5 Outfits I Can’t Wait to Wear From My Spring Capsule

These 5 outfits I’m planning on wearing on repeat this spring. As a Sezane partner (this means I’ve been gifted items and will receive a commission if you purchase through my links. Thanks so much for your support!), I’ve picked most of my items from them. I honestly just love all things Sezane. They fit my vibe of pulled together casual with a Parisian influence. I also feel like I have no idea where to shop anymore or what my “style” is compared to what’s trending in the usual stores I used to shop. So, I’m going back-to-basics and building out from there. Sezane just makes really beautiful, high quality basics and many I’ve had in my closet for years. 

LOOK NO.1

Love how simple this look is, but it feels very polished. I’m thinking of this as my “I’ve only slept 3 hours last night nursing a newborn, but I want to look sort of presentable” look for those first few months when I venture outside my postpartum den. 

• Navy cardigan
• White tee
• Loose jeans
• Black purse (Honestly, I’ll be carrying a backpack with diapers, but this is cute option for those not toting around little ones)
• Black loafers (I have these already and they are so chic and comfortable add day.) 

LOOK NO.2

I love the simplicity of this look. Personally, I’d swap out the black shoes and belt for brown for a more casual vibe. 

• Cream sweater
• Loose jeans
• Brown belt
• Brown shoes (I’m dying to add these to my wardrobe!)
• Black purse

LOOK NO.3

This looks like the perfect “not sure what to wear and need to get out of the house look stat” even if its just a walk to the park. 

• Black cardigan
• Black belt
• Black sneakers
• Gold chain necklace
• Loose jeans

LOOK NO.4

This feels very Parisian and I love it. It also kind of looks like fancy pajamas, which I love even more. Wearing cream with 3 kids is a risk, but I’m willing to take it for this look. 

• Stripe sweater
• Black belts
• Cream knit trousers
• Black loafers

LOOK NO.5

Nothing better than a simple tee and jeans look. Just by adding a few on trend accessories you instantly have a well styled classic outfit. Sold. 

• Black tee
• Loose jeans
• Black loafers
• Gold chain necklace

The post Spring Capsule Wardrobe 2023 appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

We have small mudroom just off our garage. There’s no closet nearby and it’s a pass-through room to our laundry room and powder bath from our kitchen. It’s a busy space that desperately needs some revamp in looks and function. With help from KILZ® and Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® paint I transformed the space into something with personality and functionality for our family.

Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® paints have a beautiful curated selection of colors. Inspired by the floral wallpaper in our powder bath, I choose the color Luxe – a cool toned green with hints of gray and blue. I love the way it pulls out the leaves in the floral wallpaper of the neighboring room.

Now, onto making the room more functional. Since there’s no closet space nearby, I knew I needed to add more hooks. Browsing Pinterest I stumbled on a few inspiration images with double peg rails. It looked like the perfection solution for the space, since I wanted the kids to be able to hang up their own backpacks and coats when they come inside. I love the texture and character beadboard creates in a space (something our builder-grade home lacks). I installed the second “rail” all the way around the room, but only added the pegs to the far corner.

It’s truly amazing what some trim work and a can of paint can do to completely transform a room! My first coat of paint was the KILZ® Premium 3 primer. I asked for it to be tinted a medium gray since my final paint color was darker. This sped up the painting process since I only need one coat of the KILZ® primer and one coat of the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® “Luxe” color paint. Plus, primer is usually cheaper than paint, so it saved me some money on the project too. Double win!

I really love the way the space turned out! It’s the first room that greets us when we get home and it makes me happy. We’re ready for back-to-school and all the bags, coats, mittens and muddy boats coming in the next few weeks!

The post Small but Mighty Family Mudroom Makeover appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

I’ve had two vintage tattered quilts for a couple of months. They were too worn out to make a coat as I had planned, so they’ve stayed in my fabric stash. Until, I stumbled on this easy tote bag tutorial and instantly knew I needed to use my quilts to make the sweetest tote bags. The tutorial is super easy to follow and I’m already looking for more vintage quilts to make another one as these are going to be donated to my daughter’s school auction this spring! The only adjustment I made was add length the shoulder straps.

