Baby Stuff to Buy (or Not)

Best Websites

Reviews, information, etc. about baby gear:

• thewirecutter.com/baby-kid - great site for comprehensive product reviews

• www.lucieslist.com - great guidebook to baby stuff, including outlining the various options and why you should consider them

• www.babygearlab.com - lots of hands-on testing, similar to Consumer Reports

You Don't "Need" Much

The Baby Industrial Complex can be overwhelming, but remember that people have been successfully raising babies around the world for thousands of years without all this stuff. The following is probably the bare minimum:

• Diapers - see the Diaper Page for more ...although if you do "elimination communication" you don't even need these

• Swaddle blankets - having lots of cheap blankets is nice since they'll inevitably get dirty (see below for details)

• A Baby Carrier - not "necessary" but ~essential to free up your hands and avoid back pain...also if you're like us you might not want/need a stroller if you have one of these (see below for details)

• Car seat - required by law if you're ever riding in car...if you live in a handful of cities with comprehensive, 24-hour transit maybe you wouldn't need it?

...everything else is pretty much optional/nice-to-have. Strollers, cribs, nurseries, etc. are not necessary, especially early on. You might need bottles/pumps depending on your work/feeding situation. (...for an alternative view on "baby gear is awesome", Kevin Roose's essay in the NY Times is pretty good, and he has his own obsessively-researched list.)

"The Best Stuff" we found:

[some of the Amazon links are affiliates that give me a small commission]

• "Structured" Baby Carrier: ErgoBaby 360 Cool Air - easy-to-use, versatile (wear front or inward facing, or even as a backpack), and comfortable; the "Cool Air" version solves most problems with the older 360...needs infant insert if you use before ~4-5 months or while 7-12 pounds (Amazon, Google Shopping)

  • we found this super-useful for both kids, even at around ~2 years old (although as they get bigger it becomes mostly practical in "backpack mode", not in the front)

  • Wirecutter agrees that this is the best carrier for older kids, but recommends the Beco Gemini for smaller adults/kids

• Changing Pad: Keekaroo Peanut - a friend told us about this and it's great: the whole thing is waterproof so messes can be easily wiped up (Amazon, Google Shopping)

• Bottles: Pura Kiki - the only bottle that has no plastic whatsoever, harder to break than the glass bottles, easy-to-clean wide mouth, and the silicone nipple can be changed out with other brands if you don't like Pura's (Amazon, Google Shopping)...wirecutter breaks down some of the better plastic options

  • BUT your mileage may vary, largely due to the nipple shape (e.g. we ended up mostly using Lansinoh & Pigeon for our 2nd kid...their nipples kinda' work with Pura but not exactly); see the Breast Feeding Page for more

  • ...eventually you can turn Pura bottles into "sippy cups", which are useful all the way through ~6-8 years old

  • not much of an issue anymore but if you're buying used Pura bottles, avoid the old painted version (the paint chips off), get the newer 2016+ ones with silicone sleeves 

• Breastpump: Spectra S1 - closed system pump that is supposedly as good or better than "hospital grade" pumps like the Medela Symphony, which costs over 10x more...the only thing people don't like is the flanges, which you can change out [with some adapters/hacks] for Medela ones, or you can use Pumpin' Pals inside their flanges [that's what we did]; also make sure you have the right size for the nipple, and if necessary lube up with some coconut oil...depending on your work pumping situation, you might prefer another brand [Medela is much more common]...also some might prefer a manual pump, which is way cheaper but a bit more work (Amazon, Google Shopping)...Wirecutter's pick

  • Breast flange: Pumpin' Pals Super Shields - moms online rave about these, and they did indeed seem to make pumping more comfortable...they don't officially work with the Spectra but we used them just fine (Amazon, Google Shopping)

  • Breastmilk storage: Milkies Trays - we looked in vain for a good system that would work without plastic, but these ice cube trays make it easy for us to freeze milk to store in ziplock freezer bags...you could just use a normal ice cube tray, too, but these freeze the milk in convenient 1-ounce sticks (Amazon, Google Shopping)

  • Bottle warmer: Kiinde Kozii - highly recommended by various websites because it doesn't over-heat the milk; we generally liked it (and found it was much better than trying to warm milk under the tap while carrying a screaming baby) (Amazon, Google Shopping)

