I am 3 months into mommy life now and I feel like I can share what you soon to be moms will ACTUALLY be needing for your newborn baby. As first time moms, we kind of go baby fever crazy while doing our baby registries and either miss important necessities or add things we really don't need at all! Dads do this even more, judging from my experience with my husband. The moment we were handed that scanning gun he ran away with it and began scanning everything in sight!
Here's a list for all you soon to be moms of what I could not see myself without during these first 3 months.
1) The Boppy Nursing Pillow and Positioner
This pillow has literally become my best friend! I use it ALL DAY, EVERYDAY! Especially if you are considering breastfeeding your baby, this pillow is perfect for those first weeks when you are trying to get comfortable with nursing. The first 2 weeks after your baby is born, they are very small and it can be hard to hold them properly while trying to figure out how to get them to latch on to your breasts. This pillow helped me out a lot through those beginning weeks where my baby fed for what felt like all day. Also, using this pillow allows you to have both hands free to do what you need while your baby is feeding (super mommies like myself, we are always looking for ways to multitask). Thanks to this pillow, I have been able to still eat at the dinner table with my husband while feeding her. Not to mention that the pillow's cover can easily be thrown in the washer in case of any accidents. As she's grown, I've been using it to prop her up on the couch next to me and to put her on her belly for tummy time. I highly recommend every mom to add this pillow to their registry, you won't regret it.
2) The Puj Tub
The puj tub in my opinion is the IDEAL bath tub for parents and baby. This tub fits perfectly in your bathroom or kitchen sink so you don't have to worry about hunching over your bath tub to bathe your baby. Especially us moms, the last thing we need after going through labor, is to worry about hurting our backs trying to bathe our baby. Another great thing about this tub, is that it unfolds and becomes flat for easy storage anywhere. I just love that it takes up no space at all. I've seen other tubs that are out there and they just seem to take up so much space when it comes time to store it. Using this tub I felt comfortable and safe bathing my daughter who was born very small because the foamy material prevented her from sliding around. I still continue to use it to bathe her now at 3 months old.
3) 4Moms Mamaroo Infant Seat
If I can urge you to be sure to get a swing seat for your baby, the Mamaroo would definitely be the one! This high tech swing will not let you down with its 5 motions which can be easily controlled at 5 different speed levels. It even has bluetooth if you would like to play music for your baby. My daughter's favorite motion is the car ride which, I occasionally speed up to level 5 when she is being fussy. It quickly settles and soothes her down until she falls asleep. The most wonderful thing about this swing is that it even mimics the mommy rocking motion! When my daughter is asleep, I keep it in the down position and when she is awake or watching t.v., I bring it up to the upright position. This was honestly one of my top choices on my registry list. Once I received it and noticed how perfectly it fit in my home, I was so excited I even tested it on my nephew. You would think a machine like this would take up a lot of room and be difficult to move around but, it actually is considerably lightweight and small in size. The best part about this swing is that I am able to get things done around my home and know that my daughter is safe and secured. This swing seat is definitely something EVERY mom should have.
4) Graco Swivi Seat 3 in 1 Booster High Chair
This item was a pick by my husband on his crazy scanning spree, but boy am I glad he scanned this particular item! We have used this seat nearly everyday since the day our daughter was born. This 3 in 1 high chair actually straps up to your dining room chair so your baby can be right next to you while you are having dinner at the table. The tray can easily be removed if your baby is still not in need of it or if you would like for your baby to just use the dining table instead of the tray. It is also very accommodating for the early baby stage. With it's ability to be in 2 positions (sitting up or laying back) you can bottle feed your baby while at the dinner table with the rest of the family. The chair also has a rotating function so it can be moved to any position while still being strapped to the chair. The reason why I love this chair so much is because when I am in the kitchen cooking my baby is right there with me watching me from her little seat and sometimes even dozes off into a nap. My favorite thing of all however, has to be that every morning I get to have breakfast with her right next to me!
