A bit over a month ago, we welcomed our son into the world. So far, we’ve found some absolute favorite products that have helped make our lives just a touch easier, both for our son and for mom. Here are all of the details, none of these products are sponsored, just what we really love and what isn’t quite working for us.
- Swaddles. We have a ton of swaddle blankets and used them a lot in the beginning, but sometimes fabric would come loose and honestly our son loves to wiggle in his sleep so after a week or so they just couldn’t contain him. We have been using these velcro and zip swaddles for the past three weeks and they’ve done great for us. The swaddle blankets we have still get used, just for other things (covering our clothes, draping over when nursing, draping over the stroller bassinet etc.) so I’d still recommend having a few on hand, but don’t go crazy.
- Breast pump. The breast pump we (I) use is the Spectra and while I haven’t done a ton of pumping it seems to work well when I have tried, that is, once I figure out the settings to use thanks to a friend and some online forums. That being said, I wish I had a different one. While pregnant, I always saw ads for the wearable breast pumps (the Willow and Elvie) and thought “can’t a new mom just get 15 minutes to sit and pump in peace, why does she need to wear the damn thing??” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not being able to do a quick load of laundry when he is napping because I have to pump, or feeling like, I can’t easily pick him up if I need to while pumping is a huge downside for me. Being “chained” to a pump is miserable, some people don’t mind it, but it’s absolutely the reason I do not pump more and almost exclusively breastfeed as of now. I’m strongly considering purchasing one of the wearable ones and wish I had from the beginning. My recommendation would be to get one of the fancier new wearable ones if you can swing it, they’re not cheap, but if you’re planning to pump I’d say they are pretty close to necessary for a busy mom. However, I have read some reviews for both of the wearable pumps that output may not be as good. If I end up trying one, I will be sure to share an update and review.
- Baby lounger. We purchased this baby lounger and this cover and could not be happier. We keep it mostly on our bed as a safe place to pop him down quickly. It’s cozy and generally he loves being in it, and it gives mom and dad a helping hand when we need to put clothes away in the bedroom or just get a few things done.
- If you are breast feeding and/or pumping this nipple butter is a must (or any other good nipple butter). Use it after every feed or pump session- every single one. Also, take the advice from the Kelly Mom website and do the salt water rinse rinse every single day- make it a priority. Shot glasses work great for this. Nipple care is one of my top three priorities everyday, it’s up there with napping and showering. I value it above eating on many occasions to be totally honest.
- Also in the breast care category are disposable breast pads. I also use the reusable ones, but when your boobs are still adjusting they make leak A LOT and keeping your nipples dry is really important- the disposable ones just do a better job at that. These are the ones I use. For reusable I recommend these– I now tend to wear reusable during the day and disposable at night.
- Again, if you’re breast feeding/pumping, get some button down pajama/lounge tops. At least for me, I either like to wear a button down top for easy access or I just end up taking my shirt off each time. The key holes and what not work too, but I find that it’s just another thing to deal with (holding the fabric back while holding the baby and making sure latch is good etc.) instead of just focusing on trying to get a good latch so your nipples hold up. If I’m going out somewhere I do the key hole ones, but for around the house, don’t make your life any harder.
- This tracker app is a lifesaver for diaper changes, feedings, growth, sleep, pumping etc. We currently don’t track his sleep, but we use all of the other options and love it. There is a small learning curve (or maybe just look at it before the baby is born and you’re sleep deprived…) but once you get the hang of the interface, it’s very easy. We love it because both Eric and I have it on our phones and it syncs across both of our devices. We tried a few others and ended up going back to this one.
- Have a bouncer seat or swing for baby as well, you’ll need another safe place to put baby down. We have this bouncer seat and this swing and use both on a regular basis. We did not originally register or think we would need the swing, but we received it as a gift from our family and honestly, it is really helpful.
- Get a baby carrier. Everyone has a different preference for baby carriers, we use this one now and both love it. We also have this one for when he gets a little bigger. However, I do think I would have liked to have one of the soft all fabric ones for around the house in the beginning.
Update on additional essential items:
These additional items are mostly no brainers, but we have found a few favorites among the basic essentials.
- These burp clothes are our favorites, they absorb better than any others we have and we find ourselves reaching for them most often.
- This hand pump/let down collector is probably the biggest essential for a breast feeding mom that I forgot to put in originally. I used this every session for the first 3 weeks or so and it helped to build up our freezer stash without ever having to actually pump. I probably had 30+ bags of frozen milk by the time I actually started pumping and it helped to really establish my supply. Now I use it a few times during the day and use the extra I collect to add into the milk I pump in the morning. This usually means that I can add an additional 1-2 oz. to what I pumped in the morning to freeze giving me larger portions for future use. I have the generation 2 pump with suction base.
- In terms of clothes we have a lot of basics from Carter’s but we also received some gifts of other brands that we love and ended up splurging to get a few in larger sizes for the future. Angel Dear, Kissy Kissy and KicKee have all become favorites. Their fabrics are so soft and stretchy compared to the plain cotton.
- Another new mom. Even more crucial than all of these material items has been having the support of another new mom. My friend Julia has played that role for me. She was about 20 weeks ahead of me during pregnancy so I benefited hugely from having her be a bit ahead to answer questions and be able to give me much needed pep talks- and even some 2am texts when we were both up, exhausted, and breastfeeding. She has been a life saver on many occasions talking me off an exhaustion ledge or giving me advice on what worked for them. So get yourself another new mom- having that extra support person will save you.
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