Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Life as a new Mom
My days no longer consist of blogging, crafting, or cleaning...now its: feeding, burping, changing diapers, soothing, cuddling, reading, pumping, washing bottles and keeping track of how many times she eats, poops & pees in a day. And once I am done with all that..I do it all over again! I am learning to do things one handed (an one eyed) (yes, I am typing this post with one hand, so it's going to be short) and I don't get to shower or eat breakfast until noon. Yet I am still determined to get something checked off my "To Do List" by the end of this maternity leave! Who wants to come babysit so I can clean out my closet!?
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Lainey's Newborn Essentials
Throughout my pregnancy I followed Lucie's List to know what I needed to prepare for a newborn baby. But now here is my list of the things I have found to be the necessities I love:
Onesies - plain white, short sleeve, worn everyday under her sleepers and sometimes under her regular outfits. The Longsleeve ones are great too, to wear to bed under her swaddle at night, and they have the mitt cuffs that keep her hands warm and so she cant scratch her face (because its hard to clip their nails).
Hats - Babies lose heat through their heads. The nurses put a hat on her the second she came out. Now she just wears one at night, since Kev turns the temp down so cold. Her head is so tiny though, so make sure you get the smallest newborn size.
Mittens - Lainey scratches her face every time she cries. I have even filed her nails and she still scratches, so she wears these mitts all day. Plus her little hands are always cold.
Sleepers - Every brand is different in how it fits. Lainey is tiny and doesn't fit into many of the newborn sleepers I have...the generic Babies R Us ones are smaller than their Carter's ones, although Carter's are softer and nicer. Some newborn Baby Gap ones fit too. You really have to wash them up and see how they shrink. I was told the zip ones are best because you don't wanna be button-ing in the middle of the night, however, I am finding the button ones to be better because you can just unbutton the bottom half to change the diaper and leave them warm in the top half...duh!
Halo SleepSack Swaddle - The hospital sent us home with one, and I got a few at my showers. I am not a fan of them, because I hate tying baby down in a straight-jacket, and the velcro is annoying, but I guess she likes it because its like the womb, and then she doesn't startle herself awake.
Boppy - This has been #1 in getting its use! We got the naked one (along with the water resistant cover) and 2 cute jersey cotton covers. I use it to help me hold her to nurse and we prop her in it for naps or just to chill on the couch with us.
Boppy Tummy Play Pad - This is the perfect size boppy for newborn tummy time!!
Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Platinum Edition Cradle 'n Swing - So soft and comfy, 3 ways to rock, 10 sounds (nature & songs), 6 speeds, and a starlight light show...Best swing ever!!
Avent Bottles - This is just the brand I chose because I was familiar with them from other friends using them. I have (7) 4oz bottles and (7) 9oz bottles. And right now we're using the size 1 - newborn release nipples. Lainey latched on right away!
Bottle Warmer - At first we didn't have one of these, because I wanted to try feeding her cold milk, silly me, well, she will take it chilly, but not cold cold. So we bought one of these cheap ones from Target and it works pretty well. Only 2 minutes to heat up a 2-3oz bottle, rather than trying to heat in a pot on the stove. Not sure if you can heat in microwave... With formula, we just use warm water from faucet.
Bottle Drying Rack - This one sits nice on the counter and slightly tilted for water to drain forward. We use this all day, as we ae going through 8-10 bottle a day. We also have this one cuz its bigger.
Burp Cloths - I like these diaper burp cloths from Babies R Us (or the Target Gerber ones) best because they soak up right away and they are soft on baby's face. You'll need lots as they spit up!
Medela In Style Breastpump - I got this one for free through our insurance (thanks Obama) but it's super easy to use and quick...I pump 4oz in 4 minutes.
Hands Free Breastpump Bra - This is slick for being hands-free when you pump, however, it only takes me 4 minutes to pump, so its not like I can't just hold the bottles in place for that long. But if you pump longer, it is nice to be comfortable and hands-free, and this works great!
Lansinoh Nipple Cream - Yes, you will get sore cracked nipples until they get use to being sucked on. I even cut open vitamin E capsules to help me heal.
Nursing Pads - Lansinoh or Medela, any kind will really work. There's washable ones too.
THERA PEARL Hot or Cold Breast Therapy - This helped me get through engorgement!!!
Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper - This is what we are using for a bassinet because I didn't want a huge pack-n-play in our bedroom, plus this fits better in our room at the cabin. I love how its the same height as our bed, so its easy to reach over and soothe her. She feels right next to me.
Soundspa Lullaby Sound Machine - Rain and ocean sounds helps put Lainey to sleep. And the projector gives her something to look at, like a mobile, and it can be moved to anywhere in the house.
Cloud B Sleep Sheep - This stuffed animal sound machine is great too for on the go.
Hair Brush - Lainey loves her hair washed, because its a nice head massage, and then loves the feeling of this soft brush :)
Aveeno Baby Lotion - Her hands and feet have dry skin (or vernix)...she loves a little massage!
Forehead Thermometer - We love this thermometer, it is so easy as to a quick swipe over her forehead. They say, if its over 100, get a 2nd opinion by doing the butt one too.
Pampers Swaddlers - The yellow stripe down the middle turns blue when you know the diaper is wet! Don't forget to fold the front over until the cord falls off!
Waterproof Changing Pad Liners - We've found these come in handy because sometimes she pees right when we take her diaper off, and it goes all over the changing pad...so unless you want to wash the cover over and over again, I suggest you get some of these.
