There are SO many options for baby gear out on the market today! I thought about items that I use almost daily during different stages of the first year and compiled this list of essential baby gear. These are must have items I would add to start your registry. The categories include feeding, entertainment, sleep, on the go, and health. If you are interested in gear specific to twins, you can find my post here.
Feeding
Dr. Brown’s Original Bottle
The bigs preferred Dr. Brown bottles, so that is what I used! They spent time in the NICU, so the preemie flow nipple worked perfect for them and their latch. Yes – there are a lot of pieces, but it was necessary for the babies to keep as much air out of their stomachs as possible! If you end up using Dr. Brown, I highly recommend getting a cleaning basket like this one that organizes the parts for the dishwasher.
Photo by Amazon
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature
The littles preferred Tommee Tippee bottles (yay for less parts!). They had a more successful breastfeeding journey, so this bottle was best for us to go back and forth between bottle and breastfeeding – an important feature so someone can assist during feeding time with the twins! With any of your bottle choices, do not forget to size up the nipple flow with your growing baby.
Photo by Amazon
Philips Avent Fast Baby Bottle Warmer
I used a few different bottle warmers (some upstairs, some downstairs, etc). This one was my favorite. I like that it is easy to refill water and clean. There is not an automatic timer, so I just used my phone. To me, it was most important to have something easy to keep clean and sanitary rather than have an auto shut off. It is also wide enough to warm a variety of bottle shapes and sizes.
Photo by Amazon
Tommee Tippee Deco Resealable Insulated Tumbler
Introducing something other after a bottle is a bit of trial and error. When I gave this straw cup to one of my littles, she took to it right away and started drinking water! Unbelievable!! I highly recommend these as they are easy to clean, has minimal leaks (none with us, but I do not want to make that promise overall!), and even insulated.
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Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup
My personal favorite are these 360 cups. They are super durable and hold up after years of dishwashing. It did take a little time for all my kids to get the lifting motion. Once my kids figure out these cups, we use these for the long term.
Photo by Amazon
Bumkins Sleeved Bib
I love these bibs! Of course I try and minimize laundry and this is one way to do it. The bibs are long sleeve and fit babies and toddlers. I use these at meal time for the littles and during crafts for the bigs. These definitely make the list of essential baby gear.
ezpz Happy Bowl
This bowl mat is great for at home or on the go. It has a suction to the table, but easily lift up when peeled from the corner. I take these out to restaurants so the babies are not able to move the dish and eat off of a clean surface. It is very durable and dishwasher safe.
ANTILOP High chair
I prefer high chairs without cloth. This one from Ikea is affordable, compact, and SO easy to clean! It is a quick wipe down after each meal and then I clean it with a sanitizer at the end of each day. After years of use, they still hold up great and do not have stains on the tray! The tray is removable as well if you want to pull this chair up to the dining room table.
Entertainment
Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
There is so much fun packed into one item with this jumper!! When your baby is younger, they can sit and spin the revolver, pull the butterfly, or observe the hanging animals. As they grow, baby will have endless fun jumping, spinning, and reaching for all the different interactive stations! I like this one because the springs are super easy to adjust as baby gets taller.
Fisher-Price Deluxe Bouncer
A bouncer is pretty much on any essential baby gear list. You can carry this around the house and still maintain a close eye on your infant. My bouncer has followed me into bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms – you name it! I like the portability of being able to take these over to friends and family homes for visits as well.
Fisher Price Safari Dreams Music & Lights Gym
I collected several activity mats over this years and a version of the one above is the favorite for the kids. This one has all the bells and whistles! There are lights, music, a mobile, and a tummy time prop. There are several different toys that hang from the top and it also comes with a mirror! The mirror is perfect for baby during tummy time.
Photo by Amazon
Ingenuity Baby Base 2-in-1 Seat
This is another item that can last through the first few years. The booster seat has a removable insert for two different sizes. I use this as another way to feed the babies or stack toys / other enrichment items on the tray for play and development. When they are older, remove the insert and the tray and you can use as a booster chair at the dining table!
Sleep
Big Red Rooster White Noise Machine
I currently own 3 of these sounds machines and need to purchase another for baby boy’s nursery. I love that there is a timer, different sound options, and a range of volume. What I love most is the power light is dim. None of my kids use a night light and prefer a dark room for sleeping.
