[KCMomma]

I remember towards the end of my pregnancy I loved hearing from new mommies and what they have learned so I'm trying to keep a log of little tid bits I've learned so far so here is my list. I hope I can help someone. Any other new mommies feel free to shed some light too!!


Things I've learned:


Get a miracle blanket – When I first saw this online before Paige got here, I thought it was horrible. I thought it looked like you were putting your baby in a straight jacket or something. But now that she's here and I see that it really calms her down – we ordered one right away. I'm telling it it's a life saver! Looks mean, but they love it!!!


Steal the hospital receiving blankets – they say you can take whatever you want but don't take the blankets...blah blah blah...I definitely recommend stealing a few of these blankets. They are soooo much bigger than just receiving blankets. The regular size receiving blankets DO NOT let you give a good swaddle. Also I was at Target and saw they have blankets actually called swaddling blankets that were a lot larger so this would probably be good too!


Pampers Swaddlers – I definitely recommend these diapers. We tried Huggies and some other brand and found that Pampers Swaddlers are the softest and keep everything in the best!!


Latch assist by Laninosoh (or however you spell it) – if you are breastfeeding and have problems with an inverted nipple I definitely suggest getting this. You use it just before you feed and it helps pull the nipple out for feeding. It has helped me a ton and saved a lot of frustration and heartache!!!


Medela breast pads – I think they are called Hyrdogel pads or something like that. They are for your sore nipples because believe you me, they will be sore!!! They sooth your nipples like no other. They are expensive though. They are like $13-14 for just 4 pads. But I suggest cutting them up to just put on your nipple and that will get you much more use out of them. Also, they say you can use them for 24 hours, but I tried using them until they would no longer stick. These are a lifesaver!


Newborn clothes – We didn't have that many newborn clothes and she can't fit into anything yet. She was born at 7lbs so I believe that to be average and still wouldn't fit into anything!! She pretty much only fits into newborn onesies!!! Oh and buy some t-shirt in newborn size for them to sleep in. It will save a lot of time in the middle of the night changings!!!


Happiest baby on the block video/book – I read this book because it was highly recommended. I really liked the book, however in the hospital the nurse suggested I watch a video they provided that actually demonstrated all the techniques the doctor explained and it helped tremendously!!! It was really nice to see the techniques being done in real life. Some people think the doc is a loon, but I tell you what, we have used almost all the techniques and they WORK!!! Even the shushing in the ear...weird, but it works!!!


Aveeno diaper rash cream – by the time we brought Paige home she already had a bright red booty. Ped said it was because of all the dirty diapers she was having and that it was normal. The lactation nurse suggested this cream and within like 1 day, her little red butt went away! This stuff rocks!! It's a little expensive, like $6 per bottle, so use it sparingly but it's definitely worth it!


Sleep bras from Motherhood Maternity – these things are sooooo comfortable!!! I have 2 but wish I had more. I wore them in the 3rd trimester when my bb's started hurting again and now that I'm Bfing they are so comfy and easy to just pull down for feedings!!!

[ChristinaR]

Wow thanks Gwen!!! I was really debating on the miracle blanket because like you said they look like straight jackets. I guess it would make sense though because they are so used to being in the womb. Thanks for the tips, that's going to help alot with some decisions I was going back and forth on.

[Lyz]

thanks Gwen...these were/are really helpful feel free to add more when you get some!!

[Christine-MA]

Thanks for sharing!

[NortheastWifey]

I agree with everything you said - although I haven't tried the miracle blanket yet. But we took one of the hospital blankets, too. Hehe! They work great. I'll add some more to this when I have a minute.

[Etph007]

Thanks Gwen! This is really helpful!!! We should make a sticky for this!!! That way we can look back later

[Ash]

Hehe, I am not even pregnant and I found that helpful! TFS!

