I can’t believe it, but we’re actually REALLY close to Lord willing meeting our daughter. We are so excited! In some ways, I feel SO SO ready, but in other ways, I am thinking “will we even remember how to take care of a newborn?” I know we figured it out the first time – so I have faith we can do it again!

There are SO many blogs and advice columns out there for new moms, but honestly, I feel like a lot of those push a lot of products (just to make sales), and y’all know we’re pretty budgeted around here. So I figured it would be helpful to pull together the things we’re doing (or buying) differently this time around…and what we’re doing the same! Let’s go!

• A good camera/monitor – last time I thought we registered for a “good one,” but the video quality wasn’t the best and the battery is pretty awful. We still went with a bluetooth one (since the wifi security kind work). We went with the Infant Optics brand this time around…praying it is so much better.
• Newton Baby Mattress – hands down one of my FAVORITE purchases for Beckham and one of the top items I suggest to new moms. I felt like I slept better knowing that this mattress was breathable . It looks like the price has gone up since we purchased 3 years ago, but this would be one of my top things to save up to purchase.
• Pack-n-Play with Bassinet Attachment – yes!! This was recommended to us by friends, and I am so glad we went this route. We were able to use it with a newborn and still use it today with a toddler on the go. This is the best bang for your buck when it comes to bassinets.
• Less “cute” outfits for newborns – instead of buying lots of outfits for a newborn, we have lots of sleepers! I remember thinking I’d dress up Beckham a bunch as a newborn, but honestly sleepers were the way to go. This time around, we have a fun “cute” outfits, but a ton of sleepers (which are pretty cute too! 😉 ). Also…zip up sleepers only. Trust me.
• Baby carriers – I have mixed feelings here since we didn’t use our BABYBJÖRN as much as I thought we would. I will also say, we had a baby during 2020 so we didn’t leave the house much. I think this time around we will use it more since we’ll leave the house more, and I’ll have my hands full with a toddler. I will say the model we picked was AMAZING for back support and fit both Hayden and me (He’s 6’1″ and I’m 5’3″.)
• Portable Sound Machine – I am not a “gadgets” kind of mom. I really didn’t want our kids to have too much “stuff” to help them fall asleep, but this was and STILL IS is helpful! I think it also helps block out noise during nap time so we don’t have to be super quiet when we have people over. This is the same one we used with Beckham and already have for baby girl.
• Bob Stroller – if you’re a runner (or really into walking) this is for you!! It is a splurge, and I highly suggest looking on FB marketplace for a used one before buying new. We LOVE our BOB stroller + it attaches with our Britax carseat. I know there are so many fancy strollers out there, and no, it is not an essential item. However, we love to run and hike and this had made it possible. This stroller can take on a lot of different terrain, and I hands-down think it was one of the best investments we made with Beckham (plus we can use it with other kiddos too!).
• “Baby Tracker” – this app literally saved us so much stressing! It’s hard to keep up with a newborn schedule, and I’ll be honest, my memory is gooooone after becoming a mama. This app is AMAZING!! I think we had to pay a small one time fee so that it could be on both Hayden and my phone, but it is worth it. I never pay for apps, but this is worth it. We used this for about 10 months with Beckham. It was still super helpful on days he was sick, and we could track medicine. It was also super helpful to have our baby sitter use so we knew how much food he ate and tracked all his sleep and other baby needs.
• Baby Book – I know this is an older tradition, but I LOVE this!! It was so special to read back through both Hayden and my baby books when we’ve been pregnant. I found ours on Amazon, but you can always find a specialized one on Etsy too.

There are so many more things that I love that we used or did, but these are the big ones that come to mind. One big thing I am CHANGING about myself this time around is really focusing on the day we’re in and the problems of that day. I had so many moms share about sleep regression and other struggles that psyched me out big time. I was so anxious and worried all of the time. I am really working to focus on the day we’re on and tackling those problems head on. In most cases, the things other moms tried to warn me about…never even happened with our child! So, I wasted all that time worrying about something that never ended up happening.

If you have any questions about anything I mentioned – or need recommendations for anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out.

P.S. Yes, this blog does include affiliate links. Thank you for supporting this small business and helping my blog stay up and running! All opinions are my own!