Parenthood

New Baby List

Mother and her baby in front of the Washington monument in DC

September 26, 2023

I’m Amanda.
The AWH Guide to all things health. With two doctorates and a background in healthcare I provide recommendations you can trust. 
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I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck.” 

~Annie Dillard

Here is your one-stop list of non-toxic items for your baby. These AWH endorsed products have been researched, and used in our home:

Monitor

  • My #1 safe baby tip is to review and limit the amount of EMF in your child’s environment. While we cannot control EMF everywhere, you do have control over their nursery and I encourage you to thoughtfully consider what items you bring into this sacred space. Are they going to help – or potentially hurt?
  • For this reason we used a hard-wired monitor, easily set-up through a shielded ethernet cable that my husband ran through the wall. This D-Link monitor has given us great sound/visualization on our daughter and allows us to rest easy knowing that she is not being exposed to constant wi-fi. 

Diaper items

  • Huggies Special Delivery: We have never looked back since using these. No diaper rashes, fit perfectly, clean product and best of all, affordable because diapers add up!
  • Water Wipes: The only wipes I would consider using, period. 99.9% water with a drop of fruit extract. Ingredients you know and can trust!
  • Earth Mama Diaper Cream: When you need a little something extra.
  • Ubbi Diaper Pail: Contains odors, easy to use/lock when needed, and does not require special trash bags.

    Baby bath

    • Shampoo/Wash: SheaMoisture. The most delightful scent, a clean product and tear free. 
    • Lotion: Everyday Oil. A staple our whole family uses. An organic, clean product that quickly absorbs into your skin, leaving your baby – and you – silky smooth. {Note – only use BASELINE, which has no fragrance on your baby}
    • This Swaddle Bath by TurtleTub was recommended to us by the NICU team. We loved that it kept our daughter cozy in a swaddle while bathing. She never once cried in it which made bath time an enjoyable experience.

    Bottles

    • In keeping our home plastic and PFA free we only use glass products. This sentiment extended to bottles. We used Philips Avent bottles exclusively which came recommended by our doula and lactation experts.
    • While I nursed during the first year, we also started with a bottle early to help with additional nutrition supplementation and to make the transition back to work easy. We used the Philips Avent Natural Response nipple and found the entire process to be smooth – and toxic free!
    • If you plan on nursing while on the go, I highly, highly recommend the Ceres Chill. I used it when returning to work, and it keeps your milk supply safe – and cold, all day – even long shifts.

    Formula

    • I HIGHLY recommend all pregnant mamas, and dads preparing for a baby, to make peace with a formula they are comfortable with. Even if you plan to nurse, I would still have a back-up formula on hand incase it takes awhile for your supply to come in, or you need to bridge a gap. 
    • While researching the cleanest infant formulas available in the US, I was absolutely SHOCKED by the ingredient lists on many well known brands. While I am non-dairy in my diet, we found the healthy “vegan” US options to be some of the worst culprits.
    • I researched and made peace with organic goat milk, as it has the closest nutritional profile to human milk and it has higher protein/less lactose than cow’s milk.
    • My best advice is to research what ingredients are used and consider looking outside of the US for formula. Europe and Australia have stricter farming practices, and even if a product is not labeled organic, some of their formulations were the cleanest I researched.
    • Our first goat milk formula came from Switzerland, however, sadly the FDA blocked its entry to the US (it was a CLEAN product but the US lobbying efforts prevailed, I digress). We then imported Little Oak Formula and have used it ever since, even transitioning to the toddler milk formulation when the time arose.
    • Sadly, as of Sept. 2023 the FDA is at work again on banning international formulas so Little Oak is not available (at the moment) for new babies, however the toddler formulation still may be purchased in the US. I cannot recommend this product enough for its quality, and clean, nutritional ingredients. Not to mention our daughter absolutely loves Little Oak and we had zero issues transitioning between nursing and bottle. 
    • AWH Tip: READ the ingredient list on any formula you choose and AVOID formulas with the words corn syrup, or corn maltodextrin in them = sugar!

    Toys

    • We are huge fans of using wooden toys for childhood play, thank you Simplicity Parenting. Our daughter has absolutely adored the Lovevery Play kit. We opted for the subscription which was great for new parents as it took away any questions of “what to do with our baby.”

    Car Seat

    • This was probably most researched topic as I wanted to ensure our daughter’s car seat was not only safe, but also free from chemicals. I am very conscious of what touches her vulnerable newborn skin and therefore wanted to ensure her car seat was in alignment with maintaining a toxic free environment.
    • We chose the PIPA Lite RX. It has high safety ratings, SPF 50, and is made of Tencel, a naturally flame resistant material. Many products, car seats especially, use a chemical coating to make them “flame resistant.” While this car seat and material cost more, the mental ease it provided was priceless. and found it to be easy to install, clean, our daughter stayed comfortable, and we were able to use it past her first year of life. My favorite feature was the sidePro tip – if you have two family cars, order two bases so that you can easy swap out. 

    Stroller

    • Stokke Xplory: A luxury item, but one we have used every, single, day since we brought our daughter home. As city dwellers I appreciated the safety feature, it is the smoothest ride (no matter how rough the surface), and I love that it sits so high. Allowed for eye:eye contact with my daughter while strolling, and the height helped me maintain my posture on postpartum walks. We used the X Carry Cot for the first few months, also made a nice bassinet that we kept downstairs at home.
    • Ergobaby Metro+ Compact Baby Stroller: In my opinion the best lightweight stroller out there. Comfortable enough for the bumps along a city stroll, small enough to navigate between tables for a dinner out, and breaks down into an easily carried case. Bonus – the stroller goes completely flat, a huge win on airport travel days when you have a baby who needs a little R&R and no where to lay them down.
    • Doona Infant Car Seat: We debated using this as our main stroller, but went with the Stoke instead (which we love). However, we have rented the Doona for many trips that we have taken and can easily see the value as it is an instant car seat/stroller in one. A great option for families who want extra convenience.

    Carrier

    • Ergo Baby Omni 360 – another item that got used daily. This particular model works from the newborn stage all the way up to toddler. Extremely comfortable to wear and allowed me to get in my steps, and Vitamin D daily, which was immensely helpful to my 4th trimester recovery.

    Miscellaneous

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only share products that I personally own, use and love. 

    Amanda
    in good health,
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