Here are a few of my FAVE baby items that I couldn't have lived without during these past 9 weeks. I feel like I find something new everyday, so the list may grow! :)
We recently discovered that Benjamin LOVES sleeping on his tummy. He is actually napping on his tummy right now! We purchased this monitor to give us peace of mind that he was still breathing during his naps. It is called the AngelCare Deluxe. At first I thought it was a hoax - how could it know if your baby was really breathing? I figured they were just trying to prey on new, worried parents. However, when I checked out the reviews on Amazon, I was proven wrong! There were THOUSANDS of rave reviews. A few even stated that the monitor saved their baby's life. When it alarmed, they went into the baby's room to find they weren't breathing, and the parents were either able to wake the baby out of their deep sleep, or give them CPR in time. WOW! A few of the reviewers even said they were pediatricians. So far we haven't had any false alarms, and it seems to be working like a charm! Even if it doesn't eliminate the risk of any issues, it gives me peace of mind that I am doing everything I can to keep our little one safe.
I registered for a Baby Bjorn, and my wonderful MIL bought it for us for our shower! However, after using it a few times, both my husband and I agreed it was pretty complicated to get on and off. It also had so many buckles on it! We were hoping there was something a little simpler out there. Buy Buy Baby was great about returning the Bjorn, and we found this carrier: The Ergobaby. It is really simple and Benjamin LOVES it. Anytime he is overtired and fussy, we just pop him in here and walk around. He instantly falls asleep! I can do laundry, do dishes, cook dinner, go for a walk...even talk on the phone. The child sleeps through anything in here! You do have to be a little careful though: I read that you don't want to leave your baby in the carrier too long. Many babies will sleep until you take them out (which can be too long), and they can also get super hot.
My sister-in-law Andrea got me some amazing nursing gifts. They included lanolin cream, these heating or cooling breast therapy pads, and breast pads. I had NO clue I would need all these things, and I was so glad she got them for me! I used them all a ton. She also got me a breast pump. I ended up choosing the Medela Freestyle. It is AWESOME. It is super tiny, so if I need to bring it with me on the road it's pretty discrete. Also, it is so portable that I can do stuff around the house while pumping. I purchased the Medela pumping bra that allows me to pump hands free. It's the best!
Benjamin and I both love his Kissy Kissy pajamas. We got them from Saks Fifth Avenue. They were a bit pricy, but they feel amazing! The cotton is SO soft! They are really cute, too! The snaps are also really easy to undo during a middle of the night diaper change. We just bought a few pair in each size, and rotate through them. He's already outgrown his first set of them, so I washed them and packed them away in case we have another baby boy someday. I will definitely use these again.
Another really soft item that Benjamin and I BOTH love are his Little Giraffe blankies. I got them at Nordstrom, and they are soooo snuggly! Sometimes when he needs to take a nap while we're out and about, I'll lay one over one size of his face for some darkness and comfort. He'll move his head from side to side to rub his cheek against the blankie! It's so sweet. They also come in a tiny size that he will be able to carry with him someday. It's a perfect size to lay over him in his car seat on hot days when you don't need a big bulky blanket.
Benjamin was diagnosed with reflux, which is a really common problem a lot of babies have. He was having a TON of spit up, and seemed pretty uncomfortable each time after he ate. One day it was so bad (he had been crying NON STOP :(), I took him to the pediatrician. He recommended this wedge for him to sleep on. It fits into his crib under his sheet so he will be on an incline. This helps with the reflux. So far we have noticed it helping a lot!!
This thing, the Rock 'N Play Sleeper Deluxe, seriously saved us in the first few weeks after Benjamin was born. He would wake up in the middle of the night to eat 3 to 4 times. Each time I would feed him, and let him fall back asleep in my arms. Then as caaaaaarefully as I could, I would lay him back in his bassinet (the Bedside Co-Sleeper). The bassinet was a flat, wide open mattress that pushed up next to our bed. Well, each time I laid him down in it, he would instantly wake up. He hated it! The feeding, letting him sleep in my arms, and laying him down cycle started all over again, because now he was wide awake. :(
A mommy friend suggested this, and Chris and I drug our exhausted selves out to Buy Buy Baby that same day to get one. Let me tell you, it was a miracle worker!!!!! Whenever I laid Benjamin back down to sleep, he never woke up and cried again. I think he liked the way this bassinet snuggled up around him. Also, it is on a bit of an incline which is great for the reflux. This bassinet is definitely a MUST HAVE for the first few weeks at home!!! And he still uses it at night to this day!
A mommy friend suggested this, and Chris and I drug our exhausted selves out to Buy Buy Baby that same day to get one. Let me tell you, it was a miracle worker!!!!! Whenever I laid Benjamin back down to sleep, he never woke up and cried again. I think he liked the way this bassinet snuggled up around him. Also, it is on a bit of an incline which is great for the reflux. This bassinet is definitely a MUST HAVE for the first few weeks at home!!! And he still uses it at night to this day!
Benjamin likes to be swaddled, but he is a master at breaking out of the swaddle blankets. I found this, a swaddler from Ergo Baby, and it works great! It velcros his arms so he cannot escape. :) The thing I liked about this swaddler rather than the Halo Baby Sleep Blanket Swaddlers was the separate bottom part. When I needed to change his diaper in the middle of the night, it was a pain to have to undo the entire swaddle to get to his diaper. It definitely woke him up a lot more. This one has the bottom little pocket that his legs tuck into, so all you have to do is pull that down and you have easy access to the diaper! So smart!!
When we went to see the pediatric endocrinologist after Benjamin was born, he told me that the ONLY vitamin that breast milk doesn't have enough of for babies is Vitamin D. Apparently this is huge in the pediatric world right now- there are tons of studies going on about the Vitamin D deficiency in babies. He suggested that we go out and get the vitamin drops at the drugstore to supplement. Well, those were a NIGHTMARE. They were smelly and gross, and Benjamin had to take an entire dropper full of them. Yeah right! He hated them. So they ended up getting spit out all over. And the other horrible thing about them is they STAIN! My awesome Pottery Barn chair still has a big stain from those darn things. :(
We found these drops a few weeks later and they are so much easier! They only have Vitamin D in them rather than all the vitamins, but that is totally fine because breast milk has everything else he needs in it. The great thing about these drops is that he only needs ONE drop (not a dropper full, ONE DROP!), and they don't have any taste! I just put it on the end of a paci each morning and pop that in his mouth. All done. So easy!
We have loved Pampers Swaddler diapers so far. They rarely leak. I also like the yellow line on them that indicates whether they are wet or dry. I've been ordering diapers from diapers.com, and they are awesome! There is always a deal going, and I've saved a ton. They ship super fast (and for free!), too. I have heard great things about Amazon Mom, too, but haven't personally checked that out.
That's all for now! I am sure I will be adding more as we continue to learn about our little guy and what he loves! :)
