Winnie

Sleep:

• Our baby sleeps in the DaVinci Beau 3-in-1 Convertible Crib ($199) but I do not recommend this, or similar traditional cribs because the baby is placed so LOW (even at the highest height/notch) that my back hurts getting her in and out. I’m also short and my arms are short so everything is more difficult.
  • I should’ve trusted my gut and got the pricier Nestig Wave Crib ($749) because the height is much better for placing a baby into it (my cousin has one).
  • I also should’ve got a bassinet that lowers and is placed right by the bed like this Newton Bassinet & Bedside Sleeper to easily grab baby for night feeds.
  • I did use the UppaBaby bassinet for 5 weeks before my baby was moved to her crib (due to her active limbs moving her towards and hitting the bassinet walls). I borrowed my friend’s bassinet stand ($159). I wouldn’t recommend this pricey product unless you’re getting the UppaBaby strollers that is compatible with the bassinet for strolling your baby the first 0-3 months.
• Swaddles. Forget using a cloth and wrapping. Get one with a zipper because the velcro ones wake baby up. Our baby sleeps well in the Love to Dream Level 1 cactus swaddle ($33). We tried others that did not work for our active hands + legs baby (Ollie $59 way too noisy and hard to get right, Swaddle Me 3 pack $30 – our baby eventually stuck her limbs out the flaps, ergoPouch canon $50 – way too restricting)

Stroller & Travel System

• UppaBaby Minu was our choice over the Bugaboo Butterfly after seeing both in person. The Menu opened up so easily for me one-handed and felt lighter than the Butterfly. Also, my friend has used her Minu on so many flights and travels that I felt confident in the stroller and the warranty. I can take this stroller out of the car trunk one handed and carry it on my shoulder comfortably.
• Car Seat: will come back to this.

Breastfeeding & Pumping

• For relief, I used nipple butter, Lanolin cream (from the hospital), gel pads (from the hospital), booby tubes — all seemed to be mildly effective for me. My nipples never cracked or bled since day 1 so I cannot speak to the full efficacy of these products.
• Pump:
  • Spectra S1 blue: got this through insurance with a co-pay via Aeroflow Breastpumps. The pump works well and even though I got a hands free pumping bra, I still felt very stuck to my cordless pump. I even got additional accessories like flange inserts, pump to milk bag adapters (a bit annoying to use/clamp well), narrow bottle adapter (to fit Dr Brown narrow bottles)
  • Willow Go: just got this hands free wearable pump bra after trying it. No bending down past 45 degrees (or milk will spill) — but no other complaints so far. Will update after more uses.

Frontgate bath towels – there’s a reason why the Reddit-verse highly recommends these. We’ve had our towels for about 8 months now and still fluffy!

• Quicker drying than other towels
• Nice and plush — like you’re on a fancy vacation
• Large selection of colors

Le Creuset dutch oven pot – 5.5 quart – $420

• If this goes on sale, you let me know. I stalked this item for over 6 months and finally got myself the Harry Potter edition
• This item can last forever if taken care of
• I love how easy it is to clean 😀 . If it doesn’t scrub off easily, boil a bit of water, and everything loosens up
• All enamel coating, helping it be to non-stick — but no lie, I cannot fry an egg on this unless there’s an oil layer (I’ve given up)
• It is hella heavy though, so not something I don’t like to hold for a long time
• I love making stews or braising stuff in this pot

Always Pan – 10.5 inch – $85 on sale

• Got this during Black Friday 2024 and so far, really liking how light it is
• How easy it is to clean
• Using the strainer to boil pasta, noodles, and veggies
• Reheating soup (since it’s tall enough) for 2 and leftovers
• Would recommend the larger size to cook more (for a family or have more leftovers) — don’t think that goes on sale

Wealthfront – savings & checking account

• Get 5.00% APY in interest
• Get an extra 0.50% APY by signing up using my referral link https://www.wealthfront.com/invited/AFFD-XGL8-2XF7-0SSE (3 months extra)
• As someone that banks at Chase and has financial accounts across the major players like Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, Ally, Marcus, and more… an account at Wealthfront was easy to set up. I’ve had no issues with my account and transfers since being a member since 2019.

Chase Freedom Unlimited – 1.5% cash back on everything

• Best all around card
• Get $200

Chase Sapphire Reserve – best all around travel card

• 5% on travel
• $5 Doordash/mo (stacks for 3 months, then get something for $15)
• Lyft Pink membership, which means free Citi Bike rides in NYC
• Chase points are worth 20% more when redeeming in the portal for travel (flights & hotel)
• Customer service is easy to access and talk to
• As someone that also had the AMEX Platinum card, the perks and benefits from Chase are much better. There are a ton of blogs that go through the pros and cons… honestly, you’ll have to use both to really see!

Missha FTE (the first essence) – I describe this as yeast water spray before toner

• This is usually anywhere from $18 – $30 on Amazon and ~$30 on the Missha direct site
• I’ve been using this product for almost a decade now to help preserve my youthful complexion
• This is a knock off of the Japanese product, SK-II (that is > $100) for the same size