My Son has brought me so much in these past 5 months, unconditional love and some real challenges. Every Mom knows that with any baby you can and will try a million and one things for your baby happy and when those don’t work, you try them all again. Also… what worked yesterday probably won’t work today, and what works today will likely not work tomorrow.
Which is why I wanted to write this post. To share the things I learn that work for me and my baby. Hopefully, they will find their way to help someone else. Links provided in this post are affiliate links to items I purchased or I put on my Baby Registry on Amazon. Affiliate links, are a way for me to get credit and commission if you purchase the items I share.
1. Pacifier
I know in the hospital Nurses insist that pacifiers are bad for breastfeeding, but I read an article that suggests that giving your baby a pacifier might help them develop their sucking reflex. Needless to say, we tried several types of pacifiers and the Mam brand worked the best. I am also glad to say, that giving my son a pacifier helped to breastfeed. Note: when we started bottle feeding my son, we found that the Mam bottle that matched the pacifier worked the best.
2. Rock-N-Play
Several of my family members sang high praises for this item. I made sure to register for one and thankfully someone purchased it for us.
When we first came home from the hospital, my son slept in the Mama Roo made by 4Moms. This was great, but you can’t secure your baby when they are swaddled. One night I woke up and my 2-week old son’s knees were hanging off the edge, that night we switched to the Rock-N-Play and used it religiously until he was almost 3 months old. We do still use the Rock-N-Play when my son is sick or has bad gas. It also helped us during his 4-month sleep regression phase.
We used receiving blankets as burp rags and since I was breastfeeding, I think my son gravitated towards those instead of a single baby blanket. I’m sure it smelled like me. Luckily we were never stuck with a single burp rag and swapped them out every night.
I also made several smaller receiving blankets using flannel fabric and a serger.
My Son had a terrible diaper rash his first several weeks, I tried the Boudreaux’s Paste Maximum Strength Diaper Rash Ointment and when I applied it, he screamed. When I changed his next diaper I noticed his skin started to blister. My mom had purchased “Ertel’s Famous But Cream” that was made at a pharmacy and we tried that. His skin looked 10x better after one use, and he didn’t scream when we applied it. Luckily they have an online site and I bought the biggest tub that they sold.
This one my husband thought was ridiculous, but after one use he was sold and we bought 2 more. I also bought one for my daycare provider. That’s how much we love this item.
We didn’t discover this gem until my son started going to daycare. We were having trouble getting my son to sleep in his bassinet or any stationary surface which was causing problems. At daycare, you cannot let a child sleep in their carrier, or swing. They have to sleep in a pack-n-play or crib on their back. So we decided to give this a shot. For $35 we were willing to give it a try. The first time we turned it on, bam! Silence. It quickly became a must-have for nap and bedtime. There is one flaw though, it only runs for 30 minutes. So when your 30 minute time is up, we had to run and quick turn it back on again.
The closest thing to a blanket your baby will see until they turn one year of age. I loved the fleece halo swaddle, my son has to be sweating in order to sleep (much like his Momma). On the warmer summer days we switched to the jersey knit zipper swaddle, which was also nice since you could just open the bottom to quick change his diaper. Then he got too tall for the small swaddles, and started to roll over. So we used the arms only swaddle in combination with a sleep sack. Sometimes we would only swaddle one arm, and sometimes both. It was never the same two nights in a row.
I have both. Guilty! One of my family members borrowed me their baby swing and I also hunted for a used Mama Roo before my son was born. I swear by both of them. My son liked the Mama Roo first, on the kangaroo or car set. Then later when he got older he liked the swing.
There are many baby carriers out there. I made my own version of the Boba Baby Wrap (See image of me with blue carrier), I used the K’tan Baby Carrier, and the BABYBJORN Baby Carrier. I highly recommend getting one for several reasons. One, it makes shopping in a store a lot easier. The car seat doesn’t take up the entire cart and if you’re a paranoid Mom like me, no one can steal your baby off of you. Two, it enables you to get a lot of things done around the house when your baby wont let you put him/her down. My favorite is the BABYBJORN Baby Carrier, it is the easiest and fastest to put on and go once my son was able to hold his head up. When he was a newborn, I used both the K’tan Baby Carrier and my homemade version of the Boba Baby Wrap. I like them both, and they provided a way keep control of my sons head movement. I did purchase the real Boba Baby Wrap and I like my homemade one better, I liked having lighter knit fabric.
10. My Husband
This last one is the number one item I couldn’t live without. Given without my husband, none of this would be possible. In all seriousness, I have to say I am pretty lucky. My husband put up with my pregnant butt for 9 months. Was there for me when I was in puking pain during labor and coaxed me through the fear of getting an epidural. If he couldn’t get any more amazing after my son was born he changed every diaper in the hospital. I never thought I could love him more. I hope all Mama’s out there have that special someone in their life that is there to help them and share with them, the joys of their little one.
Comment below, what are you favorite baby items?
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