Baby Products that Saved My Life

I want to blog about a few baby products that have pretty much saved my life as a new Mom.  This is mainly for my own reference, or for any Mommies-to-be out there who need help!  When I was pregnant with Charlotte I saw a lot of posts like these on various blogs, and definitely referenced those when deciding on "must haves" for little Charlotte.  In no particular order:

• Burp Cloths, Burp Cloths, Burp Cloths-The #1 lifesaver (at least for me).  Charlotte has a little bit of reflux, and we go through about 4-5 on average of these a day.  The bigger the cloth the better.  I had purchased some Gerber cloths that were cute but SO SMALL (they are oval shaped), I now use them as washcloths because they just didn't cut it.  I recommend the plain old Gerber white prefolds.  They also come in cute colors now too, but the square cloths are the only ones that actually fit over your shoulder...and sometimes you just need more cloth ;)

• Newborn Lounger by Boppy-When starting my registry one of the first things I added was the original "Boppy"..you know, the half circle "must have" for nursing and tummy time.  I used the boppy a lot, and still use it occasionally, but it never really worked for nursing--was too small to fit around the waist comfortably, so I really only used it for Charlotte to sit in.  A gift I received at one of my (3) showers was a similar product called the Newborn Lounger.  It is basically a pillow with contours to fit a newborn in perfectly.  We use this EVERYDAY.  Multiple times a day.  Charlotte absolutely loves it.  Something about the incline and the pillow just make her so happy.  For us, this was used more than the bouncer (which we did use a lot in the beginning).  Its easy to clean, and can be used in the crib, on the bed, or on the floor (we use it at mealtime, so she can "sit" with us).  A must have!

• BPA Free Newborn Soothies-These have to be the ugliest pacifiers in the universe...but they are amazing for newborns!  Charlotte is incredible, and basically weaned herself off of them after about a month and a half, but at first they were lifesavers.  The hospital gives them out, and when I saw it I thought "Ew...no way is my child using that, we have 5 other cuter kinds at home she will use".  Nope!  Charlotte decided she didn't care how cute the other ones were, this Soothie was the only one she liked.  Now she uses her thumb, and is an amazing self-soother, but I highly recommend these to any new Mom!

Fisher Price Little Lamb Seat-Although we don't use this seat as much now that she is more mobile, this was Charlotte's bed for the first month of her life.  She hated her bassinet, hated her crib, and just wanted to be scrunched like she was when she was in Mommy's belly.  It vibrates, and plays (terrible) music.  My only complaint is that it doesn't have a bar to go across the top to hang things on, so as the baby gets older it is pretty boring.  But I am including it because of how much we used this thing at the beginning.  Another plus is it folds flat for traveling and is very light weight.

Cloud b Sleep Sheep On The Go - Travel Sound Machine with Four Soothing Sounds-Who would have thought that a little sheep that makes "whale" and "womb" noises would have become such a staple in our lives?!  This sheep is awesome.  The sounds are so calming, when Charlotte was in our room for the first month it even helped us fall asleep!  We still use this sheep every night at bedtime.  We have the travel version, so it is easy to pack up for the Grandparents or Ligonier.  She knows the minute I turn it on that it is night-night time--finds her little thumb, and goes to sleep.  The best part about it is you can set it to play for 25 mins or 45 mins.  Her mobile only plays for about 4 minutes, so this is a lifesaver!

Fisher Price Little Lamb Cradle n' Swing- I cannot say enough good things about this swing.  This was a lifesaver for us when Charlotte was first born.  It starts out in a cradling position and swings side to side, or you can change positions to back and forth.  Then when the baby is able to hold her head up you can tilt the swing upwards to a sitting position. The mobile has a mirror underneath that Charlotte just loves.  The music....well  let's just say it's not the best, but you don't have to have it on so I usually just play a Baby Einstein CD or other music.  Charlotte slept here many nights during the first few weeks when she had her days and nights mixed up!

These are just some of our "favorite things" for the first few months of life.  I'm sure as she gets older we will find some new lifesavers, and I will be sure to update then :)