This is my second time around the block called parenting. To be clear, that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing, it just means I know about twice as much as I did the first go-round (which was nothing).
When I was pregnant with Violet, I didn't buy any of those parenting books. I didn't read anything about anything. I didn't read about pain management during childbirth. (I should have.) I didn't know about swaddles, baby carriers, or sound machines. I didn't know there was an art to breastfeeding or that it would sometimes be incredibly difficult to get a baby to take a nap. I thought it would just all come naturally. (It didn't.)
I'm pretty sure first-time parenting is hard for all new moms, but I really think I made it harder on my myself by not doing a little better research. So, without further delay, here are some of my very favorite baby products for those early months. Some are obvious, some aren't necessary, but all of them made life with a new baby easier.
1 II The Snotsucker & The Windi II So one of these sucks snot out of another person's nose and the other one goes up their butt. They're both pretty gross, but sometimes necessary. And when you're using The Windi, just make sure you have a towel or something on the other end, because...well...it'll rain poop. Good thing babies are cute, amiright??
2 II Summer Infant Baby Monitor II I love this video baby monitor because it comes with two cameras (and can be programmed for up to four cameras), so on the days when I'm lucky enough to have both kiddos napping, I can easily keep an eye on them. This particular monitor has a split screen so I can watch them both (the drawback is I have to manually switch the sound from camera to camera) or I can have the monitor scan each room every 8 seconds. And Summer Infant has THE BEST customer service. I called them because my original Summer Infant baby monitor buttons were sticking and they sent me a brand new monitor (and the newer model!) no questions asked!
3 II Sleep & Plays II I hate putting onesies on new babies. It always feels like their little toothpick limbs are just going to snap off (despite how freakishly strong they seem to be). And sleep & plays make the million diaper changes a day so much easier.
4 II Ring Sling Carrier II When I wasn't feeding, burping, or changing Lena, I was almost always wearing her. Wearing her in a sling allowed her to stay snug as a bug as I went about doing all the things that take two hands.
5 II Woombie Swaddle and Woombie Swaddle UP II We used the Woombie Swaddle on Lena until she was about 3 months old. It was great because she was super snug and it was easy to zip on and off. Around 3 months we switched over to the Woombie Swaddle UP, which is a little looser and allowed Lena's arms to be up while sleeping.
When I was pregnant with Violet, I didn't buy any of those parenting books. I didn't read anything about anything. I didn't read about pain management during childbirth. (I should have.) I didn't know about swaddles, baby carriers, or sound machines. I didn't know there was an art to breastfeeding or that it would sometimes be incredibly difficult to get a baby to take a nap. I thought it would just all come naturally. (It didn't.)
I'm pretty sure first-time parenting is hard for all new moms, but I really think I made it harder on my myself by not doing a little better research. So, without further delay, here are some of my very favorite baby products for those early months. Some are obvious, some aren't necessary, but all of them made life with a new baby easier.
1 II The Snotsucker & The Windi II So one of these sucks snot out of another person's nose and the other one goes up their butt. They're both pretty gross, but sometimes necessary. And when you're using The Windi, just make sure you have a towel or something on the other end, because...well...it'll rain poop. Good thing babies are cute, amiright??
2 II Summer Infant Baby Monitor II I love this video baby monitor because it comes with two cameras (and can be programmed for up to four cameras), so on the days when I'm lucky enough to have both kiddos napping, I can easily keep an eye on them. This particular monitor has a split screen so I can watch them both (the drawback is I have to manually switch the sound from camera to camera) or I can have the monitor scan each room every 8 seconds. And Summer Infant has THE BEST customer service. I called them because my original Summer Infant baby monitor buttons were sticking and they sent me a brand new monitor (and the newer model!) no questions asked!
3 II Sleep & Plays II I hate putting onesies on new babies. It always feels like their little toothpick limbs are just going to snap off (despite how freakishly strong they seem to be). And sleep & plays make the million diaper changes a day so much easier.
4 II Ring Sling Carrier II When I wasn't feeding, burping, or changing Lena, I was almost always wearing her. Wearing her in a sling allowed her to stay snug as a bug as I went about doing all the things that take two hands.
5 II Woombie Swaddle and Woombie Swaddle UP II We used the Woombie Swaddle on Lena until she was about 3 months old. It was great because she was super snug and it was easy to zip on and off. Around 3 months we switched over to the Woombie Swaddle UP, which is a little looser and allowed Lena's arms to be up while sleeping.
6 II Rock n Play II If you ever want to use the bathroom or take a shower or brush your teeth, you'll want one of these. If those things aren't important to you though, don't worry about getting it.
7 II Pacifiers II Pacifiers are a blessing and a curse. Lena wasn't interested in pacifiers until about 4 months old. Then it was either a pacifier, or me at one o'clock, three o'clock, and five o'clock in the morning. I chose a pacifier...specifically the Natursutten latex pacifier. They're a little pricier than other pacifiers, but considering how often they are in a baby's mouth, I wanted the safest option.
7 II Pacifiers II Pacifiers are a blessing and a curse. Lena wasn't interested in pacifiers until about 4 months old. Then it was either a pacifier, or me at one o'clock, three o'clock, and five o'clock in the morning. I chose a pacifier...specifically the Natursutten latex pacifier. They're a little pricier than other pacifiers, but considering how often they are in a baby's mouth, I wanted the safest option.
8 II NYME Organics II I love all of NYME's products, but my absolute favorites are their Bun Glaze and On the Spot. I use them both all the time.
And lastly, one that I forgot to add until now is Colic Calm. We used this to help with Lena's reflux and gas and it was amazing. And though it's not listed as an ingredient, I'm pretty sure this stuff is made of unicorn tears.
There are so many other baby products out there that I didn't even get to try and many more I probably don't know about. Feel free to share your favorites so I can add it to my list for the next little one!
And lastly, one that I forgot to add until now is Colic Calm. We used this to help with Lena's reflux and gas and it was amazing. And though it's not listed as an ingredient, I'm pretty sure this stuff is made of unicorn tears.
There are so many other baby products out there that I didn't even get to try and many more I probably don't know about. Feel free to share your favorites so I can add it to my list for the next little one!
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