5) Muslin Swaddle Blankets
Swaddle, swaddle, swaddle!! At least during the entire first month of your newborn baby's life, swaddling is what you will constantly be doing. My daughter loved for her entire body to be swaddled except for her arms. I'm not sure why but every time we tried to swaddle her completely she would end up releasing her arms and popping them out. Eventually, we learned to swaddle her without including them. I was lucky enough to be gifted with all types of swaddle blankets however, the ones that were most successful and useful to me were the muslin blankets. These blankets are large in size so even when your baby begins to grow, it can still fully wrap around them. Also, the material of the muslin fabric allows for you to be able to stretch and swaddle your baby more efficiently. Another perk of these blankets is that they can be used for many other things even if your baby decides he/she doesn't like to be swaddled anymore. I still use mine while I'm breastfeeding as a cover-up and just as a blanket when we are out. I wouldn't recommend the velcro swaddles because they are not as form fitting around the baby's body and once the baby grows out of them you can no longer use them. Even my husband had a hard time getting those on properly as opposed to the muslin blankets.
6) An Electrical Sterilizer
A sterilizer in general is highly important whether you are bottle feeding or exclusively breastfeeding. However, a tip of advice that will make your already hectic life a tad bit easier is to be sure to get an ELECTRICAL STEAM sterilizer instead of a MICROWAVE one. I cannot even count how many times a day I use this machine. If every time I needed to sterilize my breast pump components or a pacifier, I had to do the whole microwave process, I think I would go insane! I personally have this Tommee Tippee electrical steam sterilizer which I love because it's not too big and not too small. It is the perfect size to fit all the things I need at a time. The best part is that with a push of a button within 2-3 minutes everything is sterilized! I recall one day while I was at my sister's house, she was sterilizing bottles for my nephew and she had a microwave sterilizer. She was explaining to me the hassle she goes through every time and demanded me to make sure I get an electrical one to make the process much easier and faster for myself. Thank god for my sister and nephew on this one!!
7) Fast Bottle Warmer & Travel Bottle Warmer
A bottle warmer is important for exclusively breastfeeding moms. My husband uses this bottle warmer every time I have to leave him with my daughter for a couple of hours to go to the gym, school, or work. He simply takes my pumped breastmilk from the fridge or freezer , puts it in a bottle, and warms it up to room temperature. I understand for formula-fed babies it is not necessary to warm up the bottle and is more of a preference. I also added the travel bottle warmer. I use this all the time when I am out with my baby and I bring some expressed milk with me in case I cannot breastfeed. Also when I drop her off at her grandma's for a few hours while I run errands, I am always sure to bring this travel bottle warmer. It's makes things much easier for the sitter being that they already have pre-heated water for quick bottle warming.
8) Car Seat Body Support
A car seat body support, I consider to be very important especially when your baby is at the newborn to 2 month old stage. In my case, my daughter was born very small and coming out of the hospital, the car seat was enormous for her. This body support came in handy during that time. It kept her body in place while strapped up and aided in supporting her head. At 3 months now, she's still using the support and it just adds a little more cushion and comfort while she's in the car seat. Imagine you having to be in one of those car seats while being strapped in the back of a car, wouldn't you want some kind of cushion and head support as well??
9) Baby Grooming Set
A grooming set is so important to have not just at the newborn to 3 month stage but, beyond 1 years old. A kit as this one even includes a first aid kit in case of any minor accidents where mommy can quickly take care of boo-boos. Not to mention, how fast babies nails grow! I still find myself trimming and filing my daughter's nails about 2-3 times a week! Let's not forget the brush and comb to make our babies hair look picture ready!
10) Fridababy NoseFrida Snotsucker Saline Kit
I cannot express how AMAZING this apparatus is!! You literally have to see it to believe it! This snotsucker helped cure my baby from mucus congestion. With just one suck all the mucus that was blocking her respiration shot right out. I highly recommend every parent to have this tool which conveniently comes with saline solution as well to help soften those boogers that are blocking their nasal passageways. From my experience, using a regular hospital nasal aspirator tool never truly gets it all out and just aggravates your baby because you have to keep trying over and over to suck without any success. With this tool you don't have to worry about possibly hurting your baby because the tool is made to not go so far deep inside your baby's nostrils.
I hope this list can be of great help and use to first time expecting moms. Everything on this list are things I truly feel helped me out tremendously to get by the first 3 months after my baby was born. Of course there are many more things needed to prepare for a baby besides what's on this list but, this is a start!
...Sew this is Life!