It was Charlie’s 1 month birthday yesterday so I figured I’d recap what I couldn’t have lived without this last month – besides him. I would have killed to have read this post before I brought him home from the hospital.This is one of those posts that you might not need now, but if you ever plan on having a baby BOOKMARK THIS. Or send it to anyone yo know who is prepping for their first baby.
There is so much that you are told you should register for, so much that you want and think you need but what you ACTUALLY need that first month is very specific. So these 20 things are what I personally bought and have relied heavily on the last 4 weeks.
1. Sydney Diaper Clutch What’s so great about this diaper bag is how cute it is, obviously, (waxed canvas and leather) and the fact that its smaller for more on the go days. That first month if you are breastfeeding, you don’t have a lot of bottles to carry around so you really don’t need a huge bag – just room for a diaper, to-go wipes, an extra onesie, pacifier and the changing pad. The clutch actually turns into a changing pad – all transformer style.
2. BabyMoon Pillow Not sure how necessary this is for everyone, but to combat flat head syndrome we are using this pillow and he likes them.
3. Maxi-Cosi Car Seat I’ll be honest that it’s not like I tried out all of the car seats in the world. I registered at Giggle for this one because it said it was really light. And so far its a huge hit. It’s just simple navy blue so it’s not over decorated and it is really light weight.
4. Co-sleeper – So for the first month at least we are having little Charlie sleep in this in between us in our bed. We aren’t going to get all family bed on you, but it’s so nice to have him near us but still in his own area with a barrier so we know we can’t roll onto him. We figure maybe another month of this then move him to a co-sleeper bassinet and then crib at 6 months. But also ANYTHING could change. I have to say I miss cuddling with Brian a lot.
5. Prince Lionheart White Premium Wipes Warmer I mean, if you just got out of the warm womb wouldn’t you want someone using a warm cloth to wash your balls 10 times a day?
6. Nursery Sound Machine – We have a different one, but I love the look of this white noise machine. We use it every night and on some desperate days, too. And of course, now Brian and I are addicted to white noise because of it. It puts all of us to sleep faster.
7. Boba Wrap Baby Carrier – He’s in the wrap right now while I’m blogging (standing up at the kitchen counter nonetheless). He loves it, I love it. It calms him down and I can still get things done without feeling like a bad mom. Basically it’s just cuddling. I have the Boba but the Moby is good as well.
8. Daiper Pail – Brian doesn’t like how small the hole is (especially as Charlie and his dumps get bigger) but I really like the look of it. Its expensive, I figure we’d have it for 3 years (hopefully less, but I don’t dare put expectations on this little angel).
9. Swaddling Blankets – For the daytime and nighttime inexplicable crying fits. I can’t wait for a doctor somewhere to diagnose why they cry so much for seemingly no reason the first couple months. These swaddles help and these ones are VERY soft, too. We also use them for over the car seat or bassinet because they are really thin but block the sun/germs if we are out.
10. Baby Changer – I bought this wooden top to put on my vintage dresser so the pad stays put – there are brackets on the back that screw into any surface. Its clean, simple and modern.
11. New Born Sleep N’ Play Suit We didn’t have nearly enough bunny suits that cover the feet, too. These are inexpensive (like 2 for $8) . Sure, I want the adorable fancy ones but get the expensive ones as gifts and do yourself a favor and buy a bunch of these from Target. This small (newborn) is kinda hard to find so I’d order them online.
12. Bear Ears Hat Obviously he ears aren’t necessary, but neither is me kissing him 95 million times a day. Scratch that. THAT is totally necessary. But basically they lose A TON of heat through their head, and therefore burn a lot of calories trying to keep themselves warm. When they are so little you are dying for them to gain back their birth weight, so have a ton of these all over your house (they fall off constantly) so his noggin is always covered.
