The Daycare Essentials I Keep Buying Again (Plus Her Cutest Fall Outfits)

Kate Waldo Jones

Sep 15

5 min read

Baby girl started daycare this week, and it's been a big transition, just half days for now, but it's already given her so much. She's getting to socialize with other babies, go on the little bye-bye buggy rides, and just genuinely have a good time.

It's also given me a little bit of time back, which is how I ended up filming in her nursery for the first time! While I was in here, I figured I'd share everything I got her set up with for daycare; every single thing on this list is a repurchase, and that alone tells you they're worth buying again.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.

Prefer to Watch?

https://youtu.be/irkwuNomXFE

Here's the full rundown, from the basics to her ridiculously cute outfits.

Bottles That Finally Made Bottle Duty Easier

Don't ask me why I waited so long to size up, but these bigger bottles have made my life so much easier. I do so much less washing now, only three or four bottles a day instead of seven. That alone made a big difference.

Her Crib Sheets (and the Sleep Sack I'd Actually Choose)

Next, crib sheets. The ones on her crib right now are organic bamboo crib sheets from KeaBabies; I got this tan and pink set before I even knew daycare already had sheets of their own, so I may end up switching hers out just so she has a set there too. They are SO soft.

Daycare also requested a sleep sack - I brought one I already had since it was gifted to me. If I were choosing new, I'd go with a Kyte Baby one, the next size up; those are my favorite, and I need to grab her a couple because I love them that much.

The Diaper Brand We Keep Coming Back To

Then, diapers. Freestyle has been our go-to for almost her whole life now. Brands change how they formulate things over time, but this one's been tried and true: I like both the diapers and the wipes; they're clean, and we've had great success with fit, no blowouts.

I'm so grateful that Freestyle recently reached out to thank me for linking these, since I've shared them with friends, and then gifted us a whole huge box of diapers and wipes; perfect timing. They also gave me a discount code for you! Use code KATEWALDO for 10% off at checkout.

Daycare Health Basics

For the necessities, I'm trying out this Bye Bye Crib Hair paste from Love & Co since her hair is just all over the place and doesn't really want to be tamed. Some days, today included, she needed a good water spritz & some baby pomade before drop-off.

After day one, I went to CVS and talked to the pharmacist about what to do for baby colds, since I knew it was coming eventually. He suggested a bulb sucker, but I went ahead and got the NoseFrida too, just to have it on hand. I haven't used the bulb sucker yet, but the NoseFrida has worked well and it's pretty easy to use.

I've heard good things about the automatic battery-powered versions too, and from what I've read the hospital-grade one is probably the best, but it's over $100, so that wasn't where I was starting.

Then, saline; weirdly, the Frida Baby brand was cheaper than the CVS store brand, so that's the one I got. The pharmacist also mentioned that baby Vicks on the chest, back, and bottom of the feet helps (never the face, obviously). I'll admit I feel a little bad about this one: she doesn't seem to mind it, but I remember being sick as a kid and my aunt putting it on my chest. I hated it so much, I couldn't get it off. But you do what you gotta do, and sniffles are going to happen.

The Best Part: Her Fall Daycare Outfits

Now for the fun part: her outfits, all thanks to her sweet Tishie, who wants to make sure my daughter is very well dressed for school.

All of these are Classic Whimsy. I have a big crush on this brand, because I feel like I know exactly what I'm getting and the quality is always really good.

Sizing on baby clothes can be a little hit-and-miss, but I've figured out that the bubble style works best for us. It scrunches up no matter how big it runs, so I can size up and get more wear out of it without worrying about her growing out of it too fast. She genuinely seems more comfortable in the bubble styles than in a regular onesie, so these are a win all around.

She's eight and a half months right now, with a true size closer to 12 months, but I got all of these in 18 months since they scrunch up so well.

First up, the apple onesie in the Apple Blossom Pink Lucy Bubble. It's a nice, thick, high-quality cotton, and it's adorable.

My favorite of the bunch is the School Bus Smocked Royal Gingham Bishop Bubble; it's got a little schoolhouse, an American flag, a sun, buses, and cute red details on the arms, all smocked into one scene. It's so cute!!

Then we have a couple of holiday pieces. The Pumpkin & Bow Trellis Smocked Pink Bishop Bubble has the cutest smock detail, pumpkins and bows all over it. It runs on the larger side, but it'll scrunch right up like the others. The fabric might shrink just slightly in the wash, so I hang dry these to keep the quality; she'll get to wear this one for months, all the way into Thanksgiving.

And one more: the Pumpkin Schiffli Light Blue Gingham Bubble, with tiny pumpkins and the cutest button detail on the back. Precious.

That's her little haul, and she's going to be the best-dressed baby at daycare. I know it's not exactly necessary, but she's only this little once, so we're having fun with it!