10 Favorites after 10 Weeks

I started writing this post about a week ago, so even though Carter will be 11 weeks tomorrow, here you go :-) WARNING: There are some details about life as a mommy in this post...

There are so many amazing products out there now for new mommies and babies! We are 10 weeks into the adventure we call parenting, so I thought it would be fun for me to write about...

My Top 10(+) Favorite Products:

10. Nursing Cover Clips - $12:

Rather than paying $40-70 for the leading brand of nursing cover, there are these awesome clips that cost about $5-15! They make any blanket into a nursing cover, turn a burp cloth into a bib, clip things onto your diaper bag/stroller, and more! They are super useful not expensive!

9. The First Years Infant to Toddler Tub (with Sling) - $19:

This tub was a life saver. I actually started out with a collapsable travel tub, but after Carter's first bath experience, I went out and bought this tub. I became painfully aware of how important the sling is during the whole bathing experience!!! He slid around my old tub like it was a slip-n-slide! The sling keeps baby in place and drains the water out of the bottom. Now bath time is fun for both of us!!! Once he can hold his head up a little better, we'll loose the sling. I'll let you know how that goes. TIP: I have found that Carter gets a little cold during his bath, so after I wash his tummy (first), I keep a warm wet washcloth on it. This helps him stay a little warmer during the rest of the bath!!!

8. Cudoozle Nursing Pillow - $58:

This is like a boppy nursing pillow, but BETTER! I had actually never heard of these, and my sisters found them at a Baby Boutique in Auburn. I have become a fan though! Some of the highlights of this pillow are: it will not loose it's shape as fast as a regular nursing pillow because it is made of memory foam, it has pockets for things like lanolin/timers/nail clippers/etc., it comes with a wedge pillow that can be used by itself or in combination with the rounded pillow, and (last but not least) it is waterproof (underneath the cover)!!! The one downside is that there is not as wide a selection of replacement covers, but the patterns they do have are cute! (Replacement covers are $18)

7. Graco Pac n' Play Playard - $130:

We have a 2 story house, and this has been a life-saver. I have it set up as our downstairs changing station. When you are changing 10-15 diapers a day, you don't necessarily want to walk upstairs every time you need to change a diaper (although I'd probably weigh less if I did!). We love this playard for several reasons. I love the changer/storage, Carter loves the mobile (which - by the way - does not move on it's own), and we both love the nightlight/noise maker!

6. Sensible Lines Milk Trays - $16:

For all you mommies out there who pump and freeze - these are amazing!!! I was using milk storage bags to save milk until I found myself wasting precious ounces. You see, if you freeze milk in multiple ounces, you have to thaw it/use it in those same portions. I was freezing my milk in 4 oz. portions at first. Then Carter started needing 5-6 oz., and I found myself throwing away 2-3 oz. after feedings - SOOOO not cool :-) These trays enable you to freeze milk in 1 oz. portions, so you can use only what you need! You freeze the milk in these trays and transfer the "gold bricks" to a freezer-safe ziplock! No more buying expensive milk storage bags - yay!!!

5. Angel Care Movement Monitor - $140:

I would shout it from the rooftops - I LOVE THIS MONITOR!!!! It is not a video monitor, but it's BETTER! I don't really mind not being able to "see" my baby because by using this monitor, I know:

- That he is breathing!!!

- That his room is a good temperature.

- That he's not upset/needing me.

Yep, you read that correctly! This monitor can detect so slight a motion that it knows when baby is breathing (or -more importantly- not breathing!), it senses the temperature of the nursery, and it has a sound detector! An alarm sounds if the baby is too still (too deep a sleep or not breathing), if the room is too cold, if the room is too hot, or if it goes out of range. One other thing I love about the monitor is that the sound feature turns off when there is no noise present, so that I don't have to hear the constant static noise! It only makes sound when baby makes sound. Peace of mind...ahhhhhh...Genius!!!!!

