I am going to list my very favorite baby items. Hopefully other new Moms might be interested in this info, but I'm also writing this for my own benefit for when we decide to have baby number 2 :)
For the newborn...
1) The Swaddleme blanket by Kiddopotamus. Love this. It helped my little boy sleep so well until he was about 3ish months old. They have several different varieties and sizes. We had both the cotton (for summer/warmer months) and the fleece (very cozy) in small and large. They work very well until your baby is starting to roll over.
2) Pack N Play ... If you click on the link, you'll see the type of Pack N Play that we had/have. Ours is by Graco, and we have one of the more basic models. It has the "newborn" insert, which fits over the top and raises the baby up. This is wonderful for newborns and young babies that are not able to move around much. It keeps them up a bit higher, which is much easier. I kept our Pack N Play on our main floor. I used it all the time, especially the first few weeks we were home from the hospital. Tyler would nap in it, I also would put a pad down and use it for a changing table! It worked great. I really liked this model and would highly recommend it. There are much fancier (and pricier) types available, but save your money. This one is super! We still use it for our fourteen month old. He will nap in it if we are away from home. My Mom and Dad even bought one just like it for their house!
3) Burp cloths. Need I say more? Before I had Tyler, I was given lots of burp cloths. I washed them and put them away in his dresser, not really thinking much about them. Then we had the baby. I really underestimated how much babies spitup! And how stinky a burp cloth becomes if you use it over and over again! It is a good idea to have lots of burp cloths. As in... upwards of ten/fifteen or so. Really. Maybe I am overestimating a tad, but it sure is nice to not have to do the laundry daily. My favorite ones were hand made. My Mom bought some of the quilted cloth diapers (like the Gerber prefolds here) and sewed cute printed fabric along the top. I had some other ladies make me nice ones out of flannel, too, which I liked a lot.
4) Pampers Swaddlers. Hands down, best diaper for newborns (I love Pampers diapers for Ty in general, really..). I just loved the "wetness indicator" stripe down the middle, but I do think it makes you change their diaper a little too soon :) Keeps baby's skin healthy, though. And they actually smell good, too. You can also save up the Gifts to Grow points, enter them on the Pampers website, and cash them in for free stuff! I saved up enough points for a free 8x8 Shutterfly book.
5) Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo Tyler had very sensitive skin as a newborn. Johnson & Johnson's would make him break out into a rash. Once I changed soaps over to Aveeno Baby, his rash cleared right up! It is very gentle, and it also contains a nice light scent.
6) Boppy pillow - My Mom and Dad came over the night we came home from the hospital. Since Tyler was born early, we didn't have quite everything we needed. So, before coming over, they stopped at Babies R Us and picked up some essentials... and one of the items was a Boppy pillow. I used this a lot, especially those first few weeks of nursing. It helps to lift the baby up to the right level and saves your neck from getting stiff. You can also use this to help support baby before he can sit on his own. They have really cute covers for the pillow, too.
7) Medela Harmony Manual BreastPump - this was another item my Mom picked up for me. Moms just know what their daughters are going to need! Definitely a necessity, even if you are going to stay home with your baby! It also comes with a few Medela bottles and nipples, which are perfect for a newborn. I was so happy that I had this... I had to take a class for work when Tyler was about 9 weeks old. It was an eight-hour class, with no "nursing room" with an outlet for my electric pump. I was very happy to have this!
8) Ipod Touch ... this might seem a bit silly, but it was very helpful when Ty was little! He was jaundiced when he was born, so it was very important to nurse him every 1.5 to 2 hours. Around the clock. My Ipod touch helped keep me awake during those nighttime feedings. It also has apps you can download to help keep track of feedings, diaper changes, etc.
9) Pacifiers. Tyler liked the Nuk pacifiers when he was really small (his mouth was so tiny!), and once he was a little bigger, Mam pacifiers. They helped to keep him happy and content :)
10) Bouncy seat. We had a nice bouncy seat that would vibrate, and it also had a toy attachment across the top. Tyler really liked this, in fact, he will still sit in it occasionally to drink his milk! This is very helpful when you need to set baby down, but he's not sleeping. It helps him to sit up a bit and see what you are doing!
Stay tuned for Part 2!
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