10 Items You NEED For Baby From The Mom Who Bought Everything
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Looking back on my pregnancy and the first few months we had Olivia disgusts me... It was such a wonderful and amazing time...but damn I was a sucker...
I was SUCH a sucker...
I bought EVERYTHING. I had all the baby stores on speed dial, their websites saved on my favorites.. ugh.. Just thinking back on it and all the money I could have just flushed down the toilet instead gives me nightmares..
But through all that extra crap that I totally did not need, I discovered a few vital items that I will swear by for the rest of my child bearing years.
1. Fisher Price Rock'n'Play
Before Olivia was born, I searched high and low for an affordable bassinet for while she would be sleeping in our bedroom with us. Why would I want to spend another few hundred dollars on a bassinet when I just spent $450 dollars on a crib?!?! I came across the Rock'n'Play and figured I'd try it. I am so glad I did! It fit right next to our bed and it was almost perfectly matched to the height of our bed. The Rock'n'Play is compact which is great for moving and storing. It rocked Olivia to sleep like a charm, and it has a slight incline to help baby sleep more comfortably. The Rock'n'Play has a really great vibration feature that came in handy when Olivia was fussier than usual. We also used to fold the Rock'n'Play up and bring it with us when we'd go places. Olivia slept much better when napping on the go, because it was a familiar place to sleep! The price is the best part! Amazon offers a variety of designs and looks for $59-$80! Totally worth it!! Here is the one we had for Olivia!
2. Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Sound Soother
This is an item we still use to this day!! My Sister-in-law recommended this to me, and it is AMAZING! This soother fastens to the side of the crib, and plays music and has a soothing light show. The soother plays a variety of classical music which soothes baby to sleep. It has a variety of settings from music only, to light show only, to both music and lights simultaneously. The fish in the soother swim to the music. It is SO stinking adorable. Olivia loves it so much. I normally just use the music setting, but lately if Olivia is fighting sleep, I'll turn the music and lights on and she falls right to sleep. I also like that this soother comes with a remote so you can shut it off or turn it on without disturbing baby! It is a little more expensive, but I promise you it is so worth it!!
3. Video Baby Monitor
Normal baby monitors totally get the job done, but let me tell you Mama, you're going to want a video baby monitor for entertainment purposes! I love watching Olivia doing strange and silly things in her crib. It cracks me up! But in all seriousness, I do really prefer the video monitors because it allows me to keep a closer eye on the shenanigans she's pulling in her room. I like being able to see if she is trying to climb out of her crib, or if she is throwing things out of her crib. It makes me feel a lot more secure knowing I can see and hear her, as opposed to only hearing her. We have a Motorola Video Baby Monitor, and we love it! It has worked amazingly. It has night vision so we can see Olivia in the dark, and it also allows us to move the camera from the handheld monitor. I also really like that it tells the current temperature in the room so I can easily see if it is too hot or cold in the nursery. Did I also mention that with the Motorola monitors you can connect on your phone and check on baby while you're not home?!? I loved checking in when Olivia was being babysat! Video monitors are definitely more expensive than regular monitors, but I think the peace of mind is worth the cost.
4. Boppy Pillow
The Boppy Pillow is such a versatile item. I originally wanted the Boppy to help me with positioning Olivia while I breastfed her. It helps baby get into a comfortable position, and helps you keep baby in said position. I soon learned, however, that the Boppy also doubles as a simple pillow to lay baby in while napping! I spent so many naps with Olivia snuggled comfortably in the Boppy while I surfed Netflix. The Boppy comes in a variety of styles and prints, and all the covers are machine washable which is great! I will definitely be saving our Boppy for our next little one!
5. High Chair
I originally opted for a high-end high chair. A super fancy one with all the bells and whistles.. It did the job, but it just took up so much space, and as Olivia got older she hated sitting away from the table while we all ate at the table. I ended up doing some research, and came across a Fisher Price high chair that hooks onto a chair from your dining table. It fits perfectly at the table so Olivia can actually eat WITH us. She loves feeling like a big girl at the table with us! I love it because it is a lot more compact than a regular high chair. It is also SUPER easy to take on the go, we often take it with us when we go to visit family. It fits great at any dining table!
Added bonus? It is cheaper than a lot of regular high chairs!
6. Forehead Thermometer
Thank God for technology... I never put much thought into this one until Olivia got sick for the first time.. I thought she might have a fever one night, so I grabbed our thermometer out of the medicine cabinet.... I looked at the thermometer, then looked at Olivia.. Lord I DID NOT want to stick that sucker up my kid's butt. I Googled ways to take a baby's temperature without shoving anything up her butt and discovered this handy item. (I know, I'm a big baby, but I couldn't bring myself take her temperature that way!) We bought the forehead scanner and I LOVE IT. It is so easy and so quick. Olivia doesn't mind it. It is a total win-win! There are a ton of different options with different price points. We have the Braun one and we love it.
7. Jumper
Jumpers are a gift from the baby play Gods! I honestly think that a jumper is probably the best activity/toy that Olivia ever had... It gets baby moving and getting plenty of stimulation, but it also keeps them busy! I would put Olivia in her jumper while I made dinner... I swear she would jump like a little crazy psycho for an hour straight and be happy as a clam. I could get so much done while she was jumping and playing...plus it would tire her out! She would be so ready for bed by the time I pulled her out! I really like that most jumpers have other play activities incorporated. We actually got a Finding Nemo themed jumper that my Niece used before Olivia. It had music and different toys attached. Olivia loved it so much! There are a ton of different brands and styles!
8. Netflix
Now this can arguably be for you as much as it is for baby... I swear by Netflix though.. it is so inexpensive for the value you get in return! They have a whole children's zone of different TV shows and movies... We discovered a few shows that Olivia loves and she is totally obsessed with them. I recommend Word Party and True & The Rainbow Kingdom! I love that Olivia has plenty of educational shows to watch, but let's be honest, I love Netflix for myself too! There are so many AMAZING Netflix original shows.
9. Closet Organization
I wish I would've had a better organization system for Olivia's closet from the beginning.. If you are like me, you've purchased disturbing amounts of clothing for your child. I cannot tell you how many outfits I found with tags still attached after Olivia grew out of the size! This mainly happened because I did not organize her closet! All the different sized outfits were just thrown together and not separated.. ugh.. such a waste of money. In hindsight I wish I would have used the clothing separators. I also wish I would have gone through her closet more often to cycle out the clothes that were worn a ton in order to utilize the clothes that hadn't been worn yet.. or you can just skip all this and practice some self control and not buy crap your kid doesn't need.. You can be the judge of that!
10. Wine
Okay.. obviously this item is for you Mama!!! I say this jokingly, but seriously! Buy the wine! Enjoy the "me" time when you can get it. Motherhood is so tough sometimes. Don't forget that you have to unwind every now and again!
Wine not your thing? Get coffee, or whatever your drink of choice may be. Do whatever helps you to destress and relax! I, of course, am a lover of wine. All wine. I also love trying new wines! I love using Winc! It is a wine tasting company that sends you high quality wines backed with a 100% guarantee! They send you 4 bottles at a time. Each Months selection is sent directly to your door! Answer questions and get recommendations based on your answers! It is so fun! Try it here and get $20 off your first order!