Our Baby Must-Haves

a guide to clean baby products

 
 

I still remember feeling so excited yet overwhelmed by all the baby options. Unfortunately, as I started to explore I quickly learned there are a great deal of toxic products out there – ones that are constantly rubbing against babies skin or being placed in their mouths. This motivated me to search for items that are organic, non-toxic, have limited dyes and overall as natural as possible. They exist :) Just might take a little more digging to find.

Overall, we do our best to avoid plastic goods by going with a natural wood instead. Totally get this can be challenging…especially for toys. If we do plastic, we make sure it is PVC Free and BPA free and try to stay far away from anything with phthalates, lead etc. We also try to stay away from Flame Retardants (mainly found in car seats, breastfeeding pilllows, mattresses etc).

I am grateful for all the mamas that shared their recommendations with us & hoping these ideas save other new mamas time and energy.

This is what worked for our family but as I always say - go with your gut – Mama always knows best for her baby.

Currently covering 0-5 months old – I plan to keep adding!

Hope this helps in whatever capacity you need it. XO

* means ABSOLUTE MUSTS

Daytime Clothes 

Sleep

  • *EMF Rocks Grounding Bag (Game-changer to help with a more sound and restful sleep. These bags protect from EMF (Electromagnetic Frequencies) which create over-stimulation of our cells. We have these under all beds in our home and noticed a difference in sleeping patterns almost immediately. Plus think of how important sleep is for a quickly developing baby… This was high priority for us.)

  • Babyletto Gelato 4 in 1 Crib

  • Crib Sheets – Natemia brand (you’ll see this brand listed under numerous categories)

Clothing Tip: We loved anything with zippers – buttons are a pain in the middle of the night

Baby Carrier

  • *Solly Baby  (used primarily from birth to 4 months)

  • *Ergobaby Omni 360 Baby Carrier All-in-one Cool Air Mesh (used primarily starting at 3 months until present - for hikes & airport. This carrier provides the most support but also the most stiff.)

  • *Sakura Basic Linen Scout Carrier (Used primarily from 4 months until present, a great in-between of the above 2. More structure than the Solly which helps as baby gets heavier but more flexible and comfortable material than the Ergo)

Car Seat (It was important to us to avoid any flame retardant)

Stroller (I wanted 1 stroller to do it all — walking/running/hiking)

Chill TIME

  • *BabyBjorn (A HUGE MUST! She loves sitting in this to watch us whether we are cooking, eating, or just hanging out. This piece is insanely easy to wash + dry. It is natural rocking generated by your baby’s own movements – great for development.) 

Toys

  • Montessori Style

  • *The Tot (this website has high standards for what they consider to be non-toxic. They share all testing and are transparent within each item. It has toys, clothes, play gyms….just about everything you could need. It was a nice site to share with family so they had flexibility in surprising Kessa with things that we trust to be safe).

Blankets/Swaddles

  • *Natemia (incredible brand for blankets: thin, insanely soft – perfect for newborns. They have towels, wash cloths etc)

  • Lovemy blanket (thicker, rich feeling blanket – good size too – multi purpose for beach, stroller, ground)

Feeding 

  • Dr Brown’s (we did the Options+, glass, wide neck – supposedly wide neck is most like mom’s nipple)

  • Blessed Nest Breast Feeding Pillow (only used 0-3 months — this one was tricky! You’d be surprised how many well-known brands have chemicals within the filling of the breastfeeding pillows. And this is a place they spend a good chunk of their first few months resting their heads on. Some brands will say organic cotton but that is only referencing the top pillow case - make sure to read about the inside filling. We also considered the Nook breastfeeding pillow but never got around to trying it.)

  • *Synrroe Muslin Burp (thin…not the prettiest..just plain white but our favorite! To spice them up we tie-dyed them with plant dye aka avocados, turmeric etc ☺ so  fun )

  • *Milkies Milk-Saver (I hated the Haakaa – it was such a mess, Kessa would kick it off my boob almost every feeding and the milk would spill everywhere. This Milkies was a lifesaver!! It is flat and can be tucked into a bra. It collects milk comfortably with basically no spills! I still use it daily.)

  • Breast Milk Storage bags (Trick we recently learned - seal the bag well and lay it down flat in the freezer to freeze. This will create far more room for milk storage.)

MISC

  • Pacifier Natursutten (This is the most non-toxic one we could find. Kessa isn’t a huge pacifier girl but we sometimes use at bedtime)

  • Elimination Communication Method – we started playing with this at 5 months old. Love it so far. We use the baby potty and book from Tiny Undies  

  • *Rash Relief! Little Bottom Salve by Urban Herbals is a MUST. We have used this for diaper AND drool rash and it honestly clears up within hours. This Herbalist, Amber, has other products - all phenomenal and crafted with the finest intentions.

  • *Rash Relief Option 2! DYI - coconut oil and lavender oil. We use Young Living.

  • VTech Digital Video Monitor PTZ with 2 monitors (Reasonably priced & very basic. Not fancy but does its job well. Still has white noise, talking function and clear video).

  • Nail Cutter (Her nails grow so fast! We use this weekly. We opted for cutting/filing nails and skipping baby gloves. This was so she had better sensory practice)

  • Baby Sign Language Book

Teething Aid

Practitioner Code for you to use: CF017999

For Mama

  • Stretchmarks Prevention DIY - While pregnant, I used this EVERY single night before bed. I would rub it on my belly, hips, thighs and breasts. Worked like a charm! INGREDIENTS: Organic Shea Butter, Organic cold pressed Jojoba Oil, Unrefined Coconut Oil, Organic Calendula Oil, Organic Vitamin E, Organic Beeswax, Lavender Essential Oil, Frankincense Essential Oil (Honestly didn’t do measurements, just guessed. Simply melt it all together and place in a glass jar. Just be careful on how much beeswax - it can become sticky!)




Andrea Fagenholz