Hi friends! It has been way too long! I am loving mom life but it is kicking my butt! Any free time I have, all I want to do is drink a cup of coffee and veg out in front of the TV. So that’s what I’ve been doing with no shame because mom life is exhausting but I’d really love to start blogging again. Today I’m sharing with you what was absolute essentials for us during Shane’s first three months of life.
(These links are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you purchase anything using them but the cost does not change for you!)
ONE: Comotomo Baby Bottle
– If you are planning on breastfeeding, these bottles are absolutely awesome. I have used these bottles from the first week of my baby’s life and he has gone back and forth between bottle and breast using Comotomo bottles for four months now. They are also SO easy to clean, which is an added bonus!
TWO: Skip Hop Activity Gym
– This play gym has been a lifesaver for me. For the past two months, Shane has LOVED his play gym. When I need to eat breakfast or lunch, I just lay him on his play gym and he goes to town playing. It can keep him busy for so long!
THREE: Velcro Swaddles
– Oh my gosh, velcro swaddles are such a lifesaver too! I especially love the ones that you can choose whether or not you swaddle with the arms in or out.
FOUR: Sleepers
– Some people prefer zipper sleepers over button ones but I think each has their own benefits. The zipper ones are a bit faster but the button ones are nice because you can only open the bottom half of the sleeper and don’t have to expose your baby’s entire chest when changing their diaper.
FIVE: Yoga Ball
– This one may seem random but oh my gosh we would not have survived without it in those early newborn days. For the last month of my pregnancy I used a yoga ball to try to encourage labor to start. I think this made the motion of bouncing comforting to Shane after he was born. Honestly the only way we could get him to sleep was to hold him upright on the ball and bounce. A. Complete. Lifesaver.
SIX: Graco Pack ‘n Play
– We actually haven’t used the bassinet attachment for the pack ‘n play yet but we will a lot this summer since we plan to do some traveling. The reason why it made my essential list though is because the attachments that it comes with have been so great. If I need to put Shane down for just a few minutes (i.e. to use the bathroom, get a drink, make a bottle) the napper attachment has been a great help for that. The changing pad has been an even bigger lifesaver. We change 95% of Shane’s diapers on here. It’s also great because you can just wipe it clean when diaper changes go south. 🤣
SEVEN: Fisher-Price Soothing Motion Bassinet
– This bassinet has been AWESOME. Shane has slept in it every night since he’s been born. We love it especially because it has a vibrate function that we turn on after we have laid him down asleep. It definitely helps him to stay asleep and not wake back up as soon as we lay him down. It’s nice too because the vibrate turns off after 30 mins so the batteries don’t run out too quickly. It also has a night-light that you can turn on in the middle of the night if you need to check on baby. It also has nature sounds, music, and a projector. We don’t use those features but they are still really nice to have.
EIGHT: Extra gift cards/money- This is another suggestion that I have not seen on a newborn essentials post or video but was absolutely essential for us. Since babies all have their own preferences for things, sometimes we get things wrong when preparing for baby. I would highly, highly suggest having either savings you are okay with using or extra gift cards because we had so many instances where we needed things we didn’t realize we needed before having our baby. Having a savings that we weren’t afraid to touch was HUGE for us.
I hope this was helpful! Just remember though that every baby and mama is different so what worked for us might not work at all for you. That’s the beauty of being a mama – learning what is best for our little ones. It can be stressful at times but is super rewarding when we finally get it right! 😉 What is on your newborn essentials list? I’d love to know!
