Favorite Baby Items for Baby #3 (That I Didn’t Use with Our First 2 Babies!)

This morning, I’m taking a deep dive into one of the questions I received from you guys via Instagram Stories when I asked for question submissions for my big Q&A post. (That post went live last week and you may see it here if you’d like: The Transition from 2 to 3 Kids: Q&A)

I had a request from a few of you to share a little bit more about any new baby products we’ve used and loved with Rhett that we didn’t use with our first two little ones. I don’t have too many items to share, as many of our tried-and-true favorites for Chase and Ryder continue to be favorites with Rhett as well but I still wanted to take the time to share a couple of items we’ve been loving because they are all awesome and deserve a shout out! I hope these brief reviews help those of you out who might be building baby registries or looking for something new for your little one that might make life a little easier for you and baby.

If this post interests you, I wrote a similar post after Ryder was born that you also might wish to check out: 10 Baby Products I Didn’t Use with Baby #1 That I Love with Baby #2

Note: The majority of these items were purchased by us, but any items I received that were gifted have been noted below. This is not a sponsored post and no companies were able to purchase a spot on this list, nor was I required to blog about the gifted items.

Favorite Baby Items for Baby #3 (That I Didn’t Use With Our First Two Babies) 

• Doona Stroller + Car Seat

(The above pic is the day we brought Rhett home from the hospital!) 

The Doona was our big splurge for baby #3! When I first saw a friend of mine use the Doona last year, I wasn’t pregnant but it immediately caught my eye because I thought the concept was so smart. The Doona functions as a car seat and stroller in one and transforms from car seat to stroller in seconds. Couple that with a great safety rating, practical design and fantastic reviews and we were sold. The only (and I mean only) downside to the Doona is the lack of storage you get underneath a traditional stroller but the vast majority of the time we don’t miss that because we’re just running around town and would likely use a bigger stroller when we want storage when we’re taking bigger trips anyway.

• Colugo Carrier

(Note: This item was gifted.)

Oh how I wish I had the Colugo Carrier when Chase and Ryder were babies! It is, hands down, the best baby carrier I’ve ever used for a myriad of reasons. First and foremost, Rhett loves it! The carrier is his happy place and I slip him into this carrier on a daily basis. He snuggles right into both the forward-facing and inward facing positions. (It can also be worn backward facing, too, though I have not tried that yet.)  I appreciate the breathable mesh interior so we’re not sweating all over each other and easy-to-use sunshade does a great job of keeping the sun out of Rhett’s eyes. Now that the winter months are upon us, I use the carrier cozy over top of the carrier to keep Rhett snuggly and warm. (The hand-warming pocket in the front of the carrier cozy is wonderful at keeping glove-free hands nice and toasty!) And once Rhett began hanging out in carrier facing forward, the drool pack of accessories to protect the carrier from a teething/drooling baby have come in handy as well! (I’m telling you, they thought of everything!)

Secondly, and almost equally as important, this carrier is the EASIEST carrier to use! There are so many different points you can use to adjust the carrier for the perfect, comfortable fit for you and baby and the way it was designed is a stroke of genius. It uses heavy-duty magnets at the shoulders so it easily snaps on (crucial when dealing with a fussy baby) and the magnets make it incredibly easy to load and unload a little one. Additionally, it comes equipped with a bunch of pockets and I definitely utilize them to carry everything from a spare diaper and travel-pack of wipes to lip balm, my phone and my keys. It also comes with a removable storage pouch to store all these items as well. The carrier works for little ones 7 to 33 pounds and we began using it with Rhett when he was right around 3 weeks. I cannot recommend this one enough!

• Baby Bjorn Bouncer

The BabyBjorn Bouncer was highly recommended to me by my sister and in the early months when Rhett’s reflux was particularly awful, this was one of the only things he’d comfortably rest in other than our arms. I initially borrowed the Stokkes Bouncer from a friend and Rhett liked that one for all of 48 hours before he decided he absolutely hated it. I think the Bjorn was an instant hit for him that he continues to love because it keeps him securely upright but allows his arms to be free. Rhett much prefers chillin’ in this bouncer where he’s upright as opposed to the Dock-a-Tot and it’s an item we use multiple times a day every day. He’ll happily hang out in this bouncer while I make breakfast or dinner and anything that gives me some moments where I can accomplish something without holding Rhett when he’s awake feels like a fantastic find to me!

