Did you happen to catch some of the hints I left in my last post?
Let’s see, there was “I’ve been pretty absent this year, and I have a very good explanation for that.”
“I spend a lot of time on the couch these days.”
And if you followed the link for the energy bites I was trying to make in my Vitamix, you probably have a good idea what has been keeping me busy and couch ridden.
Yep, we had a baby! And from my completely unbiased opinion I can tell you that she is objectively the cutest baby currently on the face of the earth.
But I’m not just here to tell you how adorable my daughter is. I want to tell you about the top 10 things that have helped us survive these first couple of months as parents.
Everyone has a different situation and the gadgets we have may not be useful for your set up. Once my maternity leave is over, my husband will be staying at home with the baby. This guided some of our decisions (like what kind of diaper bag to buy).
These are our top ten, in no particular order:
1. Portable diaper changing mat. While changing tables are nice, I had a hunch that we wouldn’t be changing diapers in one specific room of the house. I’m glad we didn’t invest in a changing table, because my hunch was right. We change diapers on the couch, on the bed, and occasionally on the kitchen floor.
This changing mat has a place to keep diapers and wipes, and also has a zipper pouch for things like diaper cream. If you keep it stocked you won’t have to worry about frantically looking for wipes mid diaper change.
2. Baby Bum Brushes. I changed maybe two diapers in my life before kids, so I had no idea how much I would love these. Now that I have a few (hundred) more diapers under my belt, I can heartily recommend Baby Bum Brushes.
The suction cup feature is super nice because you don’t have to worry about a pasty Bum Brush getting diaper cream all over your couch (or bed, or kitchen floor 🙂 ) Speaking of diaper cream, we use Boudreoux’s Butt Paste. We received a free sample and decided to keep using that brand when it ran out. I don’t have anything to compare it to, but we’ve been happy with it.
3. Velcro swaddles. As new parents we were a little nervous about swaddling. We were afraid she would break loose of the swaddle and end up with the blanked covering her nose and mouth. These swaddles alleviated our fears and were just way easier to use. They come in lots of fun colors and patterns too.
4. Muslin swaddle blankets. We got some traditional muslin swaddle blankets too, which we do occasionally use for swaddling. My number one application for these is to use them as burp cloths. Yes, we have actual burp cloths too, but these cover a larger surface area. That’s been rather important given the projectile vomiting that we were experiencing last week.
5. Diaper bag. Diaper bags are an obvious necessity, but they don’t need to look like the ones our parents hauled around. With no exact facts to back up my theory, I’m going to credit this improvement to the rise in stay-at-home dads.
My husband was the one who opted for the backpack style of diaper bag, and it was a wise choice indeed. I wasn’t quite prepared for how pricey diaper bags can be. This one cost more than I’ve ever paid for a purse. That should tell you something about how much I’m willing to pay for a purse. It does come with some great features though.
One thing I really like about this diaper bag is that it has lots of compartments rather than just one great abyss pouch. We used this as a hospital bag when we had our little girl, and it was so nice to have things I needed during labor (like lip balm) in the little sundry bag.
6. Nursing pillow. We had a short stay in the NICU, and while we were there this nursing pillow was the star of the show. All of the nurses wanted to get a good look at it. It’s quite different than the typical Boppy-style nursing pillows. We also use this pillow to prop up an elbow while holding her, or just to rest her on in our laps so she is closer to our face.
7. Bottle warmer. What’s nice about this bottle warmer is that it uses steam to warm the bottle rather than water. It’s super easy to use, and there’s no guessing how much water to put in for each bottle. You just have to make sure the reservoir has water in it and refill it when it gets low.
8. Pack ‘n play. We chose to go the pack ‘n play route because a crib just seemed like such a big investment for something with limited usefulness. I’m glad to say our decision has paid off. Much of the time we end up sleeping in the living room because it’s warmer this time of year. The pack ‘n play is easy to move from the bedroom to the living room.
This particular pack ‘n play came with several extras too. When our baby was first born, she slept in the bassinet. She really likes the mobile that attaches to the bassinet. I’m a little disappointed that it isn’t compatible with the playpen part of the pack ‘n play, but we ordered a separate one that we can use for that.
We used the changing pad some in the beginning, but it became easier to just use a portable mat on the bed. The pack ‘n play is a tight squeeze in our bedroom though. If there was more room on either side of the pack ‘n play the changing pad would probably get more use.
A couple more things we like about the pack ‘n play: It’s a playpen! Rather than having a crib and a playpen, we just have one. And unlike a crib, this can be folded up and stored in the closet when she moves on to a toddler bed.
9. Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo. I received this as a sample in my Amazon Welcome Box, and I loved the smell. Vain, I know. Come to find out, this body wash is really helpful in treating baby acne. Not everyone has great success, but we have noticed a real difference. And yes, it smells pretty.
10. Boon Drying rack. I knew I wanted one of these before I even knew I was pregnant. It’s just so fun, and it turns out, useful! Sometimes we hand wash bottles and then sanitize them, other times we run them through the dish washer. Either way, once something lands in this drying rack my husband and I both know it is sterile and ready for use. I didn’t buy the little tree or any of the other extras that go with the grass, and so far I haven’t needed them.
So there you have it – our top ten registry items. We got some really great gifts, though some of them (like these) we haven’t gotten a chance to use yet. If I happen to think something is particularly fabulous, I will be sure to share.
What baby registry items did you make the most use of? Any great disappointments? We really hoped these would work better than they did.