Five Essentials for Newborns

I have a two month old right now. As prepared as I thought I was there are products that I’ve found this time around that I don’t know how on earth I managed without with my first daughter. I scoured the internet trying to prepare for the birth of my baby. Having been six years since the birth of my first, I was a bit….rusty. However, even with all my searching once we actually got our baby home, we found that there were a number of things that made life so much easier. And believe me, when you have a newborn anything that makes life even a little less chaotic is well worth it!

1. Bottle Sanitizer

I had absolutely forgotten how quickly babies go through bottles. We had planned on just using the dishwasher and even got one of those little dishwasher baskets. But it just wasn’t practical and we’d been running the dishwasher several times a day if we stuck to that method. Finally, we broke down and spent the money on a bottle sanitizer. You simply add a little water and pop it in the microwave and it does the rest. Even though I was hesitant to spend the money on something that looks so simple it was one of the best purchases I’ve made!

2. Rock N Play

Everyone kept telling me how great Rock-N-Plays are, but I just couldn’t see how they were that much different from bouncers. I checked them out several times and decided that they just weren’t worth the money. Thank heavens somebody gave me one for our baby shower! We are sharing a room with baby and it is so easy with the Rock-N-Play right beside the bed. I can literally just reach over and comfort baby. Plus, it holds baby at a slight incline so I don’t have to worry about her spitting up after her middle of the night feedings. I dread the day that my daughter outgrows this and I have to walk ALLLL the way across the room to her crib (lol).

3. Paci Plushies

Have you ever fallen asleep with your arm hanging over the side of a bassinet/rock-n-play/bouncer, gently holding in place the pacifier in your baby’s mouth that would other wise pop right out? Well, I have. I can’t tell you how many times I place baby softly in her swing, as she sleeps like an angel, only for her to wake up screaming as soon as I get to the other side of the room because her paci has fallen out. Sometimes she sucks that thing so hard that I’m sure the neighbors could hear her. That’s where paci plushies come in. Not only do they softly hold the pacifier in place without being in their face, but they can also help develop fine motor skills. You’ll start to notice your baby gripping and holding the plushie.

4. Wonder Years

When we first brought baby home I was interested in finding an app that would help me understand what my baby was going through at different stages of development. There were a lot of tracking apps to help you note when they ate, when they had a diaper change, etc. But honestly I was usually too tired in the beginning to actually remember to clock the times. Some of my other new mommy friends suggest the Wonder Weeks app. In the beginning I was a little skeptical because of the amount of details it provided. But I’ve personally found that the information is always right on point and the charted schedules are usually accurate.

5. Fisher Price Diapers

Did you know that Fisher Price made diapers? I loved FisherPrice diapers when my six year old was a baby. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find them in stores since having our newborn. Thankfully, I found them on Amazon. I ordered a box of  300 size one diapers for only $50, a pretty good deal I’d say. They work just as great as they did with my oldest!