The amount of pregnancy and baby products out there can be overwhelming to say the least. I often say our friends are our biggest influencers and in the world of pregnancy and postpartum, I’ve learned that is true more than ever. Recommendations from friends are the reason these items landed on this list! I’ve leaned on my friends and even some old time acquaintances from high school or influencers out there cool enough to respond to my burning pregnancy and motherhood questions. I notice a mom out there who is in a similar phase of life as me or a mom I admire a particular thing about, maybe ease of travel with multiples as an example, and sure enough I reach out with a question I think she could give me great guidance on — and boom, there’s my new favorite, trusted product.

This is a small round up of my favorites for pregnancy and baby. The Doona stroller/carseat combo has been a lifesaver for two of our babies now. It’s minimal and oh so easy to use when traveling. I also really loved that when our second was born, my older child (who at the time was only 18 months) loved to push his little sister around. The handle bar allows you to lower it which is so perfect for an empowered younger child to help with pushing. If I’ve heard a single complaint it’s that it doesn’t have under storage, but in all reality it’s taught me that I don’t need much and I’m definitely in my Marie Kondo phase of life these days — minimal is happiness and less is more.

Next up is Beauty Counter products. A girlfriend of mine gifted a set to me while I was pregnant and I got hooked. Particularly the Overnight Resurfacing Peel and my newly discovered, All Bright C Serum. Something about a product that makes my skin tingle gives me the feeling that it’s really working! I really like that especially while I’m having some withdrawal from certain beauty treatments I have to avoid while pregnant and then nursing. They really boast about their clean and safe ingredients too!

Woof…when the nausea hits! Lord help me, with my second pregnancy I was throwing up until 18 weeks and the nausea curbed at 22 weeks. With my first, I was nauseas until about 12 weeks. I’m the stereotypical girl pregnancy rocked my world, boy pregnancy I thrived. My ride or dies, always on hand, were Preggie Pop Drops. I ate them like candy — breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were always in the cup holder in my car or in my pocket. And they worked!!

An obvious, but I have to say it anyway, was Bumpdate! A million times over I’m grateful for the inspiration behind our company and all we stand for. An idea born during isolating and challenging times taught me that social support means everything during pregnancy and postpartum. Staying connected to my family and friends during pregnancy and receiving thoughtful and timely check ins meant the world to me. It kept my spirits up during the tough times and helped me celebrate the great times. In the midst of what I was experiencing personally, it helped me keep perspective and have tabs on my friends. I was able to stay thoughtful about when and how I checked in on them during their major life changes.

Unisom – a nonaddictive, pregnancy safe, sleep aid. Thank heavens for this. It helped me turn my brain off and I wouldn’t wake up groggy. It was a big help during the whole pregnancy insomnia phase.

I’m one of those people that struggled without their coffee ritual so Earth Mama Morning Sickness and Nausea Tea came to the rescue. It helped fulfill my morning ritual of a hot beverage and it helped ease my stomach.

If you’re one of those people where the nausea hits hard and it’s difficult to keep something as simple as water down, nuun hydration tablets worked wonders. I’d drop one of these into a tap warm cup of water and get it down. It felt good to get a small cup down and feel like I had drank 3 bottles of water. The lemon-chamomile flavor is my favorite.

It’s tough not taking Advil during pregnancy. The headaches can be so debilitating. I got advice from my doctor and a few friends to give magnesium a shot and sure enough it helped! Any brand will do the trick. I’d take it daily with my prenatal so I’d remember. I did some more research and apparently there are a ton of fantastic benefits to taking it.

My breasts have really been through it after 2 pregnancies, nursing my first child for 9 months and now my second for going on 15 months. I can’t remember how exactly I came across the Lively Busty Nursing Bralette, but it popped up one day and I knew as soon as I saw it that it was the perfect cut for me. Over the years I’ve fluctuated between all kinds of sizes ranging from 32DD to 34D to 32GG! I didn’t even know that size existed until I spent the time to get measured. Anyway, the Lively Busty Bralette was the one for me! I love the little band in the center to pull everything together and the shape of the cups pulls me right up — which I desperately need these days. While I was pregnant and newly postpartum, I lived in the Busty Nursing Bralettes and then I dealt with some shrinkage and have since switched to the regular Busty Bralette. I’m 5’3″ and during my pregnancy fullest I wore a size 2 and now I’m significantly smaller in the chest and I wear a size 1. It’s my favorite these days! Here’s a special code for $10 off any purchase. The discount will automatically get added to your cart!

Final favorite for this round up is the Maxi-Cosi Pria Max All-in-One Convertible Car Seat. Again another friend recommendation. She said to me verbatim, “Even kids who hate being in the carseat will love this!” And sure enough my kiddos love it. It’s so comfy! I’m also a huge fan of the dual cupholders. As the kiddos have gotten older, snacks and drinks on car rides have become a must. My mom really loves the magnetic chest plate and if it’s “grandma approved” that’s another win!