Awesome Essentials for New Moms

Rock N’ Play– I had heard good things about the Fisher Price Rock N’ Play Sleeper, but I had no idea how much it would come in handy for us. As any new parent will tell you, the first few weeks at home were rough for sleeping. We had Baby Awesome sleeping in the Newborn Napper section of a Pack N’ Play that was set up next to our bed. Baby Awesome was sleeping so well during the day but was up at all hours of the night. It didn’t make sense to me. After several nights of getting very minimal sleep, I knew something needed to change. We had the Rock N’ Play set up downstairs in our living room and I brought it in our bedroom next to our bed and put Baby Awesome in it. And that night she slept straight through the night in 3 hours increments. And when she was 5 weeks old, she was sleeping in 5-6 hour stretches during the night. Thank you, Rock N’ Play! I think she likes it better because the seat is on a bit of an incline and I think she has some reflux going on. Plus if she gets fussy I can just gently rock her while laying in bed and she will go back to sleep. Sleep is a struggle when you’re a new parent so I’m a HUGE fan of this.

My Brest Friend – This was something I put on my registry because it came highly recommended by my new mom friends. I had no idea how critical it was going to be for me during my first weeks. When I was in the hospital learning how to breastfeed, the nurses would set up several pillows all over my bed to help me get the right angle so I could breastfeed properly. When I got home from the hospital, I opened up this pillow and was amazed at how I didn’t need 7-8 peoples all around me anymore – I could just use this! It straps around your waist like a serving tray and then you can feed the baby using a cradle position much easier.  If I would have known how helpful this pillow would have been, I would have taken it to the hospital with me so I could have started using it even earlier. Plus the name of the product cracks me up and gave us some good laughs.

NoseFrida– Okay, if you had told me I would be using a contraption to suck boogers out of my daughter’s nose ten months ago I would have laughed. It sounds gross, right? Well, this Nosefrida has been great. For the first few weeks Baby Awesome had stuff in her nose and we used this to get it out every night. It almost became like a ritual. Now, was I afraid I might suck the boogers right out of her nose and into my mouth? Hell yes I was! But there’s a disposable filter in the tube which prevents the booger from getting into your mouth. Thank goodness. This has worked way better than bulb syringes for us and is easy to clean, too.

Swaddle Blankets- So you probably registered for these and if you didn’t, you probably got them anyway. You have probably heard about the art of swaddling from The Happiest Baby on the Block. If you haven’t heard of this, it’s a must watch or read for new parents. You can buy the book or watch the video using Amazon Instant Video (that’s what we did). Some of the most popular swaddle blankets are the Aden + Anais Classic Muslin Swaddle Blankets. They are so soft and great for so many different things – swaddling, a cover for the changing pad, a burp cloth, or a blanket for the stroller, swing, or napper. I highly recommend keeping several of these around the house. We use these all the time, but not as swaddles for Baby Awesome to sleep in. For sleeping we have preferred to use swaddles with velcro or buttons so that she can’t unravel herself.  I would recommend trying several different swaddles to see what your little one likes. In fact, I have so many opinions about swaddles that I have to break it all down into a separate post. I will post that one at a later date and update it here!

Boppy Changing Pad Liners – This is something that we didn’t register, but one of my friends with a newborn got them for us because she said they are critical for new moms. And she was right! Every time we change Baby Awesome, she pees! And we were constantly having to change the changing pad sheet. But now with these changing pad liners we just set them down on the changing pad. If she pees, we just change out the liner instead of changing the entire sheet. They’re also waterproof, which the sheets we have are not. They come in packs of 3 and we have 2 packs now that are in constant rotation. So, so helpful! We also just discovered these new changing pad liners that are also waterproof and a bit softer. They are made for the Graco Pack and Play but we’ve found that they work on our changing table great – and they are soft!

White Noise Machine– This is something that has been a lifesaver for getting sleep at night! We got a DOHM Natural White Noise Machine which I had read up on and heard was the best at blocking noise and you can also plug it in. This sound was hard to get used to at first and my husband and I hated the sound. But after a few days we adjusted to it and now we hardly even notice when the machine is on. Just give it time. We also have a White Noise Machine on the go that our friends gave us which is really great for attaching to her car seat for long car rides. Highly recommend!

These are my top essentials for new moms, but I’m sure I will be adding to this list over time. What about you? What items have been lifesavers for you as a new mom? What are your essentials for new moms? Post in the comments and let me know!

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