things that are my favorites


Six months into motherhood and I can confidently say this: nothing went exactly how I planned… and yet somehow, everything has been so sweet and so right for us.


Like so many first-time moms, I had a vision. I planned on nursing and doing bottles. I researched all the things. I organized. I prepared. And then reality gently (okay, sometimes not so gently) reminded me that babies have their own plans


Here are the things I truly could not live without.


Baby Brezza Bottle Washer


If you’re doing bottles full-time, a bottle washer is not a luxury. It’s survival.


We have the Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro, and the convenience is unmatched. Our dishwasher takes four hours to wash and sanitize. Four. Hours. When you’re cycling through bottles all day long, that’s just not realistic.


In those early weeks of 8–10 bottles a day, being able to quickly wash, sterilize, and dry everything within 88 minutes saved my sanity. Even now, with fewer bottles, it keeps everything moving efficiently without waiting on a full dishwasher cycle.


Now, would I choose the same one again?


If our sink wasn’t on our island, I probably would have gone with the Momcozy bottle washer because it holds more and isn't slotted for just bottles. But here’s the catch: it drains directly into the sink with a hose and doesn’t have a discard tank. Since our sink is on our island, that setup just didn’t make sense for our space.


So for our layout, the Baby Brezza was absolutely the right call.




UPPAbaby Vista V3 Stroller


Our UPPAbaby Vista V3 is hands-down one of my favorite baby purchases.


People love to say it’s heavy. Honestly? I don’t find it heavy at all. It feels sturdy but still lightweight enough to maneuver easily.


What I love most:


  • The huge storage basket (because moms carry everything).
  • How easily you can swap pieces — bassinet, car seat, rumble seat.
  • How smoothly it pushes. It truly glides.


I’ve pushed other strollers that feel clunky or resistant, and this one just moves effortlessly. Folding and unfolding is simple, which matters when you’re doing it constantly.


The one thing I would change? We have the Nuna PIPA car seat, and I wish we had just gotten the UPPAbaby infant seat so we wouldn’t need the converter adapter. It works perfectly fine — I just love streamlined systems.


Still, zero regrets. I love this stroller.




Hatch Grow Smart Changing Pad & Scale


We have the Hatch Grow Smart Changing Pad, and while we originally planned to use it for weighted feeds, it ended up serving us in a different (but still amazing) way.


Since nursing didn’t work out, we didn’t use it for feed tracking the way we intended — but being able to easily check her weight at home has been such a gift. No guessing. No wondering.


And here’s something I didn’t expect: our baby loved this changing table. Literally would stop crying when we would set her down for a diaper change.


From newborn through about three months, she was so calm on it. Sometimes we would literally move it into the living room or even place it on the table while we ate dinner so we could set her down and actually eat together. She would just lay there content and peaceful.


It gave us little pockets of normalcy in those early days.



Boon Tempro Milk Warmer (With Some Real Talk)


We really do love our Boon Tempro milk warmer — especially because it heats milk to exactly 98°. When you have a baby who is very particular about temperature (ask me how I know 😅), that precision matters.


However — here’s the honest part.


If you put milk in there that still has small ice crystals in it, sometimes it says it’s at 98°, but it’s actually not fully warmed through. And our baby will not drink a bottle that’s less than 96°. She just won’t.


So we’ve learned to be cautious:


  • We stir the milk really well after heating.
  • Sometimes we double-check it with a separate thermometer.
  • We make absolutely sure it’s truly at 98° before offering it.


Once we figured out that little quirk, it’s been great — but it’s definitely something to be aware of.




Momcozy Bottle Warmer (For On-the-Go Life)


For being out and about, we love our Momcozy portable bottle warmer.


The convenience is unmatched. It makes heating milk on the go so easy — especially when you’re not near an outlet or don’t want to ask for hot water somewhere.


That said… I hate cleaning it.


It’s hard to get your hand all the way inside, and it doesn’t unscrew at the bottom. You have to be really cautious not to get certain parts wet, which makes washing it feel a little stressful.


I’ve seen one on Amazon where you can actually take apart and fully wash the center chamber where the milk sits. If we have another baby, I would 100% choose one that fully disassembles for easier cleaning.


Convenience? 10/10.

Cleaning experience? Could be better.


Double Zip Footies Forever

If you know, you know… pajamas are basically the baby uniform for the first few months. Heck we still live in the convertible rompers.