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There weren’t too many design hurdles in this space. It’s main issue is being very boring and very basic. My goal was change that by added statement furniture and molding wall detail.

Here’s a look at the before of the space…

It was a catch-all-the-stuff-we-didn’t-know-where-it-should-go-after-the-move room, but I did manage to hang up that copper ship art I got from my grandparent’s house.

Our whole house was painted in what I like to call “paper bag brown.” So, I knew right away that I was going to need to paint. I painted the upper walls in “Swiss Coffee” by Benjamin Moore (which is what most of our upstairs is painted).

As a 2000-something builder-grade home it lacks a lot of details and character. In this basement living room there was a ledge below the wall of windows. I decided to continue that ledge trim all the way around the room to add some much needed character. This wall molding was incredible easy to install and completely transformed the look of the space!

I was originally going to do a moody dark black navy color for the lower paneling details after seeing this inspiration photo, but something about it just didn’t feel right. I pulled out my trusty Farrow & Ball paint swatches and found the perfect warm gray-green color called “Old White.” It felt cozy and layered nicely with the olive green of the most amazing Kova L-shaped sectional gifted from Albany Park.

Next, I added some table top surfaces around the sectional. Since it’s a large piece I made sure add plenty of places for people to set down a drink or snack without having to get out of their seat. I grounded the front of the sectional with a large oak coffee table and added miss matched side tables to either end of the sectional.

Like I mentioned, the Kova Sectional is large and needed something visually large above it. I didn’t want to add a large piece of artwork above as it would’ve felt too boxy and clunky. Instead I added a gallery wall of photos from our trips, some of my artwork and some thrifted art. A good rule of thumb with gallery walls above a sofa is to have the gallery wall span 2/3 width of the sofa. This will create balance and proper scale. I like for my gallery walls to have two colors of frames – more than that and it starts to feel too busy for me.

Few things I have left to finish in this space is find a media cabinet for below the TV. It’s 60-something inch TV and needs a cabinet that’s ideally 80″ wide, but I just haven’t found one I love yet. Also after getting the sofa in place I think we could use a pair leggy chairs off to the left side. I’m keeping my eye out for a vintage pair on facebook marketplace. Other than that, it’s wonderful to have created this cozy space we think of as our movie room or game day space!

Room Sources:

• L-shaped sectional in olive green velvet (gifted)
• Coffee table (gifted)
• Rug
• Curtains (found locally at Home Goods)
• Curtain rods
• Curtain rings
• Pillows (found locally and homemade)
• Wicker end table (vintage)
• Lamp (thrifted)
• Tapestry (vintage)

Paint Colors:

• Upper walls “Swiss Coffee” by Benjamin Moore in Eggshell finish
• Lower walls “Old White” by Farrow & Ball (color matched at Sherwin Williams) in Satin finish

The post Basement Living Room Makeover appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

Mistake #1: Trim Color

This one was just a rookie mistake. I went to the paint store to pick our trim color over my lunch break. We had a short window of time when we could paint before moving all our furniture into the house. I looked on pinterest for colors I thought would work. When I got to the paint store I pulled the White Dove by Benjamin Moore color and thought that looks so yellow! Yuck! I quick changed my plan and decided on Simply White by Benjamin Moore, but in telling the paint guy what color I wanted I said, “I think I want Simply White.” No swatch in had just a verbal color. He thought I meant I simply want the color White by Benjamin Moore. I left the store with White by Benjamin Moore and started painting my heart on all our trim work. Three coats later, I realized I had the wrong trim color and it looked very grayish in some lighting, especially at night.

Lesson Learned: Bring home swatches or small paint pots to see the colors in your space BEFORE you buy all your paint. 

Mistake #2: Color Matching Paints

The colors I choose in our house were all Benjamin Moore colors, but I had them color matched at Sherwin Williams because it was close and they were having a sale. Nothing is wrong about that, but I ran into a big hiccup only 2 years after moving in when I needed to get the same color for some touch up paint in our living room and Sherwin Williams had changed their base formula. The guy at the paint shop and I tried everything to get the right match, but never did for our living room color. I had to repaint the entire space, which was a bit of a pain. Since then, I use Benjamin Moore paint when I want a Benjamin Moore color and Sherwin Williams paint when I want a Sherwin Williams color and so on. Makes getting touch a paint waaaay easier.

