I had my first (and so far only) baby in June 2019.  Here's my top 5 products I'd use again and 5 I probably wouldn't.

Must have:

1) Baby Sling/Carrier - I STILL wear my baby sometimes.   I started with the kind you wrap yourself and now use the full on backpack kind.  If you start them in it early, it makes your life so much easier.  Plus all the good things that comes with keeping your baby "skin to skin" and close to you all the time.

2) Pack and play - Contains baby when you need to do something quick - like a load of laundry and doubles as a sleeper!  We also have three dogs, so we needed a safe place for baby when we weren't holding her, away from our doggies jumping around.  

3) Pampers Diapers, but Huggies Wipes - whenever I tried anything but pampers diapers (to try and save money), she piddled right through and soaked herself - and often me.  During the early months, I would say go ahead and use the cheapies during the day since you change baby's diaper every hour.  For overnight, I'll chose Pampers again and again.  Pampers Swaddlers, not baby dry, no clue why, but baby dry - does not keep baby dry!  Now that she's 13 months, I still use pampers, but now I use cruisers and I am still happy with them. For wipes, I order large boxes of Huggies simple clean (only like $13 on Amazon), they never bothered her delicate skin and they are thick enough to save my hands from the poop too! 

4) Rocker or glider chair (for you).   Some nights we still rock her to sleep.  

5) Zipper sleepers that zip from the top down.  That way, I didn't wake her fully if she needed a change in the middle of the night - just zipped her little legs out and back in after the change!  I personally love GAP baby clothes the most!

Could have lived without:

1) All those fancy bottles!  I registered for the Dr. Brown glass bottles (insert eye roll here).  I tried using them once and thought I was going to knock her out with their weight.  All those pieces?  Who was I kidding thinking I was going to have enough energy to sanitize and put back together these things every time?   She ended up loving the cheapest bottles that were out there.  Whatever plain, bpa free, simple bottles I could find, she was happy with them. I also mostly breast fed.  I thought I would be like all those super moms that produced enough to fill a deep freezer, not the case, so all those expensive bottles have been sitting in a box in my basement for over a year now.  

2) Pacifiers.  Most people DO get to use them, but unfortunately, my little one would not take one.  She just knew she was being tricked!  Not once in her life has she done anything but throw a pacifier.  So if you do get these, maybe do not open every single package like I did.  That way they don't go to waste and you could re-gift them or donate them. 

3) Baby bathtubs.  I really thought I needed this because every registry example has one on it.  She hated it.  I felt like I did not have that much control over her little self.  I would just safely bring her into the bath with me, with my husband's help, and like magic, she started to love baths!  And she still does now!   

4) Wipe warmer - never used it, but I also had a summer newborn... and a girl, I think boys might benefit from this more.

5) Diaper Genie - so I do think they can be useful and we had and used one, but it's not economical to keep buying the refills for it.  After we ran out of the refills, we just started using a trash can and emptied the garbage daily.  Poopy diapers go in a plastic bag first too - we usually just use a grocery bag or dog poop bags if we run out.   I would suggest just getting one of those garbage cans with a cover.

Want a money saving tip?

Create at least one of your baby registries with AMAZON.  You get a welcome gift box, which is just super cute and thoughtful and FREE.  The main reason to do this, is that you get 20% off diapers for the baby's first year!  Just put them on autofill and you're covered - at a discount!  This could always change, but 2019-2020 it worked for me! 

I get it.  So many decisions.  So much to register for and to buy. A nursery to get ready, a crib?  A bassinet? A Moses Basket?  A basket?  Wait, what?  For me, it was so much fun and a little stressful making such big decisions about my soon-to-be-here baby.  I understand there is a lot you need to do to prepare for your little’s arrival: Let me make the decision easy for your newborn's first portrait session.

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Your newborn session with me will be a full experience; a memory of your newest love, preserved for you and future generations to appreciate.  The session itself represents a milestone in your baby’s life.  Baby’s first photography session!  This day will include some laughs (newborn poop and throw up happen, usually at the most entertaining times), some tears (as you witness this little, perfect nugget you created wrapped up snug and sleeping so carefree), and a lot of beautiful moments being captured to last a lifetime.