Top 10 Baby Products for the First Year of Life

Recently, I seem to have many friends and relatives delivering new babies. All the pregnancies around me reminded me that people often ask what items are needed the first year. Obviously, this is a subjective list, but hopefully others will find it helpful.

1. A Comfortable Rocker-Recliner

During the first year, you spend a ton of time holding your baby. They love being held and rocked. We invested in a nice Best Chair rocker when my first daughter was born and it came in handy with my second daughter, too. I've slept in our chair many nights and we still use it daily. Best Chair allows you to customize your chair to your liking in various prints and patterns. You can find them sold online from various companies, but I think it's best to find a local company first to go sit in some chairs till you find one that you like.

2. Summer Infant SwaddleMe Wraps

During the first few months, babies often wake themselves up because of the Moro Reflex. Swaddling them often helps them sleep a bit better. As a new parent, you will do anything to get your child to sleep! You can find SwaddleMes everywhere from BabiesRUs to Amazon.

3. Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit

I found out about these sleep suits after my second child was born. I wish I had known about them with my first daughter! They are designed for your child to wear after swaddling, but before blankets. They still inhibit their movement a bit. My second daughter was a much better sleeper than my first daughter. It may have been a coincidence, but I still think these suits are great! Check out their website here. If you decide to try them, make sure to look on Facebook on their page. They used to post discount codes there.

4. Halo Sleep Sacks

You are sensing a theme here, right? Sleep is very important to new parents. These sacks are great. I still use them with my 2-year old, though now she wears ones with feet holes. They even sell some with the swaddling feature built into the sack. Check out their website. You can buy them on Amazon or BabiesRUs.

5. Fisher Price Swing

Before I had kids, I researched products quite thoroughly. I decided I wanted to have my daughter near me in the room at first. I went out and bought a co-sleeper bassinett. Guess what. Neither girl liked it or would sleep in it. Both girls would sleep in their swing. If it weren't for that swing, I don't know what we would have done for the first several months of both girl's lives. Fisher Price has a nice selection. We had the My Little Lamb Swing, though I would probably buy the Snugabunny now.

6. My Brest Friend Pillow

Everyone knows about the Bobby. I had never heard of this pillow for nursing. I tried it out at my lactation consultant's office and I was hooked. It stays hooked around your waist and is much more secure than the Boppy. I used it with both girls up until I weaned each girl at a year of age. They even make an inflatable one for travel! Check out their website.

7. Medela Freestyle Pump

I used this pump with both girls and my sister is now using it with her second child. It's small and has a lot of power. It doesn't need to be plugged in to work, which is great for when you don't have an outlet. If you are a working mom, then you need a good pump. I think this is the best one you can buy, though probably the most expensive. However, it's now being used for baby #3, so it has been well worth the price. You can find it on Amazon.

8. Quick Zip Crib Sheet

I first read about these crib sheets in the book Baby Bargains. As you can briefly see from the picture, the top part zips off, making it much easier to change the crib sheet. Although they come in limited colors, they are great! Check out their website.

9. Nursing Tank Tops

I lived in nursing tanks while breastfeeding. There are several makers, but the two I liked best were made by Bravado and Target. I would usually wear one to work underneath another shirt and then take the top shirt off and sleep in the tank that night! 

10. A Dresser Changing Table

My husband and I went back and forth as to whether we wanted a changing table. I asked friends on Facebook and on message boards. The thing that swayed me in the favor of a changing table was the reasoning that my daughter was going to need a dresser for her clothing anyway. Why not get one with the changing table option? My husband and I both agree that it was the right choice. The above changing table is from a website online. It's made by Pali and is the one that we have. Since my 2-year old is not yet fully potty trained, we are definitely getting our use out of it:)

Hope you have found this post helpful. Maybe I'll write another post about the best products for toddlers when my kids are a little older.