As promised, my list of things that we could not live without during the first month with our little munchkin! Keep in mind, this does not include the obvious necessities such as diapers, a pack n play, breastpump, etc. But, this is the list of my favorite things things that just make daily life a little bit easier! :)
Boppy - This is an absolute MUST for so many reasons! We used this within the first hours of Harper's life for positioning while breastfeeding. It helped tremendously since I had a c-section so I could rest her on the pillow instead of on my body. It is also great for sleeping in the hospital bed as well as snuggling the baby into for short naps or during play time.
Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - I know everyone raves about these, but they truly are the best. They are lightweight enough so you don't feel like you're overheating your baby and stretchy enough to swaddle them into the tightest, most impressive burrito you have ever seen. We also use it to throw over the carseat when we take her places to shield her from germs, sunlight & nosy people :) Pair that with the adorable patterns and you have yourself a winner!
Satsuma Baby Mittens - As I mentioned before, they are small enough for newborn hands & don't fall off. The last thing you want is your baby clawing at their face for baby pictures.
Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads - If you are breastfeeding (or pumping) these will become your best friend. They are stupid expensive... but they are a TREAT... your nipples will thank you. Also, the Lanolin cream they make is a must as well. As mentioned before, works great as chapstick!
BabyGanics Hand Sanitizers - Love the small size bottles, the fact that they are organic & do not smell. We have a million of these all over the house & use them all the time. Plus they don't dry out your hands!
Boon Grass Drying Racks - Obsessed with these. I love the way they look on our countertop, so fun, but SO functional. Perfect for millions of breast pump & bottle parts that may not fit on other drying racks. I seriously LOVE these. And you can buy flower attachments that stick up out of the grass to hang nipples or membranes from pumps on. Have I mentioned that I love this product?
Johnson & Johnsons Hand & Face Wipes - Gentle on baby's skin & smell fantastic. A must-have for the diaper bag but also great to have lying around to use on pacifiers & your own hands. All of the others smell like alcohol or aren't soft enough, these will be my go-to wipe for any purpose.
Cocoa Butter Skin Treatment Oil - I know I said the smell of ordinary cocoa butter lotion makes me gag, but the oil doesn't have much of a scent. The oil is made for Scars & Stretch Marks (with Vitamin E!) and has already done a number on my c-section scar. I know others who have had amazing results with this product so I plan on slathering it all over my belly from here on out.
Naked Juices - Put a little in your baby's bottle, they will sleep through the night. KIDDING! :) This is for you. Busy life with a newborn leaves not much time for cooking (or eating) yet this is the time when you need your calories, nutrients & energy the most! These are packed with fruits & veggies, they are filling & they taste soooo good. They are my meals a lot of days.
Hope this is helpful to the first time & soon-to-be mommas out there! I hope these items will help you enjoy time with your bambinos just a little bit more.
And of course... an adorable picture of my little Harpsicle just for fun. Couldn't love her more!
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such an informative post! I'm almost 13 weeks along now and trying to get as many tips as I can about necessities for baby so this post was a big help to me! Your sweetie is so precious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the awesome info, little Finn should be here in about a month and I'm scrounging up all the goods we need for him! Little Harper is adorable, she looks like her pops in this picture!
ReplyDeletelove and use 95% of these products! the gel pads were amazing. I'll have to try the oil...been using the cocoa butter lotion. its ok...not a huge fan of the smell. also, i am curious...how to do make product boards like that?! thanks!
ReplyDeleteamy @ asweepeathing
We'll be married in June but are really excited to start a family. I am already so grateful for your sage mama advice, and you can bet we'll be stocking up on all of the above. Harper is a doll. You must be in heaven! xo
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! Thank you for taking the time to put that together. I'm due in October and every week I check your blog to see if my bump is similar or if I just look fat ha! So happy for your little family!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! Been following you through most of your pregnancy on here. I love helpful tips since Baby is due in May. :)
ReplyDeleteAwww! Olivia wore hat sleeper yesterday!! :) Harper is so beautiful!! I love ALL of you must-have's!! I couldn't live wo any of those especially the wipes, cream and pads!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for this info. I'm 3 weeks away and love reading your posts! (and my badly is Feb 15th too!!)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the info - I'm 3 weeks away and love reading your posts! (and I'm a Feb 15 baby too!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your list! I will have to takes some notes!
ReplyDeletegandacummings.blogspot.com
she is growing into such a cutie already =]
ReplyDeleteI loved the Soothies Gel pads when I was nursing. We had a hard time breastfeeding (& i eventually felt I couldn't do it any longer) & these came in handy alot!
It seems like being a mommy came natural to you!
Such a great list! Thanks for taking the time to put it together! I will be bookmarking this for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis was very helpful! Are you still planning on writing a post about where everything in your nursery was from? I must know where your rug is from!!
ReplyDeleteLove your First Month list!! Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHarper looks Beautiful!!!
