Happy Friday my dolls! I hope everyone is having a great week. I have to constantly remind myself what day it is because they definitely all seem to blend together at this point. Patrick is now just over 5 weeks old and had a great check up the other day at the Pediatrician. He is almost 10 lbs! Starting at 6 lbs 9 oz, I would say that is pretty amazing in such a short amount of time. I wanted to share with you today some of my favorite products for surviving those early newborn days. Before I had him I scoured Pinterest and tried to read everything. I am going to tell you what got me through the first few weeks.
The DockATot is seriously worth every penny. I have him sleeping in a cosleeper bassinet next to me and the DockATot fits into it perfectly. It’s also extremely portable. I have a two-story house so I can bring it downstairs and have it available for naps so I can keep my eyes on him. I’m also starting to transition him into his crib so I put the DockATot in there and he sleeps great in it. I think the crib is so big in the beginning its a really nice transition/comfort piece. I made sure to get another cover for it because newborns love to spit up. That way I always have a clean one ready to go. Also, the newest feature is a playbar that goes over the top. Newborns and early on can see black and white. I actually take the bar off sometimes and bring it closer to his face. He loves staring at the little animals and has even started to swat at them. Make sure you put the DockATot on your registry. I honestly don’t know how I would have survived the early days without it.
Every single new mom I know is getting this nail trimmer for their shower gift (sorry to ruin the surprise). I would even say to pack it in your hospital bag (I’m honestly not kidding) because newborns come out with some crazy nails. Poor Patrick didn’t see his hands for the first week of life until I discovered this genius invention. He would scratch his face so badly with those jagged little nails. I was way to petrified to cut/trim his nails on my own. This is a buffer system that basically files the nails down. It’s super gentle though because it doesn’t hurt the delicate skin around the nails. Trust me. This is hands down the best thing you need to buy. I usually file them when he’s passed out after a feeding and he doesn’t fuss at all while I’m doing it.
The Owlet Smart Sock
The Owlet Smart Sock is worth the price tag. If you are a worrier like me, I sat there staring at his chest during the night to make sure he was breathing. This gives me such peace of mind and has allowed me to actually fall asleep at night knowing that Owlet is on him tracking his oxygen levels and heart rate. The monitor on his foot connects to a base station that glows green when his readings are in the normal range. I can also “spot check” his actual numbers with an app that gives me real-time readings. Once again with the two-story house, I put him in his crib for his nap and keep the base station in the view of my nursery camera. I can watch and make sure it is lit up green and also spot check his readings on my app. I am slightly neurotic and the Owlet really gives me peace of mind. For a first time mom this is huge. Before I got it, I would sit there at 3 in the morning watching his chest rise and fall. Now I can open the app and see exactly what his heart rate and pulse ox are at. I only keep it on him when he is sleeping and make sure to rotate the feet that I put it on. The setup was relatively easy with connecting it to my wifi. The only time I have gotten “notifications” is when I take him out of range. Once again that whole second floor thing. You have to keep the base somewhat close to the sock that he wears. If you have good wifi in your house it has a pretty good range. For some reason my nursery has a horrible wifi signal. I will say if he is “wiggling” you can’t get a live update reading but the base station is still connected to the sock. With his nursery camera and the Owlet, I feel comfortable being able to do other things while he is sleeping such as take a nap myself (what a concept!) or all the other things that start to pile up when all your family leaves. I absolutely recommend using this especially in the begining.
White Noise Maker
I am trying to follow the Moms on Call sleep/eat/wake schedule. They are really big on white noise makers. I personally have this one and love it. Babies like routines. Whenever he sleeps I put it on to associate white noise with sleep. They say to keep the nursery dark but I still have him next to me in my room. I keep the white light on with it so I can see him and for feedings at night. It also connects to an app on your phone that you can control. This is great so I don’t have to get out of bed to turn it on or off with those nighttime feedings.
White Cloth Diapers
Make sure you have a least 30 of these. I’m not joking. They are the best burp cloths. Babies spit up a lot and I make sure to have this under his mouth at every feeding to catch whatever I can. This has saved quite a few outfits, bed sheets, my recliner etc. They are easy to wash and dry super quick. I have probably 3-4 at every feeding station throughout my house.
