After Dutch was born I wrote a couple of posts and shared them with y’all about what I learned my newborn needed and what I needed after bringing my baby home (Newborn Must-Haves and New Mama Must-Haves). When I was getting ready to bring home baby #2, I gathered up everything from my former posts so that I would be even more ready this time around. I don’t know if these posts have helped you, but I am so glad I wrote those posts; they have helped me tremendously. Even though it was less than 2 years ago, I think I forgot what it was like to have a newborn and to recover from birth at the same time; those lists have SAVED me lol Anyways I have some items to add to those lists that I learned about with both Dutch and Ellis!
1. The Ultimate Crib Sheet- Other veteran mamas told me about this when I was pregnant with Dutch & I'm so glad that they did! This will save. you. sleep. This is a sheet that goes on top of the crib sheet; so it goes mattress, mattress cover, bed sheet, ultimate crib sheet. It hooks onto the rails of the crib and has soft fabric on the side that touches baby and a plastic side that points towards the mattress. When bodily fluids get loose (read: The Three P's: poop, pee, & puke), and I promise they will, the sheet catches the fluid from running down the sides of the actual crib as well as prevents it from going through the sheets. In the middle of the night when the flu hits (and it always comes in the middle of the night) you just have to unhook the ultimate crib sheet and put a new one down and you can skip mass loads of laundry through your sleepy eyes. I have 2 per kid: one that is always on their bed and one at the ready when they need to be swapped quickly. I also have one on my side of the bed when babies are sleeping with me....you can never be too careful with these sneaky kiddos ;-)
2. *More* Nursing Gowns- Two is NOT enough! I learned this with Dutch so when Ellis was getting ready to arrive I bought several new nursing gowns and this one is my favorite right now.
3. Little Unicorn Swaddle Sets- When I was pregnant with Dutch everyone raved about the famous Aden + Anais muslin blankets....well my friends Little Unicorn blankets are better! Yep, better! These muslin blankets are great for swaddling or throwing over a baby carrier. Their prints are gorgeous (my favorite set is Garden Rose), but they are also very large blankets, much bigger than the Aden + Anais...friends these are just awesome and versatile.
4. Natural Pacifier-I came across this as I was preparing to bring Ellis home. I know every baby has their preferred pacifier and I wanted to try this one. This a natural BPA-free rubber pacifier that is softer than silicon pacifiers. The design mimics the shape of the breast, even touching baby's nose, so that it wont cause nipple confusion. We love this and so does Ellis!
5. New Toys to Hide & Entertain- I keep a couple toys in my diaper bag that are only played with when we are out so that they stay novel & serve as entertainment when we need to be quiet (e.g. waiting rooms, restaurants, etc.). I try to have only natural fiber toys (mostly wood, and nothing with lights or songs. I like to keep their toys as close to the earth as possible to leave room for the imagination. I love Melissa and Doug products & these cars are great for my diaper bag because they stack, but also the paint used in these toys is lead-free…..you’d be surprised how many toys still have lead-based paints :-(
6. The Solly Wrap- I've mentioned before that I love to baby wear and have even written a tutorial for making your own woven wrap, so this should be no surprise. The Mr. likes carriers, but I prefer wraps; a wrap just feels so natural to me. When Dutch was little I used the Moby and when I got pregnant I used a woven wrap for back carries, and before I have said that it doesn't matter what you use just get something that you like and can use often. That still applies...there are a bazillion carriers and wraps, just get one that works for you and baby! The Solly Wrap is now my new favorite for newborns. It is a nice stretchy material that is perfect for tiny squishy babies and it is lightweight, which is important in Houston!
7. Magnificent Baby- Y’all the baby industry is ever-evolving! There is now a onesie/gown option that closes with magnets. MAGNETS people!!! You don’t even have to open your eyes to close this thing. Now you probably should have your eyes open, because, duh you’re holding a baby, but just think about how much easier it is to close this thing in the middle of the night?!?!?! Total lifesaver……or should I say sleep saver?!?!?!
So those are my latest newborn must-haves!
Have you come across something new that I've got to try???
Please send me your finds!!!!
