Baby Essentials

A few people have asked about what products and baby items have been most helpful or needed during these first few weeks. I thought I would share what we are using most frequently so far:

Graco Snugride Car Seat: This car seat is so easy to adjust and get Adeline in and out of.  It has great head support and a nice big canopy to block the sun.  Adeline seems to enjoy riding in it! (Thanks Great-Grammie and Grandad Banta!)


Baby Trend Snap-n-go Stroller: We use this daily.  We take it on walks around the neighborhood, to the grocery store, to the mall... everywhere.  The basket underneath is large enough to fit groceries, so no need for a grocery cart unless I am really stocking up. (Thanks Aunt Lisa, Uncle Larry, Kalie, and Jackson!)

Vibrating/ Bouncy seat: We got this at a garage sale for $18 and we love it.  We don't have a swing or bassinet downstairs, so this stays on our coffee table in the living room.  Adeline occasionally naps in it, but we primarily use it as a safe place to put her while we eat dinner, watch TV, etc.  We occasionally use the vibrating feature, but most of the time we just keep it stationary.



swaddling blankets: Adeline is swaddled every night, and sleeps much more soundly when she's swaddled. These muslin blankets are the perfect weight for summer.


Graco pack-n-play: We keep this in our room and Adeline sleeps in it every night.  We plan to move her to the crib in her room once she's a little older.  I really like the built-in changing table and diaper caddy.  It makes the middle-of-the-night diaper changes much easier.  (Thanks Hanover Inpatient Therapists!)

Pampers Swaddlers: These are the diapers they used in the NICU and we've continued with them.  They work well for us and very rarely leak. Recently, I discovered diapers.com and they have great deals on diapers with free 1-2 day shipping!


Vera Bradley Diaper Bag: This bag is the perfect size for all the necessities, and is really cute! (Thanks Aunt Joy, Uncle Michael, Jamie and Tyler!)



Nuk Milk Storage Bags: Our freezer is currently stocked with hundreds of these - literally.  This is the most space-saving way to store milk in the freezer and label it clearly.

Bottles and Nipples:  Right now, Adeline drinks 2-2.5oz per feeding. We use these small bottles. Soon we will transition to larger bottles but I'm not sure what brand we will decide to use.  Either way, the more bottles and nipples, the better.  We find that we are constantly washing them, although we have about 12 of them.



Drying Rack: As I mentioned, we are constantly washing bottles and nipples.  Before we bought this drying rack, our counter top was a mess. This is a necessity if you are bottle feeding.


I will do another post like this in a few months with the baby essentials for a 6-month old baby.