Top 10 List of Things for Every New Mom

Last night I was thinking about all the very useful things that I really couldn't live without now that I have a baby. I also thought it was unfair not to share them with moms-to-be since I know a lot of them. A lot of moms-to-be. Not a lot of useful things. Just 10.

I've created my top 10 list of things for every new mom. I originally was going to call it "Top 10 List of Things for Every New Parent" but John informed me of at least one thing that wouldn't be quite as useful for a dad. I'll let you decide what that is. ;)

In no particular order...

1. Moby Wrap.

Saved.my.life. Seriously. I wish I had had it since day one. I remember after my mom left and John went back to work, how am I going to get anything done?? All I felt like I could do was sit there and hold her. Don't get me wrong, I love to hold her...but sometimes mama's gotta get stuff done! Granted, there are times when it's okay to put them down and if they don't want to be down, let them cry a little. But I feel so much more sane when she's not crying. It's no fun trying to blog with a bawling baby in the background. And she usually doesn't cry when I hold her. But typing a whole blog one-handed is also no fun. So that's where the moby is the BEST. She almost immediately settles down and falls asleep. And here I am, still "holding" her and typing with both hands! Right now is case in point. She's going through a growth spurt this week and has been so cranky, so she was a mess earlier. Take out the moby and add a little white noise (see #2) and wa-la! Calm sleeping baby :)

2. "Happiest Baby On The Block" CD.

If you don't read the whole book or watch the DVD, please please learn about the "5 S's." They really work. The CD is for one of the S's..."Shushing." I really didn't realize how much white noise helps babies relax until she was born. Turn my hair dryer on or vacuum and she's soothed. A great way to calm them down is to "Shhh" loudly in their ears. No, it's not "shhing" them to be quiet, it's a way to give them white noise. However, sometimes the "shhing" is exhausting and that is where the CD is AWESOME. It has 5 tracks....3 of various heartbeat/womb sounds, 1 of a vacuum sound (Hannah's personal favorite) and 1 of water running. It's really nothing short of a miracle to see what this CD does for Hannah.

3 Swaddle-Me.

For the first month of Hannah's life, we could just swaddle her in a blanket and she was fine. However, our little Houdini began finding her way free when she got a bit bigger. And when they don't know how to control their little hands yet, they tend to wack themselves in the face and wake up. We had the Swaddle-Me blankets from the beginning, but she was a little small for them at first. Now, she fits in them perfectly which is great since she sleeps in her crip now. If we didn't have them, I can guarentee you I'd be getting up in the middle of the night to re-swaddle her. Over and over again.

4. Pee Wee sheets.

I received these as a gift and had NO idea how great they'd be! I still haven't had to wash the changing pad and she's had many explosions and tinkles mid-diaper change! The sheets are water proof so the pee hasn't gone through them. They come in a pack of either 10 or 12, not sure, but I need to find out where I can get more-I'm almost out! They're cute, but not super decorative or trendy, so I just fold them up in between changes (if they are still clean, of course).

5. A variety of pacifiers.

She didn't take a pacifier until about 1 1/2 weeks ago and it wasn't even one we had! It was from Fiona because Livvi liked a different type. It's funny how picky they are :) Try a variety and don't give up! Once they take it, it helps sooooo much!

6. Hands-free headset.

This was totally unintentional. I needed to get one for work a couple weeks ago so I could type while conferencing and I didn't realize how handy it would be for just daily use in general! Now I use it all the time! I can have long conversations with friends while holding Hannah and not worry about a sore neck from trying to balance my phone between my shoulder and ear. It was only about $20 at Best Buy.

7. My Brest Friend.

Silly name, but it really is a great friend. I heard the boppy didn't work quite so well so I never got it. This is thicker and sturdier. It works so wonderfully---I would have such a sore back without it!

8. Bottle Warmer.

I don't know if Hannah is just picky, but she needs her milk REALLY warm. The first time I pumped was for an outing with John's school. I figured I'd just run the bottle under warm water for a minute or so and she'd take it. Boy was I wrong! It took FOREVER to get it to the right temperature!! I can't imagine trying to do that again, especially if she was really hungry.

9. Mylicon.

If your baby is gassy, give them Mylicon. It's totally fine from day 1 and safe for them. And works wonders. Hannah was really gassy (still is at times) but with the Mylicon, she settles down a ton faster. (I feel like I sound like an advertisement)

(side note: the vacuum "music" stopped just now and Hannah woke up. I turned it back on and her eyes closed right back shut again. Wonders I tell you.)

10. Stain Stick.

This is a cute stain remover my mom got me (get it? since she's grandma?), but I also carry Shout wipes and a Tide stick in the diaper bag. Fortunately poo comes out easily (at least poo from breast-fed babies. Don't know about formula) which is good since explosions are very common.

I could add others like making sure you have many many MANY burp cloths and a bouncy seat (which we also didn't have right away...how did I survive those first few weeks?!) but the 10 things in my list were some of the more uncommonly known items. I'm not saying they work all the time. But really, most of these work for me most of the time.

And of course, different things work for different people. But I'm telling you, these 10 have been so completely amazing. So there you have it. My life savers as a first-time mom.

These 10 Things + Love = One Happy Baby :)

(I have not been paid by any advertisers, but if they happened upon this and wanted to use me for marketing purposes, I'd be all for it. If I got paid.)