A Look Inside Our Nursery + My Favorite Baby Products So Far
I started writing this post with every intention of sharing it well before Sophie got here, but I'm glad I ended up waiting because at this point not only can I show you some of the stuff we got for our nursery, but I can share a few of my favorite baby products with you as well!
The other day on Instagram I asked people for blog post topic requests and the overwhelming response was for more motherhood posts--Sophie's birth story (which is forthcoming), my breastfeeding experience, how we got Ender ready for a tiny human, and lots of requests for "stuff" posts--things we use all the time and really love.
So without further ado, here's a look inside our nursery; followed by some of my current favorite baby products:
The Nursery:
This has become my favorite room in the house--I absolutely love it.
I personally really hate buying new things if I already have something else that might work, so when I first started decorating the nursery I wanted to spend as little as possible--we put our bookcase in there (mostly for decoration) and bought some drawers inserts (these and these) to turn our smaller IKEA KALLAX into a dresser, which doubles as a side table next to the rocking chair.
Our rocking chair (similar) is super comfy and the perfect neutral color. I absolutely love spending time sitting there.
Before we were even expecting, Rob found a gorgeous used Stokke crib that someone at his office was selling for $600, along with a matching changing table and quite a few mattress covers, so we really lucked out on that because both of those pieces are pricey. I love the crib because you can open it up as your baby grows and even use it as a toddler bed (which will be nice because as of right now she has no interest in sleeping there).
The room we're using as the nursery in our rental house is painted this fabulous shade of yellow, which is totally not my style but I decided to just go with it and color-code our bookshelf as usual and add this very bright rug to the mix. I absolutely love all the bold colors together and am so happy with how it pulled the whole room together.
This diaper pail is fabulous--we have it in plain white but I love this pretty pattern.
I thought the room was complete but once Sophie got here and I actually started nursing her I realized that my legs were too short to rock the chair, so we got one of these poufs and it's worked out perfectly.
My Current Favorite Baby/Mom Products:
I mentioned one of the sleep bras I'd been wearing in another post and Nadine recommended these lacy ones. I bought 4 of them and love them so much--they're comfortable and pretty and make me feel a little less frumpy when my hair is crazy and I'm covered in spit up.
This little suction-y breast pump is my new favorite thing when I'm out and about or doing something that doesn't allow me to be hooked up to my electric breast pump, like doing my hair, putting on makeup, or even cooking. I even like to keep it in my diaper bag and slap it on when I'm in the car--even if I only get 1-2 ounces, it feels like a win because it allows me to multitask.
A couple years ago at Alt Summit, I met a hilarious woman named Nicki who told me about a pacifier she had invented that popped around the nipple when it fell out of a baby's mouth, keeping it from making contact with the floor. I obviously didn't have kids yet but I was so impressed with her and her idea that I followed her company on Instagram and eagerly awaited the product launch. She sent me a few the other day and they are just so cool.
I thought Sophie would happily sleep in her crib right away but was super wrong, so we bought this bassinet that glides onto our bed (along with the newborn insert that keeps her extra comfy and snug). It's really nice to have her within arms reach so I can easily feed her without waking her up too much, and a few days ago she actually started sleeping longer stretches so Rob and I are finally sleeping again, too. I couldn't recommend this more.
I have 2 of these Solly Baby Wraps and we love them. I'm a big fan of wearing Sophie and these wraps are easy to pack in my bag (I usually keep one in the car so I always have it).
Nipple shields are kind of weird but I can't seem to breastfeed without them. (If anyone has any tips for ditching them, I'd love to hear.)
These hot/cold pads are so nice--I never freeze them but regularly heat them up and put them on if I'm pumping or just feeling like "my boobs are tired," which is a thing I say a few times a week when it's late in the day and Sophie's been eating non-stop.
A couple more (not pictured above):
We've had the most luck with this swaddle.
I absolutely love this nursing pillow. I've gotten so spoiled by it that sometimes I wonder how weird it would be to bring it with me whenever I need to nurse her in public.
We also have this infant lounger and a DockATot. I like putting her in this one when we're on the couch and this one when Rob and I are both awake but want to hang out in bed in the mornings.
That's all for now! If you have questions or other post requests, let me know! And if you have a product you love, tell me about it--I'm always on the lookout for things that are going to make our lives a little easier.
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