Mommy Must Haves

It’s been a while since I’ve done a mommy must have’s blog post so now that we’re gearing up for baby number two, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favorite products. Not only what we’re still using for Molly, but what we plan to use for our baby boy! I feel like I have learned a lot since becoming a mom and I hope some of that knowledge helps me with baby #2 and I happy to share the info with all of you of course! And as always, please share you wisdom with me in the comments below! I still have much to learn!

1. EARRINGS | 2. DRESS | 3. HAPP DIAPER BAG | 4. HEELS

A Cute (Yet Functional) Diaper Bag – HAPP BRAND

Now that Molly is a bit older, I don’t need quite as much stuff in my diaper bag when we go out on quick trips. So I started looking online for a smaller diaper bag so I don’t have to lug a huge bag around if we are just walking to get coffee in the morning. But I also didn’t want to have to just throw a diaper and wipes in my purse. I like having a designated diaper bag ready to go so I can just grab it on my way out the door in the morning. So after a little research, I found the HAPP Brand diaper bag. They have a larger size too which is just gorgeous, but I decided to go with their mini version. It has great little pockets for fitting everything I need like a few diapers, wipes and a small toy or two. And it still has lots of room in the middle to fit my wallet, phone and keys. And like I said, the small size means I don’t have to lug around a huge diaper bag just to walk a few blocks for coffee. The nylon material not only wipes clean (score!), but the quilting keeps it from slouching so it stays nice and pretty looking!

And even though it’s functional, the real reason I got it is because it’s just so pretty! Have you ever seen a more gorgeous diaper bag?! The color is NOT PINK! It’s a gorgeous dusty rose. I love the color so much that I brought it to the paint store to have Molly’s closet door painted the same color! (Can’t wait to show you her new room soon btw! It’s coming along!) Anyway, I’ve had women stop and asked me where I got my “purse.” Ha! Many of them are not even moms! They just love the look of the bag. I love it too so I wanted to share it with you guys since it’s been a total mommy must have for me! Heck, get it as a purse even if you aren’t a mom or just don’t need a diaper bag!

The Snoo

Oh my gosh I’m so excited about this! So many of my girlfriends who have had babies recently have used the Snoo and totally rave about it! Have you guys heard of it?! It’s definitely an investment, but as any mother will tell you, you really can’t put a price on your sleep! Molly didn’t sleep for more than 3 hours at a time for the first nine months of her life. That’s when we finally broke down and did sleep training. Which worked wonderfully at the time, but I really think I will absolutely lose my mind if our baby boy goes through the same thing. I’ve had multiple friends tell me that their baby was sleeping through the night after a month of using the Snoo. That is so mind-boggling to me just because I had such a different experience with Molly. I’m so excited to use this thing when our little guy arrives and I will definitely keep you all posted on how it goes!

 

Washable Rugs

I didn’t even know that washable rugs were a thing until I became a mom! As many of you know, Kevin and I have white rugs throughout our house. He absolutely hates them because he feels like they look super dirty (he’s a clean freak!) but I really love them! But since he did let me get a lot of white furniture for our new house (home reveal coming in the next couple months FYI!), we have decided to switch out our white rugs for some color. But even though our rugs are going to be more colorful and hide the wear a little better, we still wanted to put them in the areas that Molly plays in the most, so they could get a little bit dirty. For example, in front of her toybox and under her kids table. When I started researching rugs, I found Lorena Canals. They have super cute washable rugs! And the funny thing is I didn’t even realize that I already owned their angel wings rug that I used for Molly‘s newborn pictures 20 months ago (mommy brain? Ha!). It’s pictured below. Super cute, right?! When they get dirty, all you do is throw them in the washing machine and they look brand new! A must-have for any mom for sure! And yes, I did end up getting a white one because hey, if I can wash it, why not!

Organic Mattress

We are just finishing up our son’s nursery and one of the last things I purchased, but one of the most important things, was an organic mattress. I did a lot of research and decided to get the Naturepedic organic mattress. It not only has organic fabric but organic cotton filling too! And it’s waterproof just in case baby’s diaper leaks at night. I also love that it has a firm side for small babies and a softer side to switch to when they get older. It just seemed like the best one I could find, and I feel good knowing our baby boy will spend so many hours sleeping on it when he transitions from the Snoo to a crib.

A Gigantic Elmo

This is kind of a joke but kind of not. Soooo many of you have asked about Molly’s giant Elmo so I just wanted to link it on here so you could find it. She’s obsessed and it was worth every penny! As we like to say – find someone that looks at you the way that Molly looks at Elmo! 😉

Yaya’s

Molly calls her lovey’s “yaya’s.” Ha. They are little blankets that have animal heads that she loves to sleep with. I’ve written about them before but wanted to again because they’ve been so important to Molly and us! If you read my sleep training post then you might remember they were a huge part of her soothing herself and learning to sleep through the night without us going to her.

