For all of the "mommies to be" in my life...
My oh my....so many of my friends are expecting! This spring/early summer is going to be full of new babies! I am by NO MEANS an expert on anything...at all. But I know that when I was expecting I was researching and asking for all of the advice I could get. Several of you still get random texts from me about various and sundry things baby related. ( I much appreciate those people! ) One of the things I really wanted to know when I was expecting is exactly what I would need once the baby arrived. Do I really need all of those fancy swings? Medical business? How many onsies does one baby really need? etc. So I decided that I would put together a blog post of my "favorite things" from my tiny experience as a mom. My daughter Elliott is four months old now, which doesn't seem that old, but my what a difference four months makes. :) So below, you will find some of my most favorite things and things that have been a life saver to me....and Elliott! If any of you other Mommies (Or Daddies!) that read my blog have anything to add...please do! The more info and advice...the better!
The official name is the Fisher-Price Rock -n- Play. In my house it's called the "fold - n - go". I love this thing. My MIL found this at a consignment store and we use it every. single. day. It is great because 1. it snuggles your little one. 2. it rocks. 3. it is lightweight and you can move it from room to room as you need to.
These are stroller blankets from Pottery Barn Kids. We got one as a gift before we had Elliott soon after we brought her home we ordered a second one. A bit pricey as far as blankets go, but we LOVE it! It is super soft, durable and very warm. We use one when we go out and about during these cold days and we have one that we keep in the crib. They now have all kinds of patterns and colors. Totally worth it.
Our dear friends Becca and Chad let us borrow this gem. This is Fisher Price's Cradle -n- swing. Elliott loves this. It plays music, has a mobile and of course...swings. It has like 9 different speed settings....we haven't dared try anything above a 2. lol. Elliott really likes to swing and this was good for calming her when sometimes nothing else would work.
This is Levana's video monitor. I love being able to roll over and check the monitor to see if I need to go get Elliott or if she is fine. I needed this kind of thing when we moved her to the crib for my emotional sanity. It doesn't really matter what kind you get, some of my friends have super fancy ones that connect to their iphones, they can see their kiddo from anywhere. I simply recommend a video monitor.
Dr. Brown's bottles. I had no intention of bottle feeding my baby....however, that didn't exactly work out for me. Several friends recommended these bottles to us, and I must say...we loved them too. Elliott never had any trouble with colic or any of that business. I think these bottles contributed to that lovely outcome.
While we are on the subject, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing a double electric breast pump. Even better, rent a hospital grade one from your dr. office or the hospital. Some of my friends had no problem with supply, the rest of us need some help. You will be grateful that you have a double pump and that it does all of the work for you. Spend the extra money.
Because those first few weeks are a doozy...
The Pack-n-play. We used this until Elliott was right around three months old...well the bassinet and the changing table. Elliott slept in this in our room. We intend to take the rest of the unit minus the changing pad and bassinet with us when we travel this Spring. It was extremely handy to have near us in the night as she was awake every three hours. We didn't have to go traipsing through the house to get her or to change her diaper. Super handy.
A rocker recliner. I love having this in the nursery. It is a great place to cuddle and read, sleep, or just play together. You will spend lots of hours in that room...might as well be comfy.
I have needed this for various things since bringing her home...it is cheap. Make sure you have some. :)
Bless Elliott's heart, she inherited my severely dry skin and that cute little Johnson's stuff wasn't cutting it....
This is a toy by Infantino. This sounds a bit creepy, but the head flips up and there is a mirror there. It comes in all sorts of animals and colors, but this happens to be the one Elliott has and she loves it. It is small and lightweight. Each of the "petals" around the head is a different texture so some are soft or crinkle or are plastic for chewing. She gravitated to this one very early on because it was so small and lightweight that she could manipulate it. Many of the other toys that she was given were too big and cumbersome for her to play with, so she didn't. She loves her duck...and there are several great songs that I sing with it too. lol.
Because seriously...if you have to listen to "Twinkle" one more time... lol. I heard one of the CD's from this series playing in one of my (now former...since I stay home) coworkers classroom and I fell in love. There is a whole collection of these, Beach boys, Nirvana, Kiss, Green Day, U2, Radiohead...etc.
This is my OB/GYN Dr. Buck. I LOVE her. Unfortunately, she was unable to deliver my sweet girl, because she was still on maternity leave with her own sweet girl. lol. You need a doctor who will take their time and listen to you....someone who won't laugh at your "silly" questions and one that can meet all of your needs both during your pregnancy and after you deliver.
