By Sarah Scott, author of The Great Scotts blog
My husband Mike and I have officially been parents to our son David for over five months now and although we don’t believe ourselves to be “experts” in the field just yet (HA!), there are some products that we simply can’t live without!
Five Things We Can’t Live Without:
1. Graco Pack N Play: Our Pack N Play is our baby station on the first floor of our home. We set it up in our kitchen/living room area with a supply of diapers, wipes, and first aid necessities. This helps us to stay on the first floor with our son during the daytime (instead of having to run up and down the stairs all day long). I am so grateful for our Pack N Play and the convenience it provides.
2. Pampers Diapers: Cloth or disposable? In the end, we decided on disposable. It was just the choice we made this time around. Perhaps, with our next child, things will be different, but for now we are enjoying the disposable diaper experience.
3. Chicco KeyFit Stroller/Infant Seat Combo: Having an infant car seat that snaps right into your stroller? GENIUS.
4. Soothie Pacifiers: David used Soothie Pacifiers when he was in the NICU and continues to use them at home. Yes. There was a time when I was SO SURE that our child would NEVER touch a pacifier. After a certain point, we will get rid of it because I don’t want it to delay his speech. However, for right now, when he is just two months old, popping that bad boy in from time to time makes SUCH a difference for us and for him.
5. Medela Breast Pump: We are renting our pump from the hospital however you can purchase a Medela pump from Babies R Us for a fairly reasonable price. It is definitely worth it!
Five Things We Did Without:
1. A Bottle Warmer: At the NICU, we learned that if you just fill up a large cup with water and microwave that water for about a minute, you can use it to warm up the bottle. Simply put the bottle in a plastic baggy, put it into the cup, wait 5-8 minutes, and your bottle will be chill-free!
2. A Bottle Sterilizer: To sterilize our bottles, we fill up our big soup pot with water from the sink and boil it. After the water is boiling, we take it off the stove, pop the bottle pieces in, and wait about 8 minutes before taking the pieces out and putting them on the drying rack.
3. Buying An Endless Amount of Baby Clothes: I suggest starting a clothes share with your friends, especially for baby clothes and maternity wear. When we’re done we pass on the clothes to another friend who needs them. When we need them again for our next little bundle of joy, we know they will come back to us! It’s a great system that works well, especially if you have lots of friends having babies around the same time.
4. Baby Swing: We had this on our registry but decided not to purchase it. The bouncy seat does this job for now.
5. Traditional Changing Table: We decided to purchase a dresser instead of a changing table AND a dresser. It just makes more sense to put a changing pad on a dresser while he’s still in diapers and THEN take away the pad for a fully functioning dresser when he is a big boy.
Random Extras We Enjoy:
Of course there are some random extras we scored during our 3 baby showers that make us feel super luxurious and spoiled.
1. A Wipe Warmer: Really helps when you have a fireman in the house aka baby boy.
2. Play Mat: David enjoys tummy time on his fancy play mat. Do you need one of these? Absolutely not! You can create a fun tummy time environment with plush toys and a towel or blanket.
3. Boppy Pillow: Do you need one? Not really. You can just use pillows and blankets from around the house. However, the Boppy really does help position the baby where he needs to be for nursing. Plus, it looks really stylish and cute!
4. Baby Bjorn: Do you need this? Not really. That’s what arms are for and in our opinion, it is REALLY overpriced. However, having my hands free while still being snuggly with David really helps to lower my stress-level as a new mom.
5. Bouncy Seat: It is my best friend with its vibrator and cute mobile. Having a hands free moment to myself? Priceless!
What are some things you couldn’t live without as a new mom? Or what are things you wished you had?
