New Mom Survival Guide- The items I ACTUALLY used & can’t live without

Guess what? Becoming a new parent is HARD. I know that’s not news, but I don’t think it helps anyone to pretend otherwise. After three months of trying to keep my head above water for the most adorable dictator ever, I’m here to share what has helped me get through it. Don’t miss out on my 2nd Edition of this post where I share the items I’ve been using now that he is six months old.

Although I’m certainly no expert, these are the things that helped me with MY baby. Every mom and every baby are different, so these are not guaranteed to work for you and yours. Just keep in mind that because of the billions of baby products available, most of these products were recommended to me by another desperate fabulous mom. So they worked for somebody else too.

Don’t forget to start a free baby registry with Amazon and add all these items to your list!

Swaddles- The Miracle Blanket

Y’all this saved our lives! Okay maybe that’s exaggerating, but it did save my sleep. Our baby is a tiny adorable Houdini. We bought all sorts of blankets and swaddles and sleep sacks. Our baby could wriggle and roll his way out of all of them. We even tried a swaddle technique that involved pinning his hands under his bottom and then wrapping him super tight. Yeah, he got out of that too. We would wrap him up and he’d spend 10 minutes inching his way out of whatever latest blanket or technique we tried and then cry for an hour. UNTIL THE MIRACLE BLANKET. It has these genius little flaps that wrap over an arm then under his back so his arms can’t get free. Then a little pocket contains his legs and a long loop of fabric wraps around him to keep everything in place and keep him warm. It’s seriously genius! He went from waking and crying every two hours to sleeping four hours at two weeks old then sleeping seven hours by five weeks old. Boom!

Schedules- Moms On Call Baby Care Book

This book helped me feel like I wasn’t lost. It’s a very quick reference for lots of little concerns for new mothers, but the most helpful information was in the form of a suggested schedule for feeding, play and naps. It’s written by two pediatric nurses with eight children between them. It’s another aspect of what helped us get to sleeping longer sooner (even though our baby defeated their swaddle in 15 minutes flat). Forgive the Mom hair and lack of makeup ;)

Bassinets-HALO Bassinet Swivel Sleeper

The above book suggests putting a baby straight in to their own crib in their own room, but I was just too high strung to let that happen. I needed to see my baby and make sure he was okay in those first few weeks. It was also helpful for those first two weeks when baby basically wants to eat every two hours no matter what time it is. It just swivels right up next to your bed (with an adjustable height), so it’s like co-sleeping but without having baby IN the bed with you. Even though we moved him to his crib at seven weeks  (because we were waking our baby up), he could still fit into it when he was sick and I wanted him to sleep in our room.

Baby Monitors-Summer Infant Touchscreen Digital Color Video Baby Monitor

The most important piece of equipment that allowed me to accept him moving to his own room and big crib was the ability to listen and watch him all night long if I wanted. It’s a color monitor with the lights on and black and white in complete darkness. It also has great zoom and swivel features and I can even talk to him through the monitor. Love it.

Nightlights- Skip+Hop Owl Nightlight

Part of the book above includes advice about nighttime feedings. The book says you should keep the lights low and everything as boring as possible so baby goes right back to sleep. I tried four other nightlights that were all either too bright or not bright enough. This nightlight isn’t just absolutely adorable, but also has adjustable lighting that you can dim as needed. I basically turn it on at night as low as possible so I can still see Casey to change him and get my boob in his mouth. This light is also a multi-tasker with a built in sound machine and light projector. So, if you’re pressed for space, this will cut down on the number of machines. Yay!

Sound Machines- HoMedics Sound Spa Machine

So I know I said the nightlight above has a built in sound machine, but it actually doesn’t get loud enough to filter out the sounds from our neighborhood. Plus, the seven weeks that baby Casey spent in our room, he got used to our sound machine, which I’ve used for close to a decade to drown out my Husband’s snores. Needless to say, he wouldn’t sleep without the exact same sound. It plays on a timer or all night long and has adjustable volume, multiple sounds and minimal lights. It even has the option for plug-in or battery power in case the electricity cuts out.

Bottles- Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Bottles

So, my baby is gassy. He is an avid eater and gulps down food whether he is nursing from me or getting a bottle of pumped milk from his Dad. He gets one bottle a day to minimize nipple confusion, but our pediatrician recommended making sure he will take a bottle in case he ever needed one (like my supply dropping due to illness or injury). Dr. Brown’s has really helped us by reducing the amount of air he gulps down with his bottle. Their unique vent system removes air before milk can even get to baby and their nipples slow the flow so he doesn’t choke or get lazy and refuse to nurse from me. The four piece system is super easy to clean and is easily sanitized by boiling or a steam system just like my pump parts.

Nursing Bras-Cake Lingerie Nursing Cotton Candy Bra

So speaking of feedings, a really important aspect of them is your bra. If you choose to nurse and are able, you’re going to need easy access to the ladies pretty much constantly. But you will also need a bra that is supportive and flattering. I’ve always been a woman with sizable “assets”, so finding a wireless bra with nursing access that was comfortable and flattering was not easy. But this one fit the bill. I’m not going to show you pictures because that would just be weird. Go look at the pics on amazon, mkay?

Pump machines- Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breastpump

Again, not going to show you pictures because EW! But trust me that this is a very important part of my new mom life. I’m trying to build up a supply of milk so that I can stop nursing at seven or eight months but continue to give him breast milk instead of formula until he is one year old. Amazon won’t let me link to the exact pump I use (the Pump In Style in a backpack), but this is the basic system. Before you buy it from amazon, you should DEFINITELY contact your health insurance company. They are required to cover a pump. Everybody’s coverage is probably different, but make sure you find out before you buy this. No matter what, I HIGHLY recommend you get in touch with a certified lactation consultant and get properly fitted for your pump parts. A properly fitting shield will make all the difference in proper pumping output.

So that’s it. These are the items that got me through those first three months. What could you not have lived without? Read my 2nd Edition of this post if your baby is closer to six months old!