Like all things in today’s world, having a baby brings with it a lot of stuff. I don’t mean emotional stuff, though there’s certainly that kind of baggage, too. I mean stuff stuff. Like, a lot of baby-colored crap, sitting in every corner of our home.
When we first were pregnant with Finn, we had no idea what stuff we actually needed and, like a lot of people, we probably went a bit overboard, even if we were trying to be minimalists. And although a lot of the stuff is, well, useless in the end, there’s also some items that actually do make the whole keeping-a-baby-alive-and-keeping-yourself-sane thing a whole lot easier.
We get asked about our stuff quite a bit: what stroller do we have? what is that thing that Elias is sleeping in in a photo or video we posted online? So, I’m compiling a list–our newborn survival kit, if you will–of the stuff that actually does make our lives with a new baby a lot easier.
Here’s what’s in our proverbial kit–and what we always recommend to friends (links provided):
1. Fischer-Price Deluxe Rock ‘n Play Sleeper
This had to be first, as it is my ride-or-die baby item. When Finn was born, I wrote a long post about how we tried to avoid the Rock ‘n Play, mostly because it isn’t the cutest thing around. (I know that’s a silly reason–but still.) Then, a few nights into mommyhood, I used the Amazon Now app to order a Rock ‘n Play at 3AM, and it arrived a few hours later. We never looked back. Finn slept in this until he was 7 weeks, and Elias will probably sleep in it a little longer. It sits right beside our bed, and it’s the perfect height for me to reach out and rock when the babes get a little fussy. Babies like it for a few reasons: it has a slight incline, which helps with reflux; it has a slight vibration, which mimics walking around in mommy’s belly (they make self-rocking ones, too, but this is what we prefer); and it is pretty snug, nestling the baby in a half-cocoon. We swear by this thing!
2. Hakaa Silicone Manual Breastfeeding Pump
YOU GUYS!!! This one is new to us; a friend told us about it just after Elias was born. We were a little skeptical, but since it’s so cheap, we ordered it. Sona wears it whenever she’s breastfeeding, putting it on the boob that Elias isn’t currently feeding from (obvs). We were ASTONISHED when we saw that, the first time she used it, she collected around 2 oz. of milk. Now, it’s not uncommon for her to collect 3-4 oz during a single feeding session.
Indians swear by this stuff, and I’ve noticed it is getting more popular with American parents, too. With Finn, we called this stuff his “candy,” as he loved drinking it, and it was a sure-fire way to calm a gassy belly, help stop fussiness, or interrupt a major case of hiccups.
My recipe for getting a baby to sleep well includes a sound machine (we really like this one, as it has both ocean sounds and white noise). We turn the volume ALL THE WAY up on this bad boy, and it works like a charm. Finn still sleeps with one, and so do we. It not only helps the baby, as they are used to a lot of noise in the womb, but it also helps drown out the tiny baby noises that Elias makes all night, which can be maddening to hyper-alert mommy ears.
This is the second item in my recipe: an oil diffuser. I’m not one of those folks who is crazy about essential oils (not that there’s anything wrong with them), but we diffuse lavender oil for both of our boys at bedtime, and it calms them.
6. Lavender Oil
This is the lavender oil we use. A whole bottle lasts us almost a year.
We learned very early on that buying button-up onesies was a fatal mistake. Trust me on this one. When it’s 2AM and you’re sleep deprived and your baby just pooped for the third time in a row, you are not going to want to fumble through 27 buttons before getting back in bed. These organic zip-front onesies are the way to go.
8. Halo Micro-Fleece SleepSack
I’ve done you all a HUGE favor: I have tried pretty much every single baby swaddle on the market, and that’s not a joke. We probably went through 10 different options with Finn, and we’ve already experimented with the 5 “best-selling” versions with Elias. With both boys, we ended up using only one thing: micro-fleece Halo SleepSacks. I’d kind of forgotten how awesome they were, but the hospital where we had Elias actually gives them out as baby gifts to all parents. That’s an endorsement!
There are two reasons why these are my favorite: 1. They are super easy to put on. Some swaddles require a master’s degree in baby swaddling in order to operate and, since this thing comes off and on a million times throughout the night, easiness is important. 2. The micro-fleece does not stretch, unlike the cotton and muslin versions. So, while we love this swaddle, we don’t like the cotton Halo SleepSacks for this reason. If they stretch, babies will stretch them, and then they can escape. If your little one has even the slightest inkling that they an get an arm free, it will become their life mission, and no one will get any sleep. We’ve found that, because we keep our house relatively cool, these are fine year-round.
This last one is also a new addition to our survival kit–and one that was an unexpected hero. Since Elias is sleeping in our room for the first couple of months, we needed a second changing pad. We’re using Sona’s nightstand as the changing table, and traditional changing pads are too big to fit. When searching for smaller versions, I found this. I was reticent to spend this much on a changing pad, but the size was right and it came in our favorite color–sold! Since this pad is a soft rubber, you don’t need any sort of cover on it. I can’t tell you how nice it has been to be able to just wipe up accidents, rather than having to change and wash a dozen changing pad covers each week. Elias has proven himself to be quite the champion pee-er, and it’s been a life-saver to have a changing pad that could simply be wiped down whenever he takes aim.
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