detailed baby product recommendations! (at 5 months)

i thought it might be helpful to round up all of the items/things i can think of that i've found most helpful as a new mama.  i know there are dozens of great lists out there on this topic, so feel free to find this information from someone more seasoned, but if you are curious on my take right in the thick of it as a first-time mom 5 months in, here ya go!  i am also compiling this list for me, since i might need to remember this stuff for the next kiddo.  if you're expecting, congratulations!!, and i am honored you might want to hear what i have to say.  it goes without saying, but i'm gonna say it.. this is coming from my own experiences and what works for me and my family and our rhythms and it might not work for you!  take what you like and leave the rest!  and remember, all a baby really needs is loving and attentive parents, milk, a place to sleep, and some diapers are helpful too :).  the rest is just to make our lives easier.

(also the beautiful beautiful photos are by my friends, the byes, from two weeks after everett was born, making us look waaayy more put together than we actually are :))

(i'm going to leave out some more basic things that i have less of an opinion about, like crib sheets, clothes, toys, bottles, car seat, changing table, bibs, eating utensils/bowls, stroller, etc.)

• swaddle blankets!  we actually never ended up swaddling everett because he had a hard time with his arms being constricted, but we use these blankets to wrap around his lower half for added warmth in his car seat and they're great!  in my opinion, you only need about three or so.  we have these ones.  if you swaddle your baby, you can get blankets with velcro like this that help you swaddle, but i recommend skipping them.
• car seat cover for winter.  speaking of added warmth in the car seat, a car seat cover is essential if you're like us and have really cold winters.  this is the one we have.
• sound machine/night light.  we've used this every single night since we came home with everett and for his naps during the day, too.  i think it helps him know that it's sleep time and it helps us to feel like we can make some noise without waking him up.  also we can see what we're doing when we change his diapers in the middle of the night because of the light on it.  this is the one we have and it's great!  we even travel with it.
• bedside bassinet.  everett graduated to his crib in a separate room around 3-ish months, but this is where he slept those first months and it worked great!!  it worked great for us. (you'll need bassinet sheets and this pack of two worked great for us).
• snuggle me lounger.  a total essential for us for the first two months.  we got the snuggle me brand, but there are other versions of this that i'm sure are just as great ("dock-a-tot" is the same idea).  it's just so nice to be able to set them down somewhere (we'd put him in the snuggle me on the couch next to us, even on the table while we ate, ha!)  you'll need a couple covers for this too.
• baby carrier.  (this is the one we have and we needed the newborn insert).  everett was born in the summer, so once i felt well enough, we did quite a few walks and having him strapped to us in a carrier was helpful and would often put him right to sleep.  even when i was by myself on maternity leave, i liked taking him for walks in this.  there were a few times when he would cry so much those first months, that all that would help was putting him in the carrier and it would allow me to do things around the house.  i'm sure any brand works.  highly recommend!  (i never ended up using those cloth sling baby carriers- like the solly baby wrap- as much as i wanted to and think they're cute.  maybe i will for the next kid?  i just like how sturdy the ergo baby carrier is and was afraid i would wrap the cloth wrong or something on those).
• burp rags.  these are the ones we have and love (i think we asked for like 20 of them!) and we have multiple in every room of the house to use at any moment.  you never know when you'll need one, ha.
• bottle drying rack.  we use this constantly for bottles, pump parts, baby spoons, etc.  we have this one in white.
• boppy lounger.  a must-have, in my opinion!  we even brought it to the hospital with us when everett was born and i actually still use it for nursing him.  when they're older, you can use the boppy for sitting support, too.
• diaper pail. (not actually a must-have, you could just get a garbage can for next to the changing table and save money).  we like ours though, if you're looking for a recommendation!  it keeps the odor in real good!
• nursing chair.  maybe one of my favorite things we were gifted in preparation for everett was this chair.  i love it so much!  you don't really need a special chair, you can use any kind of chair, but having a chair that's beautiful and comfortable and perfect for rocking, especially in the middle of the night, was a huge gift.
• diaper bag.  this is mine and i love it a lot.  we use it all the time.
• baby book.  any kind will work!  you'll want one to jot down the important stuff.  find one you think is beautiful and with prompts.
• highchair.  we haven't actually assembled ours because we haven't needed it yet and everett has only just started to sit with support (thinking we will assemble it today!) but i have a feeling it will be very helpful.  this is ours.  not sure yet if we can recommend it, but it seems like a good one!
• bottle labels.  (really only needed if your kiddo is in daycare or around other babies) the nice thing is they can be used on waterbottles and sippy cups too, later on.  we use these cute ones and love them! (learn from my mistake!  i used sharpie directly on the bottles to label when we first started daycare, ha!  thankfully the sharpie eventually all came off the bottles).
• paci clips.  this is the one we use and it's so helpful.  we clip it to his car seat straps.  we had also registered for cuter, more expensive pacis, ha, but it turns out everett loves and only uses those blue/green hospital ones (avent soothies is what they're called).
• SLEEP SACKS.  highly recommend these!  a must in my opinion.  buy two or three!  we have a short-sleeved and long-sleeved one.  we use them for every nap and every night for sleep.  they're basically wearable blankets, which is helpful since safe sleep means no blankets in the crib until they're one, and the sleep sack is not going to get all tangled around him.  it keeps him warm and also helps signal sleep when we put it on.  you can buy sleep sacks with swaddle arms, too!  buy those for the first couple months (until they are able to roll) if your baby likes being swaddled.  we have this one and this one.
• storage bins.  we literally have 7 of these (we have ones from target, but i guess they no longer carry them.  this amazon one is about the same).  helpful to store diapers, burp rags, blankets, toys, etc.
• hygiene items i recommend that we use constantly: the fridababy snot sucker (a must!!), shampoo/body wash, baby powder, diaper rash cream that actually works (don't get butt paste), baby nail clippers, eczema cream for chapped winter cheeks.
• humidifier.  winter's rough, man!  i'd bet ya a hundred bucks that your baby will get a cold in the first year (which is good!  their immune system is learning!), and a humidifier right next to everett's bed in the cold cold winter has helped.
• vitamin d drops.  your pediatrician will almost certainly tell you to give your baby vitamin d drops, so you might as well already have it!  any brand works, but we used this one since it is also a probiotic.
• black-out curtains.  not essential, but helpful to us for daytime naps!  i looove ours if you're looking for something neutral.
• pack-n-play.  we only use ours for travel, but essential for travel!  we were gifted a used one.
• snowsuit for winter.  this is the one we have and it's great!!