Well that’s all I’ve got for now! I mean, I could recommend a TON of other products but this post is getting long and I will do another Mommy Must Haves soon! Plus you can search “mommy must haves” in the search bar on the left-hand sidebar on the my site and you will see all my past blogs about my favorite products. But for now, tell me your favorite products in the comments below! Our little boy is due in less than a month and I want to be extra prepared! xoxo

51 Thoughts

51 thoughts on “Mommy Must Haves

      1. Do you by chance have a discount code for the HAPP Bag?? 👍🏼 Never hurts to ask and save a few bucks. Thanks.

  1. Hi Ali! I’ve loved you ever since “The Bachelor” days! So excited for you and your growing family! Anyway, I watched your insta story this morning of Molly eating vegetables. My daughter Johanna, is 2 years old and refuses to eat veggies. She will eat fruit and I’m thankful for that, but just not sure how to get her to like vegetables. My question is, did you do baby led weaning with Molly? We have a son on the way. I’m due in July, we were thinking about doing baby led weaning with him to see if it would help him be not such a picky eater. Any advice would be great! Thank you!

    1. You can try a green smoothie with her. It’s a way to sneak in some veggies while having the sweetness of fruit as well.

    2. I wish I could be more helpful. I’ve never had to try anything with Molly because she just loves veggies. I think it helped that we didn’t intro fruit until a couple months after she started eating solids/veggies. It was all veggies at first. Not really baby led weaning. Just veggies steamed or pureed.

      But Angela is right, a smoothie is a great idea!

  2. If I had to choose one “must-have” it would be the most invaluable class I’ve EVER taken (and I’m a postpartum nurse and have taken a class or two on babies)! It’s called Taking Cara Babies. She’s a mom that has developed a program of how to teach babies good sleep habits starting at like 3 weeks. We followed the tips to a tee and our little guy was sleeping 8 hours at 2 months old. He was exclusively breastfed also. And the best part is no crying it out or sleep training. Our guy is now 14 months and sleeps like a champ 12 hrs a night and loves his crib. I can’t recommend this online class enough. Randomly came across her page on Insta and it was the BEST find!

    Best of luck with the new little one, Mama!

    1. Thanks for sharing with everyone! Hopefully this helps some momma’s out there! We have a sleep coach that we swear by at Weesleep!

  3. If I could go back and re-do it all again, I’d probably be super minimalist with baby stuff BUT splurge on stuff like the Snoo! But I have to say I did become more minimalist with my 2nd already… Baby/kid stuff just seems to multiply!

    1. We haven’t gotten a ton more stuff for #2, but the Snoo was a MUST! Can’t wait to see how well it works!

  4. That dress is adorable…..is it wearable for non maternity too do you think? I’d love to have it, but don’t want to be mistaken for being pregnant, hahahaha. It looks adorable on you!

  5. Hi Friend,

    My mommy must haves have come and gone, but I thank you for bringing up all memories that I once had. 🙂
    Ha! Just buy looking at her eyes she so loves her Elmo. She’s so sweet!

    We’re into a new week now with only positive thoughts through out! 👍🏻

    Stay safe & my prayers are always with you! 💙🤗

    😘 to “Molly Jolly”

    di 🙂

  6. That mini diaper bag is super cute. When we had our second, the best decision we made was to buy a backpack diaper bag. We loved our cross body style with our first but it became a hassle trying to carry so many things (baby, bag, car seat, etc). It’s made things easier for sure.

  7. I’m pregnant with my first, so no must haves yet! This was really helpful, thanks! Can you tell me who makes Molly’s high chair? I love it!

  8. I love these recommendations Ali! Some
    Products that have been life savers for me with two little ones- Homedics sound machine (lifesaver when it comes to helping them sleep through the night), Baby Dove shampoo and body wash (smells delicious and it’s the only soap that doesn’t dry out their sensitive skin), and Dr. Brown’s bottles (cuts down on gas and tummy pain when they’re newborns.) 🙂

  9. I was really hoping you would mention that lovey alphabet book you have!!! I’ve been searching all day for one for my 18 month old!! Xoxo

  10. We have the same mattress for the reasons you listed and love it! My son is 3 and still sleeps on it on the toddler side in his toddler bed. It’s a fantastic mattress and I highly recommend it!