Lesson Learned: Buy the brand of paint to match the color you choose (i.e. Benjamin Moore color, use Benjamin Moore paint). Makes your life a million times easier when you need to do touch up work in the future. 

Bonus Lesson: Also, expensive nice paint has always been worth the money in my book! A single can costs more, but you often use much less paint than the cheap stuff and save yourself a lot of time. My favorites are Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint. 

Mistake #3: Tedious DIY Project on Doors

One of the first DIY projects I wanted to tackle in our house was to update our hollow slab doors. I saw on pinterest where people were adding small trim to mimic a more traditional door and decided our doors needed some character. I think I was just looking for something to do since most of the major renovating was out of reach as we saved up money. This project was suuuuuper time consuming and in the end probably wasn’t worth it. In our basement renovation we used solid wood doors and they are so much nicer than our upstairs hollow ones. I wish we would’ve replaced all our upstairs doors with solid ones, but realistically it wasn’t in our budget at the time either and I’m not sure it ultimately would’ve been a worth-wild investment since this isn’t our forever home.

Lesson Learned: Just because you can DIY doesn’t mean you should. Don’t forget to take into account the time a DIY project takes even if it’s a cheap fix. Ultimately might not be worth your efforts. 

Mistake #4: Not Reworking Kitchen Layout

This was one was mainly dictated by our budget. We waited a year to save up money to renovate our kitchen. It was pretty darn ugly and really needed some help. We needed to replace the floors, open up a doorway, new appliances, new countertops, backsplash and lighting. I would’ve loved to have expanded the footprint of our kitchen but we were on a tight budget of about 10k, which is a good amount of money but for kitchens that’s pretty small. Our appliances ending up being about double what we expected because of the specific counter-depth and standard width fridge we needed. For resale, expanding our kitchen would’ve likely been worth the money, but again we were paying for this all ourselves (no loan or credit cards) and it just wasn’t really an option. We had to find ways to do it on a budget and keeping the existing cabinets and painting them was the right choice for us at the time.

Lesson Learned: Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. It would’ve likely been worth some extra money to expand our small kitchen for a bigger, more functional space. I’d recommend talking with your realtor to help you spend your money strategically for the best return on your investment, especially if you know it’s not your “forever” home. 

Mistake #5: Not Finishing All the Detail Work Before Baby

Sometimes life happens and projects only get to 90% done. That’s the case in our basement. I was about 6 months pregnant when we got to all the finish work in the basement. I just couldn’t do as much physical work, understandably, in my third trimester. Things that still needed to be done before we listed our home for sale were mostly finish work in the basement like trim, add shelves to the linen closet by the bathroom, add a stair runner and touchup paint. That little list of to-do’s had been on my list for nearly two years!

Lesson Learned: Ask for help or hire it out if possible. I wish we would’ve just finished all that darn trim work before we had Harriet. The space is completely functional but the unfinished trim work was like a thorn in my side. I wish we’d just hired out the last bit or asked a friend to come help us (or really just Joel at that point) to finish it up before baby. Also, I should’ve had a more realistic timeline for our DIY basement project. DIY projects always take longer and cost more than you initial thought. 

The post 5 Biggest Regrets & Lessons Learned From Renovating Our First Home appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

#1 Use What You Already Own & Restyle It

Collect all your decor pieces and collect them on your dining table to start restyling. I find it best to clear of your surfaces and then add back in. Try to collect a variety of items – books, frames, candles, sculptural pieces, boxes plants and other organic objects. Then start with on are at a time like a dresser to layer in pieces in a new, fresh way.

A few quick tips for restyling odd numbers work best with a varying heights and shapes. Pair a tall plant with a picture frame and a candle. Or stack two large books on top of each other and place a sculptural piece on top. For a really easy, quick refresh just rotate around your decorative pillows and throw blanket!

