Must-Haves: Newborn Gear

Must-Haves: Newborn Gear

In celebration of both of us surviving his two month shots this morning with minimal hysterics, here are my favorite things for me and Ethan, and also some things I expected to love and didn't. I've been working on the post for a while so I hope I didn't leave anything good out!

TOP MUST-HAVES
-Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper - I didn't buy one of these despite the wonderful reviews because we already had a crib, pack and play, bassinet and swing. My aunt took it upon herself to send us one after E was born. One night when E was fussing and refused to settle down, I plopped him in it and it worked like magic. He sleeps in it every night now. It is super easy to rock with a free hand or foot, even while I'm lying in bed.
-Footed sleepers/sleep and plays with ZIPPERS. Get it? ZIPPERS. NOT buttons. When you have a screaming newborn on the changing table at two a.m. with churning legs and a red face, the last thing you want to worry about is fastening a thousand buttons. I hate the onesie/pants/socks combo because it is SUCH a pain during diaper changes.
-Summer Infant Swaddle Me Blankets - Our little one will not settle unless he is tightly swaddled, otherwise his arms get to flailing and he just makes himself more agitated. These work wonders on our little Houdini and help calm him down.
-Angelcare Monitor. We have the $100 version and I LOVE it. It lets me sleep in peace knowing that I can hear him over the audio monitor and that it will let me know if he doesn't move after 15 seconds by sounding an alarm. It also has a feature that makes little ticking noises every time your baby moves, which is very reassuring. You won't regret buying one of these, I promise.
-Cloth diapers. These are hands down the BEST burp cloths. They are huge and absorbent and I just rotate to a clean spot each feeding. One burp cloth can usually do at least four feedings. Super easy to wash, too!
-A white noise app for your phone. We downloaded a free, lite version on our iPhone the third night home with E and he loves it! Luckily we had my old 3s and WiFi so we now have a dedicated baby phone! We hooked it up to some speakers and it soothes E, and us, to sleep each night. Also very portable for overnight trips! :)

Other Things We Like:
-Baby Bjorn carrier, mesh. I wear him in this around the house doing chores and when out in public - at the grocery store, etc. It frees up my hands and cart for shopping and he loves snuggling in to me. It doesn't hurt my back at all and feels much more secure then a wrap type carrier. Get the mesh one - it's a lot more breathable and the baby gets very warm in it anyway.
-Wipe warmer. He yells a lot less during diaper changes now that we have this baby plugged in! Also, he seems to squirt during feedings a lot less.
-Vibrating bouncy chair. The few dinners we've gotten through without him crying are courtesy of this contraption!
-My Little Snug A Bunny swing. This is THE perfect swing with all the right features: it plugs in so batteries aren't an issue, it has a musical mobile with a big mirror so he can watch himself, it swings side to side OR back to front, it plays nice music, you can adjust the speed of the swing AND it is soft and cushy!
-Waterproof pads, smallish. These are cheap and a must-have. We put them in the bassinet, the pack and play and on the changing pad on top of the soft cover. If he makes a mess during a change we simply toss the pad in the wash and slap down a new one.
-Gum Drop pacifiers. These are the pacis they used in the NICU and who am I to argue with medical professionals? They are in the shape my lactation consultant prefers, too - a round cylinder.
-Palmolive baby liquid soap. I like this milder soap for cleaning bottles, toys and breast pump parts.
-Breathable mesh bumper. I love this for E's crib as he likes to curl up in a little ball and roll over on his side. Makes me feel a lot more comfortable.
-Nursing tanks. I just bought a few from T.arget and they were great when I was still trying to pump and nurse. They work great with pajama bottoms for night or under a T shirt during the day.

Things I expected to use a lot and haven't yet:
-Boppy. Since I'm not breast feeding, this gets little use. We usually prop him up on our knees to feed him.
-Pack and Play: This is set up in our bedroom but had gotten no use since about his first week home when we discovered how much he loves his Rock and Play.
-Onesies/pants/socks: Footed sleep and plays are SO much easier than messing with these separates!

Hope this post is helpful!