Baby Gear: The First 2 Months

I remember how much I loved to read baby gear recommendations when I was pregnant, so I figured that I should go ahead and write about what has worked best for us the first few weeks. I'll be honest though...babies really do not need much their first two months of life. But these are the items that have made the days just a little bit easier. Also, since our house was built in the mid-1800s, and has close to no storage, a lot of the items we chose to register for or purchase work best in small spaces.

Clothing

Side Snap Infant Shirts with Mitts -  We were given 3 of these at the hospital, and I used them everyday for the first month. I couldn't find any mittens that would stay on Fiona's hands, and the good old "sock trick over the hands" didn't work for her either. And goodness gracious do those newborn nails grow fast.  I would just put these on underneath her short sleeve onsie outfits. They also helped add a little extra warmth in our air conditioned house. 

Long Sleeve bodysuits with Mitts- This link is just an example. They sell tons of affordable options at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. Just like above, but without the step of having to put an additional onsie over top (however, most of the onsies we were gifted were short sleeved, so we used the above option more). 

Baby Gap Socks- Best socks ever. Stay on much, much better than any other baby socks we own (and Fiona is a crazy kicker/foot stomper). I pretty much use these socks exclusively. I can't find them online, but they do sell 0-3 month size in the stores. 

Skincare/Cleaning

California Baby Calendula Cream- I love this cream. I've put it on every scratch Fiona has given herself and every rash she has gotten, and it always helps everything disappear quickly. It's a miracle cream in a bottle, and it smells yummy. 

California Baby Diaper Area Wash- Ok, technically we haven't had to use this for any diaper rashes yet, but sometimes baby diapers smell much, much worse than you can ever imagine. I like to spray this stuff on during those times...plus it is nice to have on hand incase any rashes pop up. 

Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash- I use a lot of Burt's Bees products on myself, so I felt pretty good about using their products on our baby. Just a little bit goes a long way, so I feel as though it will takes us months just to get through one bottle. Again, I like the scent of this wash too...which is good, because you will smell your baby's head a lot (just trust me on this one). 

Gripe Water- Works awesome for hiccups and gas pains. 

Itzy Ritzy Wet Bag- I love all of the different designs for these bags, and plan on buying some of their reusable snack bags in the future. These bags are great for dirty clothes, wet swim suits or cloth diapers. 

Sleep 

Halo SleepSack Swaddles- Our hospital is a part of the Halo SleepSack In-Hospital Program, which is a great marketing scheme where your baby is given a Halo SleepSack to sleep in, instead of a hospital blanket. Essentially, your baby becomes accustomed to sleeping in a $25.00 piece of fabric with a zipper and velcro, leaving you to run out and and spend $75.00 your first day home, because one isn't going to cut it with all the messes newborns make. On the other hand, they are super easy to use...my parents and siblings love them for that reason when they are babysitting. Also, Fiona especially liked them the first couple of weeks because she was breech and loved to have lots of room to kick her feet (she still sleeps with her feet in the air most of the night). 

Aden & Anais Muslin Wraps- At four weeks, we started the Moms on Call program, and began using their swaddling technique. I really like using these blankets (especially the extra large 47"x47" ones sold on Amazon). We have 8, and use them all throughout the week. They are just as awesome and adorable as everyone says they are. 

Aprica Haven Play-yard- I wanted a pack n play without all of the bells and whistles because:
1) We needed something that could we move up and down our extremely narrow staircase quickly and easily (esp. since I had a c-section).
and
2) We needed something that didn't take up a ton of room and was easy to pack in our mid-sized car.
This pack n play fit the bill, and I've loved it. I just keep any baby supplies in a cute 3 Sprouts storage caddy I was given by a friend at my baby shower. It folds up so easily, and we (well, the husband) literally brought it downstairs every morning and upstairs every night during the first 4 weeks. Plus it's nice and sturdy, and it looks good.

Summer Infant Rest Assured Sleeper- I registered for this because we originally planned on co-sleeping, and I wanted to do it safely. Turns out our baby girl really, really likes her own quiet space. This thing is awesome though, and we're still using it all of the time. We put this in the pack and play and in her crib, so that the space seems a little bit more confined. I also will bring it over my parents house so that I don't have to bring  the pack n play (though they will eventually get one for their house). It folds up really nicely, and it has a night light/sound machine/ vibration attachment. The night light feature alone made it worth the money because one of us could do diaper changes in the middle of the night, without having to wake the other up (Fiona slept in her pack n play in our room up until week 4). 

Homedics iSoundSpa Lullaby- I have a lot of friends and family members that love this product as much as we do. It is nice and small, and again, easy to travel with. Heck, it puts me to sleep. We even brought it to the hospital and used it there, since I knew how loud it would be. Plus, it's super affordable. Love, love, love. 

Moms on Call- I have no words for how awesome this program is at getting your baby to sleep. I remember other bloggers raving about it before I was pregnant, and was reminded about it when I read Annahita's blog Forever 88. So I bit the bullet and bought the program, and it has been a life-saver. I started it at 4 weeks (although I probably would have started it at 2, had I remembered about it at that point), and within four days, Fiona was sleeping from 9:30 PM - 6:00 AM. Even the last week and a half, when Fiona went through a tough growth spurt, and we had some major napping issues, she continued to sleep through the night. Worth every cent. 

Feeding
* I was only able to breastfeed for five days before I was hospitalized with what my doctors believe to be a case of breastfeeding anaphylaxis. It was even more terrifying than it sounds. As soon as the shock and fear subside a bit I hope to write a post on this...especially since I strongly believe that it, along with postpartum hives, are not as rare as they are made out to be. Needless to say, Fiona is now a formula-fed, bottle champ. Most of these items reflect these needs. 

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Bibs- These bibs are amazing for little babes, especially bottle fed ones. They fit really well around their tiny necks and catch all of the dribbles. 

Original Cloth Diapers- At this point in a baby's life there is a lot of spit-up and milk dribbles. This is definitely one area where practicality outweighs cuteness. Don't waste your money on cute burp cloths. Just buy a bunch of these.  

Boon “Grass” Drying Rack- If I had the counter space, I would totally use the larger "lawn" option. I love using this as our bottle drying station, and hope to add some of the fun accessories to it soon. 

Playtex Ventaire Bottles with Dr. Brown’s Preemie Nipples- This is a great solution if you have a baby that is a super fast eater and can down 4 oz in 5 minutes if given the chance (which of course results in all sorts of gas and spit-up issues). It took some playing around, but I found this to be the best combination for slowing her down. I believe that Dr. Brown's is the only brand that makes preemie nipples. 

Oster Electric Kettle & and Extra Large Mug (or Large Pyrex Measuring Cup)- I'm a huge tea drinker and became obsessed with electric kettles after being in England and Ireland last year. I purchased this one last summer and love it, because it has a feature that allows you to keep the water hot for hours after it has boiled. Turns out it makes a pretty amazing bottle warmer too. I just use the boiled water to make the bottles, which I then refrigerate, and then use the feature that keeps the water hot. Then I just pour the water into my large VT mug to heat up the bottle when needed. Serves more than one purpose, and doesn't take up any additional space. Awesome. 

My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow- I used this when I was breastfeeding, and still use it now that I am bottle feeding. It helps distribute the baby's weight, which helps alleviate some back and neck pain. I like this over the boppy for c-section mommas, because it has an adjustable strap that helps keep everything off your incision.

Avent Soothie Pacifier- Fiona has a crazy suck (as evident by her feeding habits), and loves some good pacifier time. I believe the majority of hospitals provide this pacifier, so just have some as a back up incase your little one takes a liking to it. 

Entertainment/Transportation/Other 

Moby Wrap- Fiona loves to cuddle and be worn. The moby wrap was all the rage when I was putting together my baby registry. It serves the purpose, but honestly, I find it a pain to put on and wear...especially in the summer...because there is SO MUCH thick fabric. If I could do it over, I probably would have registered for the Baby K'tan, especially since they have a mesh version (although, it would be nice if this version was available in anything other than black (impractical for the summer) and white (impractical for a baby)). I have the ergo too, but haven't used it yet, as I didn't purchase the infant insert since it isn't ideal for summer babies. I can't wait to break it out in the fall though. 

Skip Hop Treetop Friends Activity Gym- I'm fairly certain that all activity gyms pretty much provide the same things. I chose this one because it wasn't obnoxious to look at, and I liked the way the rattles sounded (important things when you are using it 3 times a day). But seriously, I'm sure any activity gym will get the job done. p.s. this one wasn't out when I registered, but I think I like it even more. 

BABYBJORN BabySitter Balance- Our baby is more of a bouncer fan as opposed to a swing fan (which isn't that surprising since I worked on my feet up until I delivered). I got this on the recommendation of my old roommate Ashley and my blog friend Aliya. It is awesome, and grows really well with your baby. It is super light-weight and travels well, which makes me love it even more. 

Tiny Love Take-Along Arch- Once Fiona could focus a bit more, she obviously liked having fun things to look at. Because it is adjustable, I've been able to use it on our bouncer, carseat and sleeper. Plus it costs less than $20.00, which I think makes it extra-amazing.

Britax B-Agile Stroller with Britax B-Safe Car Seat & Diono Buggy Buddy- Lets be honest....I doubt that there is a perfect stroller, unless maybe you have a thousand dollars to spend on one. However, I love the Britax brand, and adore this travel system. I feel like it is the Apple brand of strollers with regards to the ease of use. The stroller is super light-weight, travels well, and has a one-handed fold (amazing!). It fits in our 2' wide (no lie) downstairs closet. The car seat has great ratings and fits right in. I feel like it just all works so well. I attached the diono buggy buddy, since it has better reviews than the britax attachment. Love that it holds my water bottle, along with another drink or bottle, and it has a zippered compartment to store your keys. 

DSLR Camera- We saved up before our little one arrived because we knew that having a kid = taking a gazillion pictures of said kid. Worthy investment. 


Amazon Prime- During the first few weeks of your baby's life, the free 2-day shipping will be a life-saver. Again, especially useful if you have a c-section. Once you have a baby, the savings definitely outweigh the membership costs. 


Hope this helps!