#2 Propagate Your Plants

I love plants! They give a space life – literally. Propagating them is easy (depending on the plant of course) and free. If you have a pothos plant, they are super easy to propagate. Simply cute them just below the node and pop it in some water and wait for the roots to grow. For a more detailed guide on propagate plants check out Apartment Therapy’s guide. Then get creative with what you plant them in like an old mug, mason jar, old camping pot, etc.

#3 Rearrange Your Furniture

Costs you nothing, but a little labor. Go easy with swapping around some end tables or lamps through your home or go big with a full layout change in your living room. If all the furniture is pushed against your walls in your living room try floating the sofa and a chair or two around a rug for a cozy conversational area.

#4 Upcycle a Piece You Own, But Might Be Tired Of

I recently did this what a table lamp. The shape was good, but I was over the faux brass finish and painted it to look like a ceramic piece. Turned out so well. Simply mix together paint you have on hand with baking powder (see the full recipe and my inspiration here) and paint away. Warning: this is addicting and you’ll soon want to paint all your vases, lamps, decor with this magical ceramic look-a-like hack.

Or maybe it’s time to give your nightstands a new coat of paint (I wouldn’t suggest the ceramic paint for that kind of project). If you’re a bit more handy and have some of the supplies, you could reupholster a chair or ottoman. You could use remnant fabric you have laying around or repurpose a bed sheet that’s seen better days or old curtains. Another upcycle option for old linens is to make a new pillow cover. Or use an old shirt or skirt you no longer love into a pillow cover.

#5 If You Have Kids – Frame Their Artwork

I love displaying my daughter’s art around the house. She loves seeing her pieces hung up too. My favorites to frame are watercolors. Don’t have kids? Try your hand at some abstract artwork with watercolors or any painting medium you have around the house.

#6 Shop Your Home

Take a look inside your kitchen cabinets for some dishes or bowls you might normally store away that could used around your home. Have a beautiful wood bowl? Style it on your coffee table to hold your remotes. Have a pretty plate or two you rarely use? Hang them up on the walls or add them to a shelf.

Look in your other closets for things like hats that might normally be stored away on shelf and hang them on the walls in your bedroom. Have instruments laying around? Hang them on the wall as functional art.

#7 Play With Different Light Options

Instead of always using your overhead lighting, turn on that table lamp or light some candles for a relaxing vibe. The mood in your home is just special as the decor. Play around with different lighting options to give a room a whole new vibe in the evenings.

The post 7 Ways to Decorate Without Spending Money appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

Welcome to my friend Jen’s front sitting room. This is first room that greets you when you walk into their home. They just purchased this home this past summer and asked me to help them make it their own. We opted to start off with this bonus living room that gets lots amazing sunlight all day long and great started place to create a finished space as the rest of their main living room is open concept. Here’s a look at what it looked like before…

Their whole house was painted in the brown color by the previous homeowner. They eventually want to paint all the rooms on the main level in the large open concept area a light gray or soft white, so we though painting the walls a bold color would be a good contrast to the rest of the spaces in the future. They wanted to make this space a fun, casual entertaining spot for friends when they have guests over. So, we opted for a casual tv-free living room situation.

DESIGN GOALS:

• Replacing the hanging light with a semi-flush mount.
• Paint the walls in a bold color.
• Find furniture that fit their combined style, while also fitting the scale of the space. They really wanted pretty modern furniture that was comfy.
• Layout the space for entertaining, but also a spot to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and book.
• Keep it kid-friendly as they have a little on the way.
• Add some personality to the space.

We replaced the lighting with a semi-flush mount light I had leftover from our bedroom after we installed a ceiling fan this last fall in there. It’s a simple modern schoolhouse vibe light with black accents that helps tie the space together.

I’m obsessed with the deep green color we painted the walls. It’s “vintage vogue” by Benjamin Moore. It’s the perfect moody, warm, bold green color that doesn’t look emerald. Just the perfect dark green in my opinion. We layered in a rug over their current carpet from Loloi (Layla LAY-06 in Taupe).

We created a very classic living room layout with a standard size sofa paired with two matching accent chairs. The sofa is a soft gray color that helps keep the room feeling lighter but not too light that a kid could totally destroy it. The Nord Charme chairs from Article add the perfect amount of warmth and keep with that mid-century style my friend, Jen, loves. They’re also very comfy.

