When my sister was having her first baby, she asked me to write a list of all the stuff she would need to buy before her new baby came home. I was two kids ahead of her, and she trusted my opinions. She knew I had already done hundreds of hours of research and tested dozens of products with my own kids already.
"I've read every list on the internet," she said, "but no one will just tell me what to fucking buy."
So I made a list, in a Google Doc, and I added a bunch of commentary around each product, mostly by accident.
Since then, I've had two more kids (that's four, if you're counting) and that Google Doc grew up into this website, so that people other than my sister can benefit from my obsessive desire to find products that don't suck and don't break the bank.
*Crib Mattress: Buy this mattress! It is foam (baby mattresses can either be foam or coils), so it is much lighter than coil mattresses. This is important because you have to pick it up to change the sheets daily when the baby is young and spits up everywhere. The mattress has a side for infants and a side for toddlers. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P9RB0OE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
*Crib Mattress Protector: Because you don’t want your mattress to have stank... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KJBYREK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
*Crib Sheets: I like the Aden + aAnais muslin crib sheets. They have so many patterns - choose what goes with your nursery. Here is an example: https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-reg-by-aden-anais-reg-dashing-crib-sheet-in-white-blue-star/1046585714?Keyword=aden%20and%20anais%20crib%20sheets.
*Crib Mobile: You can get these anywhere, from Amazon to Pottery Barn. Young babies actually really like these, pick one that goes with your nursery theme.
Bassinet: Do you want to use a bassinet in your room, or put the baby in the crib from the first night? We did not buy a bassinet. If you want one, here are two options:
UPPAbaby Vista Bassinet: The Vista actually comes with a bassinet (here: https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/uppababy-reg-vista-cruz-2018-bassinet/5030922?Keyword=uppababy%20bas). If you want to use it for your baby at night, you can just buy the stand. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/uppababy-reg-vista-bassinet-stand/3259728?opbthead=true&ta=typeahead&Keyword=uppababy-bassinet
Halo Bassinet: Halo makes very popular bassinets. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/halo-reg-bassinest-trade-glide-bedside-sleeper-in-mosaic/5045590?Keyword=halo%20bassinest
*Swaddles - I know you think swaddles are crazy, but I promise they help! The second Jack gets swaddled, he stops flailing, settles down, and goes to sleep. The tough part is you won’t know which swaddle your baby likes until you try them out. I would recommend buying just ONE of each swaddle that you want to try. If you find one that the baby likes, then you can Amazon Prime a few more (since they need to get washed a lot…). Also, these all come in different patterns and sizes, so the links just show you an example of each.
Aden + anais easy swaddle - Best for babies who like to be swaddled. You can use this swaddle for months. This swaddle has snaps, which was the only way we could contain Big Tootie. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/aden-reg-by-aden-anais-reg-small-medium-muslin-easy-swaddle-trade-in-baby-star/1061404045?Keyword=aden%20anais%20easy%20swaddle
Woombie - Both Charlie and Jack loved this swaddle as newborns (from weeks 0-2). They grow out of this swaddle pretty fast. We just own one, and that has always been enough. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/woombie-reg-love-you-air-reg-swaddle-in-grey/3315330?Keyword=woombie
Halo SleepSack - This swaddle is similar to the aden + anais easy swaddle. The main difference is that this swaddle has velcro, instead of snaps. Tootie could hulk his way out of velcro, because he’s got rage, so it didn’t work for him. Jack is fine with velcro. Babies can stay in this swaddle for months. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/halo-reg-sleepsack-reg-lions-tigers-bears-multi-way-adjustable-swaddle-in-grey/3288716?opbthead=true&ta=typeahead&Keyword=halo-sleep-sack-swaddle
Love to Dream Swaddle Up - Great for babies who don’t like being swaddled with their arms across their chest, but still like feeling snug. This swaddle lets baby put their hands up by their heads. I just bought one for Jack. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/love-to-dream-trade-love-to-swaddle-up-trade-original-in-grey/3254215?opbthead=true&ta=typeahead&Keyword=love-to-dream-swaddle
Magic Merlin Suit - You already know how I feel about the Merlin. This works for older babies (4 + months) who are over being swaddled, but still flail around like nuts if they don’t have something to settle them down. Charlie LOVED his. If you don’t want to buy one, I can send you one of ours...we have several. https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Merlins-Magic-Sleepsuit-Microfleece/dp/B00WRM0FV8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1531250402&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=merlin%2Bmagic%2Bsleepsuit&th=1
Halo Sleep Sack Micro Fleece - Once you baby rolls over (around 4-6 months), you can’t use any of the swaddles listed above. (You don’t want baby laying on their stomach and not be able to use their hands), so you transition to a sleep sack. I use the Halo Micro Fleece sleep sacks. We have a cotton one, but Charlie never liked it. I think it was too light for him. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/halo-reg-sleepsack-reg-wave-fleece-wearable-blanket-in-aloe/3288723?Keyword=halo%20sleep%20sack%20micro%20fleece
*Sound Machine - The BEST sound machine. Don’t even bother looking at other ones. https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/marpac-the-original-sound-conditioner-dohm-elite-white-noise-machine/3339175?opbthead=true&ta=typeahead&Keyword=dohm-sound-machine
*Mam Orthodontics Pacifiers - Charlie and Jack only use these pacifiers. They never liked the Soothie kind that comes attached to Wub a Nubs (it’s cute, but neither baby would use it: https://www.amazon.com/Wubbanub-Infant-Pacifier-Colors-Giraffe/dp/B078JPX9K2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1531250943&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=wubanub+pacifiers&psc=1&smid=A32VEP1U5Q7HGC). https://www.amazon.com/MAM-Orthodontic-Pacifier-Months-2-Count/dp/B00DYOQMF6/ref=sr_1_11_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1531250916&sr=1-11&keywords=mam+orthodontic+pacifier+0-6+months
*Night Light - This is the night light I have. You can get ones that are much fancier (play music for baby, light up all night, etc.). We only use it when we go in to feed/change Jack, so we don’t have to turn on a lamp or overhead light. https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Light-My-Way-Nightlight/dp/B009UPUC36/ref=sr_1_6_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1531250994&sr=1-6&keywords=night+light+owl
A note on crib skirts: Buy your crib first. Then, build it and measure the distance from the bottom of the mattress to the floor. Our distance wasn’t “standard.” The only crib skirt that I could find to fit our crib was from Serena and Lily.
A note on bumpers: You can’t put bumpers on your crib until your baby is old enough to roll around, sit up, and stand up. Don’t waste money on them. They aren’t safe. We didn’t use them until Charlie was 14 months old, and we only put them up because he insists on sleeping with his face mashed into the corner of his crib like a caged animal.