The Baby Products I Used the Most for 0-12 Months – Feeding Edition
When you’re preparing for a new baby, it feels like there’s a shopping list a mile long — and every store aisle is screaming “You must have this.” After going through it myself, I realized that a few simple items became lifesavers I reached for every single day. To save you time, money, and storage space, I’m sharing the baby products I actually used the most: the ones that earned their spot in my home, and that I would 100% buy again.
I’ll start this series off with feeding essentials, followed by additional lists for diapering, home essentials, and travel favorites.
For Everyone
High chair: There are lots of options out there for high chairs, and anything that’s safe and comfortable enough for your baby should be just fine. In our case, we wanted one that would be versatile but also a little more aesthetic (since it’ll be a fixture in our dining area for actual years) – so we went with the Joie Chai chair. It’s on the pricier end, but this one is still less expensive than the Graco version that looks pretty similar. We’ve used it every day since our son was old enough to sit up in it, and even though it’s gotten a lot of wear, it still looks great.
Burp cloths: Trust and believe me when I say that you’re going to go through these like crazy in the first six months, so I recommend getting yourself a few packs of them so you always have clean ones handy. The muslin ones are soft to the touch, but they also wash well and you can get a lot of wear out of them. I also recommend getting them in a darker color so stains aren’t as visible as they can be on white or pastel-colored ones.
Bibs: When your child is a few weeks or months old, cloth bibs are generally a good idea – and when they’re teething, it can even be a good idea to just have one handy for your child even when they’re not eating. Once they’re old enough to start trying food, I highly recommend the softer silicon bibs like these. I learned the hard way that they’re usually a lot more comfortable for babies than the harder, less flexible plastic ones (my son hated those, and he’s not the only baby I’ve met who didn’t like them).
For Formula and Bottle Feeding
Dr. Brown bottles: My son was born with both a lip tie and a tongue tie, so feeding was a challenge in the beginning – even with bottles. This brand was recommended to me by a friend, and these bottles really helped him because of the flow control. They also help prevent air bubbles, which help reduce gas build-up as your baby’s eating – something that’s important for every baby, whether they have feeding issues or not. These worked well enough that we continued using them until we weaned him off bottles entirely.
Tommee Tippee Bottles: Same as the above, these bottles were helpful for helping control the flow as he ate, especially in the early days when he was adjusting to a bottle. I loved these just as much as the Dr. Brown ones.
For Breastfeeding
In addition to your pump, here are a few more things you’ll need.
Nursing pillow: I got the Boppy breastfeeding pillow as a registry gift, but the My Brest Friend was so much better for my (short) breastfeeding journey. The fact that it lays flat and also straps around your body made it a lot more comfortable for me and my son.
Nipple cream: I went through three containers of this cream in the three months that I breastfed and pumped. It’s gentle and saved my life particularly in the early days of breastfeeding. It’s non-GMO Project Verified, so you don’t need to wash it off before nursing or pumping.
Milk storage bags: I used these milk storage bags on the occasions that I had enough milk to put away. They’re great for the freezer because you can lay them flat, so they’re easy to store in smaller amounts.