When you discover you’re growing a tiny divine being inside your belly, at some point your attention will inevitably turn towards the ‘stuff.’
The pram. The nursery decor. The teeny outfits.
The potential to go overboard with the research and the consumption is high, which is where good, trusty recommendations come in to make life a little easier.
I hope this collection of products we love and use regularly with our sweet man helps you out as you yourself enter the wonderful world of parenthood (or the next time you need to purchase a gift for someone who is.)
CARRIERS + WRAPS ::
Comfy, cosy, convenient, and keeps your babe close to your heart — what’s not to love about baby carriers?
We’ve got a couple of carriers that we mix up:
+ The Ergobaby 360 with the Infant insert (important bit) — for longer walks. Super sturdy and supportive, bears the baby’s weight extraordinarily well, and for a dodgy-right-shouldered woman like me, doesn’t cause any discomfort.
+ The Chekoh wrap — for wandering over to the beach and trips to the shops/ markets. Our grey-striped Chekoh is definitely the lighter and more stylish of the two.
+ Soothe Shirt — this genius piece of apparel is perfect for wearing around the house when I need both hands free, and quickly. Pop it on, slip him in the pouch. Too easy.
When it comes to settling, these puppies are all incredibly effective. Pop your baby in, sway a little or do an exaggerated walk around the house for a minute or two with a bit of shushing and patting and they are likely to be putty in your hands. An hour-long walk outside is perfect for Mama and babe — exercise AND a nice little nap.
** Other brands I love are Elki and Yoli and Otis
PRAM :: Bugaboo Cameleon 3
Hands-down our favourite purchase, for a few key reasons.
+ It’s solid and sturdy, without being too bulky.
+ Handles beautifully. This baby’s got big wheels and suspension, and allows me to execute my ‘veer off the path for a bumpier ride’ manoeuvre perfectly, which often works for getting Ryder to sleep.
+ And, yep, it looks great.
Size-wise, the Cameleon is perfect and, for us, was a better option than the Bugaboo Buffalo which is the next size up and seemed a little heavy and chunky for our needs. We also prefer the upright seat over the newborn bassinet (which we used at the beginning, but switched up). We do currently have it tilted backwards so Ryder is lying down, however.
Our additions:
A cup holder — which mostly holds my phone, but sometimes a smoothie. Coffee drinkers, this is a necessity for you!
Black hood — when it comes to colours, black and charcoal are firm favourites for Ramai and I so we decided since we were investing, we may as well go the whole hog and changed up the hood to a black one, instead of the standard beige. Life’s too short!
OUTFITS :: Bonds Wondersuits
Wondersuits are the best, best, BEST. We’ve got a bunch of these in different prints and in the first few weeks, Ryder wore them ‘round the clock.
Love: the handy fold-over bits for keeping tiny hands enclosed (no face scratching) and those edible baby feet nice and warm.
RECOVERY (for Mum) :: SRC Recovery shorts
These high-waisted lycra compression shorts are brilliant and came recommended by several friends.
You’re meant to pop them on the day after birth, but to be honest, with everything else going on (i.e.: having A BRAND NEW BABY to coo over / feed around the clock) I completely forgot, so I started wearing them once I got home from the hospital on day five.
Not only did they help with post-birth recovery ‘down there’, but they definitely helped with flattening my stomach and giving me core and back support once I started going for walks with the pram. I wore them as much as possible under Lululemon leggings and flowy pants (I slept in them too — never fear, I did wash them!) for the first five weeks and still occasionally pop them on.
Well worth the investment.
MUSLIN WRAPS AND SLEEP SUITS ::
Aden + Anais and Modern Burlap are my favourite muslin wraps for the quality, size, the way they feel and the patterns. I use these to swaddle and drape over the hood of the pram.
For sleeping, we pop Ryder in his Love to Dream swaddle suit, which — magically — has become a ‘sleep cue’ for him.
