Candle in the Night: Five Newborn Necessities

I've seen posts like this all over the internet. Some have up to twenty (TWENTY!!!) things you just HAVE to have when your child is born. Everything from cute little outfits to expensive car seats. I've seen many comments where people say they need almost NOTHING for their baby. Just their body to provide milk and a few blankets. Well, I'm going to skip the basics (duh...everyone knows the kid needs clothes and a car seat) and share with you the five things that I wouldn't want to live without in my child's first few months of life. Some of these are for Mom and others are for Baby. All will make life easier! These are in no particular order of importance.

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1. Miracle Blanket: You will LOVE this swaddle!!! The videos on the Miracle Blanket website showing a baby instantly calming down after being wrapped are not lying. This really does happen!! We have three of these and I think that's a good number. We started with just one and it was always stressful getting it out of the wash before another nap or bedtime rolled around.

2. Breastfeeding "Supplies": This is one of those things many moms will tell you are totally unnecessary. And really, they could be. There are two main things I'd advise you to have. One is either LOTS of pillows, or one really nice nursing pillow. I prefer to have lots of little pillows in the very beginning because you have to adjust and readjust a nursing newborn so many times, but I really love the My Breast Friend nursing pillow for when you're more comfortable with nursing. It provides great back support and is thicker than a Boppy. The other thing I think every mamma should have on hand are nursing pads. There's no guarantee that you'll be a leaker, but if you are and you don't have any on hand, you'll wish you did! My suggestion, buy a box of disposables (I like Johnson's nursing pads) and if you turn out to be a leaker, buy a pack of washables. I got the cotton ones from Babies R Us and I don't like them. They show through my shirts and don't conform. I've heard GREAT things about Bamboobies from friends of mine and plan to try them this time around.

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3. The 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program: This book is fantastic! It isn't a sleep training book, but it teaches you to learn your baby's sleep patterns and help them fall asleep peacefully using sleep cycles. I read it with H., reread it with M., and plan to read it again. It's one to buy (not get from the library or for your Kindle) because you'll likely be turning down pages, writing in the margins and wanting to refer back to it throughout your baby's first year.

4. Books/Movies/Music: You'll be spending a lot of time in the first few weeks of your baby's life sitting and nursing or rocking or just holding your new little one. Many babies like to cluster feed (eat for several hours on end in short sessions) in the evening and this can get tiring if you're hoping to get something done around the house during those hours. The better alternative is to just be prepared. Have a few good movies you want to watch. Get a Kindle or Kindle app and start getting books now. There are TONS of great free books out there, so start filling your device and you'll have plenty of reading to do when your baby arrives! It's also a good idea to purchase a version of the Bible for your Kindle or get a Bible app for your phone. Holding a regular book is sometimes a challenge while holding a baby, but hanging onto something smaller and not having to turn pages makes it much easier!

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5. Support: You're going to need it! If you have family nearby, fantastic! If you have church family, also great! If not, FIND SOMEONE NOW!! The first week after my girls was born, I spent two days in the hospital and then my family took care of us for the rest of the week. After that, the meals from church started coming every other day for two weeks. By the time the baby was three weeks old, I was feeling like I could do a little for myself. My church is amazing and also does freezer meals for new moms, so I could pull one of those out on a harder day if I needed to. But you won't just need support those first few weeks. If you're planning on breastfeeding, find a La Leche League group and start attending while you're still pregnant. The leaders are a wealth of information and being around other new moms will help you through any bumps in the road. Finding other moms who are due around the same time as you is also super helpful. It's so important to have friends who are going through the same things you're going through so you don't feel alone.

First time mom? I hope this list helps!! Be sure to check out these related posts!
10 Things to do as SOON as You Find Out You're Pregnant
10 Things to do While Waiting for Baby to Come

Seasoned mom? What would you add to this list?

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