10 baby items that have saved my sanity

I have always been told that you are given the easy baby first so that people don't talk themselves out of having more. So I was pretty worried that number 2 would be more difficult, and in a way he is. Not in a negative sense whatsoever, it's not so much difficult as it is different. It really is interesting to see how different babies are from one to the next. For instance, Casen used to be perfectly fine when left alone, and he wasn't a huge fan of being swaddled. He didn't do a whole lot of crying and when he did it was pretty easy to get him to stop. Since he wasn't terribly needy, we didn't wear him all that much, just a couple times when we went out. Nursing was hard on the both of us, as I was highly sensitive in that general area and I was back at work the day after I got out of the hospital, so I didn't stick with it quite as long as I had wanted to and gave up sooner than I should have. I will be the first to admit that the necessities from one baby to the next can vary pretty significantly, and it goes hand in hand with how much experience you have in the matter. Obviously with Casen we had had zero experience. Anders, on the other hand, LOVES to be swaddled and held and carried and worn and nursed all of the time and a lot of the things on this list would not have been on my list had I made one when Casen was his age.

Here are 10 things that I absolutely could not live without this time around.

1// Baby Wraps and carriers. I seriously don't know how I would get anything done if it weren't for my sleepy wrap. And I mean that in all honesty. I do the laundry, I vacuum, I play with Casen, I make dinner, I shop, and do pretty much anything else you can think of all while wearing Anders in this thing. It's awesome, too, because he can nurse while he's all snug in his little pouch. :) Plus I love the closeness it brings. There's nothing like a baby sleeping on your chest. It's the sweetest thing. We also just bought a Snugli so that Fico can wear Anders as well. I think the wrap scares him. :P

2// cloth diapers.  Obviously everyone isn't going to use cloth diapers and obviously there is nothing wrong with that, but I personally prefer them. I did not use cloth diapers with Casen (although I considered it many times before he was born) because I thought that it would be too much for me to handle. Boy was I wrong. It really isn't much more work than using disposables, although it does require you to run an extra load of laundry every couple days. It is more expensive up front, but it truly is cheaper in the long run, and it saves on so much unnecessary waste. They are cuter, softer, drier, gentler, cleaner, healthier, greener, etcetera, etcetera. I know that they don't appeal to everyone the way the do to me, but I still think that everyone should try them out. There are so many different ways to cloth diaper and Jillian's Drawers is a great website that allows you to figure out which way is best for you for just $10. You get 6 styles to try for 21 days to help decide which style works best for you and your baby, if cloth diapering is going to be your thing at all. They have a newborn trial and a normal trial. Check them out here. We decided to go with bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers. (You can choose from tons of colors and buy them here.) They grow with baby all the way from 8-35+ lbs. So you can truly buy all of your diapers up front and never have to buy more until baby is potty trained, which is statistically sooner for cloth diapered babies. (We were also gifted a couple gdiapers which we like, too. I like that they have the option to use either reusable cloth inserts or biodegradable disposable inserts.) There are still times that we use disposables like when Anders is with a babysitter or all of our diapers are in the wash. I keep disposables in the diaper bag, too, whenever we leave the house just for convenience. 

3// swaddle blankets. Like I said before, Casen wasn't big on being swaddled, but Anders is. With Casen, we just used the blankets that we stole from the hospital, but those are super easy for babies to bust and kick out of, so this time around we are using muslin swaddle blankets, and I love them!!! They are awesome. They keep him swaddled pretty much until we unwrap him. We use them as burp rags, too, since this little one does a whole lot more than "spitting" when he spits up. It's more like barfing up everything he just ate... But that's another story. We use this brand and this one. I love them both equally. I also use them as an extra layer to lay on at night to remove if the bed gets wet or dirty, or as a nursing cover while we're out. 

4// Breast pump and booby shaped bottles. If you are breastfeeding, this is an obvious necessity. I was fortunate enough to have a good friend give me her breast pump and I don't know what I would do without it. The electric ones are quite pricy but it's cheaper than you would end up spending on formula if you chose to go that route. My pump is a lifesaver. Anders has not taken well to normal bottles and nipples, so I had to do some research to find what bottles were best for breastfed babies and this is what I found. They are meant to mimic a natural breast. He took to them as easily as he takes to me and they really do reduce spit up and gas when he drinks from them. I really can tell a difference. 

5// Cloth nursing pads  I used disposable nursing pads during the few months that I breastfed Casen and that felt just as wasteful as throwing out disposable diapers. So this time I use these cloth nursing pads which I actually like better anyway. They are softer and more comfortable and I don't feel bad throwing a barely used pad in the laundry hamper rather than the trash. I only have three pair and just keep them rotated. nursing cream. Every nursing mom needs nipple cream. I use medela tender care lanolin. When you first start nursing, nipple cream is an absolute necessity. As time goes on and you "toughen up" you won't need it as often, but every once in a while you still will. 

6// Infant gas drops. Poor little Anders has the worst gas and he gets so upset when he gets gassy. Like I mentioned before, he spits up so much and he rooty-toots like a grown man. It makes him so uncomfortable and these drops make all the difference in the world. (It's actually about time I order more. We've used it so much.)

7// Dry shampoo. Not even kidding. I would walk around with wet and/or greasy hair most days if it weren't for dry shampoo. It's one of the best inventions ever. 

8// Baby swing. Our baby swing is our secret weapon when it comes to getting Anders calm. I swear that baby could stay in that thing all day if he never got hungry or soiled his cute little britches. We found this swing at a garage sale for $20. I know... I know!

9// Stroller. This is one of those things that actually wouldn't have been on my list had I been making it when Casen was a baby. I didn't do much going out when he was little and we very, very rarely ever used a stroller. This time though, sticking both boys in their two seater stroller has proven to be necessary quite a few times. Even just to get out of the apartment and take a little stroll. It's really a win win win because it calms the baby, it gives Casen a chance to run around like the toddler he is or just chill and take a ride, and it gives mommy a little bit of a break to get out in the fresh air and see something other than the boring walls of this apartment and the monotony of folding clothes and doing dishes. I wrote a post a while back about how excited I was to have found our stroller at a Kid's consignment sale here. The stroller that we have is currently out of stock on Amazon but this is the next step up from that one.

10// Naps. No explanation required. I try to fit in a nap as often as possible.

This list obviously doesn't consist of everything you'd need for baby, and every Momma has her own personal preferences. These are just the things that I personally could not live without. Since this is my second stroll through the park, it is easier now to narrow down the things I truly need and the things that aren't 100% necessary. You don't need a duffle-bag sized diaper bag, just big enough for your diapers, wipes, a burp rag, and an extra outfit. And it doesn't need to match all of your baby items, make sure it fits your style since you are the one that will be lugging it around! I, personally, refuse to use diaper bags, I just use small purses. You don't need 30 pairs of socks, five is actually pushing it. You don't need 75 outfits for your newborn. Just a few since they aren't very tiny for long. They grow through clothes so fast! 

These are pretty much all of the things that I couldn't live without when it comes to being a mom and staying sane. Although my husband may never understand, I know that as a mom, I am not alone in hanging onto my sanity by a string! 

What are some of your necessary baby items that you could not live without??