My most-used newborn baby products + petite carriers
Hatch scale changing pad, Evolur dresser (also here), Skip Hop caddy, Ubbi diaper pail
In the blink of an eye, Nori just turned 6 months old (insert crying emoji) and I’m finally looking back and sharing some products that we used / still use the most often. We live in a small space so got very few baby things before Nori arrived, but ended up trying and buying quite a few more while in survival mode as new parents. Newborns certainly don’t NEED much, but these products definitely made our early months easier! If possible, I recommend borrowing or trying things out at a friend’s house first, since every baby is different.
Note: I’m aware that others will have strong, differing opinions on the use of some of these products. I included safety notes and links to recommended guidelines, and encourage fellow parents to make informed decisions for themselves!
1. Baby Carrier
Our favorite: Baby Bjorn Carrier Mini (at Target, Amazon, BabyBjorn)
Poor Nori had bad reflux as a newborn and cried around the clock, which left us feeling helpless. We had the most success soothing her while babywearing, and tried half a dozen styles. Carriers in general are awesome since they 1) keep baby close to you but your hands free, 2) help reflux-prone babies stay upright after feeding, and 3) soothe fussy babies into longer naps.
For an option that both Nick and I can use, we loved the Carrier Mini starting at around 2 weeks through now. It’s very petite-friendly, doesn’t “swallow up” tiny babies like full size carriers do, and comes in either soft jersey or breathable mesh. The downside is that it’ll be outgrown within the first year.
Baby Bjorn Carrier Mini used at 5 weeks vs 5 months
Wearing Everlane jeans 25 ankle, Mgemi loafers 5.5, BP sweater // Nori is in H&M bear suit, CP cookies bib
2. Baby Wrap
Our favorite: Solly Baby Wrap (comes in regular or petite lengths)
As a carrier alternative, I found soft wraps to be amazing for the newborn 0-3m stage when they’re tiny and squishy, and I hear they’re perfect for preemies too! Wraps keep baby cuddled close against your body, with the option to support their floppy heads. The how-to videos for these might look insane, but you get the hang of it after a little practice! If we were traveling or going out, I’d pre-tie the wrap around my body and layer a jacket over it as shown below – see my Traveling with a 2 month old post for more info!
Compared to similar, popular wraps by Ergobaby (viscose), Moby (medium weight cotton / viscose), and Boba (thicker cotton), the main difference I found with Solly (modal) is the material feels more breathable and lightweight, plus it comes in a Petite option to minimize excess fabric. That being said, I did feel like it may stretch out or lose elasticity over time faster than the thicker wraps. Fit-wise, the Solly in Petite is just long enough to finish tying on me, unless you plan on skipping the last wraparound step.
Left: Boba wrap (a lot of material) // Right: Solly wrap pre-tied for travel. Sadly I never got a good photo of wearing Nori in the Solly. It looks similar to the Boba except feels less bulky.
3. Baby bouncer or rocker
Our favorite: BabyBjorn mesh bouncer (at Target, Amazon, BabyBjorn)
There’s a lot of choices in this category including the ever popular Fisher Price auto rock n play (the # 1 most recommended baby product when I asked for suggestions!), but my little one didn’t care for it. We had the most luck with the Baby Bjorn bouncer, which is more of a reclined seat that you can manually bounce. It’s quite pricey for a seat, but we’ve been using this multiple times a day and still do! It has a lightweight, flat-folding design for small spaces and travel, 3 recline settings, easy to wash covers, plus looks nice and minimalist.
Sometimes using this was the only way I could have a few minutes to get dressed or cook. And I’ve totally put the bouncer in the bathroom doorway while I took a speed shower or used the potty (real talk lol). We also use this to read books to her, or clip some teething toys to it now while preparing her food. Lastly, we love bringing it on road trips to have somewhere to sit Nori down securely after eating, otherwise she’ll roll immediately onto her tummy and spit up!
Safety Notes: Read AAP notes on bouncer & sleep positioner and swing use.
4. Bassinet
What we used: UppaBaby bassinet in “Gregory” gray (at Amazon, Nordstrom)
Most of our friends did not have a crib at first, and used either the Halo (with mesh sides) or UppaBaby bassinet as their newborn’s primary sleeping vessel. The UppaBaby bassinet is included with the Vista system or sold separately if you get the smaller Cruz. Nori slept very comfortably in this for over 4 months!