4. Medela Pump N Style - $275:

I cannot speak for other breast pumps, but this pump is the BOMB.com (as my friend Bethanie would say:-) I have an incredible milk supply right now (Praise the Lord!), but with this pump, I am able to pump about 11 oz. in about 10 minutes! That's (basically) 2 bottles (for us) in just 10 minutes! This has made getting out of the house so much more convenient and comfortable! I don't mind nursing in public (with a cover), but it's not my favorite either!

3. Little Lamb Infant Seat & Swing - $50 / $125:

These products are both really great! They are soooooooooooooo soft, snug, and cuddly!

The seat goes all over my house. It's been in my bathroom while I'm getting ready, by our table while we are eating dinner, out on the porch while we are visiting, in the living room - where there is a GREAT view of the ever-enthralling CEILING FAN! :-) It's pretty much a second set of arms! It also vibrates and plays soothing music for the fussy times!

The swing is also great! It will swing side-to-side or front-and-back. It's got a separately controlled rotating mobile overhead, so sometimes I set him in the swing while it's still and just turn on the mobile! The music/nature sounds are very soothing as well. I find that baby product music has greatly improved since my sister was a baby. They are nice for even adults to listen to now :-)

2. Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Tanks - $17:

These are sold at Target and pretty much what I have lived in for the past 11 weeks! They have a built-in nursing bra and are so very comfy!! I sleep in them and wear them around the house, but I can even put on a little cardigan over them and go out! I'm going to be wearing them under sweatshirts this winter too!

1. Lanolin & Lilly Pads $10 / $25:

First of all, I would recommend that if you are planning to nurse you get some Lanolin Nursing Cream and use it (very liberally)after EVERY SINGLE FEED!!! I used the Lasinoh brand and loved it! Tip: It WILL stain clothing (so be careful) because it's pretty much straight up grease!

Last, but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, a friend told me about the one-and-only Lilly Pad Nursing Pads. They are my TOP #1 FAVORITE!!!! I was paying about $10 per month on disposable nursing pads until I found these. I had tried washable nursing pads, but they leaked - badly! These Lilly Pads are reusable, and they use pressure to actually prevent you from "leaking" rather than simply absorbing the leak like a big "boob diaper." I love them. Oh, and you can swim in them and (most importantly) go braless!!!!!! Let's face it ladies, nobody wants to wear a bra 24/7! I had worn a bra for 2 months straight when I found these....that was a happy day :-)

I also wrote a blog about the Belly Bandit which you can read HERE. It's another wonderful product!!!

10 Things I hardly Used OR Wished I had More of:

10. Sleep Positioner - We only used this for 2 weeks. It is nice to have, but not a must.

9. Boudreaux's Butt Paste - I have not used this very much - it's not "thick enough." Desitin Night Formula works better for us.

8. Fold-up Bath Tub - This bath tub was like a giant slip-n-slide for a newborn! (We now use the sling from our other bath tub in this one when we travel, and that works well, but not well enough for me to recommend buying 2 bathtubs....)

7. Clothes - I didn't need about half of the clothes I bought for him (even though they are super adorable and I got them consignment). He's growing out of things he's never worn!!!

6. Swaddler PJs - It's crazy, but he escaped!!! I went into his room and the velcro was secure around his body, and his arms were straight up by his ears! Hilarious.

5. Nursing cover - I borrowed one, and I'm glad I did. We just could not get the hang of nursing with a cover. He hates it, I hate it...it did not work for us. We've pretty much moved on to bottles when we are outside the home now, but I have the clip (mentioned above) for emergencies.

4. Washable Nursing Pads - Don't bother, they leak! Go for the lilly pads!!!!

3. Washcloths/Burp Cloths - I wish I had half of the washcloths I have and twice as many burp cloths - we go through so many of them everyday!!!!

2. Nursing Tanks/Tops - As far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many! From the milk spills, spit ups, bathroom "accidents," etc... you'll use what you've got!!!

1. Medela Pump Bottles - I only have 1 set, so I have to be very diligent about washing them right after I use them, so they are available when needed! I wish I had more!

I hope these lists were helpful to some of you, and for the rest, I hope they were entertaining :-)