My First Week with Baby Must-Haves!

Hi Friends!

These were my must haves for my first week at home with Isla. Love-Love-Love all of these products!
What did you love? What will I need for baby #2?

1. My Little Snuggabunny chair

This chair is the one and only reason I have gotten to shower the last 3 months. I wasn't sure if I was going to get it since we live in a condo and floor space is at a premium around here but my BFF stated clearly that I NEEDED it :) and I'm ever so grateful I listened. Isla loves to sleep in it, listen to the music, watch the birds (which she now coos at) and loves the vibrating seat. I swear it keeps her asleep. In fact when it's running out of batteries it's a panic for new ones to keep her sleepy. Which brings us to its only drawback....there's no plug-in so you have to dig out the battery pack and put in new ones. I hate that all kid things have a screw- understand the safety part but it's annoying. Other than that- LOVE this chair and swear by it!

2. Tommee Tippee Nip Shields

Here's the deal with nip shields. Any Lactation Consultant will tell you not to use them because they'll create nipple confusion for baby. I totally get that, but for me...if they keep you going with breastfeeding when the going is REAL TOUGH in the beginning they're worth it. When your nip is cracked, bleeding or just plain sore using them once or twice isn't going to hurt your baby or confuse them. You will get desperate and run out to get a pair if you don't buy them beforehand so just do it. I used Close to Nature (at Target- BPA free) and the Medela ones- both work great. (and yes, they make your nips look weird for a bit- don't worry they go back to normal :)

3. Wubbanub

Isla LOVES her wubbanub. From the very beginning she would hold onto the giraffe toy to hold it in. Now that she's discovered her hands more she likes to suck on its legs and feel it between her fingers even though she uses less of the paci. VERY worth the $14. They comes in other animals too :)

4. Newborn Pajamas

Heres the deal with NB clothes. You only need an outfit or two- you're not going to be doing the full outfit that often (if ever) when they're super little. By the time you are going out more often they're close to being out of newborn size. My motto was- if I'm not getting of leggings and PJ pants I can't expect baby to be in a full outfit. I was definitely short on Newborn size PJ's. Stock up on those and you're golden! (PS- the one above is just a pic from amazon- I'm not suggesting to get that one :)

5. Newborn mitts

These are the Satsuma Organic Mitts from Amazon. They were recommended by my Mommy Friend, L and are super cozy for baby. You will need these in the beginning. Isla loved having her hands in her face and scratched herself a couple times when they were off. 

6. Boppy Lounger

Next to the bunny chair this was my favorite item for baby in the beginning. I LOVE this thing and I randomly picked it up on a whim. The writer of a blog I read got it for her son and recommended it. I already had the Boppy for breastfeeding and wasn't sure what I needed it for but decided to try it out. I used it for Isla to sleep on next to us on the couch when we were sitting or on the rug if I ran out of the room. I also use it in her co-sleeper at night. Now, I know...I know it says "NO SLEEP" all over it but I ran it by her Dr. and she said said as long we are co-sleeping and she's on her back, swaddled she would be fine. It's also at an incline which helps any indigestion. If you're going with it for sleeping talk to your Dr first but it did work wonders for us! 

7. Motherlove  & Medela Nip Cream

I LOVE Motherlove and Medela Nip creams. In the very beginning you'll want to put this on every time after nursing. I used both- the Motherlove for my "everyday" and the Medela when it was "hitting the fan" and I needed some serious lanolin treatment. Both work great. 

8. First Years white noise maker & Sleep Sheep

Isla is a white noise sleeper. She loves the water sound so we use the "rain" or "nature" sounds for her. The First Years noise maker plugs in and plays continuously. I use it next to the bed on my nightstand. I think it makes us sleep better too :) I'm sure you saw the Sleep Sheep in my Portland post. I just got this for travelling and we LOVE it. I use it whenever she goes into her carseat to stroll or go in the car. She hates her seat until we're moving- the noise helps calm her. The mobile one is also a really nice size.

9. Zen Swaddle

I realize you don't need to buy a swaddle because you can easily swaddle with a blanket but I wanted to give the Zen Swaddle a test try. It has a weighted center and sides to mimic the pressure of a parent holding baby. Don't worry it's not a lot of weight. You put baby in- fold up the middle and pull the flaps around to velcro. It's super simple for us and Isla sleeps well in it. She is using a swaddle about half the time now. She does wake herself up with her startle reflex still so it comes in super handy with that. She HATED being swaddled with hands in and would always wiggle one out so there is a hands free swaddle you can do with this blanket. These are SO nice to have at 2am or when you just need a super quick swaddle and don't have time to lay out a blanket. I know Halo also makes a popular one but I didn't give that a test run. 

10. Disposable Diapers + Wipes (even if you're doing cloth!) 

I did disposable diapers in the beginning for the meconium poos and I'm so glad I did. It's pretty messy. Have lots on hand- if you're doing cloth, the ones you don't use you can put in the diaper bag for travelling trips. 

Happy shopping & registering! 

xo- S