Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Must-Haves for Baby's First 3 Months

3 months have passed already since our little lady was born!  And it has been quite the adventure!  Yes, there are a few things that are absolutely necessary.  But I thought I would share the few "must-haves" for us that aren't necessarily....well.....necessary!

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1. Boba Sleepy Wrap - This was (and still is) amazing!  I am a homebody but I can't stay cooped up for very long without needing to get out.  Since Aelah was born in late October, the weather wasn't exactly ideal for getting out of the house without being around people.  By two weeks, I couldn't take it anymore.  I decided to venture out.  But I did so with our wrap.  It kept her close, asleep, and away from strangers (and germs!).  It was also great when we first went to church a week or so later.  She stay snuggled close, we got to show her off, and it kept people from touching her too much.  It is still wonderful for days when she just wants held and for trips to the grocery store!  
This was the first time she insisted on being wrapped like a "big girl" - she wouldn't let me tuck her in like the newborn wrap suggests.  :P

2. Speaking of wraps.... Beachfront Baby Wrap - Aelah absolutely hates getting a bath.  She screams bloody murder the whole time - you would think we were actually harming her.  It didn't take long after her umbilical cord fell off to realize we might need to do things differently...so I thought I would try taking her in the shower with me.  But babies are so stinkin' slippery!!  It was then that I remembered I had the beachfront wrap!  It is entirely made of a mesh material so it is perfect for the shower!  And she LOVES it!!  Sometimes she is so relaxed she falls asleep before I wash her up.  And it is, absolutely, my favorite time with her.  Skin-to-Skin and a happy baby all to myself = perfect bonding time!  Another item we couldn't live without in the shower is....



3. Babyganics Shampoo & Body Wash - As most of you know, we have taken a new interest in what goes in and on our bodies....especially when it comes to our baby.  So I made sure to get gentle soap, without any icky chemicals.  But, I particularly like this brand because it has a pump top and it is foaming.  That means, I only have to have one hand free to use it!  This is essential when I'm washing a slippery baby in the shower!  



4. Vitamin D Drops - If you are exclusively breastfeeding, it is likely that your pediatrician or family doctor has recommended giving your baby a Vitamin D supplement in order to prevent rickets.  I went back and forth about whether this was absolutely necessary and decided that it was a good preventative measure.  So I took in our prescription only to come home with something that has quite a few added chemicals I couldn't pronounce, caramel coloring, corn syrup, and added flavoring.  Plus, the dosage was an entire oz!  For a 2 week old baby, who has had nothing but breast milk, I just thought that was all a bit ridiculous.  So I asked around on a few of the cloth diaper groups I belong to and found these drops from Carlson Labs - MUCH better list of ingredients and the dosage is only a single drop!


5. Vibrating Chair - Our vibrating bouncy chair is amazing!  It was one of the few things that is guaranteed to calm down Aelah when she was inconsolable.  Since she refuses to take a pacifier, this is a good thing!  ;)  We call it our "magic" chair and almost every time she is in it, she falls asleep.  A friend of ours had one that rocked and I think I would have preferred one like that and will probably look into getting one the next time around.
I completely forgot about this outfit...probably doesn't fit her anymore.  :(

6. Bassinet - We borrowed our bassinet from a friend and I'm sooooo glad we did!  Since I was nursing, it was super convenient to just pick her up and sit in bed.  Even if I did have to get up and change her, I at least had a little time to wake up before stumbling around.  And in those first few weeks of adjusting to taking care of another life, it was nice to be able to just peek in and see she was fine.  But, the best part, our bassinet vibrated!!  If she woke up with an hour or two from her last feeding and was just fussing a little, all I had to do was hit the vibrate button and she would fall back asleep!  That definitely helped us get a bit more sleep in the first couple months.  And any extra sleep in that time frame is a blessing!

So there you have it, our list of things that are a "must" (without being an actual must) during baby's first 3 months!  What would you add to the list??

2 comments:

  1. Oh I want to try Boba wraps! I appreciate your review on a bassinet, I'm still on the fence!

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    1. If you aren't planning on bed sharing, I highly recommend the bassinet. There are some times I still wish I had it so I didn't have to walk to the other room in the middle of the night to console a teething baby. ;)

      It was a lifesaver!

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