Must haves for new moms

As a first time mom, I had no clue what I would really need or use with our first baby. There are tons and tons of baby stuff and I had no clue where to begin with what to register for or buy. Thankfully, I have lots of mother friends who were more than willing to give advice on what baby stuff is necessary, and what is just not needed. Now that Baylor is 7 weeks old, I feel that I have a good grasp on what we really needed and couldn't live without, and others that we don't use as much. So, for other first time mothers or mothers to be, here are my recommendations for what baby loves and what I think is a must-have.

-Burp Cloths-- I can't have enough of these. I need one in every room, and in the mornings I just do a round and pick them all up to put in the laundry basket. Baylor is a frequent spitter-upper, and these definitely are needed constantly.  I recommend others, when over, to wear one on their shoulders if they are holding him! You can never have enough burp cloths, seriously. I also recommend the bigger the better, and the thicker the better. I personally like the plain ones for around the house because the cute monogrammed ones are not as flexible and soft (but are super cute to have in the diaper bag so others can see how cute and fashionable of a mother you are;) ).

-Paci's-- I was told not to give a baby a bottle or paci for the first month if you are breastfeeding to avoid nipple confusion. That lasted about 1 day.... when we were in the hospital and the nurse gave him a paci and he immediately calmed down and passed out. He has not had any nipple confusion and I am soo thankful we tried the paci. It is amazing how quickly it can calm him down or put him to sleep. I recommend the Soothie brand because they are shaped straight like a nipple instead of the older-school kind that are curved and have a flat part (which our lactation consultant told us could possibly make the baby start sucking you nipple like that curved paci, ummm no thanks.)

I love my paci

 -Recieving and swaddle blankets--these are like the bibbs. You can't have enough of them. I have several in my diaper bag, one usually in the living room, and one in the bedroom. I really like the Aden and Anais swaddle blanket which I use at night when I swaddle him in a double swaddle. The double swaddle by the way has been the key to getting him to sleep through the night, which he has been doing for the past few weeks! Look it up on youtube, and you can learn how easy it is to do and how wonderfully it works!

In my double swaddle

-Play Mat-- We have two play mat's and Baylor loves to alternate between the two. Even at just a few weeks old, he would love to sit and stare at all the neat suff hanging from the bars. The Baby Einstein one we have plays music and lights up, which he enjoys looking at. We also have the Fisher Price one he can kick and he has begun to like that best as he has gotten a bit older. These are great toys to keep the baby entertained.  

On his Baby Einstein play mat

 -Nap Nanny--This is a Godsend. Baylor loves to chill out in it and sleep in it at night. It is light and we can easily move it from room to room to lay him in. I have several friends who's babies would only sleep well in this, that I haven't even tried letting Baylor sleep anywhere else! Hopefully this doesn't bite me in the butt later when we are transitioning him to his crib....Anyways, everyone jokes it is really expensive and looks like a big recliner so whats the big deal? But it is great, I promise.

-Our Angelcare video monitor--We love this monitor! It is touch screen and easy to use. It shows the temperature of the room which I like because you are supposed to have the room a certain temp at night to help lower SIDS risk. It also has a mat which monitors his breathing and will have an alarm go off if he stops for 20 seconds. We haven't used the mat yet, since he isn't in his crib. However, I know it will give a great peace of mind for us when he is sleeping in his crib in the other room.

Here's our setup at night:

Baylor sleeps in the top part of his pack and play (it is raised higher for the 'bassinet' part) in his nap nanny. He faces the door and is next to my side of the bed. The Angelcare videocamera part is facing him (you can see it in this pic-the white angel looking monitor sitting in the side/front of the pack and play). Next to the bed is the video part of the monitor, so I can see what he is doing even though he faces away from me, while I am in bed. The way he sleeps, he is actually laying inside of the pack and play, so either way he faces (if he were to face me) I still couldn't actually see him unless I sat up and peeked in, so that's why we use the video camera even though he is right next to me.

My view standing up by my side of the bed

my view laying down in bed...looking at the monitor. Its' really bright so I don't have it on the nightstand

-Swings and vibrating chairs--Baylor loves both of these and they are always a great way to put him to sleep or put him down for a few minutes while he is still entertained. We have smaller space saving ones, which are easy to move into different rooms as needed. I definitely recommend  these!

-Zip up sleepers and gowns--The key here is zip up!! The sleepers with buttons are no fun to work in the middle of the night when you are sleep deprived. The gowns are even easier to put on the baby to sleep in, no buttons or zippers!

-Pampers Swaddlers--When it comes to diapers, you don't want to make the mistake of going cheap. Every mother I know would agree Pampers (esp the swaddlers) are the best and are worth the extra money

-Boppy or Brest Friend for nursing moms--If you are nursing, I highly recommend either of these to make your life easier. I have a Boppy, but since reading reviews of the Brest Friend vs Boppy, think I would have prefered the Brest Friend.  The Boppy sits low and I have to lean down to use it. From what I hear, the Brest Friend snaps in place, enabling it to sit higher so the baby is up higher, closer to your breast.

-Medela Pump in style--If you are breast feeding, you will want a pump, and this is one of the best, in my opinion. I love it!


Okay, I am going to stop myself here! I'm sure there are tons more items I could recommend but these are the most necessary for us! Hope this helps any new moms-to-be get an idea of what may be useful for them to adjust to life with a newborn.