4 Baby Products That Made Me Feel Like a Semi-Functional Human
- Karen Sheppard
- Aug 3
- 6 min read
The first time I had a baby (15 years ago), there weren't any cool gadgets or bassinets that rock your baby for you when they start wiggling at 3 am. No, you did all that stuff yourself. Or if you were like me, you just automatically woke up every half hour to make sure your baby was still breathing.
Ok, who am I kidding? I still do that, and I am sure you will too.
This time around, I wanted to be smart about the items I purchased. Once you get pregnant, it's like the entire world has opinions about what the best bassinet is and what is or isn't going to work for you, but honestly, you aren't going to know that until your baby is born. Sure, those suggestions from friends and family are all excellent, but it sucks to be in a situation where you buy the $1600 bassinet and then realize your baby hates it. It's hard to sift through what will be helpful, so I've compiled a list of things I found to be genuinely beneficial since bringing the baby home, and I am still using them months later! The links here are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you purchase them; however, if you know me at all, you know that I am not going to share something if I haven't personally tested it out! Enjoy!!
From Hatch: "A next-gen sound machine and nightlight with bonus features. The Hatch Rest+ offers white noise, customizable nightlight, alarm clock, and time-to-rise settings—all controlled via the companion app or on-device buttons. It includes a backup battery lasting up to 8 hours and two-way audio, making it ideal during power outages or late-night wakings."
This little sound machine is the best! I love how I was able to find a specific color light to use at night that wouldn't wake the baby, but still allowed me to see what the heck I was doing during all of those night wake-ups. It has a dimming feature as well, which meant I didn't blast my eyeballs with a bright light, which is very lovely. It also had plenty of sound options for me to sift through until I finally found the one she liked to fall asleep to. You can pay a monthly subscription fee for even more, but I never had to do that. It also detaches from its charging base, allowing you to carry it with you or set it up away from the wall if needed. The battery life is about 8 hours, which is excellent! The only time it has ever died on me was when I forgot to take it out of the windowsill one day. All of its features can be controlled from the unit or via the app. The app works great, and I have never had any issues with it. I found it very convenient when I only had one hand and needed to turn the volume down or dim the lights a little. Check it out!
From Owlet: "An FDA-cleared smart monitor that wraps around your baby's foot, tracking live pulse rate, oxygen levels, sleep state, and wakings. It sends real-time alerts to the base station and app, and logs sleep trends. Trusted by over a million parents, it offers extra peace of mind—especially for anxious caregivers."
This thing was my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. I cannot tell you how much stress this little gadget took off my shoulders. Honestly, I have never used the sleep trends feature. I am sure it is lovely and probably contains great data, but my main concerns were her heart rate and O2 stats! I wish I had this 15 years ago because I swear I was awake every half hour to check and see if my first daughter was breathing. This little device will alert you the instant their heart rate or O2 stats fall below the range, triggering a notification on both the sock base and your cell phone via the connected app. It also alerts you if the sock has gotten loose and it can't get a good reading. Maybe you forgot to turn on the baby monitor and are in the other room. If the baby is wiggling too much, the sock will also alert you about that to let you know they may need to be soothed to go back to sleep. My biggest concern was whether this thing would actually go off on time, and I never really had a way to test it. Fortunately, my daughter was always ok, but there was one day she was particularly congested so I used a nasal aspirator on her. The next thing I knew, the base was beeping and lighting up red, and my phone was going off because using that aspirator caused her O2 saturation
to drop below 80. It was instant, much louder, and scarier than the other two types of notifications. So I can personally confirm it will give you the notification instantly.
Run, do not walk, to get this!
From Phillips: "Crafted from pharmaceutical-grade borosilicate glass, these bottles are heat- and shock-resistant, easy to sterilize, and durable. The Natural Response nipple mimics breastfeeding—wide, soft, and designed to release milk when the baby actively drinks—supporting a natural latch and reducing nipple confusion."
I love these glass bottles. They are super easy to clean because they don't fog up like plastic ones. Also, they are easy to heat up and use in a sterilizer. A word of advice, though: if you are going somewhere, don't forget the silicone sleeves. Otherwise, you will shatter an 8-oz bottle right on the floor at the beginning of the church service. Yes, my daughter was still screaming, and no, it wasn't enjoyable.
From Baby Brezza: "The 'Keurig of baby formula,' this formula dispenser mixes, heats, and dispenses bottles at your desired ounce and temperature (room/body/warmer). It works with most formula brands, holds up to 0 oz of water in an airtight container, and offers both app control (Wi-Fi model) and manual LCD settings. Saves precious time and keeps night feedings hassle-free."
Ok, so unpopular opinion: I do not breastfeed my baby. GASP!! Before anyone comes for me with torches and pitchforks... don't. I did try, but it just wasn't for me. I also struggled due to multiple breast surgeries I have had, and even the lactation consultant agreed it probably wasn't going to work for me. Anywho, this led me to formula feeding because you can't just let babies starve. That's just rude.
For a while, we mixed our bottles the old-fashioned way, but after a couple of times of waiting for the bottle to warm, and shaking it to mix it well, while the baby is screaming in your ear at 2 am, it gets a little old. I purchased this item at 3 am while I was feeding a newborn, and since it arrived, I have had ZERO regrets. It automatically heats the bottle to the temperature you choose and makes a perfectly mixed bottle in seconds. It has a whole bunch of settings for each specific formula type to ensure it mixes properly, and I can say we have never had mixing issues.
The only con to this machine is that you have to clean the funnel after every four bottles. This sounds like a chore, which was my thought too, but I purchased an additional funnel, and it hasn't been a big deal at all. We always have one clean funnel because of this, and they pop on and off very easily and are super easy to clean. If you are a formula-feeding mom or supplementing, I highly recommend this little gadget!
I had a few other items I wanted to mention, such as a bassinet and pacifiers, but I think those are more baby-specific. Given that we went through three bassinets and eleventy pacifiers before finding some that worked for my newest little one, I didn't think listing them was necessary. These four things have been lifesavers and truly did come in clutch SO MANY times!! If you are expecting, or know anyone who is, take note!
Comments