdy, has a modern look, and transforms into a daybed. But as we discovered the hard way, newborns do not want to be in a crib when they arrive in the world. They want to be in mommy and daddy’s arms or a space that hugs them just the same. Since our swaddles were only keeping him asleep for 1-2 hours at most, we needed to come up with another option.
The SNOO
Shop SNOO, the smart bassinet. Get more sleep–and peace of mind that your baby is safe!
However, we knew he could sleep for longer periods of time. By one month, he’d sleep 4 hours at a time in our arms overnight. Yes, Brian was sleep deprived, but also got a lot of reading done. After a month with our LO not sleeping for longer stretches, we needed a plan B. That’s when we found the SNOO. It was one of those sleep deprived weeks in late June that Brian caved in and bought it. With a 30-Day money back guarantee, we needed to see if it worked. It did.
The first week was much of the same sleep pattern, however, it still kept him asleep longer. We also realized he was a stomach sleeper. So with a combination of a bag of rice and a bound up towel, he got in a few four-hour stretches between feedings at night. Until now, his longest stretch has 4-5 hours. Could also be a combination of him finally realizing it’s night, getting into a sleep schedule, and getting older. However, when we wakes up and talks in his sleep, the SNOO puts him to sleep. It’s worth every penny. Never buy this at full price. There seems to be a 25%-30% off sale at least every other month, so keep your eyes peeled!
Why we love it: The SNOO gives us 4-5+ hour stretches of sleep between feedings at night.
The Stroller
We already told you about The Doona. ‘Nuff said.
Off-Registry Surprises
There were a few gifts we didn’t register for. To our surprise, they are some of our lifesavers! Here’s just a few of the things we love.
Diaper Genie
We went back and forth on a Diaper Genie. Ultimately we did not register for one because we didn’t thing we had the space. We just thought we’d run up and down the stairs every day. After all, we both have 16+ weeks off from work. Wrong! This thing is amazing. If you live in a walk up apartment building you will need this. Babies poop a lot. This is a life saver for us.
Why we love it: We don’t have to run down to the garbage everyday and we don’t smell his poopy diapers.
Boppy Lounger & SnuggleMe Organic
We didn’t know how much we’d use this Boppy Lounger. Throughout the day, this is a great place for Liam to chill with us on the couch. He’s propped up and relaxed. He loves it!
We didn’t have the SnuggleMe Organic on our registry, but ended up getting this ourselves. We wanted a safe place where Liam could nap (supervised of course), since he would not sleep in his crib. This works great as a napping area, lounger, and for tummy time. A baby essentials must-have!
Why we love them: The only place he wanted to spend his time awake and asleep was our arms. As much as we love to snuggle, we needed a break. They are safe spaces for Liam to chill with supervision.
Handmade Blanket
A handmade blanket is the cutest and most personal gift to give a newborn. Our friend (check out her insta) made this blanket for Liam, his first one!
Fun and Books
Baby Gym
Now that our LO can see farther and continues to develop his motor skills, his eyes shift everywhere and his hands are constantly reaching for things. We needed a place we could put him to give our arms a rest. He loves staring and talking to the other baby in the mirror (aka his reflection).
Did you know that babies don’t realize their reflection is them and that they love looking at other baby’s faces? Sometimes we have to remind him that when he frowns, the baby in the mirror will frown back, so keep smiling!
Why we love it: It’s a safe space for Liam to explore and grow his motor skills when mommy and daddy’s arms get tired.
Baby Book Must Haves:
Any list of baby essentials needs to include books. Liam’s library is full of classics like The Rainbow Fish and The Very Hungry Caterpillar as well as new classics like A is for Activist and Just Like the Animals. Every night before bed, we pick out one of these books and read to him before he falls asleep. Here are some of his favorites:
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