My Baby MUST-haves

As I start realizing I am HALF WAY through this pregnancy and the next half is only going to go by faster with all the holidays coming up...I have started thinking of all the things I need to get for this baby. Thankfully, I just did this with Ava a mere year ago, so I have most things. I just started thinking of all my favorite things from when Ava was a newborn and thought I'd share my "wisdom" with all 3 of you that read my blog. :)

Of course my must-haves include pacifiers, boppy pillow, zippered pajamas (to avoid frustration of snapping buttons in the middle of the night), breast pump, nursing pads, comfortable nursing bras and nursing TANKS (amazing), blankets, and etc, etc, etc.

But these are the baby things that we loved, and quite frankly SAVED OUR LIVES on many occasions. :)

Pampers Swaddlers:

I had heard good things about these diapers, so I bought them initially when Ava was a newborn. We never had any problems and I thought, "Oh, a diaper is a diaper." So, we tried a less expensive brand and holy blow-out! That's what happens in ALL other diapers except these! Huggies, other Pampers diapers, Kirkland brand. I don't know why...but it happened. Constantly. Once we switched back, the little mustard stains disappeared. Also, they have the nice "indicator strip" down the front and back to show if your baby has a wet diaper (something that is nice when they are brand new, but once they get older, it's pretty obvious when their diapers are wet haha). 

SwaddleMe blankets/wraps:

This was one of those "life savors" for us. Ava fought being swaddled at first. She always tried to wiggle her hands free and because we really weren't good at swaddling, she usually succeeded. I thought, "Oh well, I guess she just doesn't like being swaddled." Then, I put her in one of these and she slept SO much more soundly and peacefully. It was easier to get her to sleep initially AND she slept longer. We have a cotton one and a fleece one. Of course, all the ones I have a PINK and purple and flowery, so I will be purchasing several of these in blues and greens. 

Fisher-Price Newborn Rock n'Play Sleeper:

I SWEAR by this thing. I love it and absolutely believe it (along with swaddling and white noise) helped Ava sleep so well at such a young age. She slept in this every night for the first 3 months of her life. It is slightly elevated, which is great for babies with reflux. Ava didn't have bad reflux, but she still slept much better slightly elevated than flat on her back. I just rolled my eyes when people would say, "Well, she needs to learn to sleep on her back..." Blah blah blah - let me tell you, she learned how to do that just fine. And while all the other babies were "learning to sleep on their backs" during the first 3 months, I was sleeping peacefully while Ava slept in this awesome little thing. If she woke up at night, I would lean over and rock it and she would fall back asleep many times. I can't say enough good things about this sleeper. 

iBaby Feed ap for your iPhone:
So for the first weeks and even months of your baby's life, you are supposed to keep track of how long it has been between feedings. And if you are nursing, you need to keep of track of which side you nursed from last and for how long.  Before Ava was born I honestly thought it would just be "obvious."  Maybe for you it will be...but for me, no. It was not obvious and I would forget every single time if I didn't record it. Using a piece of paper was just annoying and frustrating and tedious. Then I found this beautiful, incredibly user-friendly ap on my iPhone (I didn't get an iPhone until Ava was a few weeks old). It. is. wonderful! I used it until she was 8 months old - because I LOVE keeping track of things! Designed by and for breastfeeding/nursing mothers who want to track when and for how long their baby feeds, whether from breast, bottle or expressed milk. It even includes a useful reminder for which breast to start on each time.

White Noise by TMSOFT ap for your iPhone:
I am also a 100% believer in white noise for babies. Ava was calmed instantly when we used white noise and she slept like a CHAMP when she would sleep with a white noise machine. White noise machines are bulky and expensive and I didn't want to buy one...so I found this ap on my iPhone and tested it out. First, I bought the one that was free and it worked wonders. Then, I realized how much I used it and I upgraded to the $1.99 version which allows you to multitask so the white noise wouldn't turn off anytime you needed to send a text or check your email. And it traveled with us everywhere, soothing her in the car, airplane and grandparent's houses. We loved it! We used Heavy Rain Pouring.

Butt Paste:
Anytime Ava has had a diaper rash, we smother this all over her behind and it's gone by the morning. No joke, this stuff is the best. Ava's pediatrician asked once, "What diaper rash cream do you use, if any?" and I pulled out my travel-size Butt Paste and she said, "Yep, that's what all the mom's say is the best." So, me-approved, mom-approved.

Nose Frida:
This is a modern take on those blue bulb nasal aspirators you take home from the hospital...those things do not work very well and babies HATE them. Well, enter NoseFrida...scariest but most brilliant creation I've ever owned. To this day, I have never actually used it on Ava myself, I always have Bryson do it because...well, I am scared haha. But don't be scared haha. Basically, you stick it in their runny, snotty nose, and stick the other end of the long tube into your mouth and you SUCK out the snot. There is a filter that magically stops any and all "debris" from getting anywhere close to your mouth. And...it WORKS! You might be weary, BUT believe me, in the middle of the night when your baby can't sleep because she can't breathe with all that junk in her nose, you will be sooo happy to suck the snot out and go back to sleep without losing your mind. It's only about $15 and totally worth it!

Other Things I Loved:

• Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets (even though I have no idea how to pronounce it without saying something I probably shouldn't...) haha. These are awesome and just get softer and softer every time you wash them.
• Diaper Genie Elite II. I know, I know... most of you will disagree, but when we moved when Ava was about 6 months old, our Diaper Genie was stollen. It wasn't until I didn't have it that I realized how much I really loved it. It's great for apartment living, never smells bad and is very easy and convenient. When it was stollen, I initially replaced it with a cheaper Baby Trend Diaper Champ because you can use your own trash bags. No, no, no, no, no. It smelled horrible and, just yuck. Diaper Genie Elite II all the way. 

Things I WISHED I had:

• Video baby monitor
• Ergo Baby carrier. The Baby Bjorn just hurt my back after Ava was 6 or 7 months old. 
• Moby Wrap (or similar wrap for newborns). Probably going to be a must-have to handle baby number 2 and an 18 month old without going insane. :)

Alight, I'm tired and can't think of anything else. 

Good night. :)