  11. Hey Ali, Your family is just the cutest to follow!! Can you let me know where you got that toy that Molly was pointing out the letters on…my little girl would love that, Thanks so much!!

  12. Love this post – do you have any recommendations for potty’s? Thinking to start with my 19 month old soon…

  13. What is the awesome alphabet puzzle book that she is always identifying the letters from? I love it! She is such a little cutie/smartie/darling 🙂 Thanks for sharing your lives with all of us.

  14. Hi Ali
    I really like the diaper bag. Reading you say Kevin is a ‘neat freak’ is so endearing. (& rare)
    Bless his heart. 💙

  15. Where did you get the sesame street alphabet case? That is so cute and I would love one to start teaching my daughter! Love the giant Elmo too! My daughter would die!! Congrats on your new baby boy! You have the cutest family 😊

  16. Love it! My 18 month old is also in love with elmo. Some of his main vocabulary words include Elmo and Happy (happy happy dance dance😂). Thanks for the post for my next kid I will probably have to invest in the Snoo. We also love those lovey’s. I love all of Your videos of Molly. Thanks for sharing. She is adorable and super smart already!!!

  17. I’m sure you’ve already bought it since it’s a pretty big ticket item, but just in case you haven’t, the UppaBaby Vista stroller is the best! It converts to a double (so you can use it for just Molly, baby, or both) without getting any wider! I find double strollers usually too wide to navigate through stores, so this one that converts without having to do so is a game changer! And it’s so gorgeous! My sister has the Henry colour and I’m obsessed. And the basinet that comes with it is the only stroller basinet that is overnight approved, so if you’re travelling it’s easy to use as your stroller and for him to sleep in!

    1. oh! And if you’re looking for stylish and functional diaper bags, check out Fawn Design! They’re sooo stunning and super “mom friendly”. It can be used as a crossbody, shoulder bag, or backpack for when you’re chasing the monsters around!

  18. Thanks for all the recommendations! I have one question that’s not about this post but on a video you had! Where did get that letter toy molly was playing with?!

    1. My son has that toy- we got it at babies r us but amazon also sells it. When you fold it, it looks like a briefcase with Elmo on the outside. 🙂

  19. Love your blog, insta, stories it all!! Totally didn’t know about washable rugs… gone to order one now! My Q is where is Molly’s sleepsack that she’s in now from?! My 18 mo won’t stop climbing out the crib so I put him back in a sack, but it’s not tight enough I’m having trouble finding that size. Luckily he likes the sleep sack so I don’t feel like I’m trapping him in his crib…I am SO not ready for a toddler bed!! Xoxo

  20. I’m in love with Molly she reminds me of my baby girl that’s is now 15 and she too loved to read early on and would like her privacy while she did. Now my baby girl is a very successful honor student in high school. Congratulations on your baby boy. I love your blog and Instagram I’ve been your fan since the Bachelor!!! You are beautiful and inspiring everyday! I’ve said this before on your Instagram and I’ll say it again you are my only fashion icon 😍😍😍

  21. We swore by the Magic Merlin suit. It helped our son transition from being swaddled to arms out without an ounce of trouble. Personally, I also think it helped him feel more Comfortable in his crib. My suggestion is to buy 2 bc you need to let them hang dry. Congratulations Ali!!! 💙💙 #boymomsarethebest

  22. Hi Ali! Have been reading your blog for awhile and am now a mommy to be in August to a baby boy! I LOVE the Happ diaper bag but am having trouble pulling the trigger on the price tag. How is the quality? And is the material all nylon like or cotton? Would love any insight before i purchase to make me feel better 🙂 And to convince my husband hahaha

  23. Did you try the Dock a Tot when Molly was having issues sleeping the first year? Just wondering if you have one and found it helpful.

  24. Looking forward to your review of the snoo. My first (14 months now) didn’t sleep great untill she was11 months. I am thinking of investing in the snoo for the next one especially having 2 under 2 like you!

  25. I have no idea what a snoo is, but I feel like I want one.. is that totally crazy?! We just sleep trained our baby, he is 11 months old.. he was sleeping through the night at first, then all of a sudden we hit a regression we never came out of and had to sleep train for our sanity. Wish I did it sooner to be honest!
    Loving the diaper bag, gonna head straight over to the link to check them out!

  26. I am due with baby #2 on May 29th and love this list. I NEED to order the mini diaper bag, love it! Good luck in your last few weeks, mama!

  27. OMG I want the Snoo so bad, it seems to be all everyone is talking about lately!! I’m not due until Oct. 25th so I have a while to save. So PLEASE let us know your thoughts on it and if it’s worth the money!! I just can’t justify spending that kind of money on something they won’t use that long?

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