There are baby clothes… and then there are the clothes that actually make your life easier.


As previously mentioned, we live in double zip footies. Being able to zip from the bottom for middle-of-the-night diaper changes without fully undressing her? Elite. Absolute elite parenting innovation.


Once she was past three months, we transitioned into double zip convertible onesies, and I loved them even more. The option to cover or uncover her feet depending on temperature (or how fast she was growing) was such a game changer.


If you’re building a registry: more double zips. Fewer buttons. Trust me.


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Our Favorite Clothing Brands (With Honest Reviews)


When she was first born, she was tiny — and finding things that actually fit was harder than I expected.


Newborn / Preemie Favorites

• Old Navy (Preemie)

These were the only ones that truly fit her at first. Everything else swallowed her. If you have a small baby, their preemie sizing is so good.

Once she outgrew preemie and moved into newborn and 0–3 months though, the feet started feeling smaller than other brands. She outgrew the foot space quickly compared to others.

• Posh Peanut

The softness. That’s it. That’s the review. So buttery soft and stretchy — we loved these in those early weeks and now.


Once She Got Bigger…

• Bums & Roses

Perhaps my favorite brand overall. The fit, the stretch, the prints — we just love them. Once she got a little chunkier, these fit beautifully and have held up so well.


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Brands That Are Cute… But Not Our Favorites


Because not everything that’s adorable works for every baby.

• Caden Lane

Super soft. Very cute prints. But every single one we own has pilled badly. For the price point, I wish they held up better.

• Kyte Baby

Again — adorable prints. Very soft. But the feet on the zipper leg of the footies have fit weirdly on every one we own. It’s like one foot always feels slightly off.

Their convertible rompers, though? Much better fit in our experience.


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The “best” baby clothes aren’t always the most viral ones — they’re the ones that fit your baby’s body, your home layout, your routine, and your sanity.


And sometimes… that means strong opinions about zipper direction and foot sizing. 🤍



The Diaper Deep Dive (Because We Tried Them All)


We tested so many diapers in the beginning. Truly, so many.


We tried:


  • Huggies
  • Pampers
  • Coterie
  • Millie Moon
  • Dyper
  • Kudos
  • Little Bum Bums
  • …and more


At the end of the day, what works best really comes down to your baby’s skin.


Our top three:


  • Kudos – I loved that they’re all-natural.
  • Coterie – So soft and incredibly absorbent.
  • Little Bum Bums – I loved that they have aloe in them.


These were the ones that worked best for her. No irritation. No weird reactions. Just comfort.




The Snoo (Yes… I Know)


I know this one can be controversial because of the company’s ethics and business decisions.


But for us? We loved the Snoo Smart Sleeper.


It kept her sleeping so well. Most nights we actually had to wake her to feed. As first-time parents, that felt like magic.


I’m honestly so sad she’s phased out of it. It gave us peace in those early months when everything felt new and overwhelming.


Was it necessary? Maybe not for everyone.

Was it worth it for us? Absolutely.



The Artipoppe Carrier (My Back Saver)

Now let’s talk about baby wearing.


I don’t baby wear all the time — but when I do, it has to actually support my body.


We have the Artipoppe Zeitgeist, and it has truly been a back saver.


I had lower back surgery six years ago, so I’m very cautious about anything that puts strain on my spine. I tried one other structured carrier and one wrap early on, and both left my lower back on fire. It wasn’t sustainable.


The Artipoppe distributes weight so differently. The waistband support, the structure, the way it sits — it just works for my body. I can wear her without feeling that deep, aching pressure in my lower back.


Is it an investment? Yes.

Was it worth it for me? Also yes!


Especially as someone with a history of back surgery, having something that allows me to carry her comfortably and safely is priceless.


What I’ve Learned at 6 Months


If there’s anything this first half-year has taught me, it’s this:


You can plan. You can research. You can build the perfect registry.


And then your baby will gently rewrite the story.


We didn’t plan to be fully bottle-fed.

We didn’t know which products would truly matter.

We didn’t know what would make our life easier.


But these things? They’ve been part of our rhythm. They’ve helped us breathe easier. They’ve made daily life smoother.


And at six months in, that’s everything. 🤍


If you’re a first-time mama building your list, I hope this helps you feel a little more confident — and a little less alone.