Baby's First Year Must Haves

Last month my college roomie, Irene, was in town and we had baby shower for baby Rosenwinkel who will be here in a few short weeks!  Irene and Mike are two of my favorite people and they are going to make amazing parents to the little guy or girl!

While getting ready for her shower, I thought of all things that I'd consider my top 10 baby essentials.  I could definitely come up with a longer list, but I tried to think of my favorite and most used items.   I remember how overwhelming registering for a baby was.  So much different than registering for your wedding!  There are so many things that you think you need, but a lot of them you never end up using much.

My Top 10 Must Haves for the First Year

Although I could easily make a top 50 list!

Nose Frida-  This little thing is incredible.  I could never quite figure out how to efficiently use the bulb thing they give you at the hospital.  The Nose Frida uses your mouth as suction and works like magic.  Try it and you'll be hooked!

Amber Necklace-  I've mentioned this before, but I think this amber necklace helped Maddie fly through teething easily.  She wears it constantly still (except for bathtime) and is helping with all the molars coming in right now!

Swing- I think this totally depends on the baby because some people never use the swing and swear by the bouncy seat.   We registered for a bouncy seat, but ended up buying a swing when Maddie was a week old.  The swing was a lifesaver for us.   When Maddie was few weeks old she had her crabby time in the evening and the swing calmed her or put her to sleep everytime!  We stopped using it when she was about 4 months old and got a little too heavy, but I would recommend some sort of swing or bouncer without a doubt!

Nursing Tank-  I practically lived in my nursing tanks from Target for the first few weeks when Maddie was eating around the clock.  I still sleep in them because they are so comfortable!

Baby carrier-  I know that people could go on for days about the differences between each carrier and I think it is totally a mom and a baby preference thing.  The one thing I'd say is to try out carriers from friends before spending money on expensive carriers.  I used the Moby wrap a lot when Maddie was a newborn.  It was perfect for walks around the block or doing something around the house.  When she got older she hated it, so I probably only used it for 5-6 weeks.  I moved on to using the Ergo and a Mei Tei carrier.   Once she was mobile and could sit in the shopping cart, I didn't need to use the carrier as often.  Now I use the Ergo in the back carry a lot.  It is really convenient when I want to go somewhere without a stroller and Maddie loves it!

Aden and Anais blanket-  These blankets are amazing!  Since Maddie was born in the spring, it was hot out before we knew it.  The blankets are thin enough to not take a ton of space in your diaper bag and can be used for everything... Playmat, blanket, nursing cover, spit up rag, etc.  They also breath really well, so I could cover up Maddie from the sun without her overheating.

Video Monitor-  We didn't use this in the beginning, but once she moved to her crib it was amazing.   I know that we could totally get by with a normal sound monitor, but if you are going to splurge on something I'd say this is it!

Dr. Browns Glass Bottles- I love the Dr. Brown bottles because they keep any extra air bubbles from getting in while your little one is drinking.  I preferred the glass bottles, but the plastic bottles use the same inserts.

Bath Letters-  This is probably one of our most used toys.  Maddie uses them in the bathtub, carries them around the house, used them as chew toys when she was teething, etc.

Shirt Bib- Maddie used to hate her bib...as in start ripping it off her neck the second we put it on... and this wasn't helping our laundry loads.  I searched for a bib she would actually keep on and then I found this shirt bib.  It was perfect for winter when she was always in long sleeves and she surprisingly didn't mind it being on.   Although she is fine with normal bibs now, if we are eating something messy we always bring out the shirt bib!