Now that William is 9 weeks old, I feel like I have a good sense of what baby items worked well for us and what didn’t.

There are a few things that we purchased that we were so excited about that have barely gotten used.

The Mamaroo, for example. I was SO excited about this gift and couldn’t wait to put William in it and watch him sleep while he swayed in one of the 5 different motions you can choose from. He didn’t mind it in the beginning but now he won’t stay in it for longer than 5 minutes before starting to fuss. I don’t think he has anything against the Mamaroo, though, he just won’t let us put him down in general for longer than 5 minutes at a time. I still have faith that this will get used for our next babe because it really is a great invention!

Another purchase that I was SO excited about, that hasn’t gotten much use, is the Halo Bassinest. Again, William nor I have anything against it. William just has really bad reflux and doesn’t do well laying flat on his back for long stretches. We can usually get him to sleep in here for one 1 or 2 hour stretch per night, but that’s about it.

Ok, onto the things that worked!

These are just my suggestions but keep in mind that every baby is different and what works for my baby, may not work for yours and vice versa.

Sound Machine

This is definitely a necessity. For the times when we put him down before we go to bed, or if he actually naps during the day, the sound machine allows us to go about our day without waking William with any noise.

The other great thing about this is that we have it in our room, so when I take William to his nursery to change him in the middle of the night (which usually ends in screaming), my husband doesn’t wake up because all he hears is the white noise machine.

We have this one* and I love that it has many light options for when William gets older. We can program it to turn on and off at certain times of day and I can also control it from my phone.

Wash Cloths

We found that using little washcloths to dry Williams diaper area before putting on his diaper helps keep diaper rash at bay. If we let him air-dry, he will surely pee and we will have to start the whole process over again so these help make diaper changes quicker!

We got these ones from Costco. They aren’t the softest material but we just pat his bum so they do the job just fine and they wash well!

Swaddle Blankets

William has bad acid reflux so he spits up A LOT. Like at least once, sometimes 4-5 times after each feed, so we always have swaddle blankets with us to clean up the messes. We find that these are the softest and easiest thing to use on his little face.

I will also use these while breastfeeding to tuck into my bra to catch spilled milk. Sometimes when my letdown is too fast, William will pull off and it will spray everywhere (gross, I know) so I will have the swaddle blanket ready to cover my breast until he is ready to latch on again.

Wipe Warmer

Especially in the early weeks, this really came in handy! As soon as we would wipe him with a warm wipe, he would calm down a little. Even now, we can tell that he likes the feeling of the warm wipe!

We have this one*, and the only complaint that I have is that the wipes don’t feed through the top properly so we have to just open the top every time to grab a wipe. I think that has more to do with the wipes we use (Water Wipes) rather than the warmer, though.

Bath Thermometer

We have this one* and to me, this is a LIFESAVER. It isn’t very expensive and puts my mind at ease knowing that his bath temperature is perfect! We heat his bath to approximately 37 degrees C and he loves it!

Silicon Pump

If you have a fussy baby, like William, a silicon pump like this one* will be your best friend if you want to stockpile some of your breastmilk. I can’t put William down without him screaming so I don’t really have the option to use a breast pump (hopefully one day I will be able to) but with this, I can suction it to one side while I nurse him on the other and it catches the letdown that would otherwise be wasted in a nursing pad.

This item is definitely a splurge item but to me, it’s 110% worth it. The Owlet Smart Sock that tracks your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels while they sleep. William doesn’t sleep for long stretches at a time, but this allows me to get as much sleep as I can without worrying about his well being. I’ve always been a worrier so for some, this may be an unnecessary item, but for our family, it is a must and I am so glad that we have it!

I hope this post helps any soon to be or new mama’s out there!

xoxo. -K

*Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. If you click on these links, I may get a commission if you purchase the item. This helps support my blog to maybe one day allow me to stay home with my baby.