Annie's Favorite Baby Recommendations

Note from Annie:

"We have the peanut shaped burp cloths and if I was doing it again I'd get these instead."

Note from Annie:

"These have worked better for me than any nipple balm but don't wear them all the time or you can get thrush (a yeast infection caused by the skin staying too damp)."

Note from Annie:

"Since we almost exclusively nurse and rarely give a bottle, we found just one box of these smaller bottles to be more than enough."

Note from Annie:

"We didn't really swaddle very much but we liked these more structured swaddles with the velcro instead of wrapping with a traditional swaddle blanket."

Note from Annie:

"This is a waterproof mattress protector with an organic cotton layer closest to baby. A must-have, in my opinion."

Note from Annie:

"We have this crib mattress; it's a more affordable option and is also Oeko-Tex Certified."

Note from Annie:

"We have three of these for diaper changes on the go or to change in another room/floor from the main changing table. They're very absorbent in case things go awry ;) and can easily be tossed in the laundry with the rest of your diapers."

Note from Annie:

"I love love love these mini pods for dirty diapers in the diaper bag! They have limited prints right now but are planning to release more at some point. I will also look around and try to find a similar product from another vendor."

Note from Annie:

"This is my favorite diaper bag! I stock it with three clean diapers, a change mat, some wipes (currently using disposable but plan to switch to cloth), a new outfit for baby, and a mini pod to put the dirty diapers in. If there's a blowout and the mini pod is too small to contain all the diaper and clothes mess, you can just put it inside this larger pod! I have two so one is always fully stocked."

Note from Annie:

"We don't use these yet but I have some coming in the mail. Esembly outers are recommended to be used with their inners for a two-part system. They are plastic so not a great option if you're looking for all natural fibers. They come in two sizes and it's recommended to have six of each size. Covers don't need to be replaced at every change so you don't need very many. Esembly has some of my favorite prints but they only stock a few at a time all in the same style so you might want to stock up slowly as new prints release (or go for it all at once so the prints will coordinate)."

Note from Annie:

"We do not use these but they are a natural fiber option for a diaper cover/outer. They can be worn with Esembly inners or any other kind of flats/preflats/etc. Note that they do have multiple sizes. It's recommended to have 2-3 covers in each size. This is a website worth looking around at if you're interested."

Note from Annie:

"We do not use these but they are a natural fiber option for a diaper cover/outer. They can be worn with Esembly inners or any other kind of flats/preflats/etc. Note that they do have multiple sizes. It's recommended to have 2-3 covers in each size."

Note from Annie:

"We don't use this system currently but I do have some on their way to me. They are organic cotton which is a big draw to me. These are inners which need to be paired with some kind of outer (either Esembly outers or wool covers are the options I've looked into). 24 inners is recommended as a good starting place. NOTE! These come in two sizes so if you start from birth you will likely need both sizes."

Note from Annie:

"We currently use Kinder Cloth Diapers almost exclusively! They are plastic so if you're searching for natural fibers this is not the route for you. The pocket system is very user-friendly. 30 is a good start for a beginner stash but shop around the website to find your favorite prints! There are also starter bundles if you want to go that route but if you buy the larger bundles they come with duplicate prints. Poke around the website if this is something you're interested because there's a lot of information. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or just want to chat about cloth diapering!"

Note from Annie:

"If going with Kinder, I'd recommend starting with 30 yellow inserts and 10 greens (you'll need more but this is a good starting point)."

Note from Annie:

"If going with Kinder, I'd recommend starting with 30 yellow inserts and 10 greens (you'll need more but this is a good starting point)."

Note from Annie:

"We store all of our dirty cloth diapers in these. There are likely similar items on Amazon and from other brands, but we have these and I do like Kinder Cloth Diapers."

Note from Annie:

"We don't use these but they are organic cotton so I am looking at them for whenever we need more wipes. I do imagine however that there are cheaper organic cotton options on the market if you wanted to shop around."

Note from Annie:

"This is similar to what we fill with water to use with our cloth wipes."

