1. The baby will outgrow most swaddle blankets before the first month is up. The exception is the Aden and Anais swaddles, which are still so huge that if there’s a loose end, I will trip over it as it dangles over the ground when walk through the house with the baby.

ADVERTISEMENT

2. Velcro is the enemy of anything Aden and Anais, and let’s face it, those products are pretty pricey! Beware of velcro on diapers when swaddling, beware of velcro in the washing machine, beware of velcro, velcro, everywhere!

3. The Pampers newborn diapers from the hospital have a wetness indicator! I can’t tell you how many times I stuck my finger into that very absorbent diaper those first couple weeks trying to figure out if it was wet or not.

4. There’s something about flannel swaddles that me allows to cinch them more snugly than any other swaddle; I loved the hospital blankets for that reason.

5. If you buy reusable waterproof nursing pads, you will need a lot of them. Six pairs for $40? I would have spent hundreds on these for the number of times I needed to change them in a day. Etsy has some great options, and in my case, I sewed my own. Too bad the baby came one and a half weeks early, though! I tried to sew one pair a day, and although it only took 10 minutes or so, 10 minutes of time can be hard to come by the first few weeks. I think I ended up with 20 pairs or so, but I still had to launder them much more frequently than our previous pre-baby once a week laundry day would have accommodated.

6. The world’s most popular changing pad is stuffed with polyurethane. Reviewers on Amazon describe the smell out of the box as petroleum, chemical, gas, burnt plastic, and one reviewer even said the baby’s back smelled like it afterward. The one I received did not have a discernible smell, but if you read up on polyurethane, it will scare the pants off of you. I can’t remember if the tag actually stated this, but the good state of California would want you to know that this product contains chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. The alternative, on a quick look, seems to be a $100 for a 100% organic one. Babies r us has a more affordable option in an organic Serta pad. There was another option with LA baby, but I read mixed reviews about them both. The Serta contains only 16% organic fill, and one reviewer said they cut off the outer cover and found a small rectangular strip of cotton inside that perhaps was the “organic cotton filling.” At least the Serta option does not list polyurethane.

Now you will begin to read all your tags and freak out that the simple diaper changing pad in your diaper bag contains polyurethane, the reusable waterproof nursing pads and reusable diapers made of “PUL” are actually polyurethane laminate, and perhaps even your crib mattress contains polyurethane, too. Your baby will certainly be spending a lot more time on the mattress and in diapers than on a changing pad!

7. See a baby carrier (or anything else) you like online and need to get it today? Babies ‘r us does price matches, even on Amazon prices!

What do you wish you’d known before the first month was over?