New Mommy Must-Haves

A very wise person told me before Summer’s arrival that all she would need would be love, food and a place to sleep. She was very right, but here are a few things that have made life easier for this first time mama!

Summer will be 2 months old on January 10th & these are our favorite things so far! I am no baby expert, actually the opposite. That being said, these are things that work for us. Summer is unlike any other baby, just like every other baby out there is different than my girl. She doesn’t like to be swaddled, currently refuses a pacifier and changes a little everyday. I know this list will change as she grows.

Here goes!

1. Her swing, my baby girl LOVES her swing! We went with the Graco Simple Sway with soothing vibrations (found here).  Anything with soothing vibrations has been great for us. I think part of the reason she likes it so much is that we put her in it as soon as we got home from the hospital. There are times she is crying with us and as soon as we place her in the swing, she gets happy (literally, John just did this).
   

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2. Her bouncer. This came with her pack n play (found here). It also has the soothing vibrations. Summer loves to sleep in her bouncer. Is that even okay?! I don’t know, but she loves it. She is actually in it as I am writing this post (see picture below).
   

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3.  Nursing pads are a lifesaver. My favorite nursing pads were the ones they gave at the hospital, just ask for them! I have also used the Lansinoh (here) & the reusable pads that I can wash in the laundry and reuse. Speaking of…the other kind of pads, go ahead and find your favorite and stock up. You’ll need them…and they’re another new mommy must have. Again, I really like the ones from the hospital & those glamorous mesh underwear (no shame in my game, haha). Go ahead and ask them for some extras to take home before you leave the hospital.
4. A glider, rocker or recliner. We pretty much live in our glider. We went with one that reclines as well as rocks. I have cuddled and rocked her to sleep countless times in this thing!
   

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5. A throw blanket and nursing gowns/robes/bras/tanks. I didn’t know how much I would use these items whenever I bought them while pregnant. I use them every single day. It makes life so much easier. I packed these items in my hospital bag and it made for a much more comfortable stay at the hospital and now while at home.
   

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6. A stroller travel system. This is a major plus for when Summer falls asleep on our way to a place or whenever she falls asleep in her stroller while out & about. Summer does not like car rides so when she finally falls asleep it’s nice to have the option to keep her asleep easily as we transfer her to & fro. We chose the Bob Motion Travel System.
   

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7. Zippers are your friend! Especially at night whenever we have to change her. I rarely put her to sleep in anything that requires buttons. Night gowns and zip-up sleepers are my favorite, especially sleeper sacks.
   

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8. Changing station. We went with dresser drawers  and put a changing pad on top. In addition to the changing pad cover, we put an extra changing cloth on top of that. Babies will go whenever they have to go, so it’s always nice to have backups! I keep her diapers and all essential changing items in the top left drawer and her sleepers in the top right drawer for easy access after her night time bath. I know people say that diaper genies aren’t necessary, and while I agree it isn’t necessary, we really like ours. It’s convenient to have it right next to our changing table. It’s also convenient to have the dirty clothes hamper right next to the table so that we can just throw her clothes in the hamper after changing her.

   

9. This baby tub has been great for us. It holds her up perfectly which gives me two free hands to wash her. (here)

   

10. Playmats. Great for tummy time! You can find this one here.
    

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11. Car seat cover. I bought this one from milk snob. She has multi functional covers on the site that are intended for nursing & car seat covers. The one I purchased was meant just for the car seat, but I have used it several times as a nursing cover. It’s lightweight and breathable.
    

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12. Baby blankets. We use several everyday. Comes in handy for obvious reasons, but also if you are in a jam and need it as a changing pad, nursing cover, wipe up spit up, etc. It’s great to have several. It’s nice to always have extra whenever we are washing them. A favorite to double as a nursing cover are the Aden + Anais (found here). These are lightweight and perfect for hot Florida weather.
    

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13. Coffee. No explanation needed.
    

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14. Splurge on newborn photos if you can. It’s one of my favorite things to look back on. It takes a special person to capture these moments. I especially loved the way Liza Webb treated our newborn. You’d never guess our little Summer cried the entire three hour session. Liza was patient, gentle and determined to get the perfect shot of our little girl. Thank you, Liza!
15. A camera & phone with unlimited storage! Seriously…I have always been one to take entirely too many pictures & now..Oh. My. Goodness! Next level on the amount of pictures I take. Go ahead and clear your phone and SD card.

    

16. & here are the things that you can’t put a price tag on:  A helpful husband who changes an equal amount of diapers as me & puts her to sleep whenever he knows I need a little extra sleep. Friends and family who helped clean & cook meals in those first couple of weeks whenever we were just trying to navigate life as a family of three. A lot of prayer & lots of guidance from the Holy Spirit.

I spent a ton of time researching and looking for what was helpful to other new mommies before having Summer. If this is helpful in any way please share with other mommies-to-be or new mamas.

What was one of your must-haves?! Share in the comments!