Baby Shopping Guide For First Time Moms – Part 3

Hello, and welcome back to my Baby Shopping Guide For First Time Moms!

This Guide is in 3 parts: 

1. Five Baby Shopping Tips For First Time Moms
2. Newborn Essentials Checklist 
3. Nice To Have Baby Items To Put On Your Wishlist

This post is part 3. I will be sharing 8 of our favorite baby products which you might want to add to your wishlist.

As always, I have linked all the products mentioned to the shop where we bought them. Some of those links may be affiliate links, you can read more about that at the bottom of this post. 

Let’s get started! 

1. Mamaroo

At some point in your pregnancy, you are bound to hear about this product. The wonderful Mamaroo by 4Moms. 

For those of you who haven’t heard about it yet, I’ll give you a brief overview. 

It’s basically an infant seat which can be used from birth until your child is old enough to try and climb out. 

The seat moves in 5 different motions to mimic the more natural way a mother does when comforting her baby. 

Other features include:

• 5 different speeds
• Recline positions
• Built in white noise machine
• The ability to connect your mp3 device to play music through the built in speaker
• Bluetooth enabled so you can control it with an app on your phone 

I heard about it when I was pregnant with my first child. I recall my exact words were “I don’t need a machine to hold my baby, I’ll do that.” 

Let’s all take a moment to laugh about that. 

Giggles over? Right, let’s continue. 

Once Gideon was born it became very clear that he did not like being put down. Not for one second. He would only sleep in my arms, and newborns sleep like 21 hours a day. So he was permanently attached to me in the wrap or on my chest. 

Don’t get me wrong, I loved that special closeness. However, there are certain things you just cannot do while holding your newborn. 

Fast forward to 3 months after Gideon was born and we eventually caved. We received an Amazon gift voucher and decided to use the money to invest in that extra pair of “machine hands”. 

My only regret with the Mamaroo was not buying it sooner for Gideon. We probably would have benefited from it the most in the first 3 months. However Gideon still ended up using it until he was about 8 months old and he loved it.

We were also able to use it with Christopher so we definitely got our money’s worth. 

A few things about the Mamaroo that you should be aware of:

• The toy bar is very basic and flimsy. Once the boys were old enough to reach it they would pull onto it and eventually it broke.
• The speakers are not so great. They are good for white noise, but if you plug in your MP3 player the sound is very average. 

We were aware of these two points before we purchased the Mamaroo after reading reviews. However, we still bought it because it wasn’t a deal breaker for us. I highly recommend it for giving you some extra time to get things done around the house. It’s useful for daytime naps but it’s not a safe place for your baby to sleep overnight.

2. Infant Scale 

We bought an infant scale out of necessity because we were concerned about Gideon’s weight gain. I think having an infant scale is such a huge advantage! 

As a breastfeeding mom, there’s no way of telling how much your baby is drinking just by looking. Often moms worry that their babies are latching but there’s no milk coming out. 

That’s where the scale comes in! 

One gram (g) of weight is equal to 1 milliliter (ml) of milk. So you simply put your baby (fully clothed) on the scale right before you feed them. Then weigh them again directly after a feed (before changing their diaper). The difference in weight will tell you exactly how many ml they drank. So if your baby is 20g heavier after a feeding, then you know they drank 20ml. 

This is called test weighing and if you are interested, you can read more about it here. 

Of course it’s not always necessary to know exactly how much your baby is drinking. If they are happy and content after drinking and are growing well, there is no need to do this. But often times this information can be very valuable to know. 

What’s also nice about having your own infant scale is that you can track your baby’s growth at home. You don’t need to wait till their next pediatrician appointment. 

3. Nattou Octopus 

Okay this little fluffy guy is just way too cool. I did not have the Nattou Octopus with my kids, so I cannot give you a proper review. However, after learning about this product, it is officially the gift I will be giving to all of my pregnant mommy friends. And if I ever have another baby of my own, this is number one on my list of things to buy. 

This is why I think it is so darn cool, it is an octopus with tentacles which are designed to feel just like your umbilical cord. Babies love to hold onto the cord in the womb so it provides them with comfort. 

Maybe that’s just the sentimentalist in me who thinks this item is so incredible. Either way, it’s totally worth checking out! Even if your baby doesn’t make that connection with being in the womb, you still have a cute stuffed animal for the nursery. 

4. Diaper Caddy 

A diaper caddy is incredibly useful if you have a big house or a house with a lot of stairs. Keeping all your diapering essentials at the changing table means that every time you need to change your baby’s diaper it will be a long commute.  

