My fourth child is due in just a few weeks so I’ve been thinking about all the things I need to find that I have packed away from previous children like my newborn cloth diaper stash and muslin swaddling blankets. Even though this isn’t my first time around the block, I don’t have absolutely everything I need, though I do have most of it!
In order to save space in my basement, I sold or consigned a few of my bigger “must-haves” like my baby bouncer, baby swing, stroller, high chair and pack n play, even though I knew I’d have more children eventually. Now I find myself procrastinating buying these items again since they are all big ticket items!
Meanwhile, I’ve been gathering up small must-haves and adding a few new things to my newborn arsenal that I think you’ll find essential!
Baby Nail Trimmer
There are few things more nerve-wracking than trimming a tiny newborn baby’s little translucent finger nails which is why newborn kittens are common to just completely avoid the risk of them scratching their little faces with those razor sharp newborn nails. I never liked restricting my newborns in that manner so I’ve always very carefully trimmed my baby’s nails with one of those teeny tiny nail clippers. I personally prefer these newborn nail clippers but I’m still always nervous I’ll make a mistake and trim baby’s delicate skin too! That’s why I was happy to test out the new Olababy Trimmo electric baby nail trimmer!
Trimmo is the next must-have for all parents. It’s a nifty little electric nail trimmer that has been meticulously designed so you can effectively trim your baby’s soft, growing nails. The Trimmo features a central disk with a tiny rotating buffer pad that lightly files and polishes baby’s nail, without causing pain. With two rotating speeds and 3 interchangeable buffer pads with various grit sizes, the Trimmo can be safely used from birth to 12+ months. The
The Trimmo is ergonomically shaped to fit in the palm of your hand and features a soft grip for comfort. It’s gentle egg shape and pastel color makes the device non-intimidating for baby. A built-in LED light and quiet operation set this trimmer apart from the crowd, allowing you to trim baby’s nails while they sleep. Best of all, the device is rechargeable.
Trimmo sells for $39.95 on www.Olababy.us and www.Amazon.com.
Changing Mat and Cover
Since we always cosleep with our babies till they are at least two years old, we’ve never set up a formal “nursery” for any of our babies. Thus, we have never had a changing table either, as we just didn’t have room for it in our bedroom. I’ve had two out of my three children in our current home and I found it was easiest and most convenient for me to just have a changing mat right on our kitchen counter near the sink. It certainly makes cleaning up epic diaper blowouts much easier with the sink right there!
Our last changing mat bit the dust at some point in the past two years so we needed a new one for the coming baby. Since I suspect we will have more children in the future, I wanted a nice changing mat and cute cover that would last for at least two kids (this one and possibly one more in the future?!) so I chose Ah Goo Baby!
I am in love with The Ark Memory Foam Changing Mat from Ah Goo Baby because, well, it has memory foam! What could be comfier? This thing seriously feels like a pillow. What could possibly be comfier for baby?! Not only that, Ah Goo Baby makes ADORABLE Plush Pad Changing Pad Covers that come in a variety of cute prints, like Blueberry! I think the Blueberry print will match my farmhouse kitchen, just fine.
If you are itching to get your hands on some of these cute Ah Goo Baby products, head over to their site today because they are having a 30% off Site-Wide Sale at www.ahgoobaby.com right NOW thru 3/31!
Baby Wipes and Wipes Warmer
Even though I generally use cloth diapers 90% of the time with my kids under 2, I still like to have disposable wipes on hand for convenience, especially for the times I’m unable to change baby’s diaper near the sink. Babies do not like to be shocked with a cold cloth on their bare bum and how can you blame them?! If I am unable to get to the sink to change baby’s diaper with a nice, warm washcloth, then I like to have disposable on hand, preferably in a wipes warmer. We use the Munchkin Warm Glow Wipes Warmer ($15) and it keeps the wipes just warm enough to not shock the baby when you start cleaning their tiny little butt.
