newborn essentials
Hard to believe that this thursday our sweet boy will be one month old! It feels like we just brought him home from the hospital and yet his chubbiness and shrinking clothes tell me otherwise. It's been a whirlwind four weeks - adjusting to being parents of two, adjusting to the lack of sleep and just basically trying to survive the way one does with a newborn.
This time around I bought a lot less as I saved a lot of things from when Birdie was a newborn. However, the items we did acquire were well worth our time and have turned out to be lifesavers. It's a lot simpler the second time around, you already know what works and what doesn't. As always I thought I would share the nine things we simply can't live without right now:
- baby monitor - with Birdie we were too cheap and too stupid to invest in a decent baby monitor and man did we regret it. This time I scoured stores for a good sale on one and we scored a great set for half the price. Our house is such a circus these days that being able to hear baby boy over a loud toddler, dog (pugs are loud, very loud) and the general noise of life is key.
- natursutten pacifiers - we loved these with Birdie and I bought a few more for Teddy as well. Honestly, neither one of our kids really are obsessed with pacifiers but you need them from time to time and these are great.
- ergobaby swaddlers - these are FANTASTIC. They're super soft and the fact that they ensure that their arms are on their chest (as they would be in utero) makes for a very happy baby. Also, not sure if this is worth mentioning or not but in our experience unswaddled babies NEVER go to sleep. In other words - these are a must.
- aden and anais swaddle blankets - I'm sure you're tired of hearing about how amazing these are so I'll make it short and sweet - can't live without them. Wish I could afford a million of them, instead I saved the ones I bought for Birdie.
- baby gap zippered newborn pajamas - I like no nonsense when it comes to newborn clothes and it just doesn't get any better than these. One piece, keeps their feet warm, zippered and just the right size. Zippered is key. Trust me you don't want to be dealing with a million snaps at 2 am in the morning. I always think of this bit from Jim Gaffigan when I think of baby clothes: "Ya know what would be a cruel joke? Putting 100 snaps on clothing for a wiggling baby you change in the dark."
- wipes warmer - have you ever put a non-warmed baby wipe on your bum? Try it. See if it feels nice (spoiler alert - it feels like someone pouring cold water on you). Warm those suckers.
- moses basket and rocking base - with Birdie we had a standard co-sleeper crib and while it did the job but we didn't know how much better things could be until we tried this set up with Teddy. I can't say enough good things about it but here are a few - it's super light so you can move it easily, the removable basket means we can bring him into which ever room we are in without waking him up and it rocks. Basically it's perfect for a newborn.
- medela electric breast pump - I thought I could get away with not purchasing one of these the first time around. Very dumb idea. Also, it's worth noting that some insurance plans will cover a breast pump (including a Medela one) so it's a good idea to check before you buy one.
- 4moms mamaroo - this magical device is often the only reason we end up getting any sleep or quiet in this house. Babies love it and you will worship it. It's sanity saving benefits cannot be overstated. It will rock your baby better than you can. How amazing is that?!!