Having a little caddy with some diapers and wipes will help to make your life much easier. You can also put other small items in here which you need to carry from room to room when your hands are full.

5. Haakaa 

The Haakaa Manual Breast Pump is an amazing product which I think every breastfeeding mom should have. I didn’t put it on my Essentials List because I don’t think it replaces an electric breast pump. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredibly useful product. 

Whenever I breastfed my baby (for the first few months) while my baby was drinking on one side, the milk would just pour out on the other side. Not only does that liquid gold go to waste, but it’s a big mess too. 

All you do is attach the Haakaa to the breast you are not feeding on while you breastfeed your baby on the other side. Not only will the Haakaa catch all that extra milk but the stimulation will actually help you express more milk into the Haakaa. Often it will be enough so you can store that milk and either freeze it or give it to your baby later. 

It’s one piece which also means no bulky cords, you can use it anywhere and cleaning it is a breeze!

6. Pockit+ All City Compact Stroller

We bought the Pockit stroller for a holiday we went on when Gideon was one year old. Both my husband and I agreed it was the best purchase ever! 

I have it on this list for newborns because one can attach an infant car seat and there is a bassinet attachment which can be used from birth (it also folds up really small). These parts are all sold separately. As far as I know it doesn’t come in a set. If you plan on travelling a lot with your newborn, these extras will be well worth it.

We love this stroller for traveling because it folds up so small that you can take it on the plane as hand luggage. So you don’t have to gate check a stroller, or use one of the airport strollers. You can use your own stroller and push your baby right onto the airplane. 

It’s also super handy for when you have reached your destination. As soon as you get off the plane you can put your baby in the stroller. You don’t need to wait ages at baggage claim. 

I also really like that we can leave our big stroller at home when we go on holiday. Not only is it much easier getting into a taxi with a small collapsible stroller, but you don’t risk damaging your main stroller by sending it with the luggage on the plane that gets thrown around. 

I still keep this stroller in my car because it takes up very little space and whenever I need it, it’s there. 

In the future, if you have another baby, the folded Pockit can fit into the basket of a regular stroller. Your older toddler can walk around while your baby is in the big stroller. Then when your toddler gets tired you have an extra stroller ready to go. This is useful when out and about with someone else who can push an extra stroller. We did this a lot with our boys. 

7. Baby Einstein Aquarium

The Baby Einstein Aquarium is such a hit in our home. As I’m typing this, I can hear the music from the aquarium playing in the next room. So it’s another item which will last you years after the newborn stage is over. You can tell I like products which have a long lifespan! #gettingyourmoneysworth.

It’s basically a “toy” that plays soothing music which gets your little one to sleep. It can play ocean sounds too and creates lights which make it look like water is moving.

It has friendly little sea animals which move around and a light which starts off bright and slowly fades as the music plays. The music also gets slower and softer until it eventually stops after about 30 minutes. 

It has a remote control so you can can operate it from a distance. There is also a giant button on the actual aquarium so your older child can switch it on themselves. 

It can be attached to a crib or rest on its own on a shelf.

8. First Year Milestone Cards 

So here we are at number 8, Milestone Cards for your baby’s first year. I am a huge fan of these! They make such a beautiful accessory to highlight the milestones in your baby’s life. 

These printable Milestone Cards for Baby’s First Year are available at my Etsy shop Peony Printables. I have created a special discount code for my readers. Use the code AMIBLOG70 to get 70% off these cards!

Because these cards are in digital format you have the option to print them on any paper you like. Just make sure before you click print, to select the “fit to page” option so that the printer doesn’t cut off any sides.

You can go the traditional route and print on card stock, which is what I did in the photos. To be honest I didn’t even know my old printer was capable of printing on anything other than copy paper. So I was pleasantly surprised! I cut them out and then used a corner cutter to round off the edges. 

Another option is to print these on sticker paper. You can then cut them out and stick them on your baby’s onesie for the pictures. 

You can also use them for digital scrapbooking. I’m going to use them this way, seeing as my boys are both already older than one year. 

Another great tip is to write the dates on the back of the cards. This will help you to remember the exact day your baby achieved the milestone. 

However you choose to use them, I hope they bring you joy! 

Of course, I would absolutely love to see the sweet pictures of your little ones. If you like, you can tag me on Instagram or send me a message with how you’ve decided to use these cards! 

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I must be honest, I’m a little sad that this series has already come to an end. As I have mentioned before, I absolutely love talking about baby products! I really hope that you enjoyed this series and that it was helpful for you. I have many more exciting posts planned, so stay tuned!

Let me know in the comments which product you are most excited to use for your baby!

Sincerely,