This post is brought to you to celebrate five weeks of baby number four! Which means we have survived life as a family of six for roughly 35 whole days.
Sure, there’s been a whole lot of tears from everyone – me included – and I change diapers and feed kids ’round the clock, but life has been great. And even though our house is just a tad chaotic these days (ok, who are we kidding, it’s pure chaos) we’re doing it.
Everyone is fed, dressed, and happy (at least most days). Besides, what’s life without a little chaos every now and again.
Since this isn’t my first rodeo I’ve got a pretty solid newborn routine and a really great idea of everything I need to make new mom life just a tad easier.
And now I’m spilling my secret weapons with you. Because life as a new mom is hard enough as it is. There’s no reason to make it more difficult because you don’t have the right gear.
baby wrap and sling
If I were stranded on an island with my four kids and I was allowed to bring one thing, it would be either my baby wrap or sling (I love them both). Because there’s no way I’m going to be able to start a fire or spear a fish for dinner if I have to use both hands to hold the baby, ya feel me?
Hands-free baby snuggles is where it’s at and it’s the only way I’m surviving life with a newborn, two toddlers, and a kindergartener.
Baby wraps and slings allow me to snuggle baby while I make dinner, eat a meal with two hands, change diapers, help my six-year-old with his homework. You name it, I can do it with baby wrapped up against me.
For years I swore by one wrap and one wrap only, the Boba. But I recently purchased a sling and I love that one too. To be honest, it’s really going to be up to personal preference when choosing which one is best for you.
Both the wrap and the sling are great options. If you can afford both, I’d recommend both. And if you have to choose one – while I stand behind both options I’ve linked – I would suggest you choose the wrap, especially if you’re a first time mom who has never worn her baby before.
A sling is just a little bit more advanced to use and you might feel more comfortable with a wrap. Either way, having your baby close to you while you have the freedom to use BOTH hands is a great way to make life as a new mom just a tad easier.
Bouncy Chair
I don’t what the official name for this type of chair is, I call it a bouncy chair. It could also be called a hug from Heaven.
I don’t know what it is about this chair but ALL of my babies have loved it. This is another “stranded on an island” type of product. Because I can nurse baby to sleep, put him in the chair, and gently bounce him with one foot while I eat dinner or relax on the couch.
Plus, it helps baby to sleep at a slight incline which is great for babies who might be struggling with a little reflux. I don’t recommend letting baby sleep in this chair overnight, but when you’re awake and around the house it’s the perfect place for him to take a quick cat nap while you do the dishes!
Or let’s be honest, just have a cup of coffee in peace.
Zip -up Jammies
There are a lot of cute options for baby clothes out there. And you should dress your baby in as many of them as you want.
During the day.
When it comes to night time you are going to want jammies that zip. Believe me. You do not want to be trying to line up snaps at 2 am, in the dark, when you’re half asleep.
If you want a quick way to feel like you’re failing as a mom- that’s it. Just get the zip-up jammies for nighttime and thank me later for making new mom life just a tad easier!
pampers diapers and wipes
I once estimated that between my four children I’ve changed close to 10,000 diapers! Shocking isn’t it? And yet, being the one who changed most of those diapers, I’m not surprised.
I’ve tried just about every diaper under the sun and in all my years of diapering children and by far Pampers is the best. Yes, it is a tad more expensive, but it’s worth the added cost.
Especially since my boys have managed to soak through every other diaper brand we’ve tried. Which equals more diapers used, more laundry, and a more tired mama.
I will note that we usually try to use cloth diapers, but for the newborn days we go with disposable diapers and Pampers are our preferred disposable diaper.
A couple more helpful tips when it comes to diapers:
- don’t buy too many boxes of each size of diaper – especially newborn – baby’s grow fast and you don’t want to get stuck with a half empty box of diapers
- if you find that baby is soaking a diaper pretty fast try sizing up
- for your boy baby make sure you point his penis down toward his toes, otherwise he’ll leak out every. single. time
- buy the wipes with the pop tops, sooooooo much easier than messing with the refills and boxes; and then you can use them at home or on the go
- I linked my all time favorite diaper cream (I’ve tried A LOT), I always recommend keeping diaper cream on hand just in case
CAr seat and stroller
You’re going to want a good car seat/stroller combo. Especially for me, I live and die by my double stroller (which I converted to a triple). I literally wouldn’t be able to leave the house without it.
I won’t go on and on about my stroller (which I love….. maybe that would be my “stranded on an island” item) because I already wrote an entire post about it, which you can read by clicking here.
But I will say it has served me very, very well over the years. I’ve owned the stroller for about five years and it was worth every penny. Yes, it’s an investment, but like I said- it’s the tool that has allowed me to leave the house with peace of mind. And that’s priceless.
Five years in, it’s still going strong and I expect to be able to use it until baby number four is old enough to not need it. Then I’ll clean it up and pass it on to another family. It’s that good.
When I was a first time mom I had no clue what I needed and what I didn’t. It took me a couple of babies to figure out what was worth my money and what wasn’t. But now that I know. these are the items I swear by!
What newborn items do you use to make mom life a little bit easier? Drop them in the comments below.
