amelia's must-have products for a newborn.

kiddosmotherhood

Sep 18

Written By

if there's one thing i've learned about my daughter, it's that she has her preferences. in her one month update, i said that she loves james taylor, but hates the beatles....that's a real thing people. sometimes when miss amelia is fussy, we like to play and sing her songs from my labor playlist (she doesn't like baby music, she's mature GUYS). no joke, when james taylor comes on, she stops crying and relaxes into my arms and it always feels like a miracle. then the beatles shuffle on, and she immediately announces her displeasure by crying again. what can i say, she likes what she likes!with that said, i thought i'd share some of her favorite things she's found in her first month of life. these are the things that make her life (and ours) a little easier and more pleasant. you'll notice that most of them have to do with sleeping and diapers, but when that's your life, you have to be realistic.mamas: anything i'm missing? anything i should be thinking of getting for the months to come? share in the comments!

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1. fisher price rock 'n play sleeperthis is maybe the best invention in the world. most newborns hate the feeling of being alone in a big crib, and amelia is no different. she naps and sleeps in this sleeper, which has a vibration option and folds up so it can be moved to different rooms. amelia is an independent woman, so she sleeps in her own room at night, but she is also a social butterfly and likes to be where the action is during the day, so we move it into the living room for naps. this thing is so awesome that both sets of grandparents have one at their houses for visits!2. aden&anais muslin swaddle blanketsthese are probably the second best invention in the world. these blankets can be used for everything; swaddling (or partial-swaddling, as amelia is demonstrating below), stroller/carseat covers, play mat, burp rag, nursing cover, the list goes on. they're warm enough to keep the wind and elements off the baby, but light enough so that they don't sweat their buns off in warm weather. plus, they come in adorable prints so your baby can feel kind of stylish, which is important.3. iBaby feeding timer appno photo for this one, but on the days when i am running on only a few hours sleep, this is a lifesaver for remembering when amelia ate last, and which side she ate on. this was great for tracking diapers in the beginning too, until we realized that she had a wet diaper every 1-2 hours and was doing just fine thank you very much. if i didn't have this, i would have a very frustrated little one on my hands, as i imagine i would be trying to feed her an empty boob most days.4. boppy pillowmy arms and amelia's head are very grateful for the boppy. it makes the days that you nurse (what feels like) constantly SO MUCH EASIER. i also love that the slipcovers are so adorable and are so easy to wash. ours has been pooped on from across the room multiple times in the last month. if you are having a baby and aren't sure what to put on your registry, start with this.5. dekor diaper pailthis diaper pail can work with either disposable or cloth diapers, which is a big reason why we got it. we did disposable diapers for the first week of amelia's life, because that shit is gross (literally). once we moved to cloth diapers, we put in the cloth diaper bag and it's been so great and easy for us to use when changing her.6. small trash canwe forgot to get one for the nursery at first, and realized what a mistake that was. wipes, paper towels, the occasional disposable diaper needs a place to die, and boy does that thing come in handy. don't forget this.7. pampers sensitive swaddlersas i've said, we're doing cloth diapers (a post on that later), but if we are going out for the day or if she is being particularly difficult, we are not above using a disposable diaper. we love using the sensitive diapers, because they are just a bit more gentle on the newborn bums. they also hugged the once skinny legs of our baby very nicely.8. green mountain diaper cloth prefold diapersi will do an entire post on cloth diapering at some point, once i feel like i am more of an expert at it, but for now, i am so happy with our decision. we went the simplest/least expensive route with cotton prefolds and diaper covers. we got 24 each of the newborn, small and medium diapers, and we fasten them with snappies. green mountain diapers are the best, both for ordering your diapers, and as a cloth diapering resource. i highly recommend them!9. thirsties diaper coversthese are the covers we decided to use, and we have loved them so far. they adjust at the waist and legs to fit your baby as they grow, or even if their tummy is a little more full at one time of day than another. they also have velcro closure covers available, which are awesome if you're feeling a little impatient with diaper changing, like we do a lot of days.10. diaper sprayerokay, for those of you who don't know, when your baby poops in a cloth diaper, and there is a lot of it, you have to rinse it off before putting it in the pail. the most sanitary way to do this is to dunk it in the toilet. yea, it grossed us out too. and really, you get used to it, but it's never fun to have to dunk your hand and a poopy diaper in the toilet. enter the diaper sprayer. it is so much better than dunking! it hooks right up to your toilet and i don't think i could survive without it.11. chicco carseat and 2-in-1 strollerthis carseat is idiot-proof which is great if you're like us and have no idea how these things work. it clicks right into the base that you keep in the car, and is easy to install and use. then the stroller lets you click your carseat right into the top when your baby is tiny, and when they are ready, it flips up into a regular umbrella stroller, so you can get a ton of use out of it.