I like Water Wipes because they are literally the world’s purest baby wipes. If you want wipes that are completely chemical free, these are the wipes for you. They only contain two ingredients – 99.9% pure Irish water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract. They are thin, but durable enough to clean up the worst diapers. I like not having to worry about potentially harmful chemicals or ingredients my baby might be sensitive to. My first son was extremely allergic to something in the gWipes (which I see they no longer make…) and his skin would turn bright red and get a splotchy rash, even if I just used a wipe on his arm. After that, I knew I needed to find some more natural wipes with fewer ingredients. Thank goodness we found WaterWipes!
Newborn Diapers
Again, I generally use my cloth diapers to save money, but I learned the hard way that baby’s first few poops do not wash out of cloth very easily! Meconium (baby’s first few bowel movements) are like black tar and I found that was less than pleasant to remove from my brand new newborn cloth diapers. I vowed to never do that again. This time around, I got a small package of Pampers newborn disposable diapers to use for the first few days until baby has regular poop and I’m able to get out of bed to wash the cloth diapers myself, rather than having to rely on someone else to wash them properly. It’s just one of those things that will make life with a newborn a little bit easier on this mama. After I’ve used up all the disposable diapers, I will get to use my GroVia Newborn Diapers that I love so much.
Swaddling Blankets
My first child was quite the handful. Not just because she was my first! She was an extremely fussy, high needs baby that could not be kept content with the standard methods like rocking, car rides or swaddling. She hated being swaddled. People kept telling me to swaddle her and that she would calm down and go to sleep. Unfortunately, that never worked, not even once. If she was swaddled, she cried and fought and kicked and complained until I gave in and took her out.
Because of this, I got rid of all my swaddling blankets and sacks and anything remotely related to a blanket before having my second child. Turns out, he loved being swaddled. Go figure, right? We made up for that with baby wearing and like, two blankets.
With my third child, I decided I’d be prepared and invest in blankets and swaddles again. So, of course, he turned out to be like his sister and wanted nothing to do with the confines of being swaddled. *sigh*
Due with my fourth child in just a few weeks has made me think about the blankets and swaddling again and I decided better safe than sorry! I decided to get a couple muslin blankets and I’m dying to try the Nested Bean Zen Swaddle! It has a weighted chest and sides to simulate your touch, super soft fabrics and flexible sizing allowing it to be used from birth to 6 months. It looks like the ideal swaddle and I’m looking forward to trying it out on my new baby!
Nursing Bras
I’ve nursed all three of my previous children till they were at least 20 months old. I stopped nursing my first at 20 months because of a bad latch that couldn’t be corrected which kept resulting in recurring mastitis. After the fifth bout of mastitis, I had to quit.
I nursed my second till his second birthday and it was a blissful experience from start to finish. I would have nursed him longer but had bad advice from well meaning family members advising me to stop and get him into his own bed “because he’s big enough”. It wasn’t because we were having any issues with him, I was just being pressured to do things someone else’s way. Live and learn.
So naturally, after that experience, I learned to trust my mommy instincts instead of other people. It’s worked out quite nicely for me in all areas of motherhood. Always trust your mama gut. I’m still nursing my third child who will turn three years old shortly after my fourth child is born.
Breastfeeding for the win.
That said, my nursing bras get a run for their money!!!! I highly recommend investing in a comfortable, well fitting nursing bra that can go the distance. My favorite brand is Bravado.
Hands down, I’ve found Bravado nursing bras and nursing tanks to be the most reliable, longest lasting and able stand up to whatever life throws at them. Wash after wash after wash and they still out-perform newer bras.
What must-haves would you add to this list? What am I forgetting?! Let me know in the comments below…
Other articles you might be interested in:
- 5 Must-Haves for Successfully Cloth Diapering Your Baby
- Maternity & Nursing Clothes at Shoptiques.com
- 3 Products That Make Motherhood Easier
- The No-Cry Sleep Solution For Newborns
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