Our fourth little guy turns 1 this week (how?!) and now that we’ve seen four babies through months 0-12, I think it’s time to update my ultimate baby essentials list! These are the baby registry items we’ve used and loved with four babies now, additional purchases I made in my first year of motherhood, items we’ve purchased in multiples as we’ve had more children, and notes on items I would swap or skip entirely. It’s a lengthy post but I really hope it’s helpful for anyone who’s expecting — please feel free to pass along to any moms-to-be in your life!
*photo from my UPPAbaby stroller review
BABY GEAR WE LOVE
- UPPAbaby Vista stroller — I get so nostalgic when I see a mom pushing this as a single stroller with the bassinet attachment — just the best! We now have ours set up as a double stroller with the toddler and rumble seats — it’s not lightweight but I love how heavy-duty the wheels are for walks around the neighborhood or on Nantucket. Read my full review here.
- UPPAbaby Vista stroller organizer — a no-brainer for bottles, pacifiers, and your own cup of coffee.
- Backseat mirror — love and have one for each carseat in each of our cars.
- Artipoppe Zeitgeist denim baby carrier — I splurged on this baby carrier to wear our fourth baby after a girlfriend was raving about hers and my only regret was not having it for our first three. It’s an investment but the shoulder and waist support distribute the baby’s weight much more comfortably for me than the shoulders-only carrier below (and it doesn’t hurt that I think the denim is super chic!).
- Babybjorn multi-position baby carrier — the baby carrier I used with our first, second, and third and still my husband’s preferred carrier for our fourth.
- 7 A.M. Enfant foot muf — an insanely warm baby cocoon for the stroller, only necessary if you live somewhere with freezing winters.
- Lotus travel crib — a baby registry item with our first that we now own two of for family travel.
- Babybjorn bouncer — an absolute godsend for months 0-6.
- Lovevery play gym — the least ugly play mat I could find and one I’ve given as a gift several times. I’d love to know how many hours of tummy time I’ve logged on this across four babies!
- Skip Hop jumper — a daily favorite from ages 4-12 months.
BABY GEAR I WOULD CHANGE OR SKIP
- UPPAbaby Mesa car seat — This was our infant car seat with our first (helpful for toting them to and from those frequent pediatrician appointments early on) but we’ve sinced upgraded to Nuna Rava carseats across the board.
- UPPAbaby Vista and Mesa travel bags — the Vista stroller is ideal for your home-base stroller but would be a pain to fly with. We ultimately bought the Doona for this purpose with babies 0-15 months or so as well as a double travel stroller that folds up much more compactly.
- Halo Bassinest — I ordered this for our first baby and ultimately moved our babies to their own room with the door open around 6 weeks, so we could have just used the bassinet attachment from the Uppababy stroller in those early days and skipped the huge footprint of this dedicated bassinet. Personal preference of course, but definitely something I wish we’d skipped and saved on.
- Jolly Jumper — this thing has an enormous footprint (we should have gone with the doorway version if anything), annoying to get the baby in and out of, and was no more interesting to any of our babies than the Skip Hop jumper above. I think this went to Goodwill sometime after our second was born because it took up so much space for something being used so infrequently.
- UPPAbaby Mamaroo smart swing — I ordered this out of desperation after watching Teddy peacefully drift off to sleep in it at a friend’s house and it was an impulse buy I regret as it never became a daily staple with our first, second, or third, so this too went to Goodwill.
*photo from my toddler travel gear packing list
ADDITIONAL BABY GEAR WE PURCHASED OVER TIME
- Doona travel stroller and car seat — truly a game-changer for traveling with a baby. I personally don’t feel like it’s as sturdy as the UPPAbaby Mesa or the Nuna Rava as an everyday car seat, but for travel this combination stroller / car seat is an absolute dream.
- UPPAbaby double travel stroller — we previously used the Babyzen Yoyo2 stroller and it’s great for one child, but if you have little kids close in age, a double travel stroller is a purchase you’ll never regret.
- 4moms high chair — the high chair we’ve used with all four of our babies. It cleans well and has held up beautifully — no complaints! Sadly it looks like they no longer make our specific high chair, but this looks similar.
- SlumberPod — another desperate purchase that we now own two of for family travel. 10/10 recommend if you’re traveling with a baby or toddler!
- Doona trike — a fun purchase for cruising around the neighborhood starting around 12 months.
- Wonderfold wagon — Our friends brought this to the Bronx Zoo for a day with five boys under the age of 5 and it was a godsend. I ordered one to keep at my parents’ house on Nantucket and we love it for walks to the playground and coffee shop with our crew! Definitely not necessary unless you have 3 or 4 kids pretty close in age, but we’ve gotten great use out of ours.
