The Daily Balance

Recall the list of my favorite pregnancy things? Well, now I’m a first-time mom and I have a new list to share — my favorite first-parent things. The Mister and I talked long and hard about this list and have decided to share our thoughts. We are not endorsed by any of these products, we simply want to spread the knowledge — we’re cool like that. But lots of time and research went into creating our shower registry and there were things we really haven’t used much, and others we wish we would have added to the list. So, with that, I give you the top things I cannot imagine living without as a mother — along with some commentary on what we thought we needed and never use.

1.) Stroller – The BOB Revolution

I cannot say enough about this stroller. Perfect for the on-the-go mom, this stroller is EFFORTLESS. With shock absorbers, it’s perfect for a bumpy ride on a trail, but still fits the need for indoor strolls at the mall, etc. It folds down for easy storage and literally snaps back open with only TWO movements. BOB is cool enough to make a car seat adapter, which fits most infant car seats, so Beanie goes from car to stroller in one swift movement.

2.) Activity Gym / Playmat –  Tiny Love Super Deluxe Lights and Music Gymini Activity Gym

This mat makes my Bean so incredibly happy and it has been the place where we’ve seen some of his first smiles and laughs. We use this every single day for a few hours. If Bean’s happy, I’m happy

3.) Baby Monitor – Philips AVENT Baby Monitor with Temperature and Humidity Sensors

The Mister did the majority of the research on monitors and this is the one he selected. Note: I do not use the term “research” lightly. If he picked this one out, it means that it truly is the best for the money — I promise.

We decided not to go the video-monitor route because if Bean is crying, chances are a video won’t suffice – we’d get up to check on him regardless. (I can’t see how just watching my crying baby would be helpful or effective in any way). That said, we couldn’t see the point of paying more for video. I know some parents like the peace of mind that they can see their sleeping and breathing, but I think this presents more challenges. It’s hard enough to see Bean breathing when I’m up-close-and personal, so I doubt I’d be able to tell on the video screen. Knowing me, I’d be up even more than I am now just to make sure he was breathing, since I know I wouldn’t be able to tell on the monitor – and of course I’d assume the worst (comes with being parent).

We don’t really use the humidity monitor for much, but the temperature sensor comes in way more handy than we would have ever imagined (including alarms you can set at a high & low temperature that you set) – and regardless of the monitor volume, there are 5 lights that pulse brighter based on how loud the baby is crying.

4.) Breast Pump – Medela Pump in Style Advanced

Bean literally couldn’t live without it. It’s worth the extra money. I promise. This pump is hardcore and bottom line, gets the job done. Per your popular request, I have a post in the works with regards to breastfeeding/pumping at work – it’ll be up later this week.

5.) Car seat mirror

The #1 thing I never knew I needed and something I could never, ever live without! This lets us know how our little man is doing in his carseat at all times.

6.) Fisher Price Space Saver Swing

The stupidest thing I ever told myself was that I didn’t need this.

Other products I love:

Philips Avent bottle set and sterilizer, Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat/Carrier, Aden + Anais muslin swaddles and sleepsacks, infant gowns

Things I wish I knew…

The Mister and I both wish we bought a simpler Pack + Play. We never used the newborn napper or the changing station. We would have been better off getting a standard Pack n’ Play with a bassinet insert.

DO NOT BUY NEWBORN CLOTHES. Everyone told me this and, of course, I bought (newborn) baby clothes. There we a few outfits the Mister and I just HAD to have. Stupid.

EVERYONE buys your little one clothes. And trust me when I tell you not to spend your money on Newborn clothes. They grow out of them so quickly and you rarely leave the house the first few weeks anyway. If anything, buy a few packs of white onesies, because no one will buy you those (they all go for the cute stuff) and I assure you they’ll go through 3-4 per day between spitting up and sharting all over the place (when it’s not all over you )

If you MUST, buy some cute 3 month clothes. But seriously, you have better things to spend your money on – like diapers.

9 Responses to “Man, this kid needs a lot of stuff”

1. Brittany (A Healthy Slice of Life) said:

   LOVE this post! I’ve been trying to shift through what we’ll need and what we won’t. I agree, no clothes. We’re not buying any. Or blankets. We actually are only registered for essentials, so hopefully people will buy us those

   Thanks for the info!

   Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:05 am | Reply
2. kimi said:

   I disagree about the monitor. We have a sound and also video. It was nice when he was an infant to be able to watch the video rather than popping in to check on him and risk waking him up. After our little one was 6 months or so the video became super helpful in knowing when he is ‘up’ or when he is just moving around getting comfy. There are many times I would have went in to check on him w/o the video monitor and would have only roused him more.

   Great list though, I agree with many of them. The other things that we couldn’t have done without was our boppy, a good swaddle blanket and now sleep sacks.

   Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:31 am | Reply
   • thedailybalance said:

     good point, I could definitely see what you are saying as they get older. And we cannot get enough sleep sacks!!!

     Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:58 am | Reply
3. Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me said:

   Phew babies need a ton of stuff! I’m still a ways away from kids. About 6-7 years!

   Posted on May 16, 2011 at 11:44 am | Reply
4. RhodeyGirl said:

   Do you think I should get white long sleeve onesies or short sleeve ones? baby is due in September. Also, those gowns with the elastic bottom- do you wear those only for sleepytime or also during awake time in the first few weeks?

   Posted on May 16, 2011 at 2:40 pm | Reply
   • thedailybalance said:

     We got both and used both but if you only got one, I’d get long-sleeved with the little cuffs that go over the hands — you’d be amazed at how often they scratch up their face and eyes with their minimal hand/arm control! We mostly had Sawyer in onsies and sleepers during awake time, but occasionally kept him in his gown — SO easy for changing diapers. As long as the little one is comfy, it really doesn’t matter what they are wearing those first few weeks — so go with whatever is easier for you with regard to diaper changes, etc.

     Posted on May 16, 2011 at 2:51 pm | Reply
5. Katie @ Up Fit Creek said:

   Great list! I completely agree about a simpler pack ‘n’ play doing the trick. We went all out and got the same one I think you have. We did actually use the changing station frequently, but not really enough to justify the extra expense.

   Everyone told me we’d get loads of clothes. We didn’t find out the sex of our baby and it turns out people don’t enjoy shopping for neutral clothes as much. We ended up getting more gear than clothing before the baby arrived. We were so grateful for the things we did get, but I was glad I had caved and bought a few NB outfits for myself.

   Posted on May 17, 2011 at 8:49 am | Reply
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