top ten new baby must haves

Let’s dive into this whole blog thing with a list. Since my life has revolved around a new baby for the last year, I present to you my top ten must have items for your new baby. Don’t have a new baby you say. Fear not, this list also can double as a list of items to buy those new parents in your life now, or in the future. You are welcome.

1. medelabreast pump

I loved my Medela pump. Since I chose to exclusively pump for Miles I was attached to this damn thing for up to eight times a day. This is the pump that I was able to get for free through our health insurance.  It’s not pretty...at all; however it has some awesome features. The one side is a cooler and was great for keeping bottles during the night when Miles was still waking up to eat every few hours. This made it so we didn’t have to go all the way downstairs for a bottle. Maybe that's not a big deal, but moms are told to limit stairs postpartum and then, you know, general laziness and tiredness at 2am. 

2. avent natural bottles

I registered for these bottles following advice from my sister. She really liked them and so did we. The small four ounce bottles were a perfect size for Miles to try and hold. We also used the nine ounce bottles. The only down side was trying to find all the sizes of nipples in stores. For some reason Target didn’t sell the size two nipples in the store. Weird.

3. pampers swaddlers

Again, following advice from my sister we decided to use Pampers Swaddlers diapers up until we switched to the Cruisers line. We had the chance to use some Luvs and Huggies diapers and I was NOT a fan of either. I never bought any store brand diapers but heard that the Target ones weren’t that great.

4. huggies wipes

I believe we initially bought Huggies wipes at Costco (because that was the only brand they had). I liked these much better than the Pampers brand. For some reason the Pampers wipes seemed very greasy and just didn’t seem to work as well. We’ve used these wipes for EVERYTHING. Diaper messes, food messes, quick clean of the dining room table, and as wet wipes after mommy and daddy eat some hot wings. Very versatile.

5. boppy pillow

Although our breastfeeding adventures were very short lived this pillow made our attempts much easier. It also is great for a sitting prop for pictures or just a place to set your little one where they can feel supported before they learn to sit on their own. Snag a cover or two because chances are it will get wet or dirty. 

6. diaper genie

MUST HAVE. There are different versions; I recommend the one with the foot pedal. I’ve used both and it’s must easier to open that lid and get the diaper in fast with the foot pedal when you have a squirmy little one. Also Target sells their own brand of refills and I recommend those as well. You also may want to throw in a baking soda air freshener and you will be all set to go. Don't forget to empty often!

7. swaddle me blankets

These blankets were instrumental in transitioning Miles from our room and his Rock ‘n Play sleeper to his own room and crib. They made swaddling idiot proof, and unless your are a labor and delivery nurse, sometimes you need idiot proof. (especially at 3:12 am in the dark). 

8. snuza

My sister bought us our Snuza monitor because she used one with her daughter. We used it consistently for a few weeks when Miles was still sleeping in our room. Once we transitioned him to his own room we stopped using it, I’m not really sure why. It didn’t completely ease my unreasonable fears at first but it helped me get some sleep and not sleep with one eye open all night.

9. rock ‘n play sleeper

I bought this item without doing much research. I wanted an option for Miles to sleep in our room that was under $100. I knew he wasn’t going to be in our room for more than three to four months and wasn’t about to drop a lot of money on something he would only use for a few weeks. Luckily for me (and Miles) this sleeper worked out great. We did have some difficulties transitioning him to his crib, which may be attributed to this sleeper, but all in all we made a fairly smooth transition once it was time for him to sleep in his own room.

10. cloth diapers

We did not use cloth diapers in the traditional sense. We used the old-fashioned cloth diapers for burp cloths. They are awesome. They take a lot of abuse and can be bleached. Depending on the kind you get they can even double as a small blanket for your little one. I prefer the flat folds over the tri-folds, but that's just me.

What did I miss? What item couldn’t you live without in the first three months? Let me know in the comments.