Swaddles
Babies have a startle reflex in the beginning that wakes them up when they are “startled” their arms arc up and around which wakes them up. Plus, they are used to being all curled up inside of you, they really like the swaddle. I tried so many in the beginning and these by Softsie were my favorite. They are soft, have the perfect amount of stretch and are infused with aloe vera. Plus, support small business women! I bought a bunch of them to always have one clean in the rotation. Everyone talks about the Aden and Anais for swaddling and they just didn’t work for me. I found they didn’t have any stretch and he would bust out of them. I like those for covering his car seat when out in public because they are breathable and lightweight. Now that he is a little bigger he is starting to get his arms out of the Softsie ones and I have switched him over to this one by Ollie. It feels a little crazy using velcro but babies are so strong. The minute they get their arms up, game over. That nap is toast. I found the swaddle was a little big when he was first-born but now he has some weight on him, they are the perfect size. Plus, so easy! One side folds in, the other side velcro secures to it. The only thing I don’t love is if I need to adjust it, it does make a loud noise unlike blankets. The material is stretchy and breathable which is a bonus as well.
Amazon Miscellanous
Hand sanitizers to keep at every changing station. These pads to put over all your changing stations. Baby poop and pee gets everywhere. It’s much easier to clean these then what is underneath it. The only diaper cream that has worked for me was triple paste. Add it to your registry because the tub is $20. While you are at it, put diapers on there as well. We were so fortunate to have been gifted a ton of diapers and just had to buy our first set (from Costco, love their brand!). Babies go through 10-12 diapers a day….if you are lucky. If you are nursing, then make sure to get a boppy pillow with at least two covers (are you seeing a theme here?) I love this wipe dispenser, do not get a warmer for your wipes. Trust me at 3 in the morning that will be least of your worries.
I know everyone wants to get you clothes because they are adorable but really try to build your registry off these essentials. The clothes will come in from every person you know and there will always be handmedowns from a friend who has an older kiddo. These were the essentials that have gotten me through the beginning! I have a lot of other suggestions when it comes to registry things, strollers etc. I’ll definitely be updating and posting that as well. I have been getting so many DM’s on Instagram asking me about registry must haves and I have you covered. Any questions definitely feel free to ask.
***I did receive some of these products in exchange for my honest reviews. Thank you to Owlet, DockaTot and Ollie for working with Meet at the Barre and to my readers who support that brands that partner with Meet at the Barre.
ALL of the praise hands for the Dock-a-tot! Every time we try to get Riley off of it, we end up putting her right back in it. I wish it came in adult size!
My sister’s kids still live on the white noise makers at age almost 8 and 5. I have an app that makes the sounds, those things are for everyone! Have a fantastic weekend!
No joke on getting clothes from everyone! Chris and I had to get a lot of essentials on our own because we got clothes and blankets at our shower from most people haha. I think a diaper wipe warmer is a waste of money and precious space too. Never even considered one. Kristen got me a pack of those cloth diapers and I STILL have them in every room in my house and in my car and the diaper bag. Runny noses is what they get used for more now since Zoe doesn’t really spit up anymore. I cant think of a more practical item. We love our noise machine too. I have it on ocean sounds during nap and sleep time.
Patrick is such a cutie. Way to go mamma on getting that weight gain up! I feel like when they hit around 10 pounds, they are getting better sleep to. Do you see that yet?
Patrick is so adorable! That closest is amazing! I need to get mine to look like that lol.
he is just so cute! i cannot help but smile when i see your pics. :)
Love your blog but had to comment on the crib. You really should not have all those things in the crib especially with a newborn. It’s a suffocation hazard. Crib bumpers are a huge no no. As well as letting babe sleep in the dockatot (there is actually a warning on the dockatot saying it’s not for unattended sleeping). So please be careful. Crib should be a firm mattress with fitted sheet only. Xo.
I am STILL swaddling my almost 4 month old, because he sleeps like a champ when I do. I’m really hoping that awesome startle reflex is on it’s way out so we can stop, but seriously swaddles are everything. We had the most luck with Halo sleep sacks. (: I also second the cloth diaper burp rags! So absorbent and so much easier to clean! I don’t know about you, but the things I use to wipe up vomit do not need to be cute. lmao