Life Savers

Gift registries for new parents are a total crap shoot. You have NO idea what you’ll need, use, or like. So I thought I’d do a quick run down of the items we’ve found most useful from the first two weeks for anyone trying to piece together a registry. Or looking to buy something off a registry. Every mom (and dad) is different, but these have been our faves.

Aden and Anais Swaddles: We have loved the muslin swaddles. Swaddling itself takes some getting used to, like several days of screwing it up and having your baby mostly use it as a soother, but once you get the hang of it, it’s about the coolest tool in the mommy and daddy survival arsenal. They also make these blankets which are sweetness. Owen has the flying dog one. It’s a great weight and washes well.

Graco Playard with Reversible Napper: Guarantee that someone is going to tell me that letting our child sleep in the Napper is going to lead to something horrible, but we’re doing it. We have a crib, but this has been sweet for co-sleeping with the little man. We can change him right there, which is awesome for middle of the night changes and other wake up calls. And we can bring it upstairs during the day for changes and naps. Worth the $100 for sure.

Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump: This was an item I thought would wait until I went back to work to need, but I had some issues early on with feeding, so I needed this gem in the first week. I’ve been pleased so far. It’s easy to put together, clean, and store. And works fairly well. I think one of those bustier things might be in order, but otherwise, it’s sweet.

Boppy Pillow: This has been a feeding lifesaver. Even Jon uses it for bottle feeding and just positioning and snuggling. And Owen seems to like it for propping and hanging out too. It’s great for breastfeeding, although I usually need to augment with other pillows just to keep him at a good angle.

SwaddleMe Wrap: This is a recent addition to the swaddling arsenal, but it’s really easy and mom-proof. You really can’t screw it up. Yay Velcro. The Velcro is like the most serious Velcro I have ever seen. It is actually a challenge to unstick it. This is a very valuable feature in a swaddler. And Owen seems to be just fine with it. It’s actually a little more challenging for him to Houdini his way out of than the muslin ones.

Brica Travel Bassinet: I found this at a thrift store and am so glad I bought it. It is great to just have a variety of safe sleeping options. And we will use it for traveling too, but it’s been good for napping and it weighs nothing, so it’s a pretty low commitment item in terms of space.

Other miscellaneous items that have been sweet:
Baby hats: Beware of sizing. Gap newborn? Not so newborn. Owen was 6lbs 7oz and the best hats for him were the Gerber and Carter’s newborn hats. They’re cheap, cute, and small enough to actually fit a newborn.

Burp cloths. This may seem obvious, but get lots of these. They are great for all sorts of things. Burping, leak catching, poo and pee catching while changing (yep, sometimes they just go before you can get a clean diaper back on them. The nerve.), and whatever else you can think of. I like the cotton flannel ones, but it doesn’t really matter.

Inflatable infant bath: I found one of these at http://www.diapers.com, but I’m sure you can get them anywhere. They’re cheap, cute, good for travel, and take up very little space if you need them to (just deflate them).

And I’ll put one more breastfeeding necessity on here: lanolin. You don’t have to register for it, but get a tube. It makes you want to cry less in the first week of feeding. You and the kiddo are figuring out feeding, and that was not a kind process in my universe. Thank god for lactation specialists and good labor and delivery nurses.

Get a copy of The Happiest Baby on the Block. Seriously, it’s super effective. And it makes you feel much more in control of potentially out of control situations. That alone is worth whatever they charge for that little book.

Disposable diapers. Before folks tell me I’m ruining the planet, hear me out. I’m going to go to cloth diapers, but having newborn disposables has been awesome. First, you’ve got so much going on the first few weeks that convenience is clutch. Second, most cloth diapers won’t fit a newborn unless you buy newborn ones. Even the one size fits all versions. And at $15-20 a cover, that is a little cost prohibitive considering you’ll only use them for a little while. So I’m embracing the disposables until he’s a little bigger. And then, we’ll see. I may still use them at night. They keep your munchkin drier which means you can both sleep longer. I’m a fan of sleep.

Wipe warmer: this seems extravagant, but seriously, anything to keep the kiddo from screaming at you while you try to decontaminate him is worth it.

We’ve used lots of other things, but for now, those have been the most useful in surviving the first two weeks. And I think we’ve survived relatively unscathed. For now.