When I was pregnant, I pored over gear guides and blog posts trying to figure out what I would need when Baby P arrived. Now that she is a month old (how did that happen so fast?!) I’ve figured out what is useful for us. These 5 items are used on a daily basis at our house.
For Baby:
1) Sleepers – As much as I love dressing Baby P in cute outfits, she spends a lot of time in sleepers. Cotton footed sleepers with zippers are my favorite. Zippers make diaper changes a lot easier.
2) Boppy – The Boppy pillow is extremely helpful, especially in the first couple of weeks. I was able to lay Baby P on it and use both hands to ensure she got a good latch, then rest my arms on it so they didn’t get tired while she nursed. It’s also great for tummy time and the occasional supervised nap.
3) Burp Cloths – I have a bit of an overactive letdown so I try not to nurse without a burp cloth nearby. Baby P often pops off and I have to catch the milk, or risk making a huge mess.
4) SwaddleMe – These swaddles are great for swaddling novices like me and Mr. P. They are easy to use and Baby P hasn’t managed to bust out of one yet.
For Mom:
1) Travel System – Admittedly this is an item that Baby P uses, but I put it on my list because having the ability to get out of the house is great for my sanity. I can tell the difference in my mood on the days I leave the house versus the days I don’t. Even putting her in the stroller and walking around the neighborhood is great for my mental health. The Bravo Trio system is easy to use and we’ll be able to use the stroller long after Baby P outgrows the car seat.
2) Coconut Oil – The nurse who taught the childbirth and newborn classes that Mr. P. and I attended recommended coconut oil as nipple cream. I took it with me to the hospital and have used it since day one.
3) Nursing Tanks – My wardrobe these days consists mostly of nursing tanks with button down shirts on top. I like the Gilligan & O’Malley tanks from Target.
4) Colace – After delivery I was put on iron supplements. One of the side effects is constipation. Constipation is never any fun, but after childbirth, no thanks. Colace was a must have.
5) Help – Having help the first few weeks was invaluable to me. I was able to focus all my energy on bonding with and taking care of Baby P. My mom, mother in law, and Mr. P’s aunt took care of everything else. They would take the baby in the morning so I could get a couple more hours of sleep, bring me coffee, cook, do laundry, and help soothe Baby P when she was fussy. I think they are a big reason my recovery was so easy. I realize I’m lucky to have family that was able to take the time to help me. If I didn’t, I would definitely budget for a house cleaner or some sort of meal service during my next pregnancy.
It will be interesting to see how this list changes as Baby P grows. What items did you use the most when you had a newborn?
cantaloupe / 6146 posts
I love how different everyone’s top 5 are!
My top 5 for baby are:
receiving blankets of many sizes (some to swaddle, some to burp), we can count that as 2
a good changing pad
kimono style shirts… i was always so afraid to pull things over his head as a newborn
boppy or other pillow for nursing
for me:
my nursing “station” (a chair with water bottle always near it!)
a baby carrier
and same as you;
button down or stretchy, pull down-able tops for nursing
colace
lanolin nipple balm
grapefruit / 4455 posts
Definitely agree with HELP! I had help with lo1 this time and my husband has a great leave time and it’s the only reason I was/am able to keep my sanity and a clean house (which people say to not worry about but it grosses me out and stresses me out to live in a messy house!)
Also love our stroller especially living in an apartment with an elevator.. We actually roll ds from the car and back! And we lucked out because he sleeps well in it especially when he has a cold.
I’d add phone/tv/Netflix to my for mom list, as well as my kehrig. I won’t keep it forever but I had one for dd’s baby days too and it just makes my mornings (the roughest part of the day) happier! And my pump is the only way ds was gonna get a decent amount of breast milk although I’m in an odd position with that.
I’d also add a snot sucker, saline, and gas drops to baby’s list, or any newborn with older siblings and germs! Or newborns that spit up in the nose.
And doctor Browns bottles!
Fun read!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
@pastemoo: I wish I would have gotten some kimono style tops in newborn size. I still get nervous changing her clothes! I’ve got some in 0-3 and she’s almost there. A nursing station is a good one too!
@2littlepumpkins: I’m with you on a clean house. When my house is messy I feel so stressed out. I should have put my phone on my list! It’s gotten me through lots of long nursing sessions.
guest
For newborn baby –
(1) big muslin blankets. The A&A ones are superior to others that are a bit too small.
(2) gas drops, holy crap was my baby gassy, which led to weeks of colic. Once we started gas drops, the colic rapidly retreated.
(3) baby changing station on every floor or every major hub of the house.
(4) stroller with inflatable tires if you have less-than-ideal sidewalks. They make adapters to click in your carseat so you don’t have to use travel strollers with awful tires. We got a used Bumbleride Indie for 70% less than the new price.
(5) wrap/kimono style onesies. I hated the footed sleepers and over-the-head onesies at night because my baby peed through his diaper a lot, and I had to change his outfit frequently at night. Anything that doesn’t wake him up at 3 am is a winner.
For mom –
(1) HELP +100. Our sanity was saved over a dozen times by someone watching the baby while we bought groceries, got coffee, or ate dinner at a restaurant just the two of us.
(2) comfortable nursing bras. You’re going to sleep in those things for a while.
(3) maxi pads that don’t stick to you or are annoying to change. I never found great pads, so it’s worth trying a few different kinds.
(4) a variety of pillows for nursing. I never liked the Boppy much, so I had a small mountain of pillows to arrange in different ways.