HaloVa Backpack Diaper Bag - I looooove this diaper bag! We knew we wanted a backpack diaper bag and this one doesn't disappoint! It has several inside pockets, a back access flap, insulated pocket for bottle storage, the mouth opens wide, and it can hold a TON of stuff! I'd purchase it again in a heart beat and would highly recommend it to friends! 

Log Book - most people prefer to use an app, and I can understand that in this digital age, BUT this log book works well for us so we can track other items / trends as well. It's been super helpful for us these first few weeks! 

NatureBond Milk Saver - once your milk comes on you may or may not notice you leak a TON on the opposite side while feeding, at least I do. I saw this recommended in a Facebook group I'm in and I'm so glad I purchased this! I catch an average of 1-2 ounces on the opposite side and throughout the day can collect enough for a bottle that can be used in the middle of the night when Dad wants to do a feed so Mom can sleep a few hours.

Nipple Cream - a lot of women prefer lanolin, and that's totally fine, but this nipple butter has been my saving grace! If you're a FTM then you've likely read that the first few days or week can be tough breastfeeding as you break in your virgin nips, but not many talk about how legit awful it can be. My first week was spent with blistered, cracked, bleeding nipples and I lathered this stuff on religiously after every feeding and any time I felt like they were dry. I continue to use it daily and keep one at my nursing station in the nursery and one in the diaper bag for on the go. Win win!

Dapple Dish Soap - a friend recommended this and it's seriously been one of my favorite staples! It comes with an easy pump, and we have it sitting at the sink for quick access to wash pacifiers, bottles, etc.

Burp Rags - we've recently started going through multiple burp rags per day and my FAV are the Gerber cloth diapers! They're way more absorbent than any of the other ones we have, and we have an entire drawer full LOL!

Sound Machine - we had read about various sound machines / white noise machines but didn't purchase one ahead of time as we weren't sure if we'd need it or not. It wasn't until we were at our newborn photo shoot and we saw our photographer use one during the shoot that we realized just how freaking MAGICAL these things are! We legit ordered the exact model our photographer had while at the shoot and our girl LOVES it! I love that it's portable and has a built in timer! 

Boppy - alright, I have mixed feelings on the Boppy breastfeeding pillow. It's SUPER helpful and gives your arms a bit of relief when nursing, and is also pretty wonderful for Dad or Grandma to use when just holding the baby, BUT I really wish I would have also purchased the "My Brest Friend" nursing pillow as it truly provides proper positioning for a good latch and a good nursing session. My cousin recommended it and I should have purchased it ahead of time, I think it would have saved me quite a bit of pain in the beginning. So if you have to choose between the two, go with the My Brest Friend for sure! Which leads me to my next topic, items I wish I would have registered for...

After some actual product use and some trial and error, I have found a few other Items I wish I would've purchased beforehand / registered for:

Dock A Tot or the Snuggle Me Lounger- holy moly one of these would be handy if we had a larger bed / house! It basically cocoons baby and soothes them for sleep. What I've learned is you can research your hiney off and prepare for baby's sleep / lounge spaces, but baby will have their own preferences. We have a pack n play and a mamaroo thinking we'd made the best decisions, but our girl has some slight reflux so she hates laying completely flat, and she's not into the mamaroo at this point either LOL! Joke is on us! My advice? Prepare your crib space so that is ready, and then see if you can borrow a few different types of bassinets from friends once babe gets here so you can see what your babe will prefer. Once you know what your babe will like then you can purchase your own. That will save you TONS of money and quite a bit of anxiety over whether or not you purchased the right item haha!!

My Brest Friend - as stated earlier...do yourself a favor and get one of these!

Onesies with Mittens - you guys...trying to clip or file newborn nails is nearly impossible as they are so thin and flimsy, and you'd think that means they wouldn't be sharp right? WRONGO! Our girl scratched the crap out of her face and those little slip on mittens did nothing for her. She was too much of a Houdini and kept getting them off, so the only option for us was the onesies with mittens attached. Even better if you can find the side snap onesies!! These are my new favorite thing this week, so do yourself a favor and grab a 3 pack of these before your babe arrives.

Swaddles - like I mentioned earlier, you'll find you really have a lot of trial and error in the beginning trying to figure out what works for your baby to help them sleep, and you might find that what works one week may not work the next week and vice versa. We've used swaddle blankets (this brand is our favorite, we have five haha!), swaddle me pods, swaddle mes, and halo sleepsacks. So far the only thing we don't like is the halo sleepsack, but we aren't ruling it out as our girl may like it later on. 

As you likely know, a lot of baby products are used in various stages, so I'll continually update you all as we progress past this 4th trimester phase and start using some of the other products we've purchased as well. Before I sign off, I did want to highlight the things we've been super grateful we had on hand and ready for the day-to-day as soon as we got home: