A Few Things You Never Thought You'd Need

So I've got a little over 5 weeks' worth of experience with this little stinker, and while I'm by no means a baby expert, I've learned a few things about baby life. Obviously, babies need a plethora of baby-specific items. Our house and car has been taken over by baby things. But in the last few weeks, I've found myself saying, "thank goodness I have this" about things I would never have considered a necessity. So, for anyone who might be coming down the baby train soon, here's a list of things that you may or may not have ever thought that you'd need when bringing home a baby.

(let it be known ahead of time that I am not getting any sort of compensation for any of the items pictured below. I just like them. Over & out.)

1. Upholstery Cleaner

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Mustard-yellow baby poop stains are worse than mustard itself. And spit up is mostly curdled milk (gross). Unless you're planning on covering your furniture in plastic, trying to avoid getting these delightful things on your furniture is futile. So invest in some good, easy to use upholstery cleaner.

And maybe some dark furniture.

2. Spray N Wash

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This kind of goes hand in hand with #1, because chances are very likely that when you get poop on the couch or spit up on the rug, there's also poop and/or spit up on your clothes and your baby's clothes. Isaac is particularly good at aiming his spit ups to land in my lap, which always soak through both my pants and underwear. Let me assure you, there's nothing like curdled milk soaked underwear at 3am. To make life easier, I hook this on the side of Isaac's dirty clothes basket, so I can spritz & toss.

3. Towels

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Again, these are for mopping up bodily fluids. Apparently there are babies who exist that rarely or never spit up, but in our case, burp cloths aren't nearly large enough for Isaac's puking, so he is often wrapped in or closely followed by a bath towel. Although, the spit ups usually somehow miss the towels altogether and get all over the couch. In this case, see suggestion #1.

4. Gel Soothies

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I wasn't made aware of the necessity of these beauties until I was in the hospital delivering. Obviously, this will only apply to those mamas who are breastfeeding. It takes a few weeks for breastfeeding to get a little less uncomfortable. Until that point, your nipples take a major beating multiple times per day. Keep these in the refrigerator and pop them on after nursing- the cold gel is unbelievably soothing to bruised & battered nipples. My suggestion is to put some lanolin on prior to the pads, so that they come off as easily as they go on. It's also a good idea to take them off prior to your next feeding, unless you want a milk-logged gel pad.

5. Reusable waterproof pads

Chances are good that you won't change every single diaper at the changing table. We have kept Isaac in a pack & play in our room since we got home from the hospital and set up a little diaper changing area nearby. This way we aren't crossing the house at 3am to change a poopy diaper. To prevent making a mess on the carpet or bed, we keep a washable waterproof pad underneath little buddy. Then, if it gets poo or pee or spit up on, it just goes in the washing machine and it's good as new! It doesn't have to be fancy, mine is just a large piece of heavy felt-like fabric.

6. An EXTRA set of pump parts

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This just simply saves you from having to wash all of your pump parts for every pumping session. I have been blessed with an overabundance of milk, which seems like a curse when I have to pump frequently and wash the parts every single time.

7. Baby 411

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Even though this momma is a nurse, that doesn't mean I know all the ins & outs about normal newborn and infant care. Heck, my job only goes as far as getting the baby out. After that, all bets are off. Even knowing that I'm no expert in babies, when my pediatrician suggested at our first appointment that we get this book, I kind of thought the plug was ridiculous. I didn't need no stinking books! Aaaaaand within the next 24 hours, I was searching for a good deal on Amazon for Baby 411. I think I practically read it cover to cover within the first few days. It's incredibly easy to read and covers any topic you might be concerned about, which is just about everything in those first few weeks as a new mom. There's tons and tons and TONS of information circulating around out there on the interwebs, and having something in my hand that I know my pediatrician supports gives me comfort.

8. Bath Luve

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I hadn't even heard of this nifty little item, but one of my coworkers gifted me with one on the day Isaac was born. It certainly isn't a necessity, but it does make bath time easy and enjoyable. It goes in the bath water to get nice & warm and then drapes over baby, keeping him nice & warm during bath time. It also keeps little boy parts covered, preventing warm water-induced peepee geysers. Little buddy loves bath time and his little ducky. Sure, this could easily be accomplished with a washcloth (like I said, this isn't a necessity), but its large size covers much more surface area... and it's cute!


Other moms- what are some of your unconventional must-haves for life with baby?