I also find the fact he looks like an Xmas tree angel highly amusing at times, especially when he’s moving his little chicken wing-ed arms around. #parentingkicks #itsthelittlethings #help
WHITE NOISE :: myBaby whale noise machine
Another sleep cue, this white noise machine goes on when it’s time for some zzz’s on the ‘ocean’ setting — all part of my husband’s cunning plan to ensure our son loves surfing. ;) (kidding. Kinda.)
Babies adore white noise because it reminds them of when they were nestled cosily in the womb, so if you’re having trouble getting your baby to sleep, I do recommend giving this machine or an app — of which there are many — a go. Alongside swaddling like a burrito, these are things we adults might file under WTF… but they work.
COMFORTERS AND TOYS :: Kippin Comforter
These home-grown organic comforters have become quite the cult item and it took me a while to hunt down a River Kippin because they were sold out everywhere for some time.
Ryder hasn’t quite cottoned on yet, but I’m sure they’ll be the best of friends in future.
BREAST PUMP :: Medela Swing
This electric pump came recommended by just about everyone I know.
Hot tips:
1. Ensure you have the right flange size for your ‘girls’ as it makes the world of difference.
2. I would hold out on purchasing this until you’ve had your baby, as breastfeeding just may not happen for you and I know a few women who were left with a reasonably expensive purchase they couldn’t use. Know that you can also hire hospital-grade pumps from many pharmacies so that’s an option if you need it and don’t want to buy a pump of your own.
BOOKS ::
+ Buddhism for Mothers — a truly beautiful book on what really matters. If you get lost in the parenting forums and sleep training mumbo jumbo, come back here to soothe your mama heart.
+ The Conscious Parent — confession: I haven’t actually read this as it only arrived last week. HOWEVER, after watching this interview with Dr Shefali, I’m already a huge fan of her wisdom on parenting. Add it to your list.
+ Ina May x 2: Guide to Childbirth and Guide to Breastfeeding — I absolutely love these two tomes. Full of stories and gentle mothering techniques.
+ The Wonder Weeks — my tip is to get the app AND the book. Next time your babe is uncharacteristically unsettled, you may just find he/ she is in a ‘wonder week’ — a developmental leap that can shake things up in their world. Knowledge is power!
+ The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer — I found this one super comprehensive on all things ‘calming’ and ‘connecting’ with your child, and the least rigid when it comes to sleep training / establishing a routine.
Now that’s it from me for now, mamas, but I’m calling on your expert recommendations…
What would you add to the list? Please tell us in the comments below.
And before we go, posts like these are for ripe for sharing, so I’d be ever grateful if you could hit the buttons below or share over on Facebook. Thank you!
Small sidenote: this post is not a sponsored one, nor am I an affiliate for any products mentioned. The Chekoh Wrap and Soothe Shirt were gifted to me (without expectation — mentioned because I use ’em.)
Lanowool breast pads … Lanowool breast pads … Lanowool breast pads.
Hee hee ;)
Great post – this is a good refresher. And I have never come across the Soothe Shirt before – that looks great! Wondersuits ARE the best – Max was in them 24/7 too. Two other things that I LOVED were the Brest Friend feeding pillow and the Cinch Tummy Wrap.
Awwww exciting :) xx
How could I forget?! ;) Oh yes, a good breast feeding pillow is a must. And possibly an on-demand masseuse for massaging ones neck. All that looking down has KILLED my neck and shoulders.
Not long now for you lovely…
Bonds wondersuits – BEST! The prints are so good. Devoured The Conscious Parent + Buddhism for Mothers. Popping ‘The secrets of the baby whisperer’ on my list. Thank you for sharing lovely.xx
Enjoy lady!
Oh my goodness, I love this and I have to bookmark it for future reference! I’m currently 18 weeks along with babe number 3 and because it’s been a little bit of a gap between my other two (6 and 8 years!), I feel like a ‘new’ mama again in terms of all the stuff I need.
Love, love, love that black & white photo of you and Ryder xx
SO exciting! And thank you honey, I love his little face x
love love love that I’m following your baby journey with my own. So many great hints and tips. Love them all. We had our first shopping/research session on Sunday and there is just so much stuff out there it really is hard to k ow where to start. Looking forward to doing some more research on some of your recommended products xx.
