I loved all of the advice I got from other Moms both before and after I had Clara. I remember being in awe of my friends Shiloh and Shawna when I would watch them with their babies. I couldn't imagine knowing as much as they seemed to about all of this Mom stuff. Ten months later, I have gained a whole wealth of knowledge I had not expected, and I have opinions and advice for anyone who wants it. I put together a list of some of my favorite things for babies. Some things are recommendations from fellow Moms, and others are things we've discovered through our own adventures!
1. Pampers Swaddlers - THE best diaper for newborns. We tried nearly every brand, and these were by far the best ones. Definitely worth paying a bit extra for.
2. Swaddle Me - Great for a newborn in the winter. It has Velcro so they can't "bust out" of it. We tried to swaddle Clara in a blanket at night, but she kept busting out, and it made us so nervous that she would suffocate herself in the blanket. Brings back so many memories of our first night at home. Matt would swaddle, Clara would bust out. Matt would try again, Clara would break free, and on it went. Matt kept asking me, "What should I do?" Then I remembered the Swaddle me!
3. Pacifier Pod - I made the mistake of forgetting the pacifier once. Then I bought this, and kept an extra pacifier hooked to her car seat only to be used in emergencies.
4. Board Books - Love these! My Mom got us a bunch, and they are perfect for babies who would otherwise tear up the pages.
5. Diapers.com - Thanks to Abby I found this web-site. It's great. Free 2-day shipping for any purchase over $50. We get all of our diapers from here, and I even bought her convertible car seat from them since it was on-sale. It arrived at our front door the next day!
6. Bottle warmer - It's possible we may not have survived the first 6 months without one of these. Since Clara would only drink from a warm bottle, we used this a ton. It was so much quicker than waiting for the bottle to warm in a glass of hot water. Clara did not like to wait, and she really let us know it. After 6 months we started her on formula, and now we just use warm water from the faucet to mix her bottles. I know breast milk is great for babies, but formula is so much easier on Mom! (Remember this is coming from a Mom who pumped and bottle fed for 6 months! Still not sure how I stayed with it that long...)
7. Bumkims Bibs - Shawna gave us one of these, and I loved it so much I bought two more. So easy to clean; I can wash it, and it will be dry before the next feeding.
8. Dishwasher Basket - We only had one of these for a while, and we recently bought a second. We could have used 3 or 4 in the first few months! Matt would wash a full load of bottles every night after work. We're down to only 2 or 3 bottles per day, and with two of these, we no longer wash anything by hand.
9. Gerber bowls & lids - So simple, and I yet I love them so much. We have a whole slew of these and somehow still run out at times.
10. Zipper sleepers - These are a must have with a newborn. Next baby will only wear zipper sleepers at first because they are so much quicker at night when you are SO TIRED!! My favorite is one I got for Clara at the baby gap. It fits so well. I just wish they were less expensive so I could justify getting more. Just checked it out on-line, and they have some new cute patterns--we may be splurging for Christmas!
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