Diaper Dekor - This works great...locks in the smell but fills up fast, as we go through 10-12 diapers a day (I hear it'll get down to about 8/day but right now she poops again once she gets a new one on!)
3M Avagard D Hand Sanitizer with Moisturizer - My mom picked us up some of this from her hospital and it works great to have next to the changing station...sanitizing with a moisturizer is key!
Onesies - plain white, short sleeve, worn everyday under her sleepers and sometimes under her regular outfits. The Longsleeve ones are great too, to wear to bed under her swaddle at night, and they have the mitt cuffs that keep her hands warm and so she cant scratch her face (because its hard to clip their nails).
Hats - Babies lose heat through their heads. The nurses put a hat on her the second she came out. Now she just wears one at night, since Kev turns the temp down so cold. Her head is so tiny though, so make sure you get the smallest newborn size.
Mittens - Lainey scratches her face every time she cries. I have even filed her nails and she still scratches, so she wears these mitts all day. Plus her little hands are always cold.
Sleepers - Every brand is different in how it fits. Lainey is tiny and doesn't fit into many of the newborn sleepers I have...the generic Babies R Us ones are smaller than their Carter's ones, although Carter's are softer and nicer. Some newborn Baby Gap ones fit too. You really have to wash them up and see how they shrink. I was told the zip ones are best because you don't wanna be button-ing in the middle of the night, however, I am finding the button ones to be better because you can just unbutton the bottom half to change the diaper and leave them warm in the top half...duh!
Halo SleepSack Swaddle - The hospital sent us home with one, and I got a few at my showers. I am not a fan of them, because I hate tying baby down in a straight-jacket, and the velcro is annoying, but I guess she likes it because its like the womb, and then she doesn't startle herself awake.
Boppy - This has been #1 in getting its use! We got the naked one (along with the water resistant cover) and 2 cute jersey cotton covers. I use it to help me hold her to nurse and we prop her in it for naps or just to chill on the couch with us.
Boppy Tummy Play Pad - This is the perfect size boppy for newborn tummy time!!
Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Platinum Edition Cradle 'n Swing - So soft and comfy, 3 ways to rock, 10 sounds (nature & songs), 6 speeds, and a starlight light show...Best swing ever!!
Avent Bottles - This is just the brand I chose because I was familiar with them from other friends using them. I have (7) 4oz bottles and (7) 9oz bottles. And right now we're using the size 1 - newborn release nipples. Lainey latched on right away!
Bottle Warmer - At first we didn't have one of these, because I wanted to try feeding her cold milk, silly me, well, she will take it chilly, but not cold cold. So we bought one of these cheap ones from Target and it works pretty well. Only 2 minutes to heat up a 2-3oz bottle, rather than trying to heat in a pot on the stove. Not sure if you can heat in microwave... With formula, we just use warm water from faucet.
Bottle Drying Rack - This one sits nice on the counter and slightly tilted for water to drain forward. We use this all day, as we ae going through 8-10 bottle a day. We also have this one cuz its bigger.
Burp Cloths - I like these diaper burp cloths from Babies R Us (or the Target Gerber ones) best because they soak up right away and they are soft on baby's face. You'll need lots as they spit up!
Medela In Style Breastpump - I got this one for free through our insurance (thanks Obama) but it's super easy to use and quick...I pump 4oz in 4 minutes.
Hands Free Breastpump Bra - This is slick for being hands-free when you pump, however, it only takes me 4 minutes to pump, so its not like I can't just hold the bottles in place for that long. But if you pump longer, it is nice to be comfortable and hands-free, and this works great!
Lansinoh Nipple Cream - Yes, you will get sore cracked nipples until they get use to being sucked on. I even cut open vitamin E capsules to help me heal.
Nursing Pads - Lansinoh or Medela, any kind will really work. There's washable ones too.
THERA PEARL Hot or Cold Breast Therapy - This helped me get through engorgement!!!
Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper - This is what we are using for a bassinet because I didn't want a huge pack-n-play in our bedroom, plus this fits better in our room at the cabin. I love how its the same height as our bed, so its easy to reach over and soothe her. She feels right next to me.
Soundspa Lullaby Sound Machine - Rain and ocean sounds helps put Lainey to sleep. And the projector gives her something to look at, like a mobile, and it can be moved to anywhere in the house.
Cloud B Sleep Sheep - This stuffed animal sound machine is great too for on the go.
Hair Brush - Lainey loves her hair washed, because its a nice head massage, and then loves the feeling of this soft brush :)
Aveeno Baby Lotion - Her hands and feet have dry skin (or vernix)...she loves a little massage!
Forehead Thermometer - We love this thermometer, it is so easy as to a quick swipe over her forehead. They say, if its over 100, get a 2nd opinion by doing the butt one too.
Pampers Swaddlers - The yellow stripe down the middle turns blue when you know the diaper is wet! Don't forget to fold the front over until the cord falls off!
Waterproof Changing Pad Liners - We've found these come in handy because sometimes she pees right when we take her diaper off, and it goes all over the changing pad...so unless you want to wash the cover over and over again, I suggest you get some of these.
Diaper Dekor - This works great...locks in the smell but fills up fast, as we go through 10-12 diapers a day (I hear it'll get down to about 8/day but right now she poops again once she gets a new one on!)
3M Avagard D Hand Sanitizer with Moisturizer - My mom picked us up some of this from her hospital and it works great to have next to the changing station...sanitizing with a moisturizer is key!
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