Hello, my friends! I can't believe my little guy is already almost three months old!!! Ahhh!! Time flies! So now that we've had a few months to get settled in, and I'm a pro at being a mom (Ha! Yea, right!), I wanted to share some of our absolute favorite baby items!!! We have tried and love every single one of these items!!!
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1. SwaddleMe Pod- This is our absolute number one favorite baby item!!! I have to admit, I am an excellent swaddler. I've been swaddling babies as long as I can remember... as the oldest sister, as a babysitter, and as a pediatric nurse. However, my little munchkin was breaking free of my perfect, beautiful, tight swaddles by the time he was two weeks old. In fear of SIDS with a loosely wrapped blanket, I decided to look for an alternative.
We tried several swaddle sleep sacks and the SwaddleMe Pod was the best! It was nice and tight and snug, just like baby loves to be after being so cozy in the womb. It allows baby to pull their arms up into a natural position instead of strapping them down. And it has a two-way zipper to allow for quick and easy diaper changes. Winner!
2. Love To Dream Swaddle Up- Once our little guy grew out of the SwaddleMe Pod, we ordered the next size up. Unfortunately, the next size doesn't zip, straps the arms down by their side, and velcros across their body. Not only did strapping his arms down lead to lots of crying, but I had to forget about sneakily changing diapers! Do you have any idea how loud velcro is in the middle of the night?! So again, we searched for another solution.
When we saw that the Love To Dream Swaddle Up allows babies to keep their arms up and had a zipper, we knew it was the right choice. Sure enough, the first time we put it on our son, he didn't fight us at all and brought his hand straight to his mouth. He seems so happy to be able to move his arms and yet still be tight and cozy!
He is now getting to the point that he can almost roll over, which means it's time to transition from swaddling. Thankfully, Love To Dream also makes a transitional sleep sack called the Swaddle Up 50/50. It has removable arms that you remove one at a time to help baby get used to being unswaddled. We'll be giving the 50/50 a try next!!!
3. Vitamin D Drops- If you are breastfeeding only, you should be giving your baby a Vitamin D supplement of 400 IU per day (here are the recommendations from the CDC). When using the typical liquid form of Vitamin D, this equals 1 mL. It's not as easy as it sounds to try to force a baby to swallow 1 mL of disgusting stuff. Thankfully, a friend of mine told me about these Vitamin D drops! One drop is equal to the daily requirement of Vitamin D. Every morning, I put one drop on my clean finger, and quickly swipe it into his mouth. It's so much easier than a 1 mL syringe! I'm so glad my friend introduced us to this!
4. Boudreaux's Butt Paste- You always hear about diaper rash, but you never realize how quickly it can happen until you have a baby. We tried several different diaper creams, including Desitin, A&D, and Triple Paste, which all worked okay, but we found Boudreaux's Butt Paste to work the best for us. A friend gave me a tube of the regular strength to try and I was pretty impressed with the fast results! Then, another friend told me that the maximum strength was even better, so we gave that a try too! Our routine now is to use the regular strength during the day, and then we slather a thick coat of the maximum strength on before bedtime. His little bottom usually looks perfect in the morning. The max strength cream clears up any areas that started to appear during the day. It works like magic! I also like Boudreaux's Butt Paste because it goes on smoothly and smells much better than the other creams we tried.
5. Halo Bassinest- I actually planned on looking for a traditional bassinet or a co-sleeper, but when walking through the baby store with my grandmother, she saw the Halo Bassinest and insisted on buying it for us. I sure am glad she did, because I really love it! It swivels, so you can let your baby sleep close to you, and then easily push the bassinet out of the way you inevitably need to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. The siderail also goes up and down, which makes it easy to pick up your baby in the middle of the night. The version we have also plays music, has a breastfeeding timer, and vibrates, but there is also a cheaper version without the bells and whistles. I think the swivel feature alone makes it worth the money!
6. Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Bottles- Starting bottles has been a struggle for us! However, it's a necessity if you're going back to work. We tried four different types of bottles/nipples, and Dr. Brown's was the only one he took immediately with no problems! It's still hit or miss because he decides whether he is in the mood to take a bottle or not, but it is still the only one he will actually drink from when he is in the mood! Hopefully once I do go back to work, he'll realize it's not about being in the mood; he needs to eat!!
7. Ring Sling. I've also tried a few different slings including the Baby Bjorn, the fabric sling from Sevin Slings, and a ring sling. The Baby Bjorn is great for my husband, but it feels too bulky for me... I have trouble moving my arms in it! The fabric sling was too hard to get the baby in and out of. I love my ring sling because it's adjustable, not bulky, and there are multiple positions you can try. Mine is a grey linen one from Bibetts on Etsy.
8. Bouncer- Y'all, having a bouncy seat is a lifesaver. My sister bought us the Fisher-Price Sweet Surroundings Deluxe Bouncer for Christmas (which I love because it comes in my favorite colors!!!), but any bouncer will do. We have a Mamaroo, which I also love and use daily, but I wanted something that would allow me to take a shower and get ready in the mornings, so I could start to feel like a normal human again! The Mamaroo is too heavy to move around all the time, so this bouncer stays in our bedroom. In the mornings, I move it into the bathroom, and baby boy plays while I take a shower. I like being able to move it into the bathroom so that I can see him and don't have to feel rushed. This thing truly has been a life saver for me!
9. Diaper Bag for Dad- Once my hubby saw the diaper bag I planned on carrying around, he realized he needed something a little more manly for times that he wasn't with me! I searched and searched and ended up getting this cool diaper bag from Obersee. It has a detachable bottle cooler and a changing mat. It also has plenty of pockets and space for all of dad's gadgets.
11. Diaper Dekor Plus- I planned on registering for a Diaper Genie because I thought that was the only option! Then, a friend told me about the Diaper Dekor Plus! They told me it is much less stinky and much less of a pain in the butt than the Diaper Genie. I decided to give it a shot, and so far, it's working out great! You can't smell anything until you open it to drop a diaper in, which is quick and painless with a foot pedal. It also doesn't make one of those long sausage links of diapers, but collects them all in one big bag. Once full, you cut off the end on the included sharp edge (hidden from tiny hands for safety), and tie it off. It's super easy! As far as how long the bag cartridges last, we didn't replace the first one until Cade was two months old, and now that he's out of the early newborn phase of pooping all the time, I anticipate the current one to last even longer. So far, this thing has been a win!
There are a ton more baby items we use and love, but these are the ones we couldn't do without! It can be overwhelming picking out items for your baby because the options seem endless! So, hopefully this little guide of our faves is helpful!!
We had that same diaper pail, and it is the best! So easy to use and just plain amazing.
ReplyDeleteI'm really loving it and so glad we chose it!!!
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