Today I have a guest post for you from Amanda, a lovely mama who blogs over at Flavors of My Life. This would be a very helpful post for those of you who are expecting in the near future! I added my own commentary here and there throughout it as well. Enjoy!
*****************************
Hello all! I am so happy to guest post for Ashley while she is away enjoying her new role as mommy! This is a job I know very well for I have a 17 month old daughter at home as well as a baby girl who is due any day now. You can learn more about our crazy lives over at my blog, Flavors of my Life.
Today I am excited to share with you some of the items that were key for our survival the first few months with a newborn. Obviously everyone has opinions on what works best so I will not overwhelm you with too many items but will focus on the items that truly kept us sane when we first dove into parenthood!
1) Swaddle Blankets!
This was a must have for us. We used a couple of different versions. We started with the Halo (see sample here) and while we love them the cost added up when we realized we needed multiples. So we then purchased SwaddleMe’s (link here) which were easier on our pocketbook. For me, I didn’t truly favor one more over the other. The nice things about Halo’s are that you can take off the “wings” that are used as the swaddle and use as a plain sleepsak. However, since Cassidy grew out of her smalls and newborn swaddle blankets before she stopped being swaddled that really didn’t matter for us.
Ashley here! I totally have to agree with this one. We have been using the SwaddleMe’s and LOVE them! They make swaddling so easy, and it helps Hunter sleep so much better.
I nursed Cassidy and plan to with Baby Girl 2 but since I was in night classes during Cassidy’s early months we needed a reliable bottle that Dan could use to feed her when I couldn’t. We started with Nuk’s and while I don’t have anything terrible to say about them (they did work) I found Comotomo’s and have not gone back. The bottle is soft and squeezable and somewhat resembles the breast. The nipples are also larger so I think it mimics nursing more for the baby. Bonus; Cassidy was able to hold this bottle on her own at an early age thanks to how squeezable it is!
Side note: When purchasing; go for the 250 ml vs. the 150. You will need it eventually anyway and there isn’t a huge difference in size due to the design. Also, when purchasing the bottle it comes with a medium flow nipple so you will want to purchase a couple of slow flow options. And write what the nipple is using a permanent marker. At least at the time I purchased the item it did not show the flow “speed” anywhere on it.
* Keep in mind that EVERYONE will have strong opinions on bottles. These might not work for you. However, they did for us and since it is a bottle option that many are not familiar with I wanted to put this on here.
3) White Noise Machine
There are many theories about the best ways to get a baby to sleep. Many I have read talked about white noise. We purchased this machine for the nursery and it works well. We also have this Sleep Sheep which we use for napping or when we are traveling. Not sure why it works but it always helped Cassidy to sleep through the night so that is all I care about!
We are also big fans of white noise over here! We have the Sleep Sheep which helps Hunter calm down and get to sleep. The only thing I wish is that we got a white noise machine that doesn’t turn off after a certain amount of time (the Sleep Sheep does). I know some parents like the automatic turn off feature though.
Okay, so this one is probably not a necessity but for us it is (or at least was in the first few months). This was a blessing for napping and even sleeping at night in the first few weeks. We didn’t have a bassinet so this fulfilled that purpose for us. It is easy to transport (it folds right up) so we could move it around the house with ease and could take it with us for her to sleep when traveling. This was recommended to me by a co-worker and I am so happy she mentioned it. This is a purchase I make for the mommies to be I know and they have all raved about this as well.
5) A good breast pump!
For you hoping to nurse mamas who will have to spent large quantities of time away from their babies this is the most important piece of advice I can give you; PLEASE splurge on a nice breastpump. Trust me, your boobs and sanity will thank me. I went with the Medela Pump In Style and am so glad that I made the investment. I was hooked up to the pump A LOT with Cassidy due to the hours I was putting in at school and once I returned to work. I never had any issues with this pump and know many friends who also swear by it. So please, make this investment.
Agreed on this one! I got the Ameda Purely Yours through my insurance and it’s worked very well for me. I believe it’s pretty comparable to the Medela Pump In Style, but it’s a little cheaper and maybe not quite as “nice” as the Pump In Style. Still works great though!
I hope that this list helps all of you new mommas (or mommas looking for new ideas for their next little ones).
I am sure you have noticed from the links that I purchase most items from Amazon and diapers.com. They have the best deals, and have cheap and quick shipping. This is a must when it is very difficult to get out of the house in the first few weeks (or even months!)
Thanks so much for filling in for me, Amanda! I’d have to agree with all of these. I’d also have to add in that a swing and zip up onesies have been musts for us! Like she said, every mama and baby are different though. Hope this was helpful for some of you new moms and moms-to-be! Have a great rest of your weekend!
Question:
- What are/were some of the newborn necessities you couldn’t go without?
{ 5 comments }