The canopy darkens the bassinet for sleeping and also helped shield it from blasting AC in the summer. There’s a vent underneath that can be opened up, and the canopy is removable. We used it with this bassinet stand (converts to a hamper using an insert – both sold separately), and stored our car seat on the convenient bottom shelf.
Safety Note: UppaBaby sells this bassinet as “tested and approved for overnight sleeping.” A reader commented that its less breathable due to (removable) padding along the inner sides if a baby’s face gets pressed against the edge. We were comfortable with using it for overnight sleeping when Nori couldn’t move from her back, but wanted to pass this along.
Stealing naps when baby naps
5. Car Seat Stroller System
Our favorites: Nuna Pipa car seat with UppaBaby or Babyzen YoYo strollers – see my blog post on these!
I try to get Nori out of the house once a day and have been SO happy with our car seat and stroller systems. They serve different purposes for us, but if I had to choose just one for life in Boston, it’d be the UppaBaby (YoYo wheels can’t handle snow or slush, plus the undercarriage basket is small). That being said, the YoYo is awesome and easier for me as a petite mom to fold up, transport, and maneuver around tight spaces. Although we have the UppaBaby bassinet attachment, we actually almost always used our Nuna car seat on top of the strollers from 0-5 months because Nori seemed more comfortable at an angle while on strolls.
To answer some common questions on why we chose the Nuna Pipa car seat:
– It’s the lightest option out of the car seats we considered that does NOT require a base when used in a car (like the Pipa Lite does). This is very important to me, since I carry Nori in her car seat up and down four flights of stairs by myself every day, and I also Uber and travel with this carseat so need to be able to use it without the base.
– It was recommended to us as very safe and meets more stringent European standards.
– It works with many brands of strollers, including UppaBaby, Babyzen, Bugaboo, and more (using converters)
– It’s proven to be very comfortable for Nori, and I love the magnetic sunshade that we always get asked about!
6. changing pad Scale
Our favorite: Hatch Baby Grow changing pad with scale (at Target, Amazon)
You don’t really need a changing pad, but I’d at least recommend something that wipes clean instead of uses fabric covers (unless you get washable liners), since I lost count of the rogue pees and poops that have happened!
The Hatch pad is very easy to clean, has a built-in scale, is comfortable for our baby (surface doesn’t get too cold), plus the base does not slide around. We love using the scale casually to see her grow between doctors visits, not for the purpose of measuring breastmilk intake each feeding since that requires exact precision. I also wish you didn’t need to have the phone app open in order to use the scale feature. But since we were considering either the Hatch or Keekaroo Peanut, which is similarly priced with no scale feature, the Hatch pad was an easy choice!
Hatch Grow pad, Skip Hop caddy, Earth Mama diaper balm (love this), BabyBum diaper balm paddle, Honest Pampers Pure diapers (our favorites for sensitive skin; size up on Honest)
7. Portable lounger / sleeper
Our favorite: DockATot (at Nordstrom; Amazon)
This is a pricey large pillow with a flat center, handle, and removable cover. But we admittedly loved and used this every day until Nori outgrew it around 4-5 months. Some parents get longer use out of the Dock-a-tot as a lounger, changing station, or tummy time prop, but our baby is now on the move and won’t stay put! I loved that I could grab and move it around the house with one free hand (something I couldn’t do with a bassinet) and Nori was very comfy in it. Sometimes we would co-sleep after a feeding, and used this on our bed to keep her close but separated.
We were also gifted the Snuggle Me Organic which has rave reviews from fellow moms, but unfortunately Nori didn’t like the feeling of being “hugged” from all around. If you’re shopping for a dock for baby’s awake time only, several of my friends loved the affordable Boppy lounger.
Safety Note: Loungers and docks are not recommended for unsupervised sleeping within the US and the DAT is not sold in Canada. Here are the AAP’s recommendations for safe sleep.
Left: Dockatot // Right: Snuggle Me Organic
8. Activity Mat
Our favorite: Skiphop Farmstand mat
I’ll admit I chose this Farmstand mat purely for the cute veggie theme, but all the Skiphop activity gyms have a lot of sensory features including textures, sounds, rattles, mirrors, and adorable coordinating tummy time support pillows. We interact with Nori using and describing the components, and she loves discovering more features as she grows. She’s spent a good amount of time on this mat daily for the past few months!
This post got long, but I have several more favorites to share including smaller gadgets, breastfeeding tools, and swaddles / sleepwear! In the meantime until my next post, check out the “Baby” category under my Amazon favorites page which I try to update often. You can click the little notes icon at the top right of each item for details or sizing info!
