A few weeks ago my assistant Michelle had her first baby.
And if you think I offer too much advice to random strangers here on the internet, you should try hanging out with me in real life! For nine months she had to listen to me tell her about everything from contractions to stretch marks to tips for labor and delivery. And now that baby Hope is actually here? Forget about it. All bets are off! I’m pulling out all the advice I’ve got! Specifically, I’m sharing my baby essentials; my must haves for every new mom.
Ok, yes, our parents managed to raise us without any of this stuff, but you know what? They were missing out because these absolutely helped make my life easier with each subsequent child. Check out my list and let me know if there’s anything I forgot!
1 & 2 The Honest Company – Guys, how did we not think of The Honest Company? How were we not that smart? How come years ago when we were slowly drowning under mountains of diapers didn’t one of us go, Wait a minute, we should make this a business! Somebody should be delivering these to our door along with safer lotions and quality potions and anything else our baby might ever need so we don’t have to go to the 24 Hour Wal-Mart at 2AM with baby puke on yesterdays pajamas! Let’s just add this to the list of genius businesses I’m sad I didn’t think of myself!
3. Adorable Bibs – When my oldest was born the only bibs I could find had garish cartoons and said things like “Mommy’s Little Slugger.” No offense to baseball fans, but an adorable little handkerchief with velcro tabs is SO much cuter!
4. Video Monitor – Baby monitors are cool… video baby monitors are a gift from heaven! As a frantic new mother I would make myself sick listening to the baby monitor thinking, Well, it sounds like he’s breathing, but what if that’s actually a death rattle? What if he’s smothering on his swaddle and I have no idea! But, by the time Ford was born they made video monitors, so I could see him (even in the dark) which made me feel so much calmer. Also, you must get the monitor that has a “talk back” feature so you can tell them to lay down or go back to sleep or Stop screaming for the love of Pete! Even today (and Ford is three) we still have this set up in his room.
5. Aiden & Anais Swaddles – My big sister was a nanny, so she was always turning me onto the coolest products like these A&A swaddles! These are so lightweight (so they’re great for summer babies) and the feel like fluffy angel wings… which, who doesn’t want to sleep wrapped in that?!
6. Fresh Food Feeder – Whoever dreamed this up needs some kind of major award! Seriously, if you’ve ever terrified yourself because your new eater got ahold of a piece of fruit that was too big for them then you understand how great these are. You put a piece of food: banana, orange, avocado, steamed carrots, etc into the little mesh pocket and then babies who are learning to eat solid foods can gum the food through the mesh bag.
7. Snack Catcher – And since we’re already handing out prizes, let’s include the inventors of this too! These little snack cups are made so tiny hands can reach down inside to grab their Cheerios or puffs or whatever, but the tiny snack can’t spill out and get all over your house.
8. Ergobaby – Everybody knows about slings and Baby Bjorns, but this is key for when baby gets a little bigger. I seriously hauled Ford around in this thing until he basically weighed more than I do. It’s fantastic!
9. Sophie The Giraffe – Another one of those tips from my big sister. Sophie is an awesome toy for teething. If you walk through the park any day of the week you’ll see every small fry in the joint gumming happily on their Sophie toy.
10. Nursing Cover – I loved this nursing cover because it stayed on! With my first son I tried using a blanket, but then you don’t pay attention for thirty seconds and all of Red Robin gets an eye full! With this adjustable strap you can make sure it stays in place, but the neckline also bows outward so you can see the baby while he nurses.
11. Highchair / Grocery Cart Cover – I stored this in the back of my car and then if we went out to eat or to the grocery store it was always handy. I mean, I don’t even want to touch the handles of the grocery cart, so I certainly don’t want my baby doing that!
