Words can’t describe how amazing the past couple of weeks have been and how grateful I am for such a beautiful and sweet baby girl. It’s been an adjustment to say the least, and I’ve learned and continue to learn more about her each and every day. Yet, I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting the hang of this whole mom life. Tip: Work with some sort of a schedule immediately.

I’ve noticed a couple of future blog mamas post about their, “newborn essentials” list before they had their babies. Although I love seeing new baby items on the market, how do we know what will actually work for us and our babies until we experience a little bit of motherhood? We don’t.  In my experience, there were many items that I didn’t think I needed that ended up making this newborn essential list. Hello, ONESIES WITH MITTENS! Therefore, today, I am sharing with you some key items that have gotten us to where we are today.

1. The Ollie Swaddle. This swaddle was recommended to me by the amazing women at Modern Milk and I’d have to say, it’s a game changer. I was the girl who had one too many oversized trendy swaddles by companies like The Little Unicorn and although they are absolutely adorable, they are not the most practical to use on a sleeping baby. Being  so oversized, they are difficult to swaddle (for me) and aren’t recommended during bedtime (SIDS). I find they are  better to use for newborn photos and the Ollie swaddle is recommended for daily use for bed and naptime.
2. HoMedics MyBaby Sound Spa. After attending the sleep training class at Modern Milk (info on this coming soon), I immediately RAN to Target to pick up a sleep sound system for while she’s asleep as well as a to-go sound system for the stroller and car seat. The sound system keeps her focused on those familiar sounds she was so used to hearing in the womb.
3. Footed onesies with zippers and mittens. This was my biggest pre-baby mom fail. I didn’t think I needed to own any onesies with mittens, let alone zippers. Boy was I wrong! We did end up purchasing mittens shortly after giving birth so she wouldn’t scratch her face, but she immediately takes them off… along with any socks or shoes I put on her. Free bird. Now, I try to get my hands on as many zippered, footed onesies with mittens that I possibly can.
4. DockAtot. We didn’t purchase a stand alone bassinet, but used the 4moms Play Yard bassinet option next to our bed with the DockAtot on top. This keeps her snuggled while sleeping as it helps mimic the womb. I love the Dock a tot because you can bring it anywhere with the comfort of knowing she won’t be rolling over and she’ll sleep comfortably.
5. Pacifiers. I really wanted to immediately use the natural pacifiers by Natursutten, but V has only taken to the $2.99 ones from Buy Buy Baby. So, my suggestion is buying a couple different brands and let your baby test them out.
6. Boppy Latch Pillow. I went to a lactation consultation with Stephanie at Modern Milk a couple weeks ago and she recommended using the latch pillow by Boppy instead of a normal Boppy you would purchase at Pottery Barn Kids. This particular pillow clips around your waist with a flat surface, which is more comfortable and practical then the other styles. This pillow is definitely a must-have in my book.
7. Gripe Water. After a feeding, V often gets the case of the hiccups, which can disrupt her sleep. Gripe water is the best natural and over the counter solution I have found so far that gets rid of them almost immediately.
8. Diaper Bag. A large bag with organizational compartments are key when traveling outside of the house with your newborn. Be sure to pack those diapers! You’ll be needing plenty of them.
9. Baby Monitor. Watch your little love sleep from the other room. I am not an expert on the best product out there, but we use the Motorola baby monitor and its been working great for us.
10. 4moms Bath tub. One of our night time routines has been a warm bath followed by a onesie, swaddle, and feeding before bedtime. We absolutely love our 4moms bath tube, which includes a temperature gauge to make sure its not too hot when we bath her. Love that feature!
11. 4moms Mama Roo. This infant swing replicates parents natural motions. A great thing to use during awake time, nap time, or just to quickly put him/her down if needed.
12. 4moms Play Yard. We decided not to purchase a bassinet for our room as the 4moms Play Yard has one included. I love that the play yard will grow with her, and it takes about a minute to take apart and put back up again. Simple and easy! Exactly what we wanted.
13. Gathre Mat. Although this may not be an “essential” in your eyes, to me, it is. We have a white nursery, with a white changing pad cover. . . so you can imagine how many times I would have had to wash our cover. I’ve only had to wash it once. On our changing table it goes: Changing pad cover, Gathre Mat, Hand towel. We probably go through a towel at least once a day. Ha! Better than destroying that white changing pad cover 😉 This waterproof leather mat is safe for children, does not contain PVC, lead, toxins, or phthalates.
14. Wipe Warmer. I couldn’t be more happy that I chose to purchase a wipe warmer for the nursery. I wasn’t sure it would be worth it, but the amount of times I have to change V during the day, I’d imagine it is a lot more pleasant to use a warm wipe vs. cold.
15. Owlet. Blog post coming soon!

xoxo,
Lola