It has been so fun catching up on your pregnancy and now I am looking forward to your motherhood posts!
♥ Ashley
atparsons.blogspot.com
I'm not a mom but I hope to be someday and I LOVE your blog. I check it all the time :)
ReplyDeleteAdding all of these items to my registry now! Look at her hair! So cute!
ReplyDeleteMarissa
The Simple Swan
A fashion, beauty, and maternity blog.
Thanks for the advice!! My husband and I have only just begun trying to start a family, but it is still awesome to know what to make sure to remember for whenever it happens!
ReplyDeleteMy husband, friend and I have all been keeping up with your posts, and love how real and down-to-earth you seem. You also have great tips, fun fashion sense, my shared love for decorating for the holidays and your new baby is simply adorable! Congrats and thanks again!!
Thank you for this! Its been 6 years since Ive had a baby and all the new products are overwhelming! This helps me so much!
ReplyDeleteLove this list! I am due in July and looking for any advice I can get on must haves. Harper is adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thanks for all the great advice! Our little one doesn't come until October, but I'm soaking up all the advice I can now! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your list! I have about 5 weeks until the little bambino is scheduled to make its appearance and I can't wait!!
ReplyDeleteHarper is gorgeous!
Love this! My husband and I are expecting our first baby and I'm about 11 weeks along! This will be so helpful! You have a gorgeous little girl!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post--I'm 20 weeks and starting to think about what kind of stuff I want to get...it's great to get insight from a brand new mom!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I'm 20 weeks and just starting to think about what kind of stuff we will need...it's great to get the insight from a brand new mom!
ReplyDeleteOk, so I saw one of your belly pics someone had pinned on Pinterest and followed it to your blog. You've done such a great job detailing your whole journey! Congratulations on your beautiful little girl!
ReplyDeleteIt took me waaaay too long to figure out why you looked familiar and then I realized that I graduated with you. Glad to know that you are doing well! PLEASE keep posting-I'm at 14 weeks and looking for all the wisdom I can get!
Love love love your blog! I just discovered it last week but I definitely plan on keeping up with it. Your recommendation posts are awesome--I already purchased the baby mittens you mentioned recently. I plan to get more of your picks, too. All the best to you!
ReplyDeleteyour little one is beautiful! i had my little girl on 2/22/12 and i was just wondering you mentioned that you pump, which pump do you use, and do you like it?
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog on Pintrest awhile ago, and its so cute! I love that you call Harper "Harpsicle". When my niece Grace was born, we started calling her "Gracelet" and it stuck. Now she's 5 and its a stinking cute nick name :)
ReplyDeleteYour blog is adorable! I was checking google analytics for my etsy shop (www.passportcoverskygirl.etsy.com) and it showed a lot of traffic coming over via your blog. Wanting to see what it was I started to read it, looking to see if you had mentioned my shop (to give you a big thanks!) and got involved in reading it all! Such a sweet pregnancy and birth story! I never did see where people where getting to my shop form, but thats ok, instead I got a new blog to read. Harper is super cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Stephanie
Look at that adorable face! What a cutie pie!!
ReplyDeleteYes, the Boon Rack is awesome. You will also want to try the boon feeding spoon. It will be great esp when harper starts baby food and you out and about. You just poor the baby food into the spoon and you are all set. It nice not have to pack a jar of food and also save space in the baby bag.
I just added a few of these to my registry! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat items! Aden + Anais really are the best! I buy them for all of my new mommy friends. Check out their little security blankets (issies) when Harper is a little older.
ReplyDeleteI did a list of favorites for my baby at around 8 months: http://hudsonducaine.blogspot.com/2012/01/londons-favorites.html
thank you so much for posting this! i'm due in 8 days with my first and need as much advice as i can get!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! I'm 20 weeks, and this helped a lot... some of these I knew about, and some I didn't!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I haven't written before but have been following your blog since I found out I was pregnant in November :) Congrats on baby Harper! I just wanted to mention how helpful it has been to read to your posts - from things to register for, must have for first time mom's, etc. and it's just fun to see how you all are doing with your new little family! So thank you for blogging. I look forward to continuing to read!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! I just added the Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads to my registry. $9.99 is a little pricey but at least they last a few days! I'll also be adding the swaddle blankets and looking out for those cute mittens! I love your posts like these - they are so helpful when trying to figure out just what to buy for your little one. I'm 18 weeks along and I feel like I have no clue about anything. Your blog has been so information and inspirational. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYour blog and posts are such a HUGE help!! My husband and I are expecting our first baby in November and reading all your suggestions is AMAZING and very COMFORTING - THANK YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this list!! I'm taking notes for when our little one arrives in August!
ReplyDeleteStephanie
This is a great list and I've already found so many helpful tips. Thank you!!! As a new mom, did you find any books or other reading material especially helpful? Ive been reading the usuals but haven't been impressed. I'm learning so much from your blog and wondering where and how you learned to be such a great mom!
ReplyDelete