We floated the chairs off the wall by the window to prevent blocking light from the windows. The low profile back and arm design maximize the amount of light in the space. In the middle we added a small scale coffee table so that were was enough area to walk around the room. I love how the grid pattern balances off the grid of the gallery wall on the back wall. This was a thrifted find I had to alter (watch the video above to see me diy!).

I also thrifted those wood carved plate looking things and hung them on the wall. I always like to have a room filled with 20% to 40% vintage or secondhand. This keeps it from looking too “off the shelf” and adds loads of personality.

This gallery wall is my favorite moments in the space. We played with symmetry throughout the room. The grid layout of black frames with large white mats adds a focal point to the room. It also adds a personal moment as all the frames are filled with their travel photos and other special moments in their lives.

Above the couch we hung an abstract canvas art painting I made for them and put it in a simple Ikea frame. Since the frame was on the smaller size I wanted to visually add more space to either side of it with those black, modern wall sconces. Bonus, it keeps from needing any floor or table lamps. I’m so happy with how this space came together and thankful to Article for partnering with me on this room makeover.

SHOP THE ROOM

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3913106″]

The post Tips for Decorating a Living Room with Dark, Bold Paint Color appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

I’d say 90% off the time my house is messy, but a good messy in my opinion. After all we live here and have a 16 month old. This phase of my life in-and-of-itself is messy. Toys scattered around, laundry piles that need to be folded, last nights dinner on the floor and dishes – lots and lots of dishes.

My type A, recovering perfectionist self has struggled with this new normal. When I get home from work, I have a hard time looking past the mess to just relax and enjoy those precious evening hours with Harriet.

I’m learning my house will never look like it did before baby on a regular basis and that’s okay. Life is messy and crazy and wonderful and too short to spend too much of it cleaning, but here are a few changes I’ve made to help my sanity and keep my house somewhat tidy. 

Cleaning Routine Guide Hung Up On Our Fridge

I made a printable cleaning routine guide for my daily tasks spread out over a weekly, so, I can quickly glance at it while in the kitchen to see if there’s just one small task I can do today. I keep my daily cleaning routine to a few simple things like quick 15-minute pickup, wipe counters, put away dirty dishes, make bed and put away clothes. These are just goals. If I get one task done I’m happy. If I get none, that’s okay too. I’m not striving for a perfectly clean house everyday, but maintaining it daily helps to reduce the time spent on the days where it needs more a deep clean.

Download my free printable cleaning routine guide here. 

Simplify My Cleaning Supplies & Tools

I don’t own many fancy cleaning supplies and keep my “tools” simple too. The best addition to my life has been a cordless vacuum! I have the LG A907 CordZero Stick Vacuum (Provided at no cost by LG. This post is sponsored by LG. I genuinely love it!) and it’s life changing. You know you’re old when vacuums get you all excited. But seriously, it’s great. LG’s vacuum is light-weight with an 80-minute battery life*, plus it’s super quiet, which means I can quick zip through my house after Harriet goes to bed. Mom win. Life win. *2 batteries, up to 40 min each, depending on usage, for combined run time of up to 80 minutes.

I also use just one all purpose cleaning solution that’s safe and effective to use all around my house from Harriet’s high chair to our bathroom. It’s from Branch Basics – click here to get $10 your order with my referral link. The big concentrate just lasts several months and I love what the company stands for. 

Enter to win one of 20 LG vacuums I’m giving way on instagram!

Minimize My Belongs

I got into minimalism back in 2015 when we bought our first home. The act of moving from our rental to our first home was overwhelming. Our rental wasn’t huge and I didn’t realize how much extra crap I owned until I had to pack it all up and move. With my trusty copy of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo I completely decluttered our possessions to just what brought my joy and was necessary in my life.

Since, that initial decluttering my life has changed (i.e. baby!) so much stuff has need another assessment. I’ve let go of things that once brought my joy, but no longer do (or I not longer have time or desire to use/do). Reducing the amount of possessions I have in my home has help immensely to maintaining a calm, simplified home environment that is much easier to clean. Plus, we needed to make room for all of Harriet’s stuff somewhere!

