Life Update: My Newborn Essentials
It seems like just yesterday I was posting pictures of baby Caleb's nursery and now he is almost 4 months old! I'm sad that his newborn days are over, but I'm loving every minute with him and proud to see him accomplish significant milestones. The other day he rolled over from his back to his tummy and I don't think I've ever felt more love and pride.
For all you new mamas and mamas to be, here are the products I loved for Caleb's first few months. I read a lot of blog posts on newborn essentials when I was pregnant and I found them very helpful. I included products we genuinely loved at various price points. Unlike most lists I've seen, I'm going to include the negative aspects so you can decide what will work best for you. I'll check back with the products we are using from 3 - 6 months because it doesn't seem like there are as many guides for that age point (spoiler alert: we are huge Sophie fans).
Carter's Terry Cloth Sleepers
I bought Caleb lots of cute clothes that ended up being completely impractical - buttons all the way up the back? Um no. Thankfully, my mom bought him several Carter's sleepers. The terry cloth style was the perfect thickness and the animal footies are so cute on a tiny newborn. The price can't be beat, particularly when you find them on sale. He wore sleepers pretty much all time. I transitioned to putting him in real clothes during the day around 3 months.
Cons: There aren't a lot of style choices so you will quickly run out of options after a couple sizes. Also, you will see tons of Facebook babies wearing the same thing as your baby.
Amazon Link:
Aden + Anais Silky Soft (Bamboo) Swaddles
It seems every baby "must have" list includes Aden + Anais swaddles and my list won't be an exception. Specifically, we loved the bamboo style. They are softer and have a bit of a stretch that gave us a tighter swaddle. We actually didn't even end up using our non-bamboo swaddles. It was a very sad day when we had to stop using them because Caleb rolled over.
Cons: They can be pricey (although we found some at Homegoods for a great price) and after a few washes ours have some pulls.
Amazon Link:
HALO Swivel Sleeper Bassinet (Premier Series)
I was completely against buying a bassinet. We spent money on his beautiful crib which he would be sleeping in after just a few weeks, right? Nope. I ended up having a c-section and the pack and play we had him in was huge, far away from the bed and incredibly inconvenient for my healing self to get to in the middle of the night. We ended up getting the Halo Bassinet. It swivels and is able to be positioned right next to the bed. The premier series vibrates which puts our baby right to sleep (usually...).
Cons: Price and my husband has a habit of tripping on the large legs.
Amazon Link:
4moms Infant Tub
This is basically a fool proof tub. It tells you the temperature of the water and indicates if it is too cold, hot or the perfect temperature. It also separates the dirty water from the clean water. It fits right in our kitchen sink which is so convenient. Do you really need to add improperly bathing your newborn to your list of worries? No, no you don't.
Con: Ours recently started to leak underneath the "on" button for the temperature control. We have to put a dish towel underneath it.
Amazon Link:
Fisher Price Play Mat
A play mat is great for when your baby is awake but isn't developmentally ready to play with toys. Caleb would be entertained by just looking up and staring at the toys and patterns. Bonus: it's great for tummy time!
Cons: The mat is smaller than most but we have ours on a carpet so it doesn't really matter if his legs hang over
Amazon Link:
4moms MamaRoo (infant seat)
Caleb spent most of his napping hours for the first 3 months in the MamaRoo. It has multiple movement options that are supposed to mimic a parent holding the baby. I would recommend getting the plush seat fabric. I tried to save some money by getting the classic fabric and the plush is just so much nicer.
Cons: Price, which they recently dropped
Amazon Link:
Boppy Nursing Pillow
My husband and I both use the boppy to lift Caleb up and support our arms while feeding. It's a serious back and arm saver. It can also be used for propping and tummy time but we haven't really used it for that.
Cons: None I can think of
Amazon Link:
Other random tips:
- Setup a changing station on the first floor. If the baby's nursery is on the second floor, you probably won't want to go up and down to change him, particularly while you're healing
- Containers. Small containers, large containers, round containers, square containers. Get them all! You will underestimate the amount of "stuff" a baby accumulates. I have socks and hats in a Christmas gift box because I used up all available storage....sigh.