Note from Annie:

"These are the wipes we currently use with a tiny spray bottle filled with water. Just spray baby's bottom and wipe dry. They are super absorbent and are perfect to mop up messes. They also make great washcloths! I don't love their material makeup though so am looking at organic cotton options for the future."

Note from Annie:

"I haven't used this product but the one I liked is no longer in production :( but it's cloth safe and has clean ingredients."

Note from Annie:

"It's pricey but the wipe-clean feature is really nice. It doesn't get too cold for a naked baby like we were afraid of. We like to put a burp cloth where baby's head goes just to add some extra cushion."

Note from Annie:

"We love love love our Lark! Made of natural fibers, it's three buckles and then you're on your way. Its one drawback is that baby needs to fit solidly in 3-6M clothing before fitting in this carrier, so you will need a different carrier for the newborn stage."

Note from Annie:

"We don't own this carrier but it was designed to be a newborn version of the Lark, and we love our Lark!"

Note from Annie:

"I have a ring sling from Hope&Plum and while it isn't my go-to carrier, it's a one-stop-shop for newborn to toddler. It's also my most elegant carrier and the one I'd wear as a wedding guest."

Note from Annie:

"We really like this stroller and found ours on Marketplace! It can adjust from single-to-double and also has other seat options you can add on for infants including an infant insert for the main seat, a bassinet, and a car seat adapter (for most infant car seats)."

Note from Annie:

"We have this bassinet for our Mockingbird stroller (and have the stand to use it in the house) and we like it but I would call it a nice to have (not a necessity)."

Note from Annie:

"The rotating feature for us is a must! We skipped the infant seat and went straight to this one."

Note from Annie:

"We had a different stretchy wrap that did the trick but I love Hope&Plum! The stretchy wrap is going to be for the newborn stage only, and is not necessary if you have another carrier suitable for newborns. It is very snuggly though and I'd say it offers the most support for newborns."

Note from Annie:

"We really like having a mirror but I found one at the thrift store for $3 (would not pay full price for this)"

Note from Annie:

"We have the Fisher Price Sit Me Up but I've read that this seat is better for hip development. We found having some sort of seat to be essential once baby doesn't want to be in the bouncer anymore but isn't yet sitting independently. This one can also be used as a high chair."

Note from Annie:

"We haven't had to use this yet but I have it on hand as an alternative to Tylenol for fever reduction."

Note from Annie:

"A fun teether toy that stays on baby's hand"

Note from Annie:

"We don't really use a pacifier that much but this is the best one on the market and the only one we have."

Note from Annie:

"We haven't used this yet but it's one of the cleanest baby washes on the market."

Note from Annie:

"This is all we've needed so far but I do see it's only recommended up to six months. These come a dime a dozen at thrift stores."

Note from Annie:

"We like that these are organic cotton. They're very good quality and very absorbent. Whatever you do, stay away from microfiber!"

Note from Annie:

"When you get to the "I put everything in my mouth" stage you'll need some drool bibs!"

Note from Annie:

"We use this as a playmat and for diaper-free time to let baby's skin dry out when he gets rashy."

Note from Annie:

"We love this! We put all of Jack's toys on or near it and he stays occupied on the mat for close to an hour these days. When he was first born it wasn't a huge hit but now that he's more mobile he loves it."

Note from Annie:

"We don't actually have these so it's not a need but I have them on my wishlist! They attach to the playgym."

Note from Annie:

"My personal favorite water bottle ;)"

Note from Annie:

"Much better than the hospital peri bottle"

Note from Annie:

"I just wore diapers most of the time but if you want to go the pad route I recommend these low-tox pads because they won't make you break out and itch like the cheap ones will."

Note from Annie:

"I personally used Always Discreet and totally broke out and itched like crazy so I'm definitely recommending these low-tox alternatives. They're pricey, but you likely won't need them for long."

Note from Annie:

"This is my favorite website for pregnancy and nursing friendly dresses! I wear them almost exclusively these days. There is a Facebook BST group where you can get them preowned for less, but for a registry the gift card is a good option."