side note:  if you have the means and this is a priority (or can find a cheaper version of this), i've always thought that something like the "owlet" smart sock would be helpful for peace-of-mind when baby is sleeping.  it is a sock they wear and it monitors their heart rate and oxygen levels.  it's suuuper expensive and unnecessary, but it does have its perks, as one of the moms at the daycare i work at told me their owlet alerted them that their baby wasn't getting enough oxygen, so they took him to the ER and found out he had RSV!

what to skip:

• ​bottle warmer. (we just heat up a tupperware filled with water in the microwave, then warm the bottle in that.  gets the job done in the same amount of time and is basically the same concept (and cheaper!)).
• bath seat.  i'm sure they could be helpful, but we don't use ours.  we just put everett in the tub with one of us in there with him to hold him while the other one scrubs him down with shampoo and a sponge!
• baby-specific washcloths, like these.  we have them, but never use them.  a sponge is all we need for him.
• snoo.  it's a very expensive (and pretty!) bassinet that rocks your baby when they wake up.  (obviously this is all my opinion), but the babies at daycare that have this at home are often the worst sleepers at daycare because they can't figure out how to self-soothe without being rocked by their crib.  

that's all i could think of, friends!  props to you if you've made it this far!  i really hope it is helpful and not overwhelming.  keep in mind that this stuff has been compiled gradually over nine+ months and with lots of help from generous friends and family.  you don't need to get all of it right after you find out you're expecting or even have it all by the time the baby gets here.  several things we've collected along the way after realizing a need for them.  i'll have to keep you posted after the next 5 months, as i'm sure there will be a new list of helpful products for the next stage (like i just ordered little food containers, food labels, and a puree-maker).  i'll be sure to circle back with a new list in a few months.  i'm learning too!  please please feel free to reach out to me with any questions!  my most favorite thing is to be helpful and i love talkin about baby stuff. :)