Baby/ PP recs by Polly Chen Smith

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:19:41 UTC

I’ve gifted this to many new mamas, have been told this is a must have for natural v delivery

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:25:26 UTC

This is a time saver and I wish I had it for my first baby!

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:27:21 UTC

This is for some reason sold separately

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:28:40 UTC

I am a fan of dr Harvey Karp, and this has been super worth it to me. Some friends say it didn’t seem that effective for their baby though.

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:28:51 UTC

This is comparable to the much more expensive uppababy stroller, and honestly it’s easier to reconfigure, plus I like that it can go with any car seat ! Love the huge basket lol

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:31:01 UTC

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:31:48 UTC

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:37:07 UTC

This is super pricey for a play gym but so far it’s worth every penny and the resale value on these is quite high on marketplace. Love the open ended play and how it adapts to the growing developmental phases

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:40:41 UTC

I got a used one from fb marketplace for like $75, I wouldn’t recommend this for the price but a used one could be useful. The seat is machine washable so that’s nice. I don’t like the sound machine it comes with, really poor quality. The swing also gets squeaky which could wake a sensitive baby. But I like that it doesn’t take up as much room as other baby swings.

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:42:51 UTC

Good for transporting or traveling bc it folds flat. But really pricey for what it is.

Other things…

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:45:20 UTC

Bottles
Video monitor
Nose aspirator (I got the frida baby and also an electric one, the electric one is awesome on the toddler)

pollychen07 — 2022-05-20 18:46:17 UTC

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 07:52:28 UTC

The hospital will give you clown pads + mesh underwear. this is better for many reasons.

Diaper Genie (any brand)

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 07:57:10 UTC

some sort of diaper genie, just check the prices of the insert/refills.

Bottles

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:00:18 UTC

some people swear by doc brown, a lot of parts! We ended up using Nuk / Tommie Tippie bc Ben wasn't too picky.

bottles have DIFFERENT size nipples for newborn, 3-6, 6+!

Drying rack- any brand

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:01:37 UTC

Diapers

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:03:06 UTC

huggies has the best back- elastic band.

costco- kirkland is the same manufacturer as Huggies.

honest is the best quality materials.

I hear good things about pampers too, I quit them after a few blowouts.

Burping Cloths + Bibs

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:03:39 UTC

drooling bibs when they're teeny tiny
silicon bibs when they start solids around 4 mo.

Teething stuff

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:04:56 UTC

teething stuff

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:05:22 UTC

Rash creams `

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:06:21 UTC

Desitin + Aquaphor- different times to use different uses.

Baby Carrier

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:08:12 UTC

baby carriers are so awesome! wraps / slings are also good but this one was more comfortable. Baby bjorn is a good brand but I felt like it still made my back sore. but maybe my babies are just too heavy.

Car Seat

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:09:58 UTC

MANY options! We went with britax, but just also check the prices for the carseat base

get 2 car seat bases so both parents can drive the baby.

"newborn" basket from 0-6 months ish.

will upgrade to toddler carseat later.

baby rear mirror

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:10:11 UTC

changing pad (for home)

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:13:00 UTC

changing pad (for on the go)

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:13:16 UTC

any brand, as long as its waterproof- easy to wipe

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:14:16 UTC

nursing bras

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:15:10 UTC

any brand. I liked Target's Auden brand.

cold/ hot relief

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:16:07 UTC

for leaks! reuseable fabric ones work too.

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 08:17:04 UTC

Swaddle

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 20:09:35 UTC

muslin

Zip up

Merlin suit

Scar tape

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 20:15:53 UTC

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 20:21:01 UTC

Docatot

pollychen07 — 2026-05-25 21:11:32 UTC