For those of you expecting your first baby, sorting through all the baby gear options can be so overwhelming!   I am certainly not an expert on all the baby accessories out there, but I’d like to share with you just a few items that I have found to be super helpful with my own babies!  (I have four boys… ages 9 months to 6 years).

** The first item I’d like to introduce to you is the “Baby Shusher.”   This little device is fairly well known in the world of newborn photography.  I have watched many “behind the scenes” videos of fellow newborn photographers and it is quite common to see this little device in the corner of the screen.  I use the “Shusher” for all of my newborn sessions and it seriously keeps baby sleeping nearly the whole time!  You can read about it on Amazon (click on picture below – opens in new tab) but I’ll give you a brief overview.  The Shusher is basically a white noise maker, that imitates the rhythmic sounds that babies hear when they are in the womb.  It’s battery operated, so you can put it right up near baby’s head.  It’s really amazing to see how babies calm right down when they hear it!  I wish I had known about this device for my first 3 babies.  I used it with my fourth until he was almost 4 months old.  For only $30 on Amazon, I would definitely recommend this for any parents with a newborn baby!

Baby Shusher

** The next newborn baby accessory that I could not live without is called the “Miracle Blanket”.  A friend gifted me with one when my oldest son was born and I have used it with all four of my babies.  All of my own newborns have loved to be swaddled for much longer than I would have expected – some of them up to 6 or 7 months old!  This swaddle wrap was the ONLY one that my squirmy boys could not kick or wriggle their way out of.  Granted, as a newborn photographer, I have become much more adept at swaddling babies over the years, but unless you want to stop by my house every time you put your little one to bed, I would highly recommend the Miracle Blanket!  🙂  (click on picture for Amazon listing).

** Lastly for today, I would recommend these little books, that I wish I had with all of my boys!  I recently discovered “Indestructible” books, that are literally indestructible!  They are made from special paper that cannot be ripped or destroyed.   They are perfect for little hands who want to look at “real” books but aren’t quite old enough yet.  My 9 month old loves them.  There are many different stories, some with words, some with just pictures.  Baby can chew on them and crumple them and they do not get torn or fall apart!   For only about $4.00 a piece, they are definitely worth it.  (Click on picture to go to Amazon’s listing).

Do you have any essential baby gear you can’t live without?  Share below in the comments!