Olivia is one month old today! Can you believe it? For me, time has gone both fast and slow all at the same time--if that makes any sense. :) I am going to post her one month pictures tomorrow (since I need to take them still). However, I have a different kind of one month post for you today.
I am going to share my one month "must haves" with you. I saw this on a blog that I follow (who got the idea from a blog she followed), and thought it was great and helpful. I realize that this stuff may seem irrelevant to some of you, but I think it could still be useful. Just think--you'll most likely buy another baby gift for someone at some point. :) I plan on doing this every month for the first year. We'll see how it goes.
Two notes before we get started. First, everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. What I love, you may hate. What I hate, you may love. That's why there are a bazillion options out there. These are just my opinions. Second, I labeled this as "must haves". Let's be honest--I realize that we are beyond blessed and could get by on
much less. Most of the things we use are a luxury to some. In all honesty these posts could be called "useful items I am blessed to have". I don't take that for granted.
Graco Little Hoot Pack and Play
In hinds sight, I should have just stuck with the pack and play and skipped the bassinet. Of course, I didn't know at the time that she was going to hate the bassinet. I went the bassinet route because it was smaller. Our king size bed takes up much of our room (especially since we are in the second bedroom and not the master). I also would have went with a pack and play that had a newborn napper had I known it would be her bed for the first few months. Regardless, she sleeps in it and that makes me happy! It's also convenient to have the changing table there for middle of the night changes. The bassinet had a changing table attachment, but I rarely used it because it was too much work in the middle of the night. I just changed her right on our bed.
My boss saved Little Man's pack and play and has already offered to allow me to use it while at work. It will be Olivia's bed for naps when we are there, so I'm glad she likes to sleep in one!
The Miracle Blanket--Beige
Everyone goes on and on about swaddling a baby. I was actually ready to write a post about how my child hates swaddling. Really, she's not as big of a fan as everyone says. Mostly it's because she wants her arms free (like her mama) and her hands by her face. I have even swaddled her body while leaving her arms out (to use more as a blanket and less as a "feel like their in the womb" tightness). However, now that we've moved her from the bassinet to the pack and play I decided to give swaddling another chance. She didn't seem to mind it as much--even with her arms tucked in. Many, many, MANY people raved about the Miracle blanket, so I made sure to register for one. I have a few different brands of swaddling blankets (hand me downs, gifts), and I like this one the best. The velcro ones don't work for Olivia. One is too small... one is too big and doesn't velcro properly. The miracle blanket does a nice tight swaddle and there is no way a baby is getting out. I don't care what people register for in the future--I won't be buying anyone those velcro swaddlers ever again.
Circo Infant Fish Tubby Towel
We actually have two of these--this blue one and a pink one. One we registered for and got as a gift, and the second we went out and bought after realizing two would be handy. You get it wet with the bath water and then lay it on the baby while you are cleaning them. The bottom of the fish actually goes up by the babies head. Can you picture it? Those two little fish tail things go on the shoulders. Olivia loves this. It keep her warm while daddy is washing her face. He then just moves it around to wash the necessary parts. She's even held on to it and a few times has tried to suck on it. We bought a second one to have handy in case the first one is in the wash.
Note: We got this at Target, but I couldn't find it on their website. I know it's still available in stores though, because I just saw them a week or two ago. The link is from Amazon.
Bibs and burp cloths
We started out with a decent amount of burp clothes--thankfully. We go through multiple ones a day. We had just a handful of bibs that I had picked up on a target clearance rack. These became necessary to prevent us from having to change her clothes five times a day. Also, when she takes a bottle she is very messy. I've cut out formula for now, but she will still eventually be taking a bottle of pumped milk--at least one a day so Michael can help with feedings. We recently bought a ten pack from Babies R Us. She goes through multiple bibs a day too. I wish it was safe for her to sleep in one. She pukes on her pajamas (and usually whatever sleep sack or swaddler she's in) almost every night. It's not a little bit. It's enough where I have to end up changing her.
Receiving Blankets
Yep, I find them as a must have. I was told by many people (and read on the internet) not to register for them. It was said that they weren't really necessary and that people would get them for me anyway. I was also told by 3 or 4 different people that that had ones they never used and would give them to me. Well, I got exactly 2 blankets from Michael's sister. Thank goodness we did. I realized in the first week that we would actually be using them--unlike everyone else--and that we needed more. We bought some at Babies R Us. First of all, I have used them as a burp cloth or to wipe up puke when necessary. Second, we use them around the house and out and about a lot. It's July. It's been in the 100's for something like 15 days straight here. Almost all of Olivia's clothes are summer clothes. However, we spend all our time in air conditioning. Michael has our air going at around 69 or 70. When Olivia is hanging out in her swing, bouncer, or even in my arms, she tends to need a light weight covering. It's the same for the car. It starts out hot, but then gets cold (for her) with Michael blasting the air. Stores are the same way. Even I get chilled walking through Target in the summer sometimes. So I always have a receiving blanket handy to cover her legs when needed.
Fisher Price Rainforest Waterfall Peek-a-boo Soother
We attached this to the pack and play. We just started using it this week, but she seems to really enjoy it. It's one of the only toys we've noticed she actually looks at. She also gets quiet and stays quiet while it plays. Sometimes (if she hasn't fallen asleep) she'll start making noises after it goes off, so I know she likes it. I plan on it being part of her bedtime routine. Eventually, when she moves to her own room, we'll play music on her ipod at bed. At this point we are all going to bed about the same time. I don't want to sleep with music all night.
Babies R Us Disposable Pads
These are probably one of the cheapest things on my list of loves, but are some of the most valuable to me. We have one laying on the changing table all the time. It has saved us from having to wash the changing table pad. It has caught poop (hello, meconium incident), puke, and pee. She tends to like to pee when I change her. This is another reason why we've had to change outfits mid day. I also would lay one on our bed for middle of the night changes.
My Brest Friend Wearable Nursing Pillow
Funny story about this--I read over and over how this was a must have for breast feeding. I also had heard that it was most recommended by lactation consultants. I was shopping with a friend a few weeks before I had Olivia and she had said she heard great things about it. I bought it on a whim. After having Olivia, I didn't use it. I used the boppy, other pillows that were handy, or I just held her. I decided to take the brest friend back and get my $42 back. I went to my lactation consultation and don't you know, they had a brest friend to use. I liked it, but still wasn't sure it was worth it. After I went home and tried using the position the lactation consultant used and realizing how much support the brest friend really was, I was starting to regret my decision to return it. I then went to my follow up lactation visit and had to use the brest friend again. After that, I was convinced I needed it. We went straight from the hospital to Babies R Us, where I bought it. It really is worth the $42 to me.
Baby ESP app
Michael found this app for us, and I use it all day every day. Originally he found a free app, but it wasn't as useful. We ended up paying $5 for this one, but we can sync the information, so we both know what is going on. It tracks everything. I track when I pump and how much I get. It tracks how long I breastfeed and which side I used last. It even does statistics and tells me what percentage I have fed on each side in a day. It tracks dirty diapers, sleep, medication (for me and baby), and can set up reminders. I know a lot of people say, "
Oh, I did that with my first kid. Then I got over it." That very well may be the case, but it has been very helpful for us. For each lactation consultation and for the doctor's appointment we needed to know how many wet diapers she had, how many poopy diapers, how many times I breastfed in a 24 hour period, how many times I pumped, and how many times she took a bottle. The app had all of our information stored, so it made it easy to fill out the questionnaire.
Lastly, our ottoman--she seems to enjoy it more than her swing and bouncer at the moment.
No comments:
Post a Comment