7 Products I Actually Used As a New Mom

My older sister welcomed her first bundle of joy a few short weeks ago, which got me thinking about my early days with Little Man. There are a bazillion and one products marketed toward newborns and new moms out there.  As soon as a woman finds out she's expecting, she starts making a gift registry listing every gizmo and gadget that promises to make the job of caring for a newborn a breeze.  In my experience, many of the items that are on the "must-have" lists actually don't get used at all!  This can be due to a baby's personality, i.e. my little guy just never really liked being in a carrier, so our Boba pretty much gathered dust.  Still, personalities aside, much of what we put on those registries just isn't necessary.  Here is a list of my personal favorite baby/new mom items that actually helped make my life a little bit easier.

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1. SwaddleMe sleep sacks from Summer Infant.  

We had a little Houdini who slept much better when swaddled, but quickly figured out how to bust our of normal swaddle blankets.  I bought a couple of these bad boys and they worked so well.  You just roll your little baby up like a burrito and secure the wrap with two Velcro tabs.  No more startle reflex and whacking himself in the face as he slept.  They also made physically laying him down to sleep easier.  Without the swaddle, inevitably one of his little arms would fall as I tried to lay him down, waking him up.  It took me a while to find out that these existed, but I'll definitely be using them from the very start with my next baby.

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2. Glider Rocker

We didn't buy one of these before our little guy arrived.  It was actually my mom who went out and bought one for me a couple of days after Little Man was born.  It was amazing and I pretty much lived in it for the first few weeks of his life.  Initially it was in the living room so that I could nurse comfortably and conveniently while binge-watching Law & Order marathons on TV.  The side pockets kept all my necessities [cell phone, magazine, lanolin, etc.] close at hand.  The one pictured is the one I had which was from Walmart and very affordable.  We had to leave it behind when we moved to Brazil and I miss it every time I sit in my lame, non-rocking chair to nurse.

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3. Fisher-Price Precious Planet Whale of a Tub

This one was on my registry [at Target] and a friend bought it for me.  It has a little seat for use when baby is too small to sit up in the tub on his own that can be removed once he's old enough.  It has a foam no-slip surface where the baby's head and back rest against the tub and fit well over my kitchen sink.  It also came with the cutest little fish-shaped cup for pouring water over baby's head.  Even though I know babies don't need fancy gimmicks when they can just get a good wash in the sink itself, babies are both wiggly and slippery when wet.  I felt more secure knowing he wouldn't go shooting out my hands like a bar of soap.

4. Vibrating/Bouncing Seat

This was another registry item that ended up saving the day on a number of occasions. The one I got [similar here] had a vibrate mode that lasted for 30 minutes. Little Man would fall asleep and stay asleep as long as the vibration continued. Many times I carried the whole seat complete with dozing newborn into the bathroom so I could [God forbid] take a shower!

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5. Nursing Nighties

My mom purchased a couple of these for me for Christmas right before I gave birth. I think the ones she got me were from the Jessica Simpson collection for Motherhood Maternity. Honestly, this kind of thing wasn't even on my mind as something I should get for myself. Obviously a baby can nurse just fine whether you're wearing a fancy nightie or an oversized T-shirt. However, they did wonders for my self-esteem! They made me feel like I was a tad bit cute even on days when I had barely wrangled my stringy hair into a haphazard top bun.

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6. Boppy Pillow

How could I make a list like this and not mention the almighty Boppy?!? Whether you're going to be nursing or bottle-feeding in the early days, those little monsters are eating 24/7. You're going to need some arm reinforcements. That's where the Boppy comes in, giving your baby a soft place to snuggle while you rest up for bouncing and walking them to sleep later.

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7. White Noise Machine

I thought this item would be good for traveling in the car, but we even used it a lot at home. It had four sound settings [heartbeat, rushing water, wind, and a stereotypical baby lullaby]. Little Man preferred the [somewhat obnoxious] lullaby. It helped put him to sleep and helped keep him asleep. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment at the time, and even washing dishes or watching TV in the other room could wake him up.

Obviously there are many mandatory things all parents need when a new baby arrives. My favorite brand of diapers for newborn were Pampers Swaddlers. Once Little Man grew a bit, I became less picky. I really had no problem using the Target Up & Up brand during the day. I did start using Luvs Overnights at night because he was the master of peeing out of diapers at night. I also wasn't picky about wipes--I just always bought the unscented, sensitive skin ones because my skin is fairly sensitive. For baths we used Johnson & Johnson lavender bubble bath and soap [a 2-in-1 dealie]. Diaper rash called for good old Desitin. I tried other more "natural" brands, but they didn't do the job as well.

It's so funny to sit back and try to remember all of these things. As they are happening, you keep saying to yourself that you're going to remember every detail. Fifteen months in, I'm having trouble remembering what we ate for lunch yesterday.

How about you other mamas--what were your mandatory, life-saving items from when your babies first arrived?