[courtneytcu98]

Hmm. This is a great post. I'll try to add my two cents:
1. Miracle Blanket
2. Lactation Consultation-- I set this up privately after Elliott was 6 weeks old and my insurance paid for it. Priceless if you are BF'ing and have any issues.
3. Nursing tanks--excellent for sleeping and puttering around the house
4. White Noise Machine--This should be #1 on the list. Elliott will not sleep without it! Turn it off and his eyes pop open.
5. VACUUM CLEANER--When Elliott would NOT sleep and we knew he was tired, this was magic. As a matter of fact, we just left it standing in the corner of his room. It was amazing.
6. A good nursing pillow NOT a Boppy (although it's good for sitting on). I have a Hugster and it made all the difference for my aching arms and shoulders. Seriously. Don't blow this one off.

There are so many other things that I liked, but these were the essentials of making it through the day/night.

[Etph007]

Which nursing pillows are the best?

[Lo_and_Behold]

I have the Miracle Blanket & never used it. Allie hated her's, but I think she's in the minority.

After trying Huggies, Luvs, 7th Generation, & Pampers Baby Dry, I will only use the Swaddlers. It just stinks that she's in size 2 now & they only go up to size 2-3 & those aren't as easy to find. So once she outgrows those, I'll have to switch. But the Pampers are THE best in my opinion. We've only had one leak & that was due to a "user error" (aka Daddy put it on wrong) & they are so super soft. I loooove them plus that's what they used in the hospital so I felt confident using these from the get-go. I only tried one or two of each of the other diapers just to see but why mess with perfection?

Definitely agree w/the newborn clothes. Allie didn't outgrow her's till about 5-6 wks & she was 7.7lbs at birth. Glad we got a lot as gifts because the only NB outfit I bought was a coming home outfit & that was just as a back up lol!

We also have the Aveeno diaper rash cream on standby but when she was in the nursery, the nurses said to put Vaseline on the diaper. It helps keep her booty lubricated. We used to do it with every diaper, but now I just do it after each poopy diaper. But I highly recommend doing it.

[LisaD]

I'll add my two cents as well!

Since the bf'ing didn't go well for me I had no need for a lot of the things that I had bought. (breast pads, storage bags, etc. etc) I suggest maybe making sure that it is going to work for you before you spend a ton of money on supplies like that.

Boppy. We bought the My Breast Friend pillow, and again since the BF didn't work for us that basically sits in the closet collecting dust. I did however go buy a Boppy because we can prop Nathan up in it after he eats and it helps his reflux. It's also great for tummy time, so this is a multi-use type item! Yay for the Boppy!

Newborn/Preemie clothes. I can't stress this enough. Of course Nathan was 3 weeks early and he was too big for even the Preemie clothes at first, but we didn't have anything. We had to go buy a ton of things to get him through these first couple months.

Carters stretchy neck onesies/t-shirts. He hates it when we dress him, but the stretchy neck onesies are so fantastic. They make life much easier. (not the ones with snaps, buttons, etc. at the neck)

Bouncer..... BEST ITEM EVER! This has saved my life. I am able to put him in it, turn on the vibration and carry it around the house with me. I can use the bathroom, make lunch, get bottles ready, etc. without leaving him alone. Plus he just loves it! We also pack it to my parents house when we go over there to visit.

Blankets. We go through a ton of blankets. We didn't have nearly enough so we had to buy a bunch. They have great swaddle blankets at Nordstrom, they are huge. They also carry them at our hospital. They are by Swaddle Me Designs or something like that, but they really are great!

Ok that's it for now, I'm off to my 6 week check up!

[KCMomma]

Courtney - I actually went and bought a nursing tank from Target today so I'll let ya know how that goes, but I definitely think I'm gonna LOVE it.

Melissa - I didn't know that Pampers Swaddlers only went to size 2-3. That stinks. Well, you will have to let me know what you switch to.

