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There is no greater transition that I have experienced in my life than adjusting to being a parent. Up until that point we were just ambling along taking things in stride. Then all of a sudden it is a tires screeching, whiplash kind of experience. We were no longer the bosses of our lives. Our boss was screaming for reasons we couldn’t interpret.
We have rounded the corner and are (currently) settled into a routine. From all points on the spectrum, between joy and frustration, parenthood cannot be described in any way that you will understand until you experience it first hand. But, there were things that I cannot help but recommend to make the transition into parenthood a little easier. Many of these items were gifts, and some weren’t even on my radar. Thanks to everyone who gifted or allowed us to borrow these things, they were life changing!
- Baby Bjorn – Our daughter spent SO much time in this as a fresh baby (and still does). She did not like to nap anywhere other than touching another human. This was a life saver, allowing us to move around, and calm her down, without carrying her every second. It was so important, in fact, that I had to run it back home on a girls night out trip one evening because the Baby Bjorn was in my car. Thankfully I hadn’t gotten out of the neighborhood yet.
- Desitin Max – All other diaper rash creams looked at our baby’s diaper rash and laughed. Her poor little bum. At the recommendation of our Pediatrician, we tried Desitin Max and her diaper rash disappeared almost overnight. It was like magic. Don’t buy the creams with the pretty, fluffy packages. Just don’t.
- Baby Bum Brush – I saw this prior to having a baby and laughed. I mean, really, did people buy this silly spatula to put diaper rash cream on their kid’s butt? Then I had a baby, and I bought two. Seriously, this thing is amazing, no wiping cream off of your hands while the baby lies screaming on the changing table. Plus, baby butts are gross, even when you have just wiped them down. Who’s laughing now?
- Rainforest Friends – I bought this set of toys on a fluke one day – it looked super cute. It has some fun little toys in it, but the Monkey rattle was critical – CRITICAL – to our existence for at least 3 months. A lightweight rattle, easy for baby to grasp, a wonderful distractor for mom and dad to use with baby. The Monkey was so important, in fact, that we bought a second set just so we would have two rattles. Now that she is getting a little older, the lion and elephant toys are getting a lot of mileage, too.
- Boppy Pillow – We were gifted a Boppy and a couple spare covers. It came to the hospital and immediately got a ton of mileage for feedings and to prop up our daughter. Then, there was the fateful day when she had a blowout… all over our beloved Boppy. It took one load of laundry for us to realize that a backup Boppy was going to be necessary. Trust me, get two right from the beginning.
- Dr. Brown’s Bottles – I read somewhere that you should register one of a bunch of different bottles, which I did, because you never know which one your baby will take to. Dr. Brown’s are the only brand that worked for us. It has an aerating tube which helps to reduce the amount of air baby swallows, reducing gas. The flow was much slower than others we tried as well, which was great, particularly when she was small. Buy the 8 ounce bottles – you will thank yourself later when your tiny human starts regularly drinking more than 4 ounces of milk or formula.
- So Many Changing Pad Covers – Refer to the Boppy experience. We started with two changing pad covers. Apparently, newborns poop a lot. A LOT. We couldn’t wash our changing pad covers fast enough and ended up buying two more within a couple of weeks. There are thousands of cute options out there… just buy a bunch!
- Fisher Price Giggles n Growls Monster – There really aren’t a ton of toys that very little ones can truly interact with on their own. We loved this Purple Monster because our baby was able to hit it very lightly and it would giggle at her, which caused her to smile, which caused us to smile (and me to cry).
- Ju Ju Be Backpack Diaper Bag – I found this diaper bag when I saw it on another mom out in public – I was that creep who asked her about it and she could not stop gushing about it. The front of the bag folds all the way down for easy access and ability to see everything in the bag, it has multiple pockets for anything and everything you can imagine. Most importantly, it is bomb proof. We are eight months in, and our bag looks brand new. The backpack style is great for when you are traveling with baby alone so you don’t have to balance a diaper bag and car seat.
- Sound Machine – The friend who gave this to us called it the “Baby Crack Machine”. I agree with this assessment. It comes with multiple calming sounds like ocean, heartbeat and rain as well as a ceiling projector with scenes like ocean creatures and farm animals. We still use this every night and nap time – now it cues her that it is time for sleep. Works like a charm.
- An Assortment of Books – We read so many books. You already know how important reading to your child is, you don’t need my lecture. But, while baby just wants to hear your voice and look at bright pictures, you are going to get tired of reading the same books over and over. We love Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I Wish You More, Llama Llama Red Pajama and Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth.
You may have different experiences with your must-have items – these were the most critical to us. If you are expecting a little one, or know someone who is, I hope these ideas help!
Baby crack machine—for real lol
Point, Shannon!