• Nail Clippers:  Fridababy NailFrida the Snipperclipper (Amazon, Google Shopping) ...I used to recommend the Safety First "Sleepy Baby"  but the NailFrida is easier to get a close cut and less likely to cut something other than the nail

• Nose Asipirator: NoseFrida - way easier/effective than the old-school bulbs (Amazon, Google Shopping)...also consider getting some saline spray (NoseFrida makes some, but you can also get it from drugstores)

• Diapers - require their own page

• Sleep Stuff

  • Co-sleeper: SnuggleMe Organic - this was recommended by our midwife, and we found it useful both as a co-sleeper to safely/comfortably share our bed, as well as as a portable sleeper, for example for naps on the living room floor --> technically no longer marketed as a "co-sleeper" since the MDs no longer recommend co-sleeping, but we did it anyway

  • Blackout Curtains - see the baby sleep tips for more details

• Diaper Bag - just use a normal backpack! It's probably better ergonomically and it's one less baby-specific thing you need to buy. The Wirecutter has some other ideas if you don't have a normal backpack already.  Here's what we put inside:

  • Portable Changing Pad: Skip Hop Pronto - this makes changing easy (even on park benches or tiny restrooms) and has pockets for wipes, sanitizers, etc. (Skip Hop is now owned by Carter's so it's easy to find at their stores too; Amazon, Google Shopping)

  • Hand sanitizer: Cleanwell - the only hand sanitizer we found that wasn't basically churched-up rubbing alcohol...it doesn't dry out your hands as much & it's safer (Amazon, Google Shopping)

  • Wet/Dry Bag (for cloth diapers): Planet Wise - they make a bunch of diaper pail liners and wet/dry bags that can go straight in the wash; the wet/dry bag stores both clean diapers and ones that need washing (Amazon, Google Shopping)

  • ...the rest is on the diaper page

• Other stuff you should get but don't stress out about brands:

  • Baby clothes - even if you don't inherit a bunch of clothes from friends like we did, you'll probably get gifted a bunch of stuff anyway. (Also when he was newborn, we mostly kept our baby in just a diaper & blankets, unless he left the house.) It's super-cute, but also super-wasteful to spend a lot of money on this, at least at first! A few options to consider:

    • Used/thrift clothes - if you don't have hand-me-downs from family/friends, lots of places sell used clothes. Some Goodwill/Salvation Army places have baby/child sections, and some stores specialize in it (e.g. Chloe's Closet and other stores in SF, or Swap.com online)

    • You can get cheap (organic cotton!) Gerber onesies on Amazon for $2-3 a piece  --> sold out as of 2024...?

    • If you want to get a bit fancier, we loved Pact's cozy, organic onesies and pants.

    • Bibs --> it's helpful to have a handful of these to help sop up drool & later protect their clothes from food; if you can afford them (or are putting together a baby registry), we especially loved the Muslin Bandana Bibs from Colored Organics (super-soft & absorbent)

    • Toddler clothes:

      • Bombas "gripper" socks - a bit expensive (although occasionally on sale) but are less slippery...and their customer service is *outstanding* (I wrote them about a problem on the weekend, and within 15 minutes they shipped me a replacement!). 

      • Hanna Andersson - well-made organic toddler PJs/clothes (they also make baby clothes but it's a lot of money to spend on stuff they'll only wear a few months)

      • Target - various good deals, especially on shoes

      • Native Shoes - more expensive shoes, but very comfortable & easy to wash (good for going to the beach, etc)

  • Swaddle blankets - we used a bunch of these, and you can never have enough (since they inevitably get milk/spit/pee on them).

    • Aden & Anais is a popular brand

    • ...but it doesn't really matter what brand you get...and the most useful swaddles were the ones my mom made from flannel at the fabric store

    • Also consider easier-to-use swaddles that have velcro or zippers: we inherited a few SwaddleMes, which were very nice...Lucies List and Wirecutter have some other recommendations

  • Car seat - we didn't own a car for the first ~5 years of our first kid's life...but if you ever want to ride in one with your baby (or if you have a hospital birth, even if you walk to the hospital), you need one of these

    • No car or want something lightweight?