Photo by Amazon
Love to Dream Swaddle UP
I like these swaddles because my littles like them!! My littles were poor sleepers for most of their first year so anything that extended their stretches of sleep were gold in the household. They definitely preferred to have their hands up opposed to the traditional swaddles, but it still provided a snug and safe environment for them to sleep.
Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit
Again, these were used for the littles. As they outgrew the Love to Dream swaddles, we moved them to this sleep suit. They really are magical. The first night I zipped up the littles, they dozed off into dreamland within minutes. It was incredible!! Once they started to roll over, I stopped using these and moved on to sleep sacks.
Photo by Amazon
Halo Sleepsack
I use these with both sets of twins. I am a huge fan of wearable blankets until they are out of the cribs. They come in cotton, fleece, and winter weight (I have all 3!). Not only do these sleep sacks keep them comfortable at night, they also discouraged my children from climbing out of cribs.
Photo by Amazon
Cloud Island Baby Pajamas
So I am sure there are others on the market like Target’s Cloud Island, but these are the specific ones we use. They have mittens beyond the newborn size (hooray!) and a genius reversible zipper!!! The zipper unzips from the feet up making diaper changes SO much easier (all baby pajamas should be made this way!). Bonus – the prints are always super cute.
WubbaNub Infant Pacifier
I love the wubbanub pacis for multiple reasons. First, they come in super cute designs and are fun to shop for. Second, they are easier for babies to find in the middle of the night for self-soothing. Third, they were incredibly easy to wean my bigs from (littles are still using them). Why so? All I did was remove the actual nipple from the animal and the animal still served as a soothing item for the girls while they were sleeping. It was honestly shocking how easily we weaned from pacifiers around 18-22 months.
On the Go
Fisher-Price Kaden Diaper Backpack
Backpack diaper bags are the way to go especially if you have a lot of kids!! I can easily wear a baby in the front and still carry a diaper bag on my back. I have a couple different styles, but this one is my favorite. It has an insulated compartment for milk or formula and easy access for wipes. What I like most is each of the compartments are labeled with an icon (pacis, diapers, wipes, etc). I follow the suggestions so my husband can find the items easily too!
Photo by Target
Ergobaby
For our lifestyle, structured baby carriers are the best choice for us. My husband and I have two different preference of Ergo Baby carriers. We use the same infant insert. I like the padded shoulder straps because we can (and have) wear these carriers for hours. I prefer the cotton carrier while my husband prefers the mesh carrier. Both ergos and the inserts are machine washable and they have held up for almost 4 years now.
Health
Shampoo
I have 2 recommendations for baby shampoo and body wash. Both Babo Botanicals and California Baby are what I use on my kids. Yes, they are non-toxic, but what I like the most is that they are formulated to be naturally tear free. I used both of these to wash my face and can confirm they did not produce tears or a burning sensation in my eyes.
Photo by Amazon
Photo by Amazon
Mama Bear Saline Nose and Face Baby Wipes
I have these on hand to fight through any sicknesses our family comes across. When the congestion hits us, it hits hard! There is no way I can use regular tissues without wiping my kids’ noses raw. These saline wipes are so gentle and get the job done without irritating their noses or leaving a rash.
Photo by Amazon
NoseFrida
To go along with the nasal theme, the NoseFrida really is amazing. I have 2 for our household so I can have one upstairs and the other down. Does the concept sound gross? Absolutely. Is it worth using so your little one can get better sleep while fighting off a cold? 110%.
Photo by Amazon
Safety 1st Sleepy Baby Nail Clipper
I never had a preference of nail clippers until I came across this one. This nail clipper is equipped with a light!! Of course the light provides better line of sight to clip baby’s nails, but for us, it provides a distraction for the baby too! They are captivated by the light so I can quickly get the job done.
Photo by Amazon
Critic-Aid Clear Moisture Barrier Ointment
This diaper cream is what I use when I have a stubborn rash that will not go away. This is what was used in the NICU with my bigs and something we continue to have on hand. It is a bit pricey, but worth it to rid a rash that will not heal with the basic creams. For daily use, I use something like the Target brand that has 40% zinc oxide.
Photo by Amazon
