How did my baby suddenly become 3 months old? When I first began thinking of this post, he was just a few weeks old and 3 months seemed like an eternity. And now, here we are.
We have tried to keep the baby clutter to a minimum around our house, which is what we promised we’d do from the beginning. Ian and I both agreed we didn’t want to be those people