Thursday, October 11, 2012

0-3 month must-haves!

While I was pregnant, I loved reading posts about baby must-have items!  Everyone seemed to have different items they loved.  I thought I would share Eleanor’s must-haves for her first 3 months of life!  Those items changed quite a bit after 3 months….so I will be back later with another post on that! 

Remember that babies like different things!  But this is what Eleanor HAD to have!  And her mommy and daddy had to have. :)

1. Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper

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This is by far probably our favorite item!!!!!  We got so much use out of it.  This is what E slept in from birth to about 4 months.  It was so handy to put up right next to your bed.  You could give it a little rocking action.  It folded up quick & easy.  We took it everywhere we went!  We moved it into the living room for naps…..or just moved it wherever we were at.  She actually could still fit in this if we wanted to put her in there….but now she just naps in her crib or in her carseat if we are out.  I’m telling you moms-to-be…..you NEED this!!!!!!!!!

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There is E sleeping away in her Rock N Play!

2.)  The Boppy!

Another item we really couldn’t (and still can’t!) live without!!!!!! 

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We seriously have used this thing so much!  For all sorts of things!  Main use is breastfeeding!  You need this if you are breastfeeding.  At first I tried the whole stacking pillows thing….and that got old quick.  This is the perfect size and shape.  And easy to transport.  We have also used it to sit E in it for storytime, playtime, pictures, tummy time…..you name it!  She has taken an occasional nap in it….even though you are not suppose to use it for sleeping.  But we were right there with her during the nap! 

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Here is our teeny tiny Eleanor in her boppy…..I think she was 6 weeks there. 

3.  Fisher Price Glow Seahorse

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What can I say…..Eleanor loved this thing!!!!!!  She napped with it and slept with it.  The music had magic powers!  I only have one beef with this thing…..the batteries!!!!!  I don’t know if we kept getting lemons or we just used ours way too much, but we went through so many batteries!  We also had to buy another one because our doggie stole it and took it under the bed and ate it! ha!  Even with the battery issue, we still found this item to be a must-have!

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4.  Fisher Price Snug a Bunny Bouncer

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A bouncer is a life-saver for those newborn months for sure!  This one was awesome because it vibrated and played music and bird chips!  Plus it was the softest fabric ever.  This was how I was able to grab a quick shower in the early days!  Bouncer in the bathroom next to the shower!  :)  The only negative for us…..for some reason the bouncer made Eleanor poop….almost every.single.time!  wow!  If we turned on the vibrations, she would poop!  I guess if you had a constipated baby……put them in this thing! 

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She was such a tiny bunny!

5.  Paci wipes

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If you are a germ-a-phobe like me…..get yourself some of these wipes!!!!!  Granted in the early weeks, the germ fears are more intense.  And it didn’t help that I had a preemie!  But I still like to use these when we drop her paci.  A diaper bag staple. 

6.  Bottle drying rack

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Eleanor was and still is breastfed…..but we have to have our drying rack!  You don’t need one if you don’t pump.  Since I work part time, I am always pumping milk…..so we are always cleaning and drying pump parts and bottles.  This is much more effective than laying everything out on a towel. 

7.  Receiving Blankets

The perfect all purpose blanket!  We used these things for everything!  They are small and light weight.  We used them to swaddle her, cover her carseat, for a burp cloth, to prop her head up and many more!  Even though they are a little small for her anymore…..we still find ourselves using them for things!

8.  Car seat strap covers

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We didn’t have these at first and the straps were leaving marks on her neck!  We promptly ordered these from amazon!

9. Swaddle wraps 

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Eleanor quickly learned how to break out of her swaddle and would wake herself up.  So in comes the swaddle wrap!  We used the Halo and Summer brand.  We liked  both equally.  As she got older she learned how to break out of these…..but then she was learning how to roll over….so it was time to stop swaddling anyway! 

10.  Zip up sleepers!

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This is another thing that just depends on your preference.  Some people prefer the snap up sleepers.  For us we thought zippers were the only way to go.  So much easier for all those middle of the night diaper changes!  I don’t know how many nights I would get so frustrated because I would snap the wrong snap and would have to unsnap the whole thing!  sheeesh!  Plus, Tim hated the snaps and would only put the zipper ones on her.  And I liked his help in the nighttime…..so zippers it was! haha! 

10.  Pampers

Diapers are totally unique to every baby!  They all work differently for each baby.  For Eleanor, Pampers contained everything the best!  We had some serious serious blowouts in Huggies!  yikes is all I can say.  Now that E is getting bigger, we tried Luvs and we are Luvin them! heehe! :)  Someone told me that Pampers actually makes the Luvs brand!  They fit the exact same….but are about $3 cheaper!  And we have yet to have a blowout!  And we are actually going to start doing cloth diapers on the days I’m not working. 

So those are the things that made things work at the Shepard house for Eleanor’s first 3 months!  I am going to do a post on my favorite items for myself during the first 3 months too! 

Oh yes….and a few things we didn’t really use the first 3 months:

Wipe warmer

diaper genie (we just take our diapers out everyday and that works fine. I’m also cheap and didn’t want to buy refills for the genie!)

a swing (E hated it! but she ended up loving it later.)

diaper rash cream (she has never had a rash and still hasn’t. I’m sure we will have to use it eventually.)

crib mobile (we just never bought one….and I thought I had to have it.)

That is all I can think of right now!  Hope that helped all you prego ladies out there! 

Lots of love!

Amanda

5 comments:

Amanda said...

We used a lot of the same must-have items during Natalie's first few months, too! The bouncer was great to put in our tiny bathroom while I showered, the boppy was perfect for nursing and keeping her comfy on the floor until she learned to sit up on her own around 5 or 6 months and a drying rack is a definite must for all those pump parts! We didn't buy a crib mobile either, even though I really wanted to make one for her. Maybe the next baby will luck out on that! :)

Beth Ann said...

Have you tried target diapers? They are seriously so good. I recently bought a pack of pampers and I think the target ones actually feel more heavy duty/higher quality. I think they are even a tad cheaper than Luvs. I know it is all a personal preference though!

Lauren said...

oh my goodness, I would not have survived without the swaddle wraps! and we use Halo's sleep sacks now, they keep Elyse warm without worrying about a blanket!

Katie said...

We love/have loved so many of the same things! Jaqs has been in her crib the whole time, but I think we may have to get a rock n play next time! Everyone loves them it seems!

Megan said...

Love this list!! Thanks for sharing! I definitely plan to get the bouncer!!