Scarlett Pannebaker

I have gotten several emails from readers (and friends who are becoming first time moms in a matter of months. Not to mention my 2 college roommates...one had her first baby 2 weeks ago & the one who lives in Boston is in labor as I type!!!) are asking me what some of my "must haves" are for a new baby.

And, I have gotten some emails about what isn't necessary.

After having 3 babies, I have definitely figured out what works for me (and baby) during the first year. Today's post will focus on my Favorite Products for the Newborn-3 month stage. 

I am a minimalist and don't like a lot of stuff. These are things I couldn't live without!

 Pack N Play We had our babies sleep in our room for the first 3 months. I liked this Pack & Play because it has a built in changing table & diaper storage on it. Made those middle of the night changings SO much easier. It has music & sound built in which helped soothe our babies to sleep when they were fussy.  A lot of my friends loved this co-sleeper, but we decided to go for the pack & play because we knew we would get more use out of it. We use the pack & play when we travel!

 Piddle Pads You can never have too many of these. Seriously. I use them in the pack n play, crib, changing pad, downstairs for diaper changes and I keep one in my car. These come in handy those first few months when the baby blows out diapers all the time. I would have these under the baby so that if they had a major blowout, I would just toss the piddle pad in the wash instead of having wash the sheets, etc.

 Disposable Nursing Pads The Lansinoh brand is the best in my opinion. They stay put and are super absorbent. I go through TONS of these.

Swaddle Me These are the BEST. My kids slept in swaddle me's for the first 3 months of their lives. Kept them nice & cozy.

Nursing Bras (that you can sleep in) These are so comfortable. I wore them toward the end of my pregnancy as the "ladies" got larger. And, 8 months post partum I still sleep wearing one (since I am still nursing)

 Boppy

I had a boppy and a my breast friend with Kate (one for upstairs, one for downstairs) I liked the Boppy better, it was easier to use & more comfortable. And, I got more use out of the Boppy because I used it as support when the baby is learning to sit up.  I tell everyone...bring the Boppy to the hospital when you are having the baby! So nice to have it there when you are learning to nurse the baby.

Boppy Head Support for Car Seat. Kate had a case of flat head. She didn't have to wear a helmet, but she was monitored. When she was 1 month old I bought this boppy head support for her car seat to give it more cushion. Then I bought a 2nd one to put in her swing. Her flat head went away within a month.

 Fisher Price Bath Tub  Love this tub because it isn't too big and because it comes with the mesh insert for newborns.

 Pottery Barn Kids Critter Wrap Is there anything cuter than a baby wearing a hooded animal towel? I think not. I love the PBK ones because they hold up well and are cozy. And, I am a sucker for getting things personalized, so I love that! I love PBK hooded towels so much that the I got the girls these ones once they out grew the baby ones. We have had them for almost 4 years and they are not worn out at all!!

Snap and Go Stroller I could not live without this. The girls were in their infant seats for 1 year, so this snap & go stroller was a lifesaver. It is light, easy to open & close and has TONS of storage on the bottom for when you are shopping or out & about.  I tell all new moms to get a Snap & Go rather than a convertible bulky stroller.

 Peutina Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag With Luke, I don't have a diaper bag, I use a ziplock bag. But with Kate I splurged and got a peutina pickle bottom diaper bag. I used it with Claire also. Mine was pink, so I didn't use it with Luke and didn't want to buy another one. I loved this bag because it stored a ton and had an adjustable strap that easily hooks onto your stroller. I am loving all the fun patterns they have out now.

Graco Snug Ride 30 I LOVE this infant seat. This is the one I have for Luke. I like the color (black and gray, gender neutral) I gave away the one I used for the girls (same brand, different design) I was debating between the one I got and the Snug Ride 35. SO glad I got the Snug Ride 30. It is light. My sister has the Snug Ride 35 for Jack and it is SO heavy. Like, ridiculously heavy (And, more $) She has already asked if she can have Luke's car seat when we are done with it becuase she is getting rid of her Snug Ride 35.

Medela Pump in Style This is my best friend. I hang out with her every lunch period. I can't say enough about this pump. It gets A LOT of use. It has never broken and it works so well. Being a working mom, this is the pump for you. Every single teacher at my school who is a nursing mom has used this pump. It's the best! The parts are easy to clean and the black bag it comes in is great. Love, love, love.

 First Favorites from Baby Gap
All 3 of our kids' coming home from the hospital outfits were these Gap sleepers. Pink for the girls & blue and white striped for Luke. SO soft. Love this line from Baby Gap.

 Aden and Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets These blankets weren't around when Kate was born.  But, they came out when I was pregnant with Claire. They are AWESOME. They are light weight, but they are big. I don't use a hooter hider, I just used one of these blankets to cover up when nursing in public. I also love how even though they are big, they fold up small. Claire & Luke were both summer babies, so these blankets were awesome.

 Fisher-Price Dream Swing Hands down, best swing ever.  This swing worked magic for my kids. All 3 loved it. And, I loved it because it didn't suck up batteries. The batteries lasted over 5 months in this swing (and it got a LOT of use!)

Comfort & Harmony Cradling Bouncer

This swing comes in cream, pink and blue. A friend gave us the pink one when I had Claire and another friend gave us her blue one when I had Luke. Again, super cozy bouncer that got a lot of use. Luke slept in this bouncer many a night when he was first born & fussy. He like the vibrations & soft music it played. This was a life saver! And, a sanity saver!

So there are my "Must Haves" for the first 3 months of your babies life.
{The next part will be Must Have Baby Products for Months 4-6}
A few things I never used were a bottle warmer, wipes warmer or Diaper Genie.
Those weren't necessary (in my opinion!) For diapers, we just run them straight outside to the trash.
(In the middle of the night, we would just put them in a plastic bag & take them out the next day)
Does your list look like mine? Is there anything you would add to this list?