Baby Product Recommendations

My list of the most essential baby products after having four babies

Here is my sweet fourth baby, Lucy

After having my fourth baby, I feel like I finally have a good idea of what baby products are truly essential and I wanted to get these recommendations out to you while they are still fresh in my head! Because Parenting Translator is a non-profit organization, you can rest assured that none of these items are sponsored or even gifted, but solely based on my own personal experience. Please let me know in the comments if you would add, remove, or change anything!

1. Skin-to-skin shirt: Research finds so many benefits of skin-to-skin care both for the baby and the mother (see here for a research review). However, I realized after having my first child that skin-to-skin care was more difficult in practice than it seemed in the research studies. Was I really supposed to lie around topless all day with milk just dripping everywhere and constantly take my baby in and out of her onsie?!? Then I quickly discovered skin-to-skin shirts— these are shirts that double as a skin-to-skin baby carrier and allow you to easily slip your baby in and out of them as you go about your day. I wear these constantly in the early postpartum period and just tuck my baby into them like a kangaroo pouch. These shirts also allow you to be handsfree and do skin-to-skin while doing stuff around the house, caring for other children, going for a walk, writing a newsletter, etc. I love the Moby Skin-to-Skin shirt because it doubles as a maternity shirt, holds the baby well, and doesn’t look too weird if you wear it without the baby in it.

2. Baby carrier: As my baby outgrows the skin-to-skin carrier (and I am leaving the house more often— aka do not want to always wear a shirt that doubles as a baby carrier), I move on to using the Solly Baby Wrap and then the Ergo 360 carrier. I tend to use the Solly Wrap when the baby is under 2 months and the Ergo 360 when the baby is older than 2 months. If you only have it in your budget to buy one carrier, I would suggest the Ergo 360 carrier. This carrier is comfortable and easy on your back and also allows for the baby to be carried in a lot of different positions (facing toward you or away from you and on your front or on your back). I initially bought the Baby Bjorn carrier with my first child because I preferred the look of this to the Ergo but developed significant back pain with this carrier (However, she would only sleep on me so I had her in the carrier constantly— if you use it less frequently, you may be fine).

3. Hatch nightlight/white noise machine: This nightlight doubles as a white noise machine (that plays nearly any type of white noise you would like) and an okay-to-wake clock (something that you will definitely want as your child enters the toddler years). You can also control it from your phone so when you have a middle-of-the-night panic that the white noise is too loud you can turn it down without disturbing your child. If you are worried about whether white noise might be harmful for your infant, check out the research here.

4. My Breast Friend breastfeeding pillow: This is a breastfeeding pillow that I vastly prefer to the Boppy pillow. It can attach around your waist with a clip so it doesn’t fall down— this is ideal for a smaller baby who needs to be propped up higher. Because it is clipped on, you can also walk around while breastfeeding if necessary (a feature you will definitely want to use if you have a toddler at the same time or if you need to get yourself a snack!). It also has a head rest for the baby and even a pocket for your cell phone or another small item (nipple shield, snacks, etc).

5. Foam changing pad: A waterproof foam changing pad like this one is such a game-changer. You can wipe it clean without having to change the changing pad cover which is a huge time-saver, particularly in the early days of diaper blow-outs.

6. Magnetic onsies and newborn gowns: Magnetic onesies almost seem too good to be true but they aren’t! These onesies have magnets instead of buttons and snaps and, while it may seem unnecessary before you have a baby, every second of extra sleep this could get you in the middle of the night is worth it. I just bought this one and think it is so cute!

7. Boudreaux’s butt paste: I love the Boudreaux’s butt paste for preventing and treating diaper rash. In my experience, it heals diaper rash faster than other brands. However, as much as I love this brand, it is also nice to have a spray diaper cream, which is especially great when you are in a rush.

8. Ubbi diaper pail: This diaper pail doesn’t look hideous, helps to hide the smell, and is easy to get diapers out to throw them away (so much easy than the Diaper Genie in my opinion)!

9. Hakaa Breast Pump: This little miracle worker is one of the best inventions in the world of baby products. Basically what you do is attach it to the nipple that you are not breastfeeding the baby on and it collects all of the milk that would otherwise have gone to waste or lost to your disposable breast pad. You can use this device to create a milk supply without any extra time spent pumping (and far fewer parts to clean)! It is also great for relieving engorgement.

10. Baby bathtub: My favorite baby bathtub is the Puj Tub. It fits easily into any sink and can fold flat for storage. There is nothing cuter than a sink bath and this tub makes it easy!

11. Black-and-white books: Newborns love contrasting images and their perception of colors is limited. For this reason, they love black-and-white books. Research finds it is never too early start reading books and black-and-white books are a great first option. I love this one and this series.

12. Piyo piyo nail scissors: I remember being terrified to clip my newborn’s nails for the first time and these nail scissors made it so much easier. I have also continued using them with my older children’s nails so definitely worth buying!

13. Frida mom snot sucker: It’s best not to think too much about this snot sucker works but trust me when I say you need this product. It is so much easier and more effective than the bulb syringe.

14. Babyzen YoYo stroller: If you only get one stroller, I would recommend the BabyZen Yoyo. It is super lightweight and easy for travel yet still very easy to maneuver (you can push it with one hand!). You can buy it with a bassinet for younger babies or turn it into a double stroller if you have more kids. A more affordable option is the Baby Jogger City Tour.

15. Water wipes: My first baby was born slightly premature so she had very sensitive skin. The doctors advised that I always use a cotton ball with water instead of wipes (which typically have ingredients that might be too harsh for sensitive skin). After doing this for a month, I was sick of the hassle of getting a wet cotton ball and started using Water Wipes. I found that these were just as good for her sensitive skin and much less hassle. I have continued using them with my babies and feel like they are the most “natural” wipe option out there.

Let me know if the comments what baby products you have found to be indispensable! And forward this list to anyone you know who is pregnant or newly postpartum… they might be interested in subscribing to the newsletter too! ;)

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Welcome to the Parenting Translator newsletter! I am Dr. Cara Goodwin, a licensed psychologist with a PhD in child psychology and mother to four children (currently a newborn, 3-year-old, 5-year-old, and 8-year-old). I specialize in taking all of the research that is out there related to parenting and child development and turning it into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful for parents! I recently turned these efforts into a non-profit organization since I believe that all parents deserve access to unbiased and free information. This means that I am only here to help YOU as a parent so please send along any feedback, topic suggestions, or questions that you have! You can also find me on Instagram @parentingtranslator, on TikTok @parentingtranslator, and my website (www.parentingtranslator.com).

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