Life-Saving Items for the First Month with a Newborn
We have officially made it 1 month with a newborn. It’s hard to believe that our little Everly is already 1 month old, it seemed to go by so quickly. The first month has been life-changing. We are finally starting to figure things out. I wanted to share some items that we found to be life-saving this first month with our newborn.
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1. Owlet Smart Sock
This is my number one recommendation for new moms. It gave us so much peace of mind that our girl was okay while we slept. It monitors your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels while they are wearing the sock. It makes an alert sound if something is wrong. It is loud enough to wake you up immediately. It also plays a soft song if the sock falls off of it is has trouble receiving readings.
This happens if you are too far away from the base. It would often have trouble receiving reading if I was on the other side of the house breastfeeding in the nursery and my arm covered the part that transmits to the base. I would just snooze the alarm until I got back to our room.
2. Sound Machine
We started using the sound machine the second night in the hospital. We found that it helped out baby sleep so much better. She does not wake up for much now. Even if the dog’s bark, she sleeps right through it.
We used the Hatch next to our bed when she sleeps in her bassinet. Also, we have a portable sound machine called the Rohm which we used in the hospital. This is great to bring on the go and use when she is in her car seat or when we travel. For how small the Rohm sound machine is, it can make quite a loud noise.
I read that red light is better to use at night because it will keep the baby asleep. I use the red light as a night light, but you can change the light to whatever color you would like.
The Hatch is also is controllable from your phone. You can change the color, brightness
3. Halo Bassinet
This bassinet was so helpful, especially because I had a C section. The basinet lifts up and over your bed so that baby is close to you while you sleep. The side also is able to move up and down so you can easily get to your baby at night. This was extremely helpful because I was barely able to get in and out of bed after the surgery, and it was hard for me to sit up. This made it so easy for me to get the baby out of the bassinet to feed and change her.
We have the Halo BassiNest Luxe because it had a built-in sound machine, night light, and vibration feature. We use our Hatch night light and sound machine over the ones on the bassinet, however, I will say that the vibration feature is great. It really helps our baby fall asleep quickly and stay asleep.
4. Haakka Breast Pump
I prefer this over my electric breast pump. It is so easy to use, portable, and easy to clean. I hate getting my breast pump out, it is so clunky and a pain to clean. I can use this on one side while baby feeds on the other. I have the version without the suction cup bottom or lid and I will say that I have spilled it a few times. I have learned to be more careful. However, if I were to purchase this again, I would get this one with the lid.
I plan to use this when we travel in the car so I do not have to worry about finding a place to plugin my breast pump. This takes up way less space and is easier to clean as well. I have already found myself using this in the car when we got caught in a traffic jam and our little one needed to ear. Luckily I had an empty bottle, so I just pumped with the Haaka in the car, put it straight into the bottle, and fed it to her.
5. Love to Dream Swaddle
These swaddles are fantastic because they allow your baby to keep their hands semi-free. Our baby loves to keep her hands by her head. We have tried other swaddles, but she gets frustrated with her arms being tucked down. These help her sleep for longer stretches.
These are also great because they have two zippers. You can unzip the bottom part to change their diaper or unzip the top half to get the baby’s arms out. I get our baby’s arms out when I feed her because she always makes a mess when she eats. This way I do not have to change her multiple times are night when she gets wet from milk.
6. Boppy Breast Feeding Pillow
Everyone who breastfeeds or bottle feeds should have this pillow. It makes feeding the baby so much more comfortable. I use it when I breastfeed, and my husband uses it when he feeds her from a bottle. This also helps the baby feel more supported as well. It helps her stay latched and eat longer when we use the pillow.
Not only do I use this for breastfeeding, but it is also great for additional support when holding the baby. We have anyone who wants to hold the baby, use the boppy to make sure her neck stays supported. This also makes the person holding the baby feel more comfortable.
7. New Born Lounger
This is truly a life-saving item for newborns. We carry this around the house everywhere we go. It is great to be able to put her in this while I get some things done. I love this because it slightly props their head up so they can look around. I will put her in this while I shower (still where I can see her), one the table while we eat, or while I do my makeup/get ready.
I know a lot of people recommend the Doc-a-tot, but I couldn’t imagine spending that much money on a lounger. This one is under $40 and our baby loves it.
8. Sink Bath Flower
This flower has been a life-saving item to give our newborn a bath. We just fill the sink up with warm water and place the flower in the sink so that the faucet is completely covered. We then use a cup and a sponge to clean her. This flower makes her bath comfortable and she actually enjoys it. It also makes it easy for us to bathe her, because we do not have to kneel over the bath tub to reach her.
9. Mamaroo
This swing is also a life-saver for us. This entertains our baby and helps rock her to sleep. She loves to be rocked and swayed so she loves this. It took her a few times to get used to it before she liked it, but now she loves it.
This helps me be able to get so much more done around the house. It is especially helpful when I am doing laundry. I just pop her in this and am able to fold all of our laundry and start new loads.
This product is great because you can control it from your phone. You can change the motion, the speed, and change the sound all from your phone.
We use each of these products EVERY DAY. I do not think we could get through the day without any of these products. They have been so helpful for us in our first few weeks of parenting. We have been able to easily adjust to the new lifestyle. We are still getting used to the sleep schedule, but other than that things are going great.
I hope you find this list helpful if you are a new mom. If you have other items that helped you get through the first month, comment below. I would love to hear what you all used. Check out some of my other baby and pregnancy posts here.
