All You Need is a Blanket

I am a firm believer that you don't need much to have a happy, healthy baby. You don't need much money, you don't need much stuff. I still remember being pregnant with Jacob, and being offended at the bombardment I was receiving from advertisers and retail stores.....telling me all the things I NEEDED before the baby came. Thankfully it didn't take too long before I realized I really didn't need much of it. It gave me the freedom to skip buying a lot of things, and just purchase a few items that were important to me.




So, with that said....here are a couple things that SAVED my life after having a baby. There were a lot of other unneeded things, as well as a lot of nice things I had....but could have made do without. I could have made do without these things as well.....I'm just saying, it made life a lot easier!

Swaddler

I really like the Swaddle Me by Kiddopotomus, sold at Babies R Us. It is cheap and effective. There are a lot of other type of swaddlers out there for vary amounts of $$$. It has Velcro, which makes it superior to a plain blanket swaddle. In my humble opinion.

Cuticle Scissors

My sister saved me with this tip. I have never once cut Jacob while trimming his nails, because I used these. I still use them to cut his nails. They are more precise and sharp, which in the end means less likelihood of hurting him.

Swing

I had decided I didn't want a swing while I was pregnant with Jacob. I didn't want my child to NEED to be soothed to sleep. My mother arrived shortly before his birth and when she realized I didn't have one....she bought me one. Oh how she wished she'd had one with me, and LOVED it with my sister and brother. I still remember, Jacob's 2nd night home, 1AM....I begged my dad to find a store that was open to get batteries for the swing. It saved me. I don't care that my son was "soothed" to sleep.........he needed a semi functional mama....who needed sleep. Jacob is a fantastic sleeper, and he loved his swing! I swear by this thing! I like this papsan swing in particular because it has several different sitting/laying positions, and it swings forward/backward and side/side. If only it didn't run on batteries!

Top of the Line Breast Pump

I loved breastfeeding.....I'll do it again. BUT, I am a firm believer in training a baby (if they'll let you) into taking a bottle, and pumping breast milk (BM). So many reasons, just a few....What if mom gets sick and baby needs to take a bottle for a while.....you're in luck if there is frozen BM in the freezer. It helps get your milk supply up. Mom can have a little break (such as a full nights sleep with dad on duty, a few hours at the mall or out to a movie) without worrying about baby being fed. Car trips......so much easier with a bottle.....unless you are Jada who eats 8 oz in 3 minutes!



Don't go cheap. I hate to say it, but here $$$ counts. I didn't have an "In" on getting a hospital grade pump, so I got the next best thing on the retail market. It was a tie between Ameda and Medala....I got the Medala, but has used the Ameda quite often.....they are both great.
The key is, a strong and efficient motor. Or else you'll just end up sore and giving up.



Word to the wise.....give the baby a week or two (I waited almost 4 weeks with Jacob) to get your milk supply going before you start training baby to the bottle. Email me with more questions if you have any....cause I have a lot of advice to give in this department :)








A & D Ointment

I SWEAR by this stuff. It isn't fancy, it has been around for a million years, and it doesn't smell
pretty (it doesn't smell bad either....just it isn't fancy). But the instant redness appears on my baby (not just his bum) A & D ointment is applied and in just a few hours.....VIOLA. It is almost magic.






Socks....I couldn't find a picture. I will soon. I found, thanks to my mother in law, some socks that WON'T come off until your child is big enough to take his or her shoes and socks of with their toddler fingers. They are MUST have and thankfully cheap. I'll post soon a picture and name.

So, that's my list of items that helped me a ton with a small baby. I'm getting all those things ready again for this baby.... and I hope it can help a mom or two, or grandma, or aunt, or baby shower attendee, or dad have some starting point.

But if I said it once, I'll say it a thousand times....All you need is a blanket, a laundry basket, love and a Baby's Milk (my son's term for the female anatomy that lactates).