      • We wanted a light carseat that works well in taxis, and the Nuna Pipa RX was great (Wirecutter didn't like their base, but we never had problems with it)

      • once Adam was >3 years old and >30 lbs we also used the RideSafer Vest, which is great for non-car owners but also travel

    • Own a car? The favorite seems to be the Chicco Keyfit 30 or 35 (see Wirecutter and Lucies List)

    • Alternative (lasts longer): get a single "convertible" rear-facing seat that will last from newborn to when they're ~3-4 (infant car seats can't be used once the baby's head is within 1" of the top) ...we ended up eventually getting the Evenflo SureRide (aka "DLX", Amazon, Google Shopping) because it's light and relatively easy to install with a seatbelt; more options listed on Lucie's List and Wirecutter (if you like the SureRide, also consider the very similar Cosco Scenera NEXT, also cheap/light)...in theory we could have started with the SureRide at birth, but it's pretty big/bulky and doesn't attach to strollers.

  • Manual Breast Pump - these are useful for on-the-go/travel, and eventually Lizzie exclusively used this (she preferred having more control; your mileage may vary)...various models are out there, including Medela, Philips Avent, etc...ours was a Lansinoh that we inherited from a friend but Wirecutter likes the Medela Harmony

  • Yoga ball - these are useful for childbirth and for bouncing the baby to sleep; there are dozens of brands that as far as we can tell are all alike; we got one as a gift

    • Some friends of ours rave about the Fisher-Price My Little Snugapuppy Deluxe Newborn Rock 'N Play Sleeper

• Stuff that we bought but eventually didn't use much:

  • "Wrap-Style" Baby Carrier: Solly Baby or K’Tan Breeze - the latter is easier to put on/off, but we got the former since it is more hippie/granola and it's the favorite of the folks at Natural Resources...it's also super-soft/comfy

    • Update: we only used this for the first ~3 months, since the ErgoBaby was a lot more, well, ergonomic; we've also heard good things about the San Francisco-made Nesting Days newborn carrier. Maybe if we had it to do over again we might have tried that or just used an infant insert in the ErgoBaby...but both kids seemed to like the Solly Baby when they were newborns.

  • Nursing Pillow: Blessed Nest or My Breast Friend - the latter is very popular, much more so than the "Boppy" pillow, but we went with the former, which is made with organic buckwheat harvested by virgins or something like that

    • Update: Lizzie ended up not using this all that much, especially once the kids learned side-lying position (see breastfeeding tips); still, one of the grandpas loved to use this when holding the babies.

  • Alternative bottle: Comotomo - we ended up also getting one of these high-rated bottles, which is all-silicone; that being said, they tip over easily, and neither of our babies was able to latch easily on it (but that might be just us?)

  • Baby Monitor:  VTech DM221 (Amazon) - this is pretty cheap and the highest-rated audio-only monitor...that being said, our house is small enough that you can usually hear baby cries, so we didn't use it all that much. Wirecutter and Baby Gear Lab have other ideas for video monitors.

  • Bouncy seat - my parents ended up getting us the Baby Bjorn one, but there are lots of great brands out there --> note our baby projectile vomited a couple times after vigorous bouncing, so be gentle with these!

What you DON'T need

• Nursery - by all means indulge your nesting instincts all you want, you don't need a separate room just for the baby; most newborns end up sleeping in the same room as the parents at first, since it's easier on everyone (see other sleep tips)

• Changing table - chances are you can use an existing table/bed, and once they get above a certain size you'll change them on the floor anyway

• Wipe warmers - universally acknowledged as useless

  • OK, two of my Navy friends tell me they love theirs...but another friend told me "No baby I know cared about the wipes being warm/cold" and another said she didn't want her baby getting used to warm wipes since they won't be warm when you're on the road. Neither of our babies cared about cold wipes, so I'm with the latter camp, but your mileage may vary.

• Pee Pee Teepee - supposed to protect you against baby boys' spray...and apparently useless.

• Eventually needed but not for newborns:

  • Crib/Mattress/Play-yard - this can be useful later, but early on your baby doesn't need a "baby jail" (see the sleep page for more tips)...that being said, a nice portable one is the Graco Pack n’ Play (e.g.Lucie's List)—my parents got one for their house when they babysit, and we occasionally used one as a travel crib. For cribs, we eventually got one from Ikea that our friends had/liked (the Gulliver, but they have various other ones that look similar). For daytime, Lovevery has a beautiful "play gym" that we got used on Craigslist.

