One of the most common questions you guys have asked me in the motherhood department lately is what baby gear I’m using and loving. It’s funny, with Elin (like most first-time mom’s do) I over bought and had about every gadget you could imagine. I saved almost everything so when we got pregnant with Lila I went through an embarrassing amount of storage bins—everything from clothes and bottles to bouncy seats and toys—and ended up keeping about only 40% of it. Here is what we have been loving/using (new and old) that I would recommend to any new moms out there. Would love to hear your thoughts if I missed any good ones!
On the go
Ironically, we haven’t been on the go too much (quarantine life) but there is an amazing park near our house where Elin can ride her scooter and I can walk with Lila in the stroller. We have the Uppababy Vista and use the Nuna car seat (which is really lightweight) and we love both—Elin’s a huge fan of the piggyback board. We also planned on getting the Doona stroller for any travel but it’s not looking like that’s happening anytime soon for us. I hear amazing things about it though! We also got a Veer wagon for beach days and Farmer’s Market runs that we literally just put together over the weekend, super excited to put it to use!
Carriers
I love wearing my babies so this was one area I felt improved a lot since I had Elin. Slings/carriers are ten times easier and come in some really beautiful materials/patterns. I discovered a few brands that I really love—Artipoppe, Wildbird and Sakara Bloom. So far I’ve used my denim Artipoppe carrier the most.
Nursery/at home
You can watch the IGTV Room Tour of Lila’s Nursery and get all the details of her room in the Nursery Tour blog post, but here are some essentials I’ve been loving aside from our Restoration hardware crib and furniture. A Jenni Kayne sheepskin rug to lay Lila down on, this wooden baby gym with these Cam Cam Peacock toys, the Baby Bjorn bouncer (using the same one we had with Elin), Dohm sound machine, and a Halo Bassinet that we borrowed from a friend and used next to our bed for the first month. Overall this time around I’ve found so many more baby products that work with our home aesthetic—like our Lalo high chair we plan on using when Lila gets older. I also bought a few neutral/pretty burp clothes from Hauptli Haus Kids and La Petite Leone on Etsy, might as well get pretty ones since they go everywhere with you! For the bath we borrowed a boon bathtub and I bought this sponge to go in it. My trick for keeping her happy during bath time is to always have a washcloth soaked in warm water on her chest.
Diaper Bag
Really you can use any bag, but I found this leather backpack from Parker Clay that is made with mom’s in mind yet doesn’t scream diaper bag. Also for any adventures with Elin a backpack is ten times easier. I also have a Béis bag that is a little dressier and incredibly organized inside with anything you would need a compartment for. I love their mesh pouches that make it easier to see what’s inside. I also love this Skip Hop foldable changing pad that we keep in the back of the car for an easy diaper change set up.
Overall this second time around has definitely felt easier, simpler and easier in terms of finding stylish baby essentials. You don’t need much but the right things can really make a difference. Would love to hear if there’s one or two things you found the most useful for the first year.
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Photograph by Sara Prince.
