Well, we’ve officially survive one month with Baby Foster! In so many ways it was easier than expected and in so many ways it was much more difficult than I imagined. Having a newborn, a brand new human, that you’re responsible for is scary! It definitely has challenged RJ and I relationship, left me more tired than I’ve ever been but happier than I even could have imagined – I wouldn’t trade it for the world! This time is scary and new, and honestly despite what Pinterest tells you the newborn must-haves are, you don’t need much. We did have a few things that have been a major help though and today I’m sharing our newborn must-haves that made this first month a little easier!
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Of course these are just the newborn must-haves we’ve used. Every baby and family is different, with different needs. Before he arrived, I was overwhelmed. I felt like we needed so many things and there were so many options. I’ve found that babies truly don’t need that much – milk, snuggles and a clean diaper seem to do the trick almost every time! Of course these newborn must-haves are probably making our lives easier more than anything else, but this tired mama will take it!
SHOP NEWBORN MUST-HAVES:
BabyBjorn Bouncer – This item is a hot topic in all my mom groups and I never understood why. It looks like a normal bouncer.. it doesn’t even bounce on its own? I wasn’t the only skeptical mom out there and every FB group screamed ‘trust us it’s the best!’. And it is!! Foster loves this bouncer, I love this bouncer. He sleeps in it while I’m cooking, plays in it and loves to just hang out in it. We have this bar on it as well and he already tries to reach and play with it! In addition to him loving it, I love that it’s not huge and bulky, doesn’t take up a ton of space and is so light so I can easily move it room to room if I need to. Highly recommend.
Vava Nightlight – This is another item I was skeptical about, however we now use it every. single. day. I originally ordered this to have during delivery and we did use it in the hospital, but not much. When we got home I placed it on my nightstand and it’s become my BFF. During night feedings, I love being able to easily tap the top to turn the nightlight on. You can also dim it or make it brighter by just long pressing on the top. When I’m changing his diaper in the middle of the night, I can easily grab it and place it right by his little booty so I can see everything well without a bright light waking him up. I seriously will gift this to every new mom moving forward, it’s amazing. It’s also cordless and rechargeable, but the battery lasts so long. It’s SO good.
Boon Drying Lawn Rack – I feel like the last month has consisted of feed, change, wash a million things, sleep – repeat! Seriously, even though we are nursing and have only given him a bottle 4 or 5 times we are still constantly washing so many things. We have this drying rack right by our sink and it’s so great. The little trees hold all the small parts and bigger things hang out on the bottom.
SnuggleMe Organic – Very similar to the Dockatot, this lounger is like a tiny bed for your newborn. They are not safe for unsupervised sleep, however great for sleeping in while you work, eat or even watch TV. Foster is hanging out in his as I type this! I highly recommend either having a Snuggleme or Dockatot.
Amazon Alexa – Not necessarily a baby item but it has been so helpful during this newborn period. We have many things connected to it in our home, like Foster’s monitor and our TV. So all we have to say is ‘Alexa, turn off TV’ or ‘Alexa, show us Foster’. Being hands free has been so helpful! Plus, we use it to play lullabies or Disney songs for Little Man and he loves it.
Owlet Sock Monitor – I have horrible anxiety about everything. It’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life. One thing I surprisingly don’t have (much) anxiety about? Him sleeping! All thanks to this little sock. He wears it while sleeping and it tracks his breathing and heart rate to ensure it doesn’t go below/above a certain level. If it does, an alarm goes off both on the base and your phone. It gives me SO much peace of mind and I love the statistics the app provides in regards to his sleeping. This paired with the Snoo bassinet makes me feel that he is safe in the evenings (and I still check his breathing some too ha!).
MASONGrey Robe – I think any new mom needs a great robe and this brand is my FAVORITE. They are light without being too thin, comfortable and feel like butter. Plus, all the prints are adorable! I have a long and a short and wear both all the time. Most days, I have a robe on most of the day. It’s easy with nursing and is so cozy. New shoppers get 10% off their first order!
Tubby Todd The Essentials – We received this set during one of our baby showers and I love it. We use the bath wash every bath time (with this tub), the ointment is great for newborn rashes and acne and the everyday lotion is seriously one of the best, magical baby smells I’ve ever smelt.
if you are nursing: I plan to do a full nursing post, but these are the items I HAD to have this past month.
Disposable Nursing Pads – I never realized how much you leaked while nursing. These are a lifesaver! I’ve already been through two packages. Now that I’ve regulated some, they don’t leak as often so I will sometimes just wear one and swap it between the breast he isn’t feeding on. This also helps me remember which one he needs to eat from next.
3-Pack Nursing Bras – I underestimated the need for a nursing bra before baby. I guess I thought you needed them sometimes? Little did I realize I would be living in them for the foreseeable future. Well one month later and it’s basically all I wear, in fact I hardly wear a shirt these days – just these bras. Comfortable and affordable, stock up mamas!
Haaka Manual Pump – I didn’t look into many nursing needs before he was here, I really didn’t want to stress on how we fed and so I wasn’t really prepared for nursing. I did however order one Haaka before he arrived and still didn’t understand the hype. About two days into nursing and I was Amazon Prime-ing a second one. These things are incredible. You use it on the opposite breast from the one the baby is on and it catches any output. Some feedings I only get 1-2 ounces but I often can get 4 or 5 ounces. It’s amazing!
Elvie Cordless Pump – Like I mentioned, I wasn’t sure how we would end up feeding Foster. I didn’t want to force nursing if it wasn’t working and had a really open mind about all of it. I never bought a pump and one of my sweet friends loaned me hers after he was born. Once I realized I would be pumping quite often, I decided to invest in the Elvie. It’s cordless, so quiet and amazing. You can wear it in your bra and no one can even tell your pumping! There’s an app that controls and records everything, it’s so easy. I honestly don’t know if I would have been able to breast feed without this.
Have you tried anything from our newborn must-haves list? Of course these are just our favorites – if you have anything to add, leave it in the comments below so other moms can see too! I can’t believe our little man is already a month old, what they say is true – babies don’t keep! XO
Great resource! I’m expecting a boy in February! Please keep this content coming!! Sending y’all ❤️ from Memphis!
Thank you!! Congratulations, it’s the most exciting thing ever!! I hope you have a smooth and healthy pregnancy.