Baby Items Worth Buying (Holiday Gift Guide)
We’re hitting 8 months with our son and while there are a ton of “must-have” guides out there for your baby, I’d like to throw in ours with things we do use every single day and probably would lose our sanity if it weren’t for some of these things. I’ll preface that we were blessed to have gotten almost everything we asked for on our baby registry but truthfully, within 3 months I realized that we asked for way more than we needed. There were several things that we ended up gifting to our friends and other things that we probably should’ve left off the registry altogether. So if you’re an apartment parent, with limited space like us, here are our most recommended items for baby (and you). Also, you can use this as a gift guide (all year round) for any soon-to-be parents!
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Long-term investment pieces
Pricey upfront but worth the money in the long run, as these are items that grow with the baby and the baby can use them for a while.
Skip the bassinet (at least we did) and honestly, if you’re limited on space, I would get the Wave crib because it goes from mini to regular to toddler size, so you don’t have to think about his sleeping arrangement for a few years. Our son loved his crib from the beginning, and we did have a bassinet but he refused to sleep in it, so he’s been a crib baby from the beginning. His mini crib fit in our bedroom for the first 3 months, but he soon started getting taller so we switched him to the regular size and put him in his room for 4 months+. To this day, he always prefers his crib over anything else. Note: the crib only comes with a mini mattress so you do have to buy the regular size and toddler size mattresses separately, and depending on your baby, you can probably wait 4-5 months before investing in the regular size mattress.
Once your baby is ready for solids, this is the high chair we love. Not only is it easy to clean, especially when paired with this and this, but it also is aesthetically pleasing. It was so easy to put together, the straps come off easily so we can clean them, and the quality overall is great.
Once they start rolling around, you’re going to want to have something supportive and comfortable for them to move on. We love our mat because it is easy to clean, it folds up in half, has handles so you can easily move it around the home or travel with it, and it is pretty durable (we have cats and they have yet to damage it). Niko has fallen onto the mat several times and doesn’t get hurt, he loves crawling around and standing on it. It’s comforting to know that we can have him play independently on it and he’ll be just fine.
There are several car seat options out there and it can get overwhelming but we chose Nuna because we are familiar with their quality as our closet friends all have Nuna car seats and highly recommended it. We have zero regrets picking Nuna as it is simple and straightforward to install, easy to transfer (we have 2 cars), and Niko loves it. The car seat itself is also lightweight and we got the converter for our Uppababy stroller so we can take it around. See us unbox and install it in this video.
We love Nuna’s car seat but we went with the Uppababy Vista V2 stroller because my sister-in-law recommended it. We love how easy it is to fold up, how spacious it is, the seat itself is so comfy that Niko can sleep in it anytime we are out, and the wheels are so good. We’ve strolled it on several different surfaces without any issues. We used the bassinet option when Niko was younger, which he loved, and now have him in the seat. As previously mentioned, we also attach our Nuna car seat to it from time to time.
If you want a lightweight, travel option for a stroller (when your baby can sit upright on their own), I recommend the Hummingbird. We keep this one in the apartment and use it for neighborhood walks and when we travel.
Baby Brezza Sterilizer and Dryer
I don’t know about you but washing bottles is already a whole task in itself, that you have to do multiple times a day, and honestly, if you can afford the one that does it all (wash, dry, sterilize) - get it. That did not come out until after we made our registry but we still love our sterilizer and dryer, and use it every day. We also have a bottle drying rack for those quick washes and for on-the-go, we have this bottle cleaning kit. Our sink is also pretty small so we have a collapsible dish bin that we throw the bottles into during the day and then wash them all at night, sterilize, and dry. For dish soap, we use this one.
SkipHop 3-Stage Activity Center
Now that Niko is standing and moving around more often, we all love this activity center. It keeps him entertained long enough for me to make dinner, and whenever his cousins come over, they also enjoy playing with it so it can keep multiple kids entertained at the same time. The stand underneath is adjustable and converts into an activity table once he can walk.
This or That (depending on your budget)
We want the best for our baby but I’m going to be real, some months we are on a tight budget and in this economy, I think we can all agree that if we can find something of similar quality but for cheaper, we’re going with the more affordable option. Here are some things that we have with some alternatives to fit anyone’s price point.
Okay so some babies love this, some babies hate it but fortunately for us, Niko loved being in this and this allowed us to be hands-free while still having him nearby. From folding the laundry to cooking in the kitchen to sometimes having to shower or use the bathroom, this bouncer went everywhere with us around the house. Absolutely grateful for this bouncer for the first 4 months.
Alternative: Uppababy Mira Bouncer
Not necessary but saved us during the first 6 months, especially during night feeds. A press of a button to calm down the baby as quickly as possible especially when you live in an apartment, now that was worth it to us. You do have to clean the parts quite often for it to continue to operate properly but I would also advise on purchasing spare replacement parts so you can swap out on busier days where you can’t stop to clean the machine.
Alternative: Philips Avent Fast Baby Bottle Warmer
We used the Solly baby wrap at home and for outings, we used the Harmony carrier, and I personally loved having both options but if you’re on a budget, I would say the baby wrap did just fine for us for the first 4 months. However, the Harmony carrier is a great grow with me option, as you simply adjust it by weight and can use it from newborn to age 3. We also do have the Artipoppe but only recently started using it, as Niko wasn’t a fan until now. I think it wasn’t comfortable for him when he was smaller, but now that he is bigger, he enjoys it.
Alternative: Solly Baby Wrap
Our friends have this and love it, and we have gifted our friends this and they swear by it. It helps a lot and while we love it as well, my best friend actually found a cheaper version off Amazon that is essentially the same thing for more than half the price. So I can only speak on the affordable option below, but it’s a must for us now that Niko is almost 8-months. We use it more than the stroller at this point, since he is more curious and wants to look around whenever we’re out.
Alternative: Baby Hip Carrier
For more baby things we love and recommend, check out our Amazon shop.
For nursery things we love and use to this day, check out this page.
