Baby must haves

A few weeks ago I was talking to one of my besties (hi, lana!!!) that is due with a sweet little girl in January. She asked me what my must haves were and I was kind of stumped. I did tell her a few of the things that I have listed here, but this is a much more extensive list. I definitely understand that every single thing is different for every single baby, but these are what have worked for us and our boys!

1. shopping cart/highchair cover: I loved having something to cover the nastiness that is grocery shopping carts and highchairs. Most have hooks that you can hook toys onto, too. We keep ours in our car so we have itwith us all the time. 

2. Medela bottles One of the things I was most overwhelmed with when registering for Connor was all of the bottles! I just went with the bottles that attached to my pump and we have loved them. I realize that some babies need special bottles, but you never know that until they are here!

3. Boon Spoon I LOVE this thing! You can put any pureed food in it and gently squeeze and the food is right there in the spoon! It is basically a spoon and bowl in one. Now it doesn't hold much (3 oz I think) but it is great for rice cereal/oatmeal. I use it every time we leave the house and at Mothers Day Out.

4.Calma bottle by Medela I do not have this, but it is definitely something I would have gotten if they had it when I was registering. It is a bottle that is designed to be more like breastfeeding, meaning they have to work a little bit harder than the normal bottle. So they will have to use the same techniques with this bottle that they do at the breast. 

5. nursing cover I also don't go anywhere without my cover. Connor didn't mind it. Cade, on the other hand, despises it, so I have had to get tricky with my nursing in public. And honestly, I don't care as much. I'm feeding my baby, but that is a different post for another day. :)

6. Medela single electric pump I love my pump. Now I would be lying if I said I actually enjoy pumping. BUT, it is a good pump and gets the job done quickly. This is my 2nd go round with this thing and it works just as well. WELL worth the money! 

1. gowns I know a lot of people don't like these on boys, but we (Matt included) love them. They are easy to change diapers in the middle of the night when you can barely open your eyes enough to see. And do you know how frustrating it is to snap both legs to realize you missed a snap somewhere? None of those problems exist with gowns :)

2. Snuggle Wool crib mattress pad Gammie bought Connor one of these for his crib before he was born. I didn't think much of it, but once he got here I loved it. It made the mattress so much more soft and the website says that it keeps it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. We got one for Cade, too!

3. Moby Wrap I did not have one of these with Connor, but it is a MUST for us this time around. I do wish I would have had it with Connor, too, because not only does it allow you to do everything hands free, but you have them so close to you and snuggled tight! With Connor I had all the time in the world to just lay around and hold him, but not so this time around. The Moby wrap is something else that goes with us pretty much everywhere. 

4.aden+anais swaddle blankets I did not know the wonderfulness of these blankets until I had Cade. They are FABULOUS. They are large, super soft, light weight and have some really cute designs. I swear they are what made Cade sleep through the night. I didn't think he liked being swaddled, but I just don't think I was doing it right until I got this blanket. I have one in his carseat at all times, because he loves to chew on it :) I love that I can lay it on him folded up for extra warmth or lay in on him in a single layer for a light blanket. 

1. Evenflo Exersaucer-Triple fun When I was searching for exersaucers, I came across this guy. He is a 3in1, being an exersaucer, play mat and then a table for them to stand at and play once they are older. Genius! I definitely would have registered for that had I seen it! 

2. play mat: both of my boys have loved this. This is something that I bought after Connor was about 2 months old. I felt bad that he was just laying on a blanket not looking at anything. I vowed that I wouldn't have any of that bright baby looking stuff in my house. Never say never... seriously! 

3. Evenflo exersaucer walker  I had a hard time finding one of the walkers that has one stationary leg. I like the stationary leg, because it allows them to move around, but stay in one perimeter. This has been as big of a hit with my boys as the play mat!

One thing I didn't list is a johnny jump up that hangs from the door frame. Connor was a jumper (from like the moment he came out of the womb), but Cade is not. In fact, Connor started using it around 3 months old!

I know there have been so many new things even since Connor was born, so I think it will be funny to look back on this list in the years to come and see how much has changed! What are your favorite items?