I am sure that there are so many other things that I could put on my list...but I know if I had to do it all over again, I would want to make sure I had these things as these items have been a lifesaver to me and to Elliott. Some of the other things that I thought would be "so important" haven't been. Your child will have their own likes and dislikes as well. I would love to share any advice or information I have with any of you...please feel free to ask. It is so important that you have some "go to" people that you can ask all of those "mommy" questions. You will have many. lol. Good luck!
The official name is the Fisher-Price Rock -n- Play. In my house it's called the "fold - n - go". I love this thing. My MIL found this at a consignment store and we use it every. single. day. It is great because 1. it snuggles your little one. 2. it rocks. 3. it is lightweight and you can move it from room to room as you need to. These are stroller blankets from Pottery Barn Kids. We got one as a gift before we had Elliott soon after we brought her home we ordered a second one. A bit pricey as far as blankets go, but we LOVE it! It is super soft, durable and very warm. We use one when we go out and about during these cold days and we have one that we keep in the crib. They now have all kinds of patterns and colors. Totally worth it. Our dear friends Becca and Chad let us borrow this gem. This is Fisher Price's Cradle -n- swing. Elliott loves this. It plays music, has a mobile and of course...swings. It has like 9 different speed settings....we haven't dared try anything above a 2. lol. Elliott really likes to swing and this was good for calming her when sometimes nothing else would work. This is Levana's video monitor. I love being able to roll over and check the monitor to see if I need to go get Elliott or if she is fine. I needed this kind of thing when we moved her to the crib for my emotional sanity. It doesn't really matter what kind you get, some of my friends have super fancy ones that connect to their iphones, they can see their kiddo from anywhere. I simply recommend a video monitor. Dr. Brown's bottles. I had no intention of bottle feeding my baby....however, that didn't exactly work out for me. Several friends recommended these bottles to us, and I must say...we loved them too. Elliott never had any trouble with colic or any of that business. I think these bottles contributed to that lovely outcome. While we are on the subject, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing a double electric breast pump. Even better, rent a hospital grade one from your dr. office or the hospital. Some of my friends had no problem with supply, the rest of us need some help. You will be grateful that you have a double pump and that it does all of the work for you. Spend the extra money. Because those first few weeks are a doozy...The Pack-n-play. We used this until Elliott was right around three months old...well the bassinet and the changing table. Elliott slept in this in our room. We intend to take the rest of the unit minus the changing pad and bassinet with us when we travel this Spring. It was extremely handy to have near us in the night as she was awake every three hours. We didn't have to go traipsing through the house to get her or to change her diaper. Super handy. A rocker recliner. I love having this in the nursery. It is a great place to cuddle and read, sleep, or just play together. You will spend lots of hours in that room...might as well be comfy. I have needed this for various things since bringing her home...it is cheap. Make sure you have some. :) Bless Elliott's heart, she inherited my severely dry skin and that cute little Johnson's stuff wasn't cutting it....This is a toy by Infantino. This sounds a bit creepy, but the head flips up and there is a mirror there. It comes in all sorts of animals and colors, but this happens to be the one Elliott has and she loves it. It is small and lightweight. Each of the "petals" around the head is a different texture so some are soft or crinkle or are plastic for chewing. She gravitated to this one very early on because it was so small and lightweight that she could manipulate it. Many of the other toys that she was given were too big and cumbersome for her to play with, so she didn't. She loves her duck...and there are several great songs that I sing with it too. lol. Because seriously...if you have to listen to "Twinkle" one more time... lol. I heard one of the CD's from this series playing in one of my (now former...since I stay home) coworkers classroom and I fell in love. There is a whole collection of these, Beach boys, Nirvana, Kiss, Green Day, U2, Radiohead...etc. This is my OB/GYN Dr. Buck. I LOVE her. Unfortunately, she was unable to deliver my sweet girl, because she was still on maternity leave with her own sweet girl. lol. You need a doctor who will take their time and listen to you....someone who won't laugh at your "silly" questions and one that can meet all of your needs both during your pregnancy and after you deliver. I am sure that there are so many other things that I could put on my list...but I know if I had to do it all over again, I would want to make sure I had these things as these items have been a lifesaver to me and to Elliott. Some of the other things that I thought would be "so important" haven't been. Your child will have their own likes and dislikes as well. I would love to share any advice or information I have with any of you...please feel free to ask. It is so important that you have some "go to" people that you can ask all of those "mommy" questions. You will have many. lol. Good luck!
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