Friday, January 9, 2015

Friday Favorites: Newborn Necessities



The HiloskyHouse is currently in the newborn stage! Yesterday Paisley turned 4 weeks old and Sunday will mark her 1 month birthday! I consider the newborn stage to be from birth to about 12 weeks.  I'm sure that at least one well meaning person has told you that all the baby needs during this time is you. And while that is a basically true statement, there are lots of things that can help during these amazing (and exhausting) first weeks with your new baby! Now that we are experiencing this stage for the third time, I have a pretty good list of what I couldn't live without in those first few weeks! 

1. Swaddle Blankets
Swaddle your baby!  I gave up swaddling Lacie after a week and that was a huge mistake. She never slept. Ever. For 6 months!  Blakely wore her swaddle day and night for the first 6 weeks and then wore it for nighttime and naps until 5 or 6 months! She slept like a champ. We are carrying on with swaddling Paisley all day and night and she is super peaceful. She will be fussing at me after a diaper change and as soon as I begin to wrap her she calms right down! I promise that swaddling will help your baby be a better sleeper, especially in those first weeks when they tend to startle themselves awake. Get the nurses in the hospital to teach you how to do swaddle properly.  If other people comment on how tightly your baby is swaddled, you are doing it right! If you can't master the swaddle blankets there are lots of great cheat wraps out there that work great!  I have two favorite swaddles:

*The Halo SleepSack Swaddle.  It's a sleep sack and swaddle combo!  These were Blakely's favorite!  

*Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets.  These blankets are amazing.  I have a set of four that I've had since Lacie was born.  They seriously get softer everytime you wash them.  They are also really big, which makes swaddling easier!  They fold up tiny for the diaper bag too.


2. A Cozy and Safe Place for Baby 
You need to be able to put your baby down so that you can rest or shower or tend to your older children! New babies love bring placed in cozy small spaces (rather than a big open crib). I personally love the Swing and the Rock and Play sleeper. You only need one but if you can have both that's great too. Lacie loved the constant movement of the swing and my other girls seem to prefer being still. Oh and I swaddle them before placing them in their cozy spot. 


3. Mustela Cold Cream Stick
I've blogged about it before but this little stick is like chapstick for your whole face. It's amazing for little kids but especially newborns! It protects their delicate skin and gets rid of dry flakey skin fast! You can also use it on their lips for babies who get those little sucking calluses from bottles or pacifiers.  


4. Mustela No Rinse Cleansing Fluid
I could not live without this stuff. It's not recommended to constantly give brand new babies baths.  However, they get messy a lot between the spit ups and the crazy poop explosions. That is why this stuff is your best friend. It's perfect to clean little baby behinds or the spit up that dribbles down into their adorable neck rolls! And it's great for giving "baths" until the umbilical cord falls off! 


5. A Boppy Pillow
Whether you decide to nurse or bottle feed your baby, having a Boppy pillow offers a lot of support during all of those feelings. This was especially helpful to me since I had 3 c-sections. It allowed my babies to rest across my lap without directly pressing on my incision. 

6. An Infant Carrier Style CarSeat
When I was pregnant with Lacie, I felt like there was a big push to get a convertible carseat that could grow with her from infancy through kindergarten.  But I opted for the carrier seat, and I have never regretted it.  Yes they outgrow it quickly and you have to buy a new carseat within the first 12 months.  However, it is so so easy when you have a brand-new baby!  No worries about waking them up when they fall asleep in the car (and they will always fall asleep in the car).  Just pick up the entire carseat!  Easy!  We love Britax brand carseats! 

7. A Sling or Hands Free Wrap
This was not an essential for me when I only had one baby.  Now that I have two toddlers and a baby, I need my hands free during the day.  I have both the Moby Wrap and a Sakura Bloom Ring Sling.  I like them both for different reasons.  The ring sling is really easy to use and put on.  It also folds up small - perfect to throw in the diaper bag!  The Moby can be complicated to put on if you have a fussy baby.  However the Moby does distribute weight evenly where the Ring Sling keeps the weight on one side.  


8. Newborn Nightgowns
When you find out you are having a baby, you will go out and buy tons of cute outfits.  Other people will buy you lots of clothes too!  In fact, I don't think I had to buy any clothing for Lacie's entire first year!  But the best piece of clothing you can get is a newborn nightgown - even if you are having a boy! They are awesome for nighttime!  Just put one on and swaddle the baby.  These will make your life so much easier when you are changing a diaper in the middle of the night! Seriously you do not want to deal with tons of snaps or zippers at 2am.  

9. A Memory Book and Box
Your life is about to change in the most amazing way!  Make sure you have a place to write down memories and save little mementos like hospital bracelets, hats, footprints, etc.  
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