    • Mattress: we used to like the Nook mattress but that's discontinued; Wirecutter likes the Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer and Naturepedic Organic

  • Stroller - you'll use baby carriers more in the first ~6 months; check out Lucie's List and Baby Gear Lab on the subject

    • ...we ended up using our stroller pretty infrequently; budget-minded city dwellers should be OK to never buy a stroller (or never get an infant/car seat adapter stroller and go straight to a compact/travel/"umbrella" stroller...but if you're constantly getting in & out of a car you probably want something that works with a car seat)

    • ...for most of our 1st kid's first few years, and for our 2nd kid exclusively, we used a compact umbrella stroller (the UppaBaby G-Lite, which sadly is no longer made)

    • Strollers I'd consider if we didn't already have the G-Lite:

      • Summer 3Dlite Convenience Stroller - light, cheap, inexpensive, Wirecutter's pick for best umbrella stroller --> probably what we'd get

      • UppaBaby G-Luxe - the updated, nicer version of the one we had, Wirecutter also likes but says it might not be worth the extra money (compared to the Summer 3DLite)

      • Babyzen Yoyo2 Stroller - famous for fitting into most airplane overhead bins; we have some friends who like it (even smaller are the gb Pockit and Munchkin Sparrow but they seem pretty flimsy to where you'd only want to use them when traveling? ...another "overhead bin" one is the Mountain Buggy Nano, which also works with car seats)

      • Contours Itsy Stroller - relatively inexpensive, lightweight, small fold (might fit in many airplane overhead compartments?); rec'd by Lucie's List and a few others (including this video review) --> strong contender if we wanted a new "compact fold" versus "umbrella" stroller

      • UppaBaby Minu V2 - expensive but seems like the nicest small/relatively light stroller, Wirecutter's pick for best travel stroller --> maybe what we'd buy if someone else were paying?

      • Baby Jogger City Tour 2 - baby jogger is an old classic for a reason, this is Wirecutter's budget pick for travel stroller

      • ...but Wirecutter & Baby Gear Lab have ideas for bigger, "full sized" strollers (especially if you have a more car-centric lifestyle...both have the UppaBaby Cruz as their top pick, but it's also pretty expensive). Baby Gear Lab also has some umbrella picks...they don't like the Summer 3Dlite as much but most of their picks are more expensive. Lucie's List also has a nice list of travel strollers

  • High chair/booster seat - not safe until they can sit up on their own, and not necessary until weaned/eating solid foods (6+ months). See Solid Food notes for more.

  • Sophie the Giraffe - has magic powers to soothe babies when they teethe...but that won't be for at least a few months

  • Baby proofing gear - for the first several months, they aren't mobile enough to get into any trouble...and when they are mobile, you might not need very much (some babies just aren't interested in dangerous/dirty stuff)...there are basically 3 categories of things you might want to babyproof, and only the first is "necessary":

    • Dangerous stuff - e.g. sharp things, poisons, some electric stuff

    • Breakable stuff - e.g. glass, artwork

    • Messy stuff - e.g. neatly arranged spice jars that can get jumbled up by a little one

    • ...eventually we got Jool Outlet Plug Covers (Amazon) and some Munchkin Xtraguard Latches (Amazon), both rec'd by Wirecutter (Lucie's List also likes the latter) for our 2nd kid, but we never really needed them for our 1st

Knowledge Is Power

You don't need an instruction manual for your baby—and some books (like the "What to Expect..." series) probably cause more harm than good for many parents by freaking them out. Nevertheless, we found the following to be useful:

• Sleep Advice --> see our Sleep Tips Page for more details

  • Happiest Baby on the Block DVD - secrets of making the "fourth trimester" comfortable for a baby; apparently the DVD has most of the important stuff from the book

• Priscilla Dunstan's Baby Language on Oprah - watch this Oprah segment to help decode your baby's cries...our baby didn't do all of these but we still found it to be useful

• Emily Oster's Books - I haven't read these but apparently they're very good; "Expecting Better" (Amazon) basically debunked a bunch of common pregnancy advice for which there isn't actually any science... and then Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected did the same for later ages & complications.

• Fair Play - Lizzie and I found this book/system helpful when deciding what household tasks we cared about, how to divide them up, etc...it's useful for anyone in a committed relationship (or with roommates) but especially once you have kids (Amazon, website)...the Netflix documentary is interesting but less practical.  If you want a quick intro, this video explains the problem it solves; this video explains the system in brief.