Here are all of favorite baby products for the 1st year – everything we used and would recommend from swaddles to diapers to bouncers to strollers!
Okay you guys, today I’m sharing all of my favorite baby products for the 1st year. I cannot believe Hayden is a one year old, it literally feels like yesterday she was skin to skin on my chest nursing for the first time. Time sure is a thief! Hitting this milestone has been so bittersweet, but it is so fun and so incredible to watch her grow up and become her own little person with her own personality. Plus, now that I’ve got a one year old (plus a few months!), I feel like I’ve got a much better grasp on this whole momming thing. At least when it comes to babies, anyway! So now, all my pick for baby products for the 1st year:
Baby Bouncers/Play Mats:
+ having little seats or mats that can entertain baby while you get some stuff done (or just relax!) are key!! Here are my three favorites we got a lot of use out of:
- Baby Bjorn Bouncer – Hayden spent soooo much time in this thing. We used it from when she was pretty tiny up until she could sit up on her own. Ours was actually a hand-me-down, but I would absolutely spend the money for this thing. She was so content in here and not a day went by that we didn’t use it multiple times.
- Skip Hop Activity Gym – she also loved this play mat. It has sounds (although they were the least annoying sounds I’ve ever heard from a baby toy lol so that’s a plus), lights up, and had so much for her to look at. We kept this in our family room and would lay her on out while we were hanging out. Also great for tummy time, and this is where she rolled over for the first time!
- Skip Hop Jumper – once she outgrew the Baby Bjorn, we needed something else that we could set her in where she would be safe, and also entertained, and she loved this! She used this often from about 6 to maybe 8-9 months. It’s also one of the least busy looking ones I could find haha Skip Hop always seems to design their baby toys/gear with parents in mind which I really appreciate!
Diaper Bags:
+ it’s definitely helpful in the beginning to have a bag to stash all of your baby things, including a changing pad. But I will say, you do not need to go out and purchase some giant tote diaper bag. In reality, you need room for a changing pad, a few diapers, a change of clothes, a couple baby toys, and your own personal stuff. That might sound like a lot, but it’s really not! When you are toting around a newborn in a carseat, the last thing you want to also tote around is a giant bag.
- Ryla Pack – this is an actual diaper bag (or should I say backpack) and I loved this thing in the early days. Holds everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Plus I love that these are stylish & simple and look like regular backpacks.
- Satchel – also, if you don’t want to even get a diaper bag you don’t have to! When Hayden was around 6 months I switched over to a regular bag (my exact one is sold out now unfortunately) and never looked back. The only downside to a regular bag is there’s no slots to hold bottles, but that’s not a feature I personally need so I love just using a regular bag.
Baby Clothing/Cotton Goods:
+ here are some of my favorites when it comes to baby basics (sleepers, onesies, burp cloths, etc.)
- White Onesies – you will need a lot of these. I mean a lot. Especially in the early days when blowouts are happening. I loved these because they’re made of organic cotton and super easy to buy in bulk from Amazon or Target. They do run small though, just a heads up.
- Organic Sleepers – these are my favorite sleepers! Hayden wears these as pajamas obviously but honestly she wore these majority of the time, including during the day. If we didn’t leave the house I typically wouldn’t put her into an outfit, she would just stay in these. These ones are also made of organic cotton, have the cutest patterns, and hold up really well. I personally prefer the snug fit over the looser fit they have.
- Sleep Sack – we use this one for Hayden and love it! We started putting her in this once she transitioned out of the swaddle, and she actually is still wearing it to this day for naps & nighttime.
- Cloth Diapers – so we didn’t actually use these for diapers (I’ll share what we love a little later) BUT they make for the best burp cloths ever. They are no frills, but they are so much more absorbent then the pretty ones, and are also much cheaper. I bought a big pack and would have these stashed all around the house, in my diaper bag, etc.
- Swaddles – here’s the deal – I never messed around with muslin swaddles, aka the big soft pieces of fabric that you can swaddle your baby in. I bought a TON of them, and really didn’t get much use out of them other than using them for blankets on Hayden in her carseat. You really want to get baby in a tight, snug swaddle and the easiest way to do that are with velcro or zip swaddles. They’re basically foolproof and baby can’t wiggle out of them. We used these ones and loved them, but I’ve also heard amazing things about this swaddle as well as this one too.
- Carseat Cover – we loved this one and we got sooo much use out of it. Hayden was born in December, so her newborn days were in the dead of winter. I loved having this to cover her up when outside, both for walks and when we were out running errands or something. I definitely recommend having at least one of these on hand.
- Baby Booties – I absolutely loved these little booties and couldn’t recommend them more! First off – they actually STAY on. This is key because baby socks are always slipping off! They have little snaps which keeps them securely in place, plus they are fleece so they are so warm. Grab a neutral pair so baby can wear them with everything, and plus you’ll have them for future babies, boy or girl!
- Bows – I get questions all. the. time. about the bow headbands Hayden always wears, so I will link them here! We have these in basically every color – and I love that they are super stretchy and comfy and never leave marks on her head.
- Baby Moccasins: These mocs are my absolute favorite for Hayden. They are a little pricey but the quality is amazing, and if you buy a neutral pair that can go with everything it’s much more reasonable. They also have soft soles, not hard, which simulates baby walking barefoot, which is best for their development. Our chiro totally approved of these!