Enjoy! And also know that you WILL have time/ the desire to grab some things when the baby arrives, so while it’s nice to have the big stuff knocked off… clothes etc are great to buy once your little one is here. Enjoy this beautiful time. The best and most thrilling ride of your life is just up ahead. x
Great round up, Rach! As this is round 2 for me, i love our Boori Bassinet, becuase its on wheels, it means Emily can nap anywhere in the home, and im not having to run off and check on her constantly. (As our home is quite long)
Oh that sounds GREAT. We’ve got a Moses basket for now but wheels would be very handy. x
A great list Rach! I am an Aussie living in Finland and we are lucky enough to receive the famous ‘baby box’ when we have babies. It contains everything you need for new bub including condoms to ensure all attention is on the little one exclusively. The cardboard box all the stuff arrives in is expected to be used as a crib. Yes really! The point being that all little humans have the same beginnings. Anyways, just thought I would share. I love my ergo carrier too and still use it on my back two years later. No better place for baby to be! We had the insert but found it too hard to use, so during those first few months we found the CLOSE Carrier an awesome, easy and soft/snugly option. Also, one mistake we did make was not researching pram options deeply enough and we grabbed any old one online which ended up being difficult to fold and store in the boot of the car. So it is definitely a good idea to ‘test drive’ a pram in person and think about how you plan to use it. Much love to you and Ryder. What a wonderful time in life… You are doing a great job!
So much to love about this comment! Condoms — hilarious. Cardbox box crib for equality — genius. Thank you for sharing lovely! x
hey there, I’m 18weeks atm and my husband is off to beer and bubs tonight! A dads group run by a male midwife at the pub Australia wide, so they can have a meal and a chat to other expectant dads as well as ask any questions they have. We have also both loved the book ‘cheers to childbirth’ buy the woman who started beers and bubs. I feel so much more at ease about birth and so does my partner! Well worth a read if ur expecting and very enjoyable to read! X
Nipple guards saved my life in the beginning stages of breastfeeding. Seriously.
Marley and I didn’t hit it off in the breastfeeding department and my nipples were sore!! but I was determined to press on. Despite my midwife’s warnings they worked really well and we used them for about 3 weeks before Marley just one day weened herself off them ( I might have been a little attached to using them as I didn’t want to go back to bleeding nipples eek, but it was fine after that).
Also Rite-Aid Hydrogel Nipple Pad are AMAZING!!! So soothing and healing for nipples – I can’t recommend them enough!!
We love our Bugaboo Bee because its so light and I can steal it with one hand!! Also Ergo 360 fan!! and a sling for early days – we took Marley to two engagement parties at 2 weeks old and she slept through each one because she was cocooned up right on us.
I simply couldn’t live without our sleep positioner for Jude. He WOULD. NOT. SETTLE without being held around his middle, and was born too large (and strong) to have any benefits from being wrapped. He also wriggled his way out of pretty much every version of sleep suit, so lucky we had a Summer baby! The sleep positioner was a dream come true for a new mum with a tough sleeper!
Love our bugaboo, ergo, hugabub, bonds everything, muslin wraps, bouncer chair, wooden ikea toy hanger (what are they called? To go over bouncer?)… Sound sleeper white noise app, and Ina May FTW!! Great round up Rach hope it’s all smooth sailing xx
Love the idea of the Wondersuit! I had never heard of them until I came across this post. I’m definitely going to be picking up a few!
Great pictures and I really like all these pictures as well.
Your pictures are top quality. You are great photographer
You are very energetic even at this age. Can you please share some secrets?
Thanks for showing some of these great baby stuff. I really love it.
This is wonderful post. It has everything to become viral.
Truly speaking you are looking HOT in pregnancy as well.
A great list Rach! I am an Aussie living in Finland and we are lucky enough to receive the famous ‘baby box’ when we have babies.
Hey there great blog! Does running a blog such as this require a great deal of work?
I’ve very little understanding of programming but I had been hoping to start my own blog in the near future.
Anyhow, if you have any suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share.
I understand this is off topic nevertheless I just wanted to ask.
Kudos!