Oh these times are hard, yeah they're making us crazy... don't give up on me baby...

It has come to my attention that more people than those who are just our friends and family are reading this blog. With that in mind, I thought I might make a post about must-have items in the first month, for those who are pregnant, hope to become pregnant or are expecting soon.

These are things that we absolutely could not live without.

Must Haves:

• If you have an upstairs- a pack and play downstairs with a built in changer is essential- WE NEVER GO UPSTAIRS! If I had to go up and down to change 10-12 diapers a day (yes people, this is how often a newborn needs to be changed) I would be built like a body builder- well from the waist down anyway! 

More than likely, she's pooping right at this moment.

• Keep lots of baby clothes downstairs. You will find that you live downstairs, and the baby will need their clothes changed frequently eg. spit up, leaking diaper (see bullet 1). 

• A diaper genie is really nice to have- and our bedroom doesn't smell like poop!

• Several changing pad covers- They will sneak in a pee when you least expect it (during middle of the night diaper changes when the lights are turned down low, Evie always sneaks in a pee when Jas least expects it). 

• Have pump bottles of hand sanitizer- everywhere. So convenient, we use this mainly after diaper changes. 

• A swing- our baby loves it.  It has music and a mobile... You turn that puppy on and the baby will sleep for hours. It's glorious. Make sure you turn it on the highest setting (even though it seems counter intuitive, it works). 

• A fabulously stocked diaper bag- including a change or 2 of clothes. Lucky for me, my hubs is a pro at this. In my previous post I talked about going on outings {these are so essential for your mental health, seriously! If you feel like you can't do it, you need to make it happen} and having all your must have items in the diaper bag will help you relax.

• Hooter Hider- life changing. Nursing in public nice and discreetly, with a fabulous print. Absolute must-have and really added to my confidence and helped me get over my fear of nursing in public. 

• Bravado nursing bras (body silk seamless). Fabulous! And so incredibly comfortable! Wish I would've used them during my pregnancy.

• Bravado nursing tanks- can't have enough. They're comfortable and work so well.

• More burp cloths than you think you would ever need. The funny thing is we thought we had too many. Not even close. We go through these things like water. They are so useful and handy. We have them strategically placed/hidden all over the house. 

• Swaddle blankets- these too are hidden all over the house. And we have found that Evie LOVES to be swaddled at night. We get the most consistent sleep, for the longest amount of time if she is in a nice tight swaddle. 

• My Brest Friend- a fabulous nursing pillow that I cannot recommend/sing it's praises enough! The deluxe model fits the most snugly, and keeps the baby in the perfect position. 

• Moby Wrap- I really love this baby carrier. I've heard that people think it's difficult to use, I have to say, I'm no genius (well, maybe I am), but I've got it down to a science and I don't even need help from Jas putting it on anymore. I love it, and the baby will sleep for hours in it. 

• Ergo Baby- this is another great baby carrier. I don't think it's as good in the newborn stage, I think we'll use it a lot more often as she gets older. But, we have used it a few times. It's very comfortable to wear. 

• Baby bathtub- so until the cord falls off you have to do sponge baths, and we just did those on the kitchen counter on a towel. But once it falls off you can put the baby in a small tub. We still do the baths in the kitchen, but we use the tub and it's pretty nice. Our tub has this thing built in it to help her sit up, and it has a little water rinser thing. Mind you, she absolutely hates baths, but we love this tub! 

• Happiest Baby on the Block book- We have found that the principles outlined in this book really work. Everything just makes sense. One thing that a few people have asked me is "Why don't you let Evie just cry it out?" And this book gives great rationale for why that is NOT what you should do, at least within in the first 3 months. 

This is one of the methods that the book recommends to help calm your baby. Clearly, it worked.

• Pre-made freezer meals (either made by yourself or friends/family) are a lifesaver in these early weeks. After dealing with marathon cluster feeding, or a fussy/active afternoon it's so nice to not have to worry about preparing a meal. Throwing something in the oven is a piece of cake and I feel like if we didn't have these meals, we would probably have either #1. Not eaten (that did happen a few times) or #2. Gotten take out- which ain't cheap! 

I suppose that's all for now! Until next time...