It's funny that I'm going to write this post now, because Owen seems to be developing his own favorite things list. And he's only a week into his second month. (Ahhhh how is he 5 weeks old already?!). I'll let him tell you all about those items next month. :) But let's get this party started.
Top Ten(ish) Favorite Baby Items: The first month
1. Far and away the most useful and valuable baby item may surprise/gross some of you out. In the words of Micheal Scott, "To be delicate, they hang off me lady's chest." Yup the boobs. Breast feeding has been a blessing and a slight annoyance all at once, but the blessing side of it will always win. I was sososososo happy that breastfeeding came easy to Owen and myself, especially after he was on formula for a couple days in the hospital. But he made the transition to 100% breast milk without batting an eye. He's also completely comfortable switching between boob and bottle for his one or two daily bottles. The only complaint I have is having to pump a couple times a day...and I'm only complaining because the 15 minute sessions feel like they take 45. Wow, my life is pretty rough, huh?
1B.
Medela Breast Pump Though pumping annoys me, it would not be possible without my pump. A friend of mine recently had to manually pump for the first few days after her baby was born...hearing that made me so thankful for my electric pump. Matt and I actually stopped on the way home from the hospital to pick this bad boy up. I had thought I could go without it for a while, but I definitely needed it as soon as we left the hospital.
2.
Dr. Boudreaux's Butt Paste This. stuff. is. amazing! Seriously, I am in love with it. I had originally bought the all natural version, but ended up liking the original "recipe" better (much less sticky). We slather it on after every diaper change and Owen's cute little butt has stayed diaper rash free. (We did have a tiny bit of diaper rash in his 3rd week, but it cleared up within a day after switching to the original paste). Love. It!
3.
Pamper's Swaddlers Diapers The hospital used Pampers brand and though we had bought a box of Huggies Newborn Diapers at home, we very quickly went out and bought more Pampers. I don't know if it was a little boy thing or what, but every single Huggies diaper leaked all over Owen. Every single one. And only a couple of the MANY Pampers we've used have leaked (and that was only because a certain something wasn't pointing down).
3B.
Pamper's Sensitive Wipes We also had these at our disposal in the hospital and loved them. We had some Target brand and Huggies wipes already at home, but quickly switched back to these once the other ones were gone.
4.
Dr. Brown's Bottles (Glass bottles) Though we only use one of these once or twice a day so far, I am loving these bottles. Owen hasn't had a problem with excessive gas or problems with burping/farting, but he does have a problem with eating too quickly and then choking. And these bottles have helped him slow things down a bit. And the glass cleans up nicely too. Once we need more than two bottles I'm going to pick up a few of the plastic versions for daycare.
5.
Our Nursery Glider Yes this came from Walmart. However, I 100% believe that if you didn't know that, you would never guess it. And I use this bad boy several times a night, every night. During the day not so much (I usually just nurse Owen in the living room on the couch) but at night it is wonderful to have. More than once Owen and I have nodded off in it for a little mid night snooze. Not so much on purpose, more so because I'm exhausted....but it is very comfortable and well made.
6.
Nook Which I realize should be spelled NUK, but I like the look of Nook better. Matt insisted this be on the list. My original plan had been not to introduce the nook until at least 5 weeks, but the nurses in the NICU popped one into Owen's mouth on day one, so I figured there was no going back. Thankfully he doesn't want it all the time, just sometimes. Matt likes to use it a little more than I do, but whatever keeps Big O happy works for me.
7.
Burt's Bee Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash I love love love the smell of this stuff. We also use the baby moisturizer. It makes the little man's skin extra soft and smellin' extra good.
8.
Nursing bras and
nursing tank tops. So helpful. I got all of mine at Target and highly recommend them. They seemed a little expensive at first, but I wear them every day, so I'm definitely getting my money's worth. Like a few of the reviews say, make sure you buy a size up for the around size (if you're normally a 34 A/B/C/D/DD, buy a 36 size or two bigger than normal.)
9.
Long Sleeve Side Snap Baby Tees These were wonderful during the first two weeks before the umbilical cord fell off. They have the little fold over mittens too. They were also an easy first step towards learning how to dress a squirming baby.
10.
Halo Swaddling Sleep Sack This little number was invaluable in the hospital and once we got home during the first few weeks. The fleece material not only kept Baby O warm at night, but we could also swaddle him up like a little burrito before going to sleep. It has Velcro on one side of the swaddle "wings" so it's very foolproof for keeping him wrapped up tight.
So, those are our top ten baby items for the first month. Any items we didn't list that you couldn't live without? Any items you think I should have had on my list?
~M, S, and O
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