[Lo_and_Behold]

Gwen, yes after that you'd either have to switch to the cruisers or baby dry. I don't like the baby dry so I guess I'll try the cruisers. I think I just got spoiled by the super soft Swaddlers though. I'm sure whatever I use will seem yucky next to those!

[Lauren S]

Great advice, girls! Keep it coming!

[BabyBird]

Great post!!! I have a few swaddle blankets (not the miracle blanket though) and plenty of NB size onesies and things. I have the sleep bra (love it!!) and I just bought The Happiest Baby on the Block!! I just started reading it though but I am sure it will be helpful!! I also have decided on Pampers Swaddlers and I am glad to hear such good reviews!

[polarbearmama]

This is really wonderful advice since I just started my registry and will be starting to collect a few items...

Keep it coming girls!

[LuvMyToriBug]

Originally Posted by LisaD

I'll add my two cents as well!

Since the bf'ing didn't go well for me I had no need for a lot of the things that I had bought. (breast pads, storage bags, etc. etc) I suggest maybe making sure that it is going to work for you before you spend a ton of money on supplies like that.

Boppy. We bought the My Breast Friend pillow, and again since the BF didn't work for us that basically sits in the closet collecting dust. I did however go buy a Boppy because we can prop Nathan up in it after he eats and it helps his reflux. It's also great for tummy time, so this is a multi-use type item! Yay for the Boppy!

Newborn/Preemie clothes. I can't stress this enough. Of course Nathan was 3 weeks early and he was too big for even the Preemie clothes at first, but we didn't have anything. We had to go buy a ton of things to get him through these first couple months.

Carters stretchy neck onesies/t-shirts. He hates it when we dress him, but the stretchy neck onesies are so fantastic. They make life much easier. (not the ones with snaps, buttons, etc. at the neck)

Bouncer..... BEST ITEM EVER! This has saved my life. I am able to put him in it, turn on the vibration and carry it around the house with me. I can use the bathroom, make lunch, get bottles ready, etc. without leaving him alone. Plus he just loves it! We also pack it to my parents house when we go over there to visit.

Blankets. We go through a ton of blankets. We didn't have nearly enough so we had to buy a bunch. They have great swaddle blankets at Nordstrom, they are huge. They also carry them at our hospital. They are by Swaddle Me Designs or something like that, but they really are great!

Ok that's it for now, I'm off to my 6 week check up!

From my experience, I ditto Lisa on all of the bolded comments!!

Originally Posted by GMerino

Pampers Swaddlers – I definitely recommend these diapers. We tried Huggies and some other brand and found that Pampers Swaddlers are the softest and keep everything in the best!!

Newborn clothes – We didn't have that many newborn clothes and she can't fit into anything yet. She was born at 7lbs so I believe that to be average and still wouldn't fit into anything!! She pretty much only fits into newborn onesies!!! Oh and buy some t-shirt in newborn size for them to sleep in. It will save a lot of time in the middle of the night changings!!!

Aveeno diaper rash cream – by the time we brought Paige home she already had a bright red booty. Ped said it was because of all the dirty diapers she was having and that it was normal. The lactation nurse suggested this cream and within like 1 day, her little red butt went away! This stuff rocks!! It's a little expensive, like $6 per bottle, so use it sparingly but it's definitely worth it!

I definitely agree with Gwen regarding the Pampers swaddlers, I also ditto again regarding the newvorn clothes.

As far as the diaper rash cream, there are probably several kinds that work....I use Desitin mostly and it does just fine.

[Elijah'sMommy]

Originally Posted by Etph007

Thanks Gwen! This is really helpful!!! We should make a sticky for this!!! That way we can look back later

These suggestions are all great! Thank you all for sharing your wisdom

[LuvMyToriBug]

Originally Posted by Lo_and_Behold

I have the Miracle Blanket & never used it. Allie hated her's, but I think she's in the minority.

Ditto Melissa on this. I did not swaddle Tori at all.

[stlgirl]

wow, thanx for the great info, ladies!!!