- Nuna Rava car seats — Slowly purchased in multiples over several years and think they’re the sturdiest, best-looking car seats on the market.
*photo from our nursery
NURSING/FEEDING GEAR I LOVED
- Spectra S1 breast pump — The pump I used with all four babies, typically once in the middle of the night while my husband gave the baby a bottle of the previous night’s pumped milk so we could freeze whatever was left over. I added the Elvie hands-free pump with our second and third but the output isn’t quite as good as the Spectra and given I was mostly pumping in the middle of the night and didn’t need to be hands-free, I could have gotten away with just the Spectra.
- Comotomo baby bottles in 5 ounces and 8 ounces — the only bottles we’ve used across four babies outside of the tiny Spectra bottles for newborns that come with the pump.
- Boon lawn bottle drying rack (we have it in white)
- Gerber cloth diapers to use as burp cloths
- Plain white bibs and silicone food catcher bibs
- Milk Snob multi-use car seat and nursing cover — I rarely breastfed in public but loved this as a car seat cover.
NURSING/FEEDING GEAR I WOULD CHANGE OR SKIP
- Luna Lullaby nursing pillow — I never got the hang of or need for a nursing pillow. A regular bed or throw pillow always did the trick in a pinch, but generally I’ve always found it more comfortable to nurse sitting upright in the armchair in our nursery
*photo from our nursery
BATHING GEAR WE LOVED
- Angelcare infant bath tub — we’ve used this with all four of our babies both in the kitchen sink and the regular tub. We’ve more than gotten our money’s worth!
- Skip Hop rinser cup
- Noodle & Boo hair and body wash — the baby shampoo I always come back to. The smell is heaven! I started buying the matching room spray this year and it’s equally divine.
- Wooden baby hair brush and comb set
- Weezie hooded towel
BATHING GEAR I WOULD CHANGE OR SKIP
- Munchkin safety bath ducky — I think you get an instinct pretty quickly for your baby’s ideal water temperature, but this is an inexpensive purchase if it’s something you’re really worried about.
*photo of Teddy at one month
DIAPERING GEAR WE LOVED
DIAPERING GEAR I WOULD CHANGE OR SKIP
- Tote Savvy diaper bag insert — I ordered and returned these; they just felt too fussy for the very simple diaper bag set-up we wound up using but totally personal preference.
DIAPERING GEAR WE PURCHASED OVER TIME
- Tubby Todd all over ointment — I discovered this when Teddy was a baby and have probably ordered dozens of jars since to clear up everything from baby acne to diaper rash. Highly recommend for sensitive skin!
*photo from our nursery
SLEEPING GEAR WE LOVED
- Newton Baby crib mattress — we have two of these and I love that you can wash the entire thing (not just the cover which zips off but the actual mattress core which can be rinsed in the tub or shower!)
- Nanit Pro baby monitor — we have three of these and love that the app lets you toggle seamlessly between rooms. I feel like every single one of my mom friends uses these monitors — simply the best!
- Hatch Baby sound machine — we also have three of these and while I miss the simpler version we bought for our first, the new model has a clock and a ready to-wake light that’s been helpful as our children have gotten older.
- Canopy humidifier — a necessity we own in multiples now that our kids are constantly bringing home new germs from school.
- Halo sleep sacks — my very favorite for the first few months.
- Baby Merlin magic sleepsuit — the purchase that’s seen us through four 4- month sleep regressions now. It’s only useful for a short period of time, but for transitioning out of the swaddle, it works!
- Quince sleep sacks — a super soft new discovery that I introduced when our fourth baby Rory was around 8 months — I love that they come in different weights for different seasons.
HEALTH & SAFETY GEAR WE LOVED
- Fridababy baby basics kit — I’m a huge Fridababy fan for all things baby and postpartum recovery.
HEALTH & SAFETY GEAR I WOULD CHANGE OR SKIP
- Braun digital forehead thermometer — I was nervous about using a rectal thermometer at first but ultimately found it more reliable for a tiny baby.
- American Red Cross deluxe health and grooming kit — the Fridababy kit above covered the essentials so this wound up being superfluous.
*photo from our nursery
ITEMS WE PURCHASED IN DUPLICATES BEFORE BABY #2
I so hope this is helpful for those of you who are expecting!!! I’ll link a few similar posts here that might be helpful as you enter the home stretch:
- My postpartum recovery essentials + most useful items in my hospital bag with our first baby
- My breastfeeding experience + essentials with our first baby
- Our nursery reveal
- Our diaper bag system
- Our toddler travel gear packing list