• Electric Baby Nail File/Trimmer

File this one under genius baby products! (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist the pun.) As a mom who hates clipping a baby’s nails for fear of hurting their tiny fingers, this electric nail file/trimmer has been a dream! It makes filing a baby’s nails down much easier and comes with a myriad of different grinding heads that grow with your little one. (It also comes with some for adults, too.) I can easily grab Rhett’s tiny fingers and file them without him freaking out and even when he jerks his hands around like all babies do, it’s nice knowing I’m not going to accidentally clip him and make him scream. Another nice feature is the soft LED light you can use to file baby’s nails in a dark room when they’re groggy or asleep to make the whole process even easier.

• Portable Sound Machine

Throw two loud kids in the car with a baby and say goodbye to solid car seat naps! Now that Rhett is four months, he wakes up a lot more easily if loud, jarring noises occur around him. Enter the portable sound machine! I’ll throw this in my diaper bag when we have to be out of the house for long periods of time and I think Rhett is likely to nap on the go. He’s still not a great car napper, but I will often have this portable sound machine ready when I know we’ll be driving around town for a while or running errands because it seems to help create a more consistent sound environment for him that helps with on-the-go napping.

• Lovevery Play Gym

(Note: This item was gifted.)

I’ve raved about Lovevery Play Kits for years (not gifted) because the quality of the toys, books and activities are amazing. (The play kits are age-appropriate kits designed for little ones every 2-3 months from birth through three years old.) My mom actually introduced them to us when she ordered some for Ryder for his first birthday and now we’re filling in the gaps with the earlier play kits for Rhett! The items included in every play kit are research-based, educational, creative and engaging and the beautiful, heirloom-quality toys are some of the only kid toys I plan to hang onto in the future.

Rhett’s big Christmas present was the Lovevery play gym that the company kindly send our way after learning of our love for their play kits. The play gym is not only gorgeous in the realm of play mats and made with sustainable wood and organic cotton, but it also falls in line with Lovevery’s “playtime with a purpose” motto and includes so many engaging features. It also arrived with a little booklet to help give parents and caregivers ideas for ways to use the play gym to interact with baby at various stages which I think would be particularly helpful for first time parents.

• Graco Slim Spaces Swing

In between the birth of Ryder and Rhett, the incredibly popular Rock ‘n’ Play was recalled. It was our go-to device for Chase and Ryder and they loved rocking back and forth in that thing so much. When it was recalled, I was a little unsure what we would use to safely replace it and remembered Chase loving a Graco swing at my parents’ place that my mom borrowed from a friend. My sister actually ended up getting one for her daughter, so I borrowed the Graco Slim Spaces Swing to give it a shot and Rhett loved it. He spent a lot of time swinging back and forth in that thing gazing at our Christmas tree this year and it was a great place for us to put him when he seemed to be over being held but also was over being on the floor if that makes any sense! My one complaint with that swing is that it’s battery powered and while the batteries do last quite a long time, I would’ve liked the option to plug it in.

• Ubbi Baby Wipes Dispenser

I initially had the OXO Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser in my cart to use in our room for Rhett’s middle-of-the-night diaper changes because it was one of my favorite finds after Ryder was born but then the Ubbi Baby Wipes Dispenser caught my eye on Amazon. I read the reviews and was instantly sold because I love the fact that this wipes dispenser can be used with one hand and doesn’t require you to push down on the lid to release the lid. The internal weighted plate makes quickly grabbing a single wipe (or many wipes) incredibly simple and the tight seal prevents them from drying out.

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Questions of the Day

What have been some of your favorite must-have baby products?

For those with multiples, have there been certain products you discovered with your younger kids that you wish you would’ve known about with your first baby?