I've been intending to write this posts for what seems like decades now (really just months, but that's practically decades when you have a baby), and I finally compiled my list! I might be missing a thing or two but these 10 things were super important for us. Of course, everyone has a slightly different looking list and reading through different people's must haves is a favorite of mine!
In no specific order,
1. A boppy! Okay, so I know some people are like "eh" about boppy's but I am not one of those people. I am a YAY BOPPY person and I still love and use my boppy to this day. First of all, it made nursing way easier for me and it still makes night effortless. It lets David just chillax, my arms don't get tired, it's comfy for everyone. I flew it to Alaska when we visited because seriously doing a night without this thing sounds terrifying. When I'm exhausted I don't want to be using my arms (I confess I am quite the lazy person), I'd rather just have him all magically propped and comfy. It's also awesome for tummy time. David wasn't (isn't) the hugest fan of being flat on the floor on his tummy. He prefers being propped up so he's able to really see what's going on. For awhile there, dinner was made possible by having him propped up on the boppy on the table. Plus, I found one in this adorable fox print so that's a bonus too.
2. Sakura Bloom ring sling! Oh hello beautiful. This thing was (is) a life saver. I'm fairly convinced it comes with sleepy dust. This allowed him to be comfy, close to me, and let me be hands free. It's gorgeous (yay for a cute mom accessory), sturdy, and (I think) easy to use. I'm dying for another one. I still use it to let the dogs out when Drex is away and it's how we survive grocery shopping trips. It's a lot faster and easier than putting him in a buckle carrier and he can look out which he loves.
3. Carseat stroller! Okay, so before I had David I was like Strollers? Um no, I'm going to carry my baby. Ha. Ha. Ha. So carrying him is the best and I love it. But, Drex and I found that sometimes he would fall asleep in the car, and getting him out of his carseat woke him up and made everybody unhappy. When he was a month or so old we decided what the heck, we're going to be stroller people. We bought this stroller online (for $50 on amazon) and it was amazing. Cheap and did what we needed it to do. Strollers totally have a place and having one that the carseat clicked in to was really really nice.
4. Pacifiers. So this is another one of those things I was sure we would never use. Then, at 2 weeks old we were like PACIFIERS WE NEED A PACIFIER. David's a super oral baby which is great but he would want to nurse and nurse and nurse (and then spit up everywhere because he didn't want milk, he just wanted to suck). It was frustrating for both of us. Then we decided to really try to get him to take one, and he was happy with them. For a little while he used a soothie and then we switched to mams which he loves. They're awesome and make for a much happier baby, mommy, and daddy.
5. Coconut oil. When David was first born, we used a shield. This meant I was protected from super crazy sore cracked and bleeding nipples. The first time we attempted to wean off of it, I used lanolin occasionally and the pain got SO bad we had to go back on the shield. I would cry in pain every time he latched and it was awful. So, when I decided to try for the second time, I asked around looking for some magical answer that would make it not so painful. It did still get sore (which I had been warned about, my nipples needed to toughen up, something they hadn't had to do before) but it never got bad. I applied coconut oil after every single feeding for days and it saved me! So I super highly recommend this. I also tried Earth Mama Angel Baby's nipple butter and it didn't work as well as the coconut oil did.
6. A really good breast pump. I have the Medela freestyle, which you don't have to be plugged into a wall with and it's amazing. My insurance covered the cost 100% but even if they hadn't, it's something I would've splurged on. There's a lot of mixed things about pumping too early and such, but I was so glad I had this. David had weight gain issues early on (wasn't back to birthweight until 3 weeks) and we ended up needing to supplement with an SNS for a few days to get him back to where he needed to be. Because I had pumped, I was able to supplement using my own breast milk. Now I don't pump often but I have 100+ ounces in our freezer and I love having extra milk for when Drex and I want to go on a date. I'm also able to donate (it's world milksharing week btw!) which is the coolest thing.
7. Nursing pads. So when you first give birth, and the first few weeks postpartum, you leak. A lot. I mean you soak everything (you also stink like spoiled milk which is super fun, just ask my husband :P). I loved these because they helped me not soak through everything and I could just throw them away. I had intended to use cloth nursing pads but we already had SO much laundry to do and I was going through them so fast that it just wasn't worth the extra effort to me.
8. The puj! Drex and I both loved (love!) this tub. It fits right in the bathroom sink and it made it so easy to bathe David. The best part though, is that stores 100% flat. It's currently hanging on our bathroom wall (so basically it also doubles as wall art). That made it super convenient for us, and now that he's outgrown it we don't have this awkward bulky tub. I tried to bathe with him a few times, but he was just so small and slippery that the puj was a lot more convenient for us. Now that he's bigger I bathe with him every time.
9. The mamaroo (or any other swing). Okay, so we don't own this BUT if I could go back in time this is the swing I would've bought. Drex and I both have already decided we'll get one for our second babe. David loves his swing, and when we put him in the mamaroo display model at the store (ha ha), he loved it. I've asked other people what they think of their's and I've only heard awesome things!
10. Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets. These are the best swaddle blankets. We still use them now (it's totally allowed to swaddle until he's in kindergarten right? :P) and they're awesome. Love love love them.
And there you have it! 10 super awesome baby things that you should probably own! ;)
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