I'm a new mom (yay!) and I can still vividly remember walking into Babies-R-Us being 6 months pregnant thinking "I got this!" on creating my baby registry. I mean, I'm the first to admit that I am a bit of a shopaholic and I had long since been dreaming about the day that I could create a baby registry. But my excitement turned to sheer terror and a small scale panic attack when I stepped foot into that store. I quickly realized that I had no idea there were so many items to choose from. I mean, how am I supposed to know which one of the twenty kinds of baby bottles is best?! So I did what any sensible girl would do. I went home, had some chocolate (to calm my nerves of course), and called my wonderful and beautiful friend--and fellow mom--Brande to go with me for guidance. And she was a lifesaver!!
So let's get to the point already, right? Here are my list of top 10 items that are "must haves" for every new mom. I will say at this point that the only thing that qualifies me to make a list like this is the fact that I am a first time mom myself. My baby is almost 8 months old as of the time I am writing this and I have learned a LOT!! (With a lot more to go, I'm sure.) Also of important note--I have not received any gifts or money from the companies I am recommending. Although if anyone from these companies is reading, I'm happy to accept gifts or money. :)
These are in no particular order besides number 1 which I think is the most important for every new parent.
1.) Angelcare baby monitor
This is the cream of the crop when it comes to baby monitors. This device monitors both sound and movement. It has a sensor that goes underneath the baby mattress (or bassinet pad) that senses the babies movements and breathing. If the baby goes more than 20 seconds with absolutely no movement it will sound an alarm. This is probably the only thing that kept me from literally watching my baby sleep to make sure he was still breathing. I'm not saying that I didn't stand over his crib watching him sleep for at least 30 minutes the first night he transitioned to his big boy crib, but I am saying that this monitor allowed me to sleep for all the time after those first 30 minutes. It's worth every penny for the peace of mind and security. It will also monitor the temperature in the baby's room and sound an alarm when it goes above or below what temperature you have set as acceptable. (For me the room has to be between 66 and 74 degrees. I have found that when my on is congested, being 70 or below is ideal and keeps his coughing to a minimum.)
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2.) Gripe water
I'm partial to the Mommy's Bliss brand because it does not have to be refrigerated, but I'm sure there are other brands that are just as good. This stuff has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. And it's an item I would have NEVER purchased if it hadn't been recommended by a fellow mom. The name alone--gripe water--just doesn't sound very appealing. What is appealing is the result you get from this bad boy. There were times when my son was just a few weeks old that he would cry and cry for no apparent reason. I did all the things they teach you do--feed him, burp him, change his diaper, make sure he's not too hot or cold--nothing worked. Then we tried this and it literally would soothe his crying in about 3 minutes time. Not that I was counting or anything. We still use it occasionally even now that he's older. Still works just as great!
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3.) Fisher Price Rock 'N Play Sleeper
We have the Snugabunny model but I'm sure the other models are comparable. The rock 'n play sleeper is a multipurpose device. We used it for several weeks to allow our son to sleep next to our bed. It allows the baby to sleep on an incline which is especially important for babies who suffer from reflux. I liked it a lot because it is lightweight and portable so it was easy to carry him from room to room even while he was sleeping. Also whenever he would start to wake up, I could just rock him and shush him back to sleep easily. We still use ours but his feet are hanging over the end now so I think our time together is coming to an end. Which makes me sad cause it really is a great device! Oh, and it's easy to take the cover off and wash in the washing machine--which you will inevitably have to do!
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4.) Trumpette socks
The Trumpette line of socks are hands down the best baby socks. They actually stay on your baby's feet! They don't slide down like a lot of other baby socks. I especially love the bright colors (that don't fade after you have washed them 60 times) and the fact that they look like baby shoes. So stinkin' cute!! The two pictured above are my favorites that I use on my son. They are "Pop Stars" and "Kapow".
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5.) Woombie
Awww, the woombie. Babies like to be swaddled. That's a fact. And there are lots of swaddle blankets out there. We tried MANY of them. The woombie was my favorite and my son's favorite. The woombie is a swaddle blanket that zips up from the bottom which allows for quick and easy diaper changes in the middle of the night. (Yes, sometimes you have those.) In my opinion, the woombie is superior because it recreates a womb type feel. The baby's arms and hands are not strapped down, they are free to move about inside the swaddle. But babies can't move their arms around so much that they are slapping themselves upside the head with their flailing arms and hands that they cannot control and thus waking themselves up several times in the middle of the night. (Not to mention those flailing little hands can do some major damage scratching their precious faces while they are flailing about.) The woombie helped my son sleep throughout the night and to me, that's a major deal!
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6.) Wubbanub pacifier
I bought my son a monkey Wubbanub pacifier because I thought it was super cute. (They have other animal choices too). Turned out to be a big hit for him! I'm not sure if he like the pacifier part or the monkey part better. There were lots of times that he would just hold the monkey while he fell asleep. It was also great because it would lay on his chest while he sucked on the pacifier and that seemed to help him be able to keep it in his mouth. Especially during those first few months.
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7.) Teether toys from Vulli: Sophie the Giraffe & Chan Pie Gnon
This one is a tie! My son has been a huge Sophie fan from about two months old. She's still a staple that he goes too, but his focus has changed from her ears to her hoofs. When he was about four months old, he started really chewing on the Chan Pie Gnon teether (that crazy looking creature on the right that kinda looks like a white and yellow goomba from Mario Brothers). We'll just call it chan for now. Chan is made from natural rubber and easy for babies to grasp and chew on. Chan is super sensitive to touch and will squeak with the slightest touch (that's hilarious and pretty awesome to a baby). My son prefers chewing on the loop at chan's head and also on his feet. Both Sophie and Chan are very soft and easy to clean. They are
phthalates and BPA free.
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8.) Cloud B Twilight Turtle
The Twilight Turtle is something my son will use for MANY years! It projects star constellations on the walls and ceiling. You can change these star projections to three different colors. (We use the green one). It actually has eight constellations embedded in the star pattern that you can help older kids identify. I can see this turtle being a great tool to help kids who are afraid of the dark. It also features a 45 minute sleep timer so no need to worry about turning it off. This thing is so cool that I *may* have taken it into my room a couple times after my son has fallen asleep.
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9.) Cloud B Sleep Sheep
The Sleep Sheep is basically a super soft stuffed animal with a voice box inside. On the back of the sheep is four buttons--one for mother's heartbeat, one for rain, one for ocean, and one for whale songs. I don't recommend the whale songs--it's a little frightening in my opinion. It has a volume control knob as well as an automatic timer that will shut off after 23 or 45 minutes. The sheep has a velcro tab on the back that allows you to securely hang it in a number of places like on a bassinet or on a crib rail. We used the mother's heartbeat sound for the first three months, then switched to the rain sound. I find it to be very soothing and evidently the baby does, too.
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10.) Manhattan Toy's Wimmer-Ferguson Double-Feature Mirror
I searched high and low for a mirror that was safe for a baby but didn't look like it could belong in a funhouse. This one was perfect! The mirror is very good sized, too, at 14" x 10". One side has a mirror while the other side features black and white pictures that appeal visually to babies. It has two ribbon ties that are great for attaching it to things such as an activity mat or crib rails. We also prop it up against things from time to time. Right now we have it in the crib and my son always smiles at himself in it. We can hear him babbling to the baby in the mirror at night when he's drifting off to sleep.