Let Life Happen

This is a big one for me. I’m learning to let my house be messy and lived in. I’ve shifted my priorities from a clean house to a happy home filled with love, joy and lots of time with my daughter, because when she gets older she won’t remember how clean her house was growing, but how she spent her time with those close to her. 

The post Daily & Deep Cleaning Routines + Printable Guide appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

I thought it would be fun as a family to make a summer bucket list this year. I made this cute summertime bucket list PDF as a free download when you join my newsletter (use the form below). When you join, you’ll get access to all my freebies!

Here’s what’s on our summer bucket list:

• Plant a small garden
• Walk around the lakes
• Go for a bike ride with Harriet
• Make more baby clothes and matching mommy outfits
• Get ice cream at Sebastian Joes, Milkjam and Pumphouse creamery – all my favorite places to get vegan ice cream in Minneapolis!
• Have a picnic
• Family roadtrip
• Go to a museum
• Go to an outdoor waterpark
• Renovate upstairs bathroom
• Finish trim and shelf details in basement
• Get a library card for Harriet
• Fix up the front and backyard
• Float in the lake
• Host a backyard outdoor movie night
• Make a fort
• Take more polaroids
• Print photo books
• Make a rainbow wall art
• Visit farm sanctuary
• Go to the state fair
• Play in a kiddy pool in the backyard
• Create art with Harriet
• Get Harriet a passport

The post Summer Bucket List (Free PDF Download) appeared first on Kitty Cotten.

Let’s start with top 2 things right off the bat, because navigating other peoples essentials can be difficult to know what exactly will fit your lifestyle and baby, but these two were hands-down the best additions to my life as a new mom.

#1 SNUGGLE ME ORGANIC CO-SLEEPER

We co-sleep. Not for everyone, but a lifesaver for us! The Snuggle Me Organic was what Harriet slept in for the first 4 months of her life and it was magic. I loved how portable it was and cozy it was for her. The design behind is that when you set the baby in the middle of it the side come in slightly to “hug” the baby. I loved how I could bring it around the house for her to sleep in and I could sit be near her and watch her where ever I was in the house. It was also great for travel!

#2 BABY CARRIER

I LIVED in my Solly Wrap (first photo) for the the first month of maternity leave. I would wakeup, put on a tank top, wrap the Solly Wrap around me, pop baby in and out during the day to feed, diaper change, play, etc. The material is incredible soft which makes it feel like you’re simply wearing a loose shirt all day over your tank top.

Baby wearing is a perfect way to keep baby feeling cozy and comforted next to you, while still keeping your hands free! While the first few weeks you should really take your time to rest and stay in bed with your baby, after that the Solly Wrap gave me the freedom to make myself food, a coffee or even just brush my hair. I know, ground breaking stuff here, but that first month after your first baby is born is pure survival, yet complete bliss all at the same time.

After the first month or so, I started venturing out of the home more and joined the rest of the world and found the Solly Wrap a bit of a pain out-and-about to put on. I swapped out my wrap for either the Sakura Bloom Scout (second photo) or Sakura Bloom Ring Sling (third photo). The Scout is more your traditional baby carrier, perfect for walks, wearing in a baby-and-me workout class, and everyday activities. It has great support, yet packs up nice and small. The Ring Sling has been my go-to baby carrier when Harriet was able to sit up on her own and preferred to be carrier more on my hip so she could see what’s going on around her easier. It also packs up nice and small, super soft and always in my diaper bag now.

Now, for the a general overview of my newborn essentials…

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

CLOTHING
I had two styles of bodysuits I dressed Harriet in a long sleeve organic cotton bodysuit with side snaps and that kimono style bodysuit you see pictured above. In that photo she’s also wearing organic cotton mittens to protect her from scratching herself. Baby nails are so sharp on their new skin and they grow so darn fast! These style bodysuits made it gentler to get her dress each day as the head hole was super tight. Harriet was born in the spring and her first few months were in sunny weather so we kept her in a hat often. My favorite was a this brimmed bonnet.

