Baby things: a look back at the first few weeks

In the next few weeks we will be blessed with the arrival of a new nephew.  I also have many friends who are due to have little bundles of joy arrive in the next few months.  I've been digging through the closets and bags to return items and find some to loan to people.  All of these babies have me thinking back to the items that were the most useful as we prepared for Lillie's arrival and as we ventured into the first few months of lives as parents. 

Oh what a crazy time that was.  So many questions, so much advice from everyone we saw, even strangers.  There were tons of things that we never used and didn't miss.  There were plenty of the typical things that we used and were glad to have.  There were a few things that certainly made life much easier.

#1 - Baby Bargains Book - Preparing for a baby was so overwhelming .. strollers, bedding, beds, furniture, clothes, bottles, food, etc. etc. etc.  The list of things that you need but know nothing about was never ending.  This book had reviews on everything.  It had tips for which brands were most reliable, what things were underrated but great to have, what things were nice but not neccesary (esp for the price).  There were lists of good, great, and great if its being paid for by someone else.  It wasn't the be-all - end-all of ideas but it certainly helped to get an idea of what we valued most and what wasn't as important.  It helped us understand the needs and importance of all the different features on things. 

It was completely overwhelming when we got it and I couldn't even look through it at first without my head spinning.  Over time we would pick it up whenever we decided which item to tackle next.  It was organized by category: strollers, car seats, bedding, etc which made it much easier once we started looking at one at a time.  They come out with a new updated book each year based on the current products so you don't have to worry about getting outdated information.

#2 - Travel Sleep Sheep - This little sheep was a wonderful thing.  We used it almost from day 1 and Lillie went to sleep with it.  She probably didn't need it at the beginning but it became part of the routine and meant it was time to sleep. This helped so much when she was having trouble napping and if we were traveling and out of her element.  We had the travel size so it easily went with us everywhere.  On one particular occaision it was especially wonderful when in the car, stuck in DC traffic with an unhappy baby and it lulled her back to sleep. 

#3 - Boppy - This came in handy for so many things.  1) a nursing pillow as it is typically advertised (but not at first), 2) assisted people who were uncomfortable holding a baby, 3) a great neck pillow when traveling in the car, 4) a baby positioner (helped to support her when she was nearing the sitting stage).

 #4 - My Brest Friend - At the very beginning this was a life saver.  Nursing wasn't going well and the support from this made things much easier. I was able to borrow it so that certainly made it more affordable and I eventually switched back to the Boppy but I'm sooo glad I had this.  I highly recommend it (esp as a gift or borrowed item since it can be pricey.)


 #5 - Taggies & Blankies - This actually 2 different things but I grouped them together because they filled the same need ... toys.  The Taggies are great because they are essentially stuffed animals with tags (like clothing tags) sewed onto various edges. Some of the taggies also had harder teething items ans rattles or scrunchy sounds makers attached.  The tags were constantly being chewed on and they were small and easy to grab. The Blankie wasn't actually large enough to be a blankie.  It was basically a stuffed animal head with a cloth napkin sized cloth attached.  The corners of the "blanket" were knotted.  It seemed like a very random gift but Lillie loved it.  She couldn't quite hold on to stuffed animals or toys yet but she could grip this.  She curled up with it.  She would gnaw on and suck on the knotted corners and monkey ears.  At 1 1/2 she has mostly outgrown it but will occaisionally still pull it out of the toy box and lug it around for a few hours.

 #6 - Swaddling blankets / Sleepers - There were so many different types of swaddlers.  They each worked differently and worked better at different points so it's hard to say which was best. We were glad we had a variety though. 

Regular receiving blankets - The longer and more square ones worked well but many were not the correct size (esp after a few weeks).  Great for the 1st few weeks.

Miracle Blanket - This one wrapped the tightest and stayed the tightest around her legs which was wonderful early on.  If she was having a particularly fussy night we wrapped her up in this and she went right out.  She did eventually managed to squirm out of it around 4 or 5 months but it was still well worth having for the first few.

Halo Sleepsack - The newborn version kept arms tight but let legs be loose.  The later versions have the arms completely free but the legs are still in the sack (kind of like a sleeping bag).  Lillie actually still uses the XL size at night to keep her warm because blankets don't stay on very well with our whirling dervish ... they either become playtoys or she lays on tops of them.

SwaddleMe - We liked it but she was able to squirm out of this one the easiest.  Her arms would stay put but she would some how get her legs out of it.



#7 - Infant carrier with car seat base and stroller frame. - We bought the whole travel system but in the long run wish we had skipped the stroller part of the system.  We used the carrier all the time and had an extra base for the 2nd car.  Then we used a stroller frame that we borrowed from friends.  The frame was light, easy to open/close, and took up way less space in the trunk so we still had room for other things.  The stroller was heavy and bulky in the trunk...it was nice and maybe if we had a minivan or SUV with more space it would have been used more.