My 10 must-have’s in the First Month
10 things I used Every Single Day during weeks 0-4
Boppy pillow – a must-have if you are nursing and even if you are bottle feeding! Such a good supportive pillow for any type of hold. Johnny even used it to help bottle feed Elliot in the first few months.
Ceres Chill – for those overnight sessions. Can hold a lot of breastmilk and then you don’t have to go up and down the stairs at nighttime to refrigerate your milk! I also still use at work for when I pump since there’s not always a readily available fridge.
Boon Trove – imperative to help with milk production and avoiding waste! You’ll be amazed with how much you get on the opposite side with the “let down”. I also recommend following Karrie Locher on Instagram for all breastfeeding/pumping tips. She has so much information that I have found immensely beneficial and helpful.
Swaddle – swaddle your baby. It can be life changing in these first few weeks! We LOVED the Ollie swaddle. Or the swaddle me Velcro ones. Every baby if different. He started to become Houdini around 8 weeks so then we did one arm out alternating then straight to a sleep sack to prep for daycare. But for now, swaddle, swaddle, swaddle. For any nap (that’s not a contact nap) and overnight.
Pajamas – bamboo – bamboo is the perfect material for both cold and hot nights. We had Elliot in November so it was mostly cold when he was so small. We didn’t initially change him into pajamas for bed but once we started our bedtime routing (post to follow on that) we had decided that changing to pajamas was part of him getting ready for a long sleep. Bamboo has helped with us not worrying about his warmth overnight. You can have feet/hands covered or not. Very versatile! Also soft on their delicate skin.
Snuggle me – imperative. You have to be able to put the baby down! This hugs them in place so they still feel secure and it can be moved around the house. Many options here as far as brands go but we liked the snuggles me and heard the best things about it.
Nasal suction – electric Frida baby (upgraded later). The noses are so small and they get clogged so easily! Even the smallest booger can make a big difference in their ability to breathe well and feed. We started doing this every morning/night almost immediately. It SUCKS at first but then they get used to it. Just remember, it’s to help them! And they won’t remember. Short term stress for long term clear breathing passages. Also saline spray first – loosens everything up and makes the whole process go faster!
Hatch REST - a sound machine, night light, clock. It does it all. The highest volume is perfect for drowning out noise so your baby doesn’t get distracted. It is portable too! And I love the features that can be added as your kid grows, music/bedtime stores, light colors to help when its time for a toddler to get out of bed etc. The list goes on and on. And while you are at it, I highly recommend the hatch for adults too!
Nail file – mom cozy – I don’t know why in these day’s you’d try to use a normal nail clipper when these files are out on the market. SO helpful and less scary. It’s amazing how fast these littler ones nails grown. We use this at least weekly. And it goes quickly without worrying about clipping the nails too short.
Bottles– we knew before Elliot was born that we wanted him used to taking a bottle. This thought process was two-fold. Johnny wanted to be able to feed him at least once a day to increased bonding time with his son, also, Elliot would be going to daycare so he would need to eat from a bottle there at least! We started with a bottle right when we got home, once a day. As we got closer to daycare we picked up the frequency. Every baby is different with what bottle they will like…biggest advice, don’t be afraid to try more then one option if it isn’t going well. There’s too many options on the market to give up! If it’s someone you want, it can be done. Just make take a few trial and errors.
Bonus entry – breast pump. Again, this will be personal preference. I liked the Elvie Stride (got through insurance) or Mom Cozy M5 wearables. My sister used the Spectra. Everyone is different. It takes some time and trial and error to figure out but if you want some freezer stash I recommend starting right away at least a “power pump” for about 10 min every morning after babies first feed. That’s when your production is the highest during the day.
