We are gearing up for our third round of baby led weaning in a few months and we can’t wait to share some of our favorite ‘recipes’ and simpler foods for starting out with solid foods soon! In the meantime, I wanted to share some of our favorite tools/products for getting started. We also use most of the same items for our toddlers and they transition well as they grow!

These items are not only convenient at home, but also help to make traveling, eating at family/friend’s houses, or other outings easier and less stressful knowing that we set our children up for success. We find this also helps us to create/maintain a routine, even if not eating at home.

For at home – we love our silicone place mats and suction plates. These plates stick great to the highchair tabletop or the placemat on the table to avoid tossing on the floor. We also love a good silicone bib for catching any drips or food that may fall and they wipe right out. Great for easy cleanup! 

For travel – we keep a “go bag” in the car with silicone mats/bibs, wipes, and other essential items. We also keep a pair of kitchen scissors packed so that we can easily cut/prepare their meals. We also love to have disposable stick-on placemats for restaurants in place of using a glass plate for little ones.

For babies – we love the Bumkins silicone bowls and NumNum baby spoons to help them practice holding a utensil and bringing food to their mouth. Of course hands work great too!

For toddlers – some of our favorite transition/sippy cups are the Dr. Brown’s Narrow Sippy Straw Bottle which is similar to their Dr. Brown’s bottle and then the Dr. Brown’s 360 Training Cups to prepare them for open top cups. 

We try to focus on teaching and promoting independence in our children while also creating some ease in cleanup and transition from different environments. Our toddlers love having a setting at the table similar to mom/dad and we love that it is adapted to fit their needs – a win win for everyone!

I remember when we had our first baby and we packed our diaper bag with everything but the kitchen sink and had a period of trial and error trying to figure out what worked best for us. 

If I’m being honest, our current diaper bag usually consists of diapers and wipes shoved into whatever bag we have on hand. But if we are planning a day out and about, we do our best to keep our diaper bag stocked for whatever we may need – plus snacks, because well toddlers.

Below is a list of our diaper bag “essentials”:

• Diapering
  • Diapers
  • Wipes
  • Diaper balm/cream
  • Changing mat
  • Hand sanitizer
• For Baby
  • Receiving blanket (doubles as nursing cover or burp cloth)
  • 5 in 1 Cover (for high chairs, shopping carts, etc.)
  • Bib (for drooling or eating)
  • Extra change of clothes
  • Toys/Teethers
• For Mom
  • Extra shirt
  • Hair ties
  • Chapstick
• Health/Misc.
  • Waterproof bag
  • First aid kit
• Optional
  • Pacifiers
  • Pacifier Clip
  • Nursing pads
  • Sunscreen
  • Hat

Depending on different activities or weather this may change a little, but hopefully this gets you started on the right track. Whether you’re a first time mom or more “seasoned”, I think this list can help you along your way!

We’ve recently added a new addition to our sweet family! Now that she’s 4 weeks old we wanted to recap our top five newborn products! 

Babies don’t need much in the beginning, but our top 5 items include:

• Changing pad liners/mats
• Baby wrap carrier
• Elvie Curve
• Halo sleep swaddle
• Dimming night light

We love to have diaper stations set up in each room! Including baskets with diapers and wipes, and a changing mat or liner. This way we can change baby no matter what room we’re in and we can toss any messes right in the wash. Honorable mention, we love our pack n’ play with the detachable changing table. This is something that grows with baby and we’ve used with all three kiddos.

As a mom of three, multitasking is key! Using a baby wrap not only keeps baby happy being close to mama, but also allows me to be hands free and tend to our other children or check off items on the to do list, make a meal, etc. We’ve liked both the Boba and Moby brands, but any cloth baby wrap will work great.

While nursing, I love to use the Elvie Curve to catch milk from the opposite sides during a let down. This allows me to build a small freezer stash without pumping. I also like to have a manual breast pump on hand, sometimes this is easier than a full pump session. 

For sleeping, all of our babies have done well with the Halo sleep swaddles/sacks. They come in a variety of sizes and this allows them to stay cozy without needing a blanket or anything extra in the bassinet/crib for safe sleep. Swaddling also helps with the startle reflex and personally helps us create a “nighttime” routine by getting baby changed and tucked into bed comfortably.

Lastly, we love to have a dimming night light next to the bed for nighttime feeds and diaper changes. This helps us to not have to turn on bright overhead lighting/lamps during the middle of night and allow everyone to get as much sleep as possible. Another honorable mention – we love our hatch sound machine to add some white noise while everyone sleeps. 

While there are other convenience products that can make life a little easier, babies truly only need a safe place to sleep, milk, diapers, and love. Anything else is a bonus!