0-3 Month Must Haves

0-3 Month Must Haves by lifeasiknowitblog

1 - Swaddle Wraps by Summer Baby: We use these every night. We only have 3 in the newborn sizing which he still wears and we have one bigger size to help transition us when the time comes to switch over to the sacks.

2 - Maternity Wedge by Jolly Jumper: No this isn't for me now, we use it under his bassinet mattress to elevate Noah's head. He does not do well with lying flat! Just before turning 3 months we tried removing it and Noah slept horrible without it.

3 - Gumdrop Pacifier by The First Years: This is what Noah was given in the NICU and luckily we had the same ones at home!!

4 - Bath & Body Works Hand Soap: As a new mom you are paranoid with cleanliness, so you want to have a nice smelling soap that is gentle on your hands because you are washing non-stop, as are your guests. My personal favorite is the Sea Island Cotton!!

5. Huggies Natural Care Wipes: We love the huggies wipes, they are gentle on our little mans skin and I love the thickness. We buy it buy the case at Costco, especially when they go on sale!

6. Dr. Brown's Bottles: We personally use the glass ones, although we have plastic for the next size up. My sister handed these down and we couldn't be happier with them. He is less gassy with them. We use the size one nipple. We were using the Medela Calma, which was a great introduction bottle and we liked that it fit the bottles I pump with, but he ended up being able to drink too fast with it once he got the hang of the bottle. He was rarely getting a bottle, where as now he gets one nightly!

7. UdderCover Nursing Cover: This was a great deal - you know the one where you get the item free, just pay the shipping and you never know if you will actually get the item? We did get it, as well as the breastfeeding pillow, but we are still waiting for the car seat cover! I use this cover on the go, although I think I am going to start trying my infinity jersey scarf one I made now that I have the hang on breastfeeding.

8. Cloud B Tranquil Turtle: Ok let me be honest, this is an item I want for myself and am considering buying for when he moves to his nursery. I actually turn it on if I can't sleep! But it does put Noah to sleep pretty fast and will be great as he grows older. It puts ocean waves on the ceiling, plays ocean waves crashing, seagulls chirping and a sweet lullaby. It is perfect. Noah also has this Cloud B Nighty Night Owl:


It works as well, we got the turtle as a gift afterwards and it is fantastic, the owl does have more sound options, but does not light up, although it has sensor controls, so if the baby wakes in the middles of the night it will automatically turn on - or at least it is supposed to...

9. Muslin Swaddle Blankets: I love these!! We have Aden and Anaise as well as Lulujo and in all honesty, a side from price, they are the same! The softness, the size, obviously patterns are different. We do have an organic Aden and anaise one that is a bit softer, but all in all the regular ones are just fine! I love how light these are for summer, I will throw one over myself for breastfeeding, they are great in the car seat and I will throw one down for play time. 

10. Mama-Roo: M was bound and bent that we needed one over a regular swing and I was on the fence. From the cost perspective, I originally thought they costed more, but we bought ours on sale and spent the same price we would have on a swing. Noah has a regular swing over at the farm and he loves it too, so I can't say he prefers one over the other. I love that we can play our music through the mama-roo instead, the various speeds and options. It is nice and quiet as well. 

11. Circo Fleece Blanket: Noah is obsessed with these blankets, in fact we went back and bought more because he loves them soo much! I'm pretty sure they will be his goto baby blanket. We have 3 in total - one for his bassinet, one for the car seat, one for everyday day use and a back up that is actually by Carter's just in case one is in the wash. He is always playing with the crushed fleece inside them. Baby boy loves his textiles like his Mama!! 

12. Circo Receiving Blankets: We have just enough of these. We use them in his bassinet to prevent him from rolling around, I put them on his play mat, on the ground,the couch, etc to protect the area from spit up. They wash well and have occasionally been used as burp cloths. 

13. Pampers Swaddlers: We have tried huggies and they just don't work for our little man, but pampers do, so we will stick with pampers. We found with huggies we always had leaks, they just don't hug our little man properly. The indicator line has been a great help too. We were averaging about 15 diapers a day in the beginning and have just now seen a minimal decrease in that number. 

14. Medela Pump and Go Breast Pump: I Tokyo the advice of many woman, who told me that if you are going to pump, use a medela. We totally broke the rules and bought a used pump, however I bought ALL new parts and we took it right apart and sterilized everything. My little man hasn't been sick once, so I am not worried about all of the hoopla on using a used pump. You just have to be smart about it as far as I am concerned. It just seems like a huge money grab to me, as GOOD pumps aren't cheap!! The pump works great, I have no complaints!! 

15. Jolly Jumper Breastfeeding Pillow: This has been super helpful and I use it for every feed. It wraps right around me. My only compliant is they should sell it with a washable cover. I love the pattern of mine, however I want to protect it from stains - baby's spit up after all. So my MIL made some covers for me instead of me using a receiving blanket every day. It meant I had a little less laundry to do. I did get the "free" one that you just pay the shipping for, but we use that one as a baby sitter/prop because it is quite a bit smaller. You can not lay the baby on that one. 

16 & 17. Lansinoh Breast Pads and Nipple Cream: Yup here we going talking about boob protection on my blog... I am that paranoid Mom who fears leaking in public! I have yet to have a problem, but I also like to be protected. To be honest I can't say this brand is better than another because this is the only one I tried!! I also bought washable breat pads for everyday use, but I justgot them about a month a go and only a two pack, so the disposable ones get used every now and then. I will say that the washable ones have a smoother finish. And well nipple cream is nipple cream - buy it, use it daily, multiple times daily in the beginning and hopefully you will not have a problem. I know I didn't and still don't (knock on wood). 

Items Not Pictured but Considered a Must Have: 

- Lug Tuk Tuk Diaper Bag: loads of room, holds up, good quality, no complaints!! 

- Leachco Bummzie: We still use this often. It's basically a pillow for baby's today in, it's super cheap in the US, not available in Canada. This allowed Noah to sleep in our bed for the first few weeks stress free. He couldn't roll out and it gave us first time parents worry free sleep knowing he was right there. We also use it on the couch as it cuddles him just right!! 

- Contigo Water Bottles: These were a must have while pregnant and a must have afterwards!! I still can't get enough water!! Breastfeeding literally drains you lol. I can feel instant dehydration happening when I breastfeeding and must have water near by. 

- Burp Cloths: We go through a lot. We can't see to have enough. Noah doesn't puke often, but does spit up more if he fills his tummy too much! I will be honest we got a lot of hand me downs from my sister, but we love our home made ones!! 

- Gripe Water/Ovol: you will need some sort of drops for gas!! Do yourself a favor and don't runout and don't think you won't need them!! We were those first time parents without who did the pharmacy run with a screaming baby late at night, whom we medicated in the car and instant relief was had by all!! 

Any questions, feel free to ask away, but these items definitely helped us survive the first 3 months!!