First Month Must Haves

When I was pregnant, I loved reading posts from other moms about what they used most in the first few months. I learned about helpful products as well as some tips and tricks. Below is a list of things that we wouldn't want to live without during his first few weeks.

1. Graco Duet Soothee Swing & Rocker

While I was pregnant, Keegan and I told ourselves that we wouldn't buy a bunch of baby "furniture," especially a swing, because it took up so much space. However, we ate our words when I realized that we didn't really have a good place to put Kieran during the day so I could get things done. We have a crib, and a pack n' play, but he would fuss when I would leave the room. This swing has a detachable rocker that is easy to move from room to room and as an added bonus, he sleeps pretty much through the night in the swing.

2. Ingenuity Washable Play Yard with Dream Centre

We decided to get a pack n' play / play yard to set up in our room while Kieran co-slept with us for the first few months, as well as a place for him to sleep when we travel to visit family. We like it because it has a sleeping area as well as a changing station which makes life easy at night. He slept pretty well in it for the few weeks, but now he sleeps in his swing. 

The pockets on the side were handy when we were using disposable diapers, but now that we're using cloth diapers, we use it as a space to store extra wet bags. 

3. Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat and Graco LiteRider Click Connect Stroller

We chose the Click Connect system because one, it's fairly cheap, and two, it makes life easier when you're able to click the car seat into the stroller instead of having to take baby out of the car seat. The car seat is light enough for me to carry with a 9+ pound baby, and the stroller is light enough for me to pick up and place in the back of our crossover SUV. The stroller also has a fair amount of storage space in the bottom. 

4. Moby Wrap Baby Carrier

I absolutely love our Moby Wrap. I've used it around the house so I can type at the computer or pick up the living room, I've used it at work when I've had an event, and we use it every week when we go grocery shopping. Since he's wrapped up next to me, it keeps him calm, and 99% of the time, he falls asleep. Some people say the wraps are difficult to learn, but there are a bunch of video tutorials online that break them down step by step. 

5. Medela Freestyle Breastpump

I was lucky in the fact that our insurance covered a breastpump, so I got the above package shipped to my house absolutely free. Since I'm trying to have a fairly large freezer stash built up by the time I go back to work, if I don't have a baby attached to me feeding, I try to pump. The pump is easy to use, quiet, and fairly compact. I love the small insulated bag that came with it; we throw a bottle or two inside with an ice pack and bring it with us when we go out just in case he gets fussy and I don't feel comfortable nursing. 

6. Medela 5 Ounce Bottles

While pregnant, I purchased many different brands of bottles because I kept hearing stories of parents going through bottle after bottle trying to find one that their baby would take. We got lucky in the fact that Kieran took to the Medela bottles because I'm able to pump right into them. I think one of the good things that came out of his blood sugar scare was that he learned to take both bottle and breast early, and we've kept up with that so that he'll be able to take a bottle whenever I'm not around. 

7. Soothie Pacifier 

We had purchased only one set of pacifiers during my pregnancy because we were pretty adamant that we didn't want to give Kieran one at all for fear of having to wean him later. However, while we were in the hospital, the nurses would pop a Soothie pacifier in his mouth while they were pricking his heal so that he wouldn't scream. We somehow came home from the hospital with four of them and we ended up letting him suck on one when food, a clean diaper and cuddling wouldn't calm him down one night. Now, we try not to give it to him too often, but it is nice when he's starting to fuss and we're out to dinner or driving home and I can't comfort him in other ways. He also gets it at night, but as soon as he's fallen asleep, it falls out. 

8. Summer Infant Swaddleme Swaddles 

Kieran really enjoyed being swaddled in the hospital, especially in the tight swaddles the nurses could do. Keegan learned how to swaddle pretty tight, but I never could get the blanket tight enough for Kieran not to break free. He still has his startle reflex, so he'll wake himself up with his flailing arms if he's not swaddled. We got a Swaddleme as a baby shower gift and decided to use it one night to see if it would help Kieran sleep, and he loved it. The fabric is light enough that we felt comfortable using it in the hot Mississippi summer, and are easy to re-swaddle in the middle of the night. If we didn't use these, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have a baby who sleeps through the night at 4 weeks. 

Those are our first month must haves. Anyone else use any of these products and love them or have another must have to add to the list?