Tuesday, February 11

Month One: Need-to-Haves


1. Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets: Everyone raves about these, and I'm apart of that parade! These are the best. They are so lightweight with a little stretch, so you are able to swaddle so tight! We had a couple of the "easy" swaddles, with the snaps and/or velcro, but we could never get them as tight as she liked to be. Once we mastered the perfect burrito wrap, when she would get fussy, all we had to do was wrap her up and she instantly calmed down. And even our escape artist struggled to get free.

2. Little Remedies for Tummys: Gripe Water: We didn't use this THAT often but when we did it was literally magic. When we didn't know what else to do or couldn't get Sullivan to calm down, we would resort to this and it worked EVERY TIME. The pediatrician and lactation specialist said you can use it as much as you want, because it's all natural ingredients. I definitely recommend to have this as a "just in case" tool.

3. Carters Long Sleeved Onesies: Sullivan lived in these for at least the first month! The best thing is the newborn size has little built in mittens that pull over the baby's hands, to avoid the dreaded scratching with those tiny razor nails! We barely left the house, so there wasn't really a need to have her looking cute and dressed to impress, but even when we did dress her up-we put one of these under whatever she was wearing.

4. Boob-Ease Natural Nipple Balm: First off, the name, hilarious "boob-ease" get it? Boobies. ha. I loved this stuff when I started breastfeeding. I never, not once, has sore or cracked nipples. Hard to say if all the credit goes to this stuff, but I loved it! Plus it's all natural and safe for baby, so you don't have to worry about washing off before the next feeding.

5. Happiest Baby on the Block: This book was wonderful! My biggest take away was the idea that babies are in the womb for 9 months, and when they are born we expect them to just adjust to a world that is the complete opposite of everything they knew. Karp {the author} calls the first 3 months of an infant's life "the fourth trimester". We can emulate the womb with the 5 S's {Suck, Swaddle, Swing, Side, Sound} in our big, cold world. It also helped me to have patience with Sullivan when she seemed to be fussy for no reason and also to keep in mind where she had lived before gracing us with her presence.

6. Baby Nursing App: This app has been a life saver! It is free if using just the nursing feature {definitely the most important and beneficial}, but you can pay $1.99 per feature {diapers, sleep, doctors visit, shot records, pumping sessions, bottle feedings, solids, etc} or the whole app for $5.99. I use this about 50 times a day. Especially in the beginning while establishing breastfeeding, i wanted to know what time she started eating, how long she ate for, I counted her diapers, and I also tracked her sleeping. It's NOT realistic to carry a pen and paper around your house, but as sad as it is I almost ALWAYS have my iphone with me. I also track her weight gain, and you can use it to record shot records, bath times, doctor visits etc.

7. Boppy Nursing Pillow: I know this isn't anything new, but we use this ALL the time. It's so great to have something to rest your arm on while nursing or just holding your baby. We also use it to prop her up. So many uses! I bought this custom cover. I normally wouldn't spend this much money, but with how much we use it and SEE it, it was worth it to me!

8. Jesus Calling: As a new mom with a newborn I wasn't having much quality time with the Lord. I love this devotional because each day quick and always on point. Scripture references are given each day as well. There is also an app you can purchase, which I also have, again making it convenient when nursing or holding the baby.

Please know that these things worked for us. I read a blog when I was registering for baby things and saw a post similar to this and I thought it was VERY helpful. There is SO MUCH baby crap stuff out there, and so much of it is unnecessary, in my humble opinion. Obviously this isn't the ONLY stuff we used/needed in the first month, but when I think about what was the best and most helpful.... this is it.

As always please comment and ask questions or give suggestions!

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