13. Monte Design Como Glider – Here was my snobby mistake: I didn’t want a traditional glider because I figured I’d just use my big leather 70’s club chair that is crazy comfortable and looks so cool. My mistake was sitting in this one at the Giggle store in Pasadena while I was shopping there for pacifiers. It’s so GD comfortable and made holding him so easy and rocking him so enjoyable that I couldn’t NOT get it. Brian sat in it, too and freaked out. I’m sure most of them are comfortable, but this one is THE MOST comfortable that I’ve ever sat in probably because of that back cushion. I just ordered it so sadly I didn’t have it for the first month. Do yourself a favor and get a glider. Don’t try to be a snob like me. You just need this thing. And yes, there are so hideously ugly gliders out there, but this one is simple, modern and pretty. I used to think that the back was too high until I sat in it and you want your head supported. I used to think the arms were too low until I sat in it and it was the perfect height to nurse Charlie in. Its simply designed perfectly for the function. I could go on and on (I’ll have it for both kids … I’ll read to them in it until they are 18, etc).
14. Honest Hand Soap – It doesn’t have to be honest, although I like that company certainly, but you will need A TON of anti-bacterial soap all over your house. You will wash your hands 29 times a day and they will get so dried out. So get hand soap with moisturizing components in it and place them all over your house so your filthy guests aren’t getting lazy and not washing them immediately.
15. Nursing Cover – Um, i’m sorry, but did you mean ‘hooter hider’???? I know these are controversial, but here’s my schpeal: When you are first nursing you don’t really know how to do it and there are a LOT of fleshy parts to manuever. You need to be able to see said fleshy parts without a ton of scarf/blanket material in the baby’s face. I’m not embarrassed of these parts but it’s just awkward and your friends and family that come over to see the baby are normally not psyched to see these either. They just aren’t. It doesn’t mean they don’t think that women should be able to vote – its just very intimate and deserves a little bit of deference. These new milk pillows of mine are not these adorable little cute things that are easy to hide . If you have this same problem and you want to breast feed in public without things flopping around, arm yourself with a hooter hider. Probaby the ugliest and best thing you can buy yourself.
16. Dr. Brown’s Gia Nursing Pillow – I bought ‘My breast Friend’ and it proved to be too horizontal for me. So this guy lets me prop him up on the side that he’s nursing on and then the rest of his body falls off, so he’s more vertical (which is said to help with digestion and therefore colic).
17. Moses Basket – I love this thing. For the first month they sleep CONSTANTLY. And while of course i try to hold him, nap with him or ‘wear’ him as much as possible, this basket is the perfect little baby catchall. Its so easy to carry from room to room and he seems to love it.
18. Munchkin Lulla-Vibe Vibrating Mattress Pad – This, like the soundmachine, helps put US ALL to sleep. You put it under their crib or cosleeper and it gently vibrates in a really defused matter. Its padded and its shaped like a big paddle so it’s a diffused vibration. We all love it and use it nightly.
19. Puj Tub – Soft Foldable Infant Bath Tub – What I love about this guy is how simple and flexible it is. We are bathing Charlie in our kitchen sink as of now and this tub flexes to fit in there, drains really well and is obviously very attractive. It stores easily, and so far has worked great. Although a note – your cats might watch to use it as a scratching pad especially if they are angry at you for neglecting them because there is a new loud, hair-less cat taking over the house, so don’t leave it on the ground like we did.
20. Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump with Metro Bag – I didn’t know which one to get. Medela is probably considered the best brand although I have no idea why and it’s not like you can try them out. But since I would be pumping constantly for a year I figured that I wanted a reliable brand. Within the Medela family there are a few different options. I got the PIS because you can take it out of the stupid tote bag they give you (why? you think we are going to tote that ugly bag around?) and put it in your much cuter diaper bag. The freestyle is the one that is one level above the PIS which is said to be even more mobile (and more expensive), but this guy has been great so far and is what all my friends chose, too. So if I had to recommend one I feel confidant that this is a good choice (but if anybody is using an inexpensive pump please comment and let us know. The fact that these cost almost $400 is ridiculous.
That’s what I needed this month. So my questions to you are:
1. What am I missing? Leave your suggestions in the comments.
2. What do I need next? What doesn’t come up the first month that does the second?