Diaper products:
+ you’re gonna be changing a lot of diapers. Make sure you love them! Here are my favorites for this category:
- Diapers: we use this brand and I can’t recommend them enough. They work really well and are actually made form bamboo – a much more environmentally friendly option and they also don’t contain any toxic ingredients or artificial fragrances. We have a subscription set up so they just come straight to our door each month!
- Wipes: I use these and I love them so much. They don’t contain any toxic ingredients or fragrances, and are super gentle, which is important to me. They also double as makeup wipes for me too, they are sooo soft. Win win!
- Travel Changing Pad: It’s really nice to have one of these to stash in your car for on-the-go changes, or even to have on hand in the very early days when you’re changing 10+ diapers a day so you’re not always heading to the nursery.
Mealtimes:
+ once baby is around the 6 month mark, it’s time to start experimenting with food, what fun! Here are my picks for this category:
- High Chair: I did a lot of research on high chairs and decided to invest in this one. It’s a non-toxic choice, and also it grows with the child so they will be able to use this same chair for years. It’s also been pretty easy to clean, even the fabric part. Lastly, they have neutral color options so I was able to pick one that goes with our dining table/chairs, which is a major perk in my eyes lol.
- Bibs: Okay hear me on this one – don’t buy any fabric bibs. I’m not even sure why they still make these – they just immediately get stained and ruined! No ones got time for extra laundry. Silicone bibs are where it’s at – especially ones with little pockets to help catch food. We use these ones and love them.
- Meal Mat: When eating out, you’re going to want to lay something down for baby to eat off of. We use this one, also made of silicone (not plastic!) easy to clean, and you can just roll it up and stick it in your bag when on-the-go.
Baby Gear:
+ and finally, all the gear. When it come to baby products for the 1st year, this section overwhelmed me the most. It’s amazing how much gear you can use for one tiny little human! Here’s what we use and loved:
- Strollers: Okay, you can really go down a rabbit hole when it comes to researching strollers. There. are. so. many. After doing a bunch of research, we decided we wanted to invest in two that will be with us through all of our children. First – this one. This stroller was our “travel” system, you can pop the infant carseat right on here and this is what we used exclusively for the first few months. It also can fit up to 2 (maybe even 3?) kids on this one frame which is a major perk if you plan to have more babies! It also comes with a bassinet attachment, which we used very early on but not that much. Second – we also love this stroller. Once Hayden was big enough to sit in a regular stroller (no carseat) we pretty much use this one now. It’s such a smooth ride and once it gets a little warmer out we hope to actually use it for running!
- Carseats: Same deal here, total rabbit hole. Although I was able to narrow down my choices real quick since I wanted non-toxic options aka ones that didn’t contain any flame retardant chemicals. We used this infant carseat and I can’t say enough good things about it (the fabric is a wool/polyester blend that is naturally flame resistant). This infant carseat is also made without flame retardants and I have heard great things about this one as well! Once it was time to switch to a toddler seat, we went with this one (also flame retardant free) and have been super happy with it!
- Bassinet: When baby is teeny tiny, they typically sleep in your room before moving into their own nursery. We decided to go with the SNOO bassinet – not sleeping was my biggest fear moving into parenthood so this felt worth the expense if it would help. (We did actually get it on sale 35% off which helped a lot – they do these every few months so keep an eye out) Overall, we had a great experience with this bassinet! Hayden started sleeping “through the night” (10/11pm to 7/8am) around 4-5 weeks. We also didn’t have a hard time transitioning out of it, but she also took most of her naps in her crib so I think that helped a lot.
- Crib: Speaking of cribs, I wanted to mention the one we picked here since it’s a non toxic option as well. Many cribs, depending on the materials used, can off-gas harmful chemicals (ex. formaldehyde) but there are a lot of options that are made with safer materials, too. This one also converts to a toddler bed as well. Lastly, these go on sale all the time so keep an eye out!
- Nose Gear – this may sound strange..but we’ve gotten so much use out of this and this that I absolutely had to mention it. They are a total life saver when your baby is stuffy or has some bats in the cave. We use both pretty often so they are a must for your baby tool kit!
- Sound Machine – we use this every night and during every nap, and it even travels with us! If you plan to use a sound machine, I definitely would recommend this one.
- Baby Monitor: this is another product you can really go down a rabbit hole with! We went with this one and have been really happy with it. It has good range, a clear picture, doesn’t have wifi (I didn’t want a monitor with wifi) and is portable/easy to travel with. We actually bought a cheaper one to use for travel..I dropped the monitor once, and it completely broke. So I say invest in a good one and just stick to one!
Okay friends, that’s all! All of our top baby products for the 1st year. I hope you find this post helpful! If you currently have a baby on the way, congratulations!! The process of accumulating everything for baby can be overwhelming, but remember you don’t necessarily need it all now and you can buy things as you go. You just kind of figure it out! And of course, taking my recommendations and the recommendations of others with a grain of salt. Not everything works for everyone..and you will find that before you know it, you’ll ave your own must-have baby products for the 1st year!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out my baby registry + guide and Hayden’s nursery tour.