Things I Can't Live Without

As a first time mom I pretty much knew nothing going into this adventure.  I mean, I've been around babies before, but I had never had to care for one.  Which means I had no idea the things I would really need.  There's tons of stuff out there that we get suckered into buying as expectant parents, but here is the list of stuff that I actually find useful and wouldn't be able to get through the day without:

• Baby Feeding Log iPhone App - At first I was just using the clock function on my phone and the timer to see how long he was eating.  I had bought the Itzbeen timer, but never got batteries for it so it hasn't gotten used.  Once I wised up and looked for an app for it, I found this one.  You can track when they last ate,  how long, which side, if a bottle - how many ounces, diapers (wet, dirty or both), and sleep time. I love this thing!

• Summer Infant SwaddleMe - We have lots of different blankets, but I have never been able to swaddle our little Houdini and keep his hands in any of them.  The SwaddleMe is great since it has the velcro to keep him in.  He sometimes resists at first, but once he settles down it lets him get nice long stretches of sleep at night.  I've never used it during the day for naps, though.

• Boppy Pillow - This has been a must have for us.  It not only helps with breastfeeding, but he loves to lounge on it and has actually been sleeping on it at night.  I know it says not to let them sleep on it, but the way we have it set up in his bassinet there is no way for him to suffocate.  And Andrew loves his boppy!

• Sleep Gowns - As a newborn it was impossible to get his legs and feet snapped or zipped into a footed sleeper.  After one day we gave up and I bought some of these gowns for him to sleep in.  He can kick his legs around all he wants and nighttime diaper changes are a snap - we just have to pull the gown up.  At first they were huge on him, but now they are starting to fit well.  I'll be sad when he grows out of them.
• Gymini Animal Concert Play Mat - Andrew loves to lay on his mat and stare up at the hanging animals.  He is starting to grab at them now and he will lay on this for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour in the mornings, kicking and cooing. Once he starts to enjoy tummy time more he will be able to hit and play the music buttons, too.

• Boppy Changing Pad Liners - These have been great.  Especially with the amount that this kid poos and his penchant for peeing once the diaper is removed. These have saved me from having to constantly be washing the changing pad covers.
• Jogging Stroller - We bought a Baby Jogger Performance Single stroller off of Craigslist. J and I are both avid runners so we knew we wanted one. Andrew is still too small for us to run with him in it, but it has been great for walks around the neighborhood and to go to the beach. The big wheels are so much better for the awful sidewalks around here than the wheels on our regular stroller.
• Swing/Vibrating Seat - We have a full sized swing that my sister handed down, but we also got this small one. This is what Andrew slept in for his first three weeks. He hated laying flat on his back and this kept him at an incline. Plus the vibrating function put him to sleep. Now we use it to entertain him sometimes so we can eat dinner or I can just get something done around the house.  Some babies hate swings, but thankfully Andrew doesn't seem to be one of them.

• Burp Cloths - Andrew loves to make a mess and seems to spit up when you least expect it.   We have these cloths spread throughout the house so there is always one handy. I love these little terry ones that I found at Target.

By no means am I am expert about any of this, but these are just a few of the things that I have found invaluable in these first couple months.

One thing that we have way too many of and absolutely no use for is pacifiers. He will NOT take one. If you put one in his mouth he projectile spits it out.  He has no interest in them whatsoever.  I guess on the plus side we won't have to break him of the habit later on and you always get to see his face instead of seeing a giant paci.  It would be nice if we could use one to soothe him, though.  Oh well, he'll just have to find his hands I guess...