SWADDLES & BLANKETS
For nighttime we put her in a sleepsack/swaddle thing. In the first few months she slept in the Love to Dream swaddle. She only wanted to sleep with her hands up by her face and that’s exactly what the Love to Dream swaddle allows and she slept sooooo well that way. Once her startle reflex had relaxed, she moved up to the Halo sleepsack with swaddle for the occasional time we still bundled her up like a burrito. I have many swaddles and blankets. These swaddles by Little Unicorn and this quilt also by them are my all time favorite. At first I thought a carseat cover was a bit unnecessary, but now I can’t recommend them enough. They’re perfect for going out in public places to keep strangers from reaching in a touching your baby. Sounds strange, but trust me people love babies and weirdly will reach into your carseat and touch their hands or feet without a second thought totally freaked me out the first time. This carseat cover became a staple in my diaper bag.

PACIFIERS
We avoided a pacifier until breastfeeding was well established, about three weeks. Then, we went with the Avent Soothie one that our breastfeeding class recommended. Again after breastfeeding was well established to ensure she was properly latching, that we setup a good milk supply and I understood her feeding cues. At about 4 months Harriet upgraded to this eco pacifier that’s cute and awesome. We keep one of those brown pacifiers on a little wood and silicon beaded clip for when we’re out and about. That way it won’t drop on the floor.

DIAPERING

I went through a diaper bags and the best one I’ve found for my lifestyle has been the boxy bag by Petunia Picklebottom. Pricey but oh so nice. After Harriet grew out of newborn size disposable diapers, we moved to cloth diapers. I have a whole video about how to cloth diaper if you’re interested. It’s much easier than I thought and my husband’s even on board with it, who was definitely not convinced pre-baby. For a quick run down we use this steel diaper pail (actually doesn’t stink!), this reusable diaper pail liner, these all-in-one cloth diapers, this soft rubber changing pad, and these on-the-go wet bags.

BATHING

We kept it super simple and just got one of those soft flower petal skin inserts. It was great for the first few months. We gave her baths in the sink for a long while.

FEEDING

Harriet is exclusively breastfeed and to be honest never really loved the bottle. The bottle we use is this glass with with a no.1 or no.2 flow nipple. I didn’t know there were such things a slow flow nipples until having a baby. We use a water based bottle warmer, which takes much longer to warm up than the others on the market, but it’s supposed to help maintain all the good stuff in breastmilk. For cleaning we use Dr. Bronner’s baby castile soap with this eco bottle brush. We have one of those grasses, but in WHITE! It keeps our kitchen looking, well, aesthetically pleasing. I found having some specific burp cloths were nice to have. We got these organic burp cloths ones and still use them, especially with runny noises and teething.

GEAR

This is the area I felt most overwhelmed by when registering for our baby. There are so many options out there for baby gear that make you feel like they’re all necessary and everyone seems to love one of them. Here’s a quick rundown of what I got and why. I feel like all of them will be used again for our next baby and everything folds up or is compact enough to easily store.

UppaBaby Vista stroller and UppaBaby Mesa carseat
I LOOOOOOVE this stroller. Worth every penny in my opinion. I was lucky enough to score it at Nordstroms on their black friday sale while I was pregnant. Harriet wasn’t a huge fan of the bassinet, so I went ahead and bought the UppaBaby Infant SnuggleSeat Insert for the rumble seat and she loved it! Also, got this clip-on battery-powered fan for the stroller which truly necessary during the summer months here in Minnesota!

Auto Rock-n-Play
This was great for naps during the first two months or so. While not super necessary, it was nice to have something that would rock and vibrate to help sooth her to sleep at times.

Baby Bjorn Bouncer
A bouncer seat is definitely a necessity for me! It was the only way I could take a shower those first few months. Love this one because it folds down easily for storage and you can easily remove the fabric seat to clean.

NURSERY & TOYS

I tried not to go too crazy with nursery stuff and toys but I like (and still use every night) this sound machine. I added this mobile dimmable night light last minute to my registry and used it all the time during those middle of the night breastfeeding sessions. I also bought the Lovevery Playmat at about 2 months and wish I had gotten it sooner. She really liked all the colors, sensory and activity it provided.

HEALTH

I’d recommend a forehead thermometer to easily take their temperature. And the NoseFrida is a huge necessity for me! We still use it all the time when she’s stuffy or has a runny nose.

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