As a first time mom, I read a ton about what products I would need, want and absolutely love for my newborn. Yep - I was one of those moms that read way too much. In fact, of what I read, maybe 5% applied to my little family. Oh well - you live and you learn during this crazy new parent journey.
Below is a list of my favourite, must have products so far. Again - some will work for you and others will have you thinking, "What the hell is she talking about?" - and that's okay. Every mom is different. Every baby is different. Every everything is different. :)
This is a big no, no but my husband had one of these pillows that he was using while sleeping on the couch. I could only breastfeed Charlotte in the beginning in the football position so the typical donut breastfeeding pillows didn't really help me. I grabbed this one day and didn't look back. I have since switched to the side position and use a regular breastfeeding pillow but this did the trick for the first 4 or 5 weeks - it went everywhere with us. I still use it to keep Charlotte contained on the couch. Until she starts to roll of course. I know, I know - not the safe option but I am still trying to find a way to patent this as a baby bed because it worked wonders for us. :)
Note to self for next maybe baby - learn how to swaddle using a swaddle blanket! We had a gift certificate to Babies R Us and had been gifted a few muslin swaddle blankets so I wanted to purchase some more. I don't swaddle with a blanket (haven't quite gotten the technique down) but when Charlotte was first born, I didn't realize the difference between a swaddle blanket and a receiving blanket. Charlotte HATES it when I breastfeed with something over her head so for the first little bit, I would tuck a corner of one of these blankets into my bra and cover us - it wasn't a perfect solution as she still fussed but she could breath better. And I still keep one of these with me at all times as a receiving blanket/spit up blanket/everything I need in one blanket.
I took (stole) as many of these as I could from the hospital because a friend told me to (see - I really knew nothing the beginning and still know next to nothing). When I got home they were a dream because I used them on our changing pad and didn't have to change the changing pad cover every time Charlotte spit up, peed, pooped, etc. I was lucky to get some from a friend who sells medical supplies and from my sister-in-law who previously used them as puppy pads. Sadly we are almost out but fear not - Amazon.com to the rescues. I just ordered 100 more! For the price - it is worth it for the convenience. Trust me. I just gave my girlfriend a "everything-you-need-after-you-give-birth" gift box for her birthday and I wrapped the top in one of these blue pads to remind her to take (steal) them from the hospital too!
We were very lucky (and extremely grateful) to get a ton of hand-me-downs before Charlotte was born. That included clothes, equipment, toys, blankets, bottles, breast pumps - you name it, we got it. In those donations, we received quite a few noise making toys and machines. We have used a few, past on a couple but my all-time favourite wasn't a hand-me-down - we received this monkey as a gift at my baby shower and it is Charlotte's new best friend. I press the light up belly every time I lay her down for a nap and set it to play for the extended period, and off to la la land she goes. Also - it's cute. Win/win in my new mommy book. (P.S. Thank you Leah!)
I ordered a ton of different swaddle sacks, blankets, sleep sacks, etc. when I was pregnant. Someone would say what worked for their baby, I would see them on sale and I would pick them up - not knowing at all what our baby would like, want or need. As mentioned above, I never learned to swaddle using a blanket because swaddling is a big no, no these days (don't even get me started on this subject). When Charlotte was about 3 or 4 weeks old, she started to get fussy at night and so I started using the swaddle bag I bought at Winners. And it worked. Well. It is fleece and she wakes up a huge sweat ball but she is much happier sleeping in it than out of it. She is a little Harry Houdini though and can wiggle out of it from time to time so I have started to wrap a blanket around the outside and tuck it under her. It helps for the most part. Not sure what our next sleeping arrangement will be but for now, these swaddle bags act as her PJs.
This isn't our actual ceiling fan but we do have a lot of ceiling fans in our house. If I had to say what my #1 favourite baby product is so far? It would be a ceiling fan. Charlotte loves to stare up at them and get so excited when daddy spins it for her. You can spend a fortune on toys to entertain your baby but you might be surprised by what they are actually drawn to. Ceiling fans for the win in our house for sure!
What baby products are a must have in your home for your newborn?
Are you a 1st Time Mom and trying to figure it out as you go along too? Feel free to leave me a comment with any questions and I will be more than happy to get back to you. Thanks for reading!
I'm so going to use those blue pads for Spencer's change area(s)! Thanks for the tip :)
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