When you’re expecting a baby, it can be overwhelming to figure out which baby products you actually need. It seems like every product is marketed as a “must-have,” but you’ll probably question what’s a necessity and what’s not.

Since every baby has their own preferences, they all respond differently to items designed for them — and parents will give you conflicting advice! Some parents swear by wipe warmers, while others say they never use them. Some babies need their milk to be warmed to the perfect temperature, while others couldn’t care less. Some newborns like to be swaddled to sleep, while others want to stretch their tiny limbs.

Of course, there are some baby products you really can’t live without. Here are some of the items you’ll use every day.

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During the summer, it’s really fun to spend time outside with your kids. Whether you’re playing at the park, going for a long walk around the neighborhood, or heading to the beach, it’s important to keep your baby’s needs in mind. As you prepare for the summer, you’ll want to stock up on lightweight baby clothes, sun protection (like hats and sunscreen), and summer stroller accessories.

While many parents enjoy the summer heat, babies’ and toddlers’ bodies can’t handle extreme temperatures. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a heat index of 90°F poses a significant health risk for babies and children. Extreme heat can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, which can all become medical emergencies.

Babies and toddlers tend to spend a lot of time in their strollers during the summer, so it’s important to make sure you have all the necessary stroller accessories. These simple products will help protect your baby from the elements this summer.

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You’d think dressing a newborn baby in the summer would be easy. After all, dressing a newborn baby in the winter is when you run the risk of freezing and frostbite. What’s the worst that can happen in the summer? They get a tan? Definitely not. Bad things can happen if your newborn baby is not dressed appropriately for the weather.

Here are some tips for how to dress a newborn in summer:

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In today’s fast-paced world, it’s important for us to be in tune with our bodies and stay grounded in our environment. Many people use smart watches and smartphones to track health, wellness, and fitness in an effort to understand their bodies more — so why would that be any different when it comes to babies? We all know that knowledge is power, so staying informed about our babiy’s wellness can make us more empowered, confident parents.

When you’re a new parent, you have so many questions dancing around your head: Is my baby sleeping enough? Is my baby resting well in their bed? Is my baby too warm/too cold? Is my baby’s breathing steady and comfortable? All you want to do is make sure your baby is happy and cared for, but it’s hard to know how they feel when they can’t express that to you.

When it comes to understanding babies’ wellness, there’s nothing quite like the Hälsa Baby All-in-One Wellness Monitor. This innovative baby monitor combines the benefits of a camera monitor, a smart sensor and ankle band, a hub, and an app to give parents reliable, accurate insights and ensure peace of mind. The engineers behind the brand are also parents, so they know what’s actually important when you have young children. They wanted to take a more human approach to baby technology, combining their engineering expertise with their parenting perspectives. With the Hälsa Monitor, staying connected with your little one has never been easier.

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September is Baby Safety Month, but making sure we keep our little ones safe is really a 12 months a year job. Thanks to social media platforms like TikTok, we're not alone in that journey. Plenty of parents, nurses, and other experts have shared their safety hacks that all of us can use to keep our babies healthy and happy.

From reducing their SIDS risk to properly baby-proofing a home, here are 17 parenting hacks to promote baby safety.

More from Mom.com: Blood Test at Birth Could Identify Babies at Increased Risk of SIDS

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Researchers at UC San Francisco have found that newborns with an unusual pattern of metabolites in their blood — the byproducts created when the body processes energy — were far more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), adding to a growing body of research suggesting that babies who die from SIDS may have underlying conditions that can be detected early in life.

The researchers compared the metabolic blood panels from the newborn heel prick tests of 354 infants born between 2005 and 2011 in California who died of SIDS, and compared them with the panels of healthy babies who were born at a similar gestational age and birth weight. They found that babies with unusual metabolites in their blood were 14 times more likely to die from SIDS as those with the lowest-risk pattern, according to the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

"We were surprised the moment the data came out," said senior author of the study Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski, a professor at UCSF and New York University. "It suggests that the babies who pass away from SIDS may be having specific difficulties processing sugar and energy."

Jelliffe-Pawlowski said that this study alone is not enough to change clinical practice, or the state to begin identifying these unusual metabolite patterns in newborn heal prick samples, which are currently used to screen for 80 genetic and congenital disorders in California. But the findings are a promising contribution to scientists' understanding of SIDS, the leading cause of death for infants between 1 month and 1 year of age, giving researchers an important new line of inquiry.

Much more research is needed, she said, including a study that identifies and monitors children with this unusual metabolic marker over time.

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Breastfeeding can be a meaningful experience for both mom and baby. Not only does breastfeeding have health benefits, it can also support recovery from childbirth and foster a loving connection. Nursing a baby isn't always easy, though — for some moms it can be uncomfortable or even painful.

We spoke to Dr. Ann Kristin Homdrum, a pediatric and women's health specialist, about the importance of breastfeeding. Here are some of her tips on how to make breastfeeding more comfortable, how people can support a breastfeeding parent, and why a nursing pillow is so important.

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If you're breastfeeding and your little one's coos are replaced by cries, your baby may be experiencing discomfort because of trapped gas. Choosing your foods carefully can help reduce the amount of gas your baby experiences, says Dr. Zubaida Sadik, a board-certified pediatrician in Freehold, New Jersey.

"In general, we advise all our nursing moms to avoid foods … that make the mom gassy," she says. When you're breastfeeding, the foods you eat directly affect your milk — so if you're eating gaseous foods, you and your baby may both end up with intestinal gas.

If you're wondering how to reduce gas in breastfeeding babies, consider consulting with your doctor. Here are some gassy foods to avoid while breastfeeding.

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Drool happens when you have a baby. As they get older, their salivary glands develop, and the drool continues to increase when they start teething. And although drool rash may not be something you're looking out for, it happens, and it's good to know what to look for and how to treat it.

More from Mom.com: The Symptoms of Teething

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I’ve seen the advice to skip reading those pregnancy books and read baby books instead, but did I heed that advice? No I did not. I hate advice but it’s good advice people, it’s good advice. Pregnancy is just a bunch of farts, weird pains and non-stop peeing, so take some time to read up on baby’s first few months of life because motherly instinct won’t just kick in, you’ll need to fall back on actual knowledge.

Can’t handle it? Then just read these tips I’ve haphazardly compiled and understand that having a baby is some crazy-ass shit. Literally and figuratively. I’m in deep with my 3.5-month-old baby so my information is as fresh as a diaper full of seedy poop! (Side note: I don’t know why newborn poop is seedy, no one’s feeding them seeds, anyway.)

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