THE 5 ITEMS EVERY MOM NEEDS

I get asked a lot of questions about motherhood, I believe bc of my go-with-the-flow, zero expectation attitude. I’m actually flattered, bc truth be told – I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m just going with it and basing most everything off of intuition. I still have no intentions about making this a baby/mom blog, but for heavens sake! there’s alot ppl just aren’t open about when it comes to motherhood. Like, tell me about the pains of labour, the lead-up, what the hell car seat to buy??? It’s a lot. For anyone.

Now that my baby is 8 months (*tear), I feel like I’ve figured a few things out. One of my most FAQ’s has been what my top baby items are. I did share what I bought from my baby registry, what I packed in my hospital bag & what we’ve travelled with but never a condensed list. I decided to narrow it down to my ultimate top 5 things I think every mom should have – not only have they helped us transition into parenthood, they’ve each played a huge part in shaping Ryder’s daily routines. Some are connected to extremely insightful apps that track everything from heart beats, sleep & breathing.

BREAKING DOWN MY FAVORITES BELOW:

HATCH: the hatch is a great item to put on your gift registry. Not only is it a sound machine, that can rotate through different sounds (from rain, waves and thunderstorms), it also doubles as a night light. You can adjust everything from the color of light, brightness etc. We use ours every day and night, when Ryder’s sleeping and it’s super helpful for nighttime feeds so I’m not walking blind.

FOX2 STROLLER: I’m not sponsored by Bugaboo, but I should be. I can’t say enough good things about their products. Mainly because of the quality, durability, ease of use (it’s all dummie-proof) & amazing design. Their products also normally either come with (like to Stardust.. which I’ll get to later) or you can add-on: a travel case. We got one for our stroller when we went to Hawaii + it was well worth it. The stroller can be set-up or folded away in seconds and placed into the travel case for the flight. You just need a separate tag so you can bring it right to the gate. Travel or everyday, I’ve gotten SO much use out of this stroller already. We put him in it on day 4 and have never looked back. Here’s what you need to know:

We got the Fox2 because it comes with the bassinet (seen below) for the newborn stage and then when baby is a little older (usually around 6 months or a certain weight) you can switch out the bassinet for the actual seat, so you’re kind of getting 2-in-1. The wheels of this particular stroller are pretty heavy-duty and hold up no problem on sidewalks, rocky dykes, forest trails, Hawaiian sand — trust me, I’ve tried + tested and can assure you, you will have zero issues. I’m actually surprised this stroller isn’t priced higher than it is for what you’re getting. Highly recommend the Fox2 for any new or expectant moms and I would also say that if there was ONE product I had to put my money on, a stroller would be it. For how much we use ours, it’s already paid for itself.

NANIT BABY MONITOR: we just installed ours & are loving it already. I had heard only good things, but wasn’t overly excited about it. I knew we wanted a monitor to check on him remotely when he’s napping, but outside of that, I didn’t think much of it. After downloading the app, I see what all the fuss is about. I included this screenshot of Ryder’s insights below, so you can see. It gives a daily and nightly summary of how he slept, for how long, how many times he was checked on etc. It’s incredibly detailed and has been super helpful in figuring out Ryder’s own sleeping habits.

BABY CARRIER: I can vouge for two! I love Artipoppe and the Baby Bjorn carrier. When I told my husband that I was getting a leopard one, he told me I’d better get an alternate color so that he can do some carrying too lol. SO, we were able to get the Baby Bjorn carrier in light grey from Buy Buy Baby, so that we can both use that one. Both brands are super easy to put on + take off, both extremely comfy and cute. Also – I think it’s just so special to be able to wear your baby like a kangaroo! It’s already going so fast, so any chance I get to wear him moving forward, I’m all about it.

STARDUST PLAY YARD: another one that’s come in super handy, seeing as I don’t usually have help and have to juggle work as best as I can while also caring for baby + dog. This has been great to bring into whatever room I’m working from, he gets to play and I get to focus.

What’s great about this one is how slim it is. It’s ALOT smaller than other play yards (..is that what we’re calling them these days lol) and takes one click to fold down or pop open! I’ll have to show you on stories, but I was immediately sold. It comes with a durable travel case, too. For example, this weekend while we’re away, we’re bringing this for Ryder to sleep in.