I always try my best to make sure me and my family are prepared for everything, I preplan including hypothetical scenarios to ensure we’re ready for everything; but let’s get real you can never truly be ready to bring home a newborn. The things you think you need, you don’t, and the things that you actually grab for at a time in need (like a screaming inconsolable baby) you may never actually find in the aisles at Babies r’ Us.
The past 2.5 months have been wonderfully exhausting, doing this baby-thing again after 5 years is rough. Not only do you forget about all the crying and sleepless nights but those random tricks you did to make an unhappy baby smile have vanished from your mind. It’s like learning to ride a bike all over again. Every child is so different that just when you think you know what you’re doing, the second one comes out decides to change the manual completely.
I wished I made a list the first time round with Sofia Marie, jotted down in a book, made notes of all the little things we tried and strangely found success with, Oh! what a life-saving book that would be. With how different Sofia and Stella are we would’ve referenced back to what worked and AVOID IT then found the things that didn’t work and TRY THEM. Ha! Parenting the second time around is a comedy show people, a barrel of friggen laughs!
Let me tell you what items I COULD NOT have lived without over the last 3-months. Some that were expected and some I doubt you would’ve seen coming, you and me both! Have kids they said, it’ll be easy they said… #liars
BOUNCER; doesn’t have to be fancy, just someplace you can safely put baby down, even if only for a pee-break, because those will always win over sleep
HAIR HELP; buy yourself a hat, find yourself some headbands and never lose them. You’re going to need them, trust you me, sleep will always wins over a shower (but not a pee break)
SOCIAL MEDIA; what to do when you’re pinned under a sleeping baby? Check Facebook. What to do when you’re breastfeeding in a dark room at noon? Check Instagram. What to do when you’re stuck in a car because baby likes the humming of an idling car? Tweet about how much #motherhood is so easy. That’s what!
WRAP (mine is a Solly Baby wrap); find a baby carrier that you can use when they’re an infant and buy it, don’t hesitate, don’t second guess the decision, you will need it. If not in the first few days you will eventually need and love it, screaming on roof tops how life changing it is for you. I use mine daily, literally every single day.
<<Ha! as if I needed proof for my HAIR HELP reference, case-in-point see above. Almost certain I’m rocking 5-days without washing my hair here. #thestruggleisreal>>
CAFFEINE; pick your poison, tea of coffee, whatever it is that makes you not a jerk in the morning, make sure you’re stocked up because your family will thank you, that and the UPS driver who decided to ring the bell during nap time. Seriously people?! Who does that?
NIGHT LIGHT & SOUND MACHINE (mine is the Munchkin Nursery Projector); I repeat, do not turn on any lights in the middle of the night what-so-ever, do not do it, I repeat do not do it. This will only get you two things, tired eyes that have now turned angry and a baby that thinks its time to get up for the day and I doubt you need me to tell you how crappy this is. Get yourself a night light and if you can get yourself this one from Munchkin I say do it, it will also save your bacon when you realize white noise if your friend, your bestest friend in the whole wide world. Ohhhhhh the sleep how glorious it is!
SUPPORT SQUAD; if there is ever a time where you need wonderful people in your life, now is that time. From emotional support to take the baby now! physical support and everything in between. Having someone that can laugh-cry at the lack of sleep you’ve had in the week and come over to provide you with an afternoon nap to people that can just listen to you woes and not think they need to give you the magical answer, but merely listen.
BREASTPUMP (mine is a Medela Freestyle); this goes without saying that however you choose to feed baby, bottle, breast or a combo of the two, a Breastpump will just make life easier. Another perk to pumping, it allows you to get out of the house longer than between feedings, and sometimes this is just a must.
12 HOUR DIAPERS; for the night that your baby wants to give you more than 120 minutes of consecutive sleep, I say be prepared. This means keep 12-hour diapers on hand and each night before bed make sure you put her in one. Because when that glorious night comes boy will you feel golden!
DOCKATOT (mine is this one); no if’s, and’s or but’s this thing is magical. Screw leaving it to fate and praying to the sleep-gods, invest in this. We’ve used it since day 1, from in our bed co-sleeping, now to inside her crib in our bedroom she has slept in this DockATot. Offering a safe, snug and soothing environment for baby I have no doubt that the 9-hour stretch of sleep we just got the other night is because of it.
BUILD-A-BEAR BRUSH (ours is this one); I even laughed typing this out. Cradle cap sucks, am I right? I’ve never met a brush that took care of cradle cap in 2 days like I did the brush from build-a-bear. Thanks to Sofia and always wanting to play with her sister, we found out how well this particular brush worked after an evening bath and play sesh with Sofia and Stella. Bath, brush and moisturize (we use olive oil) and say goodbye to cradle cap once and for all.
NURSING BRA (I have the Bravado Nursing Bra); speaking of support, the boobs need some love too. I thought I could do without, make it through with a regular sports or t-shirt bra. Negative, you cannot get by people, take my word for it. Buy yourself a good nursing bra, and if you ask me it has to be this one by Bravado, and live it in. Remember that, you’re going to wear this thing day and night, night and day because leakage is not hot. Oh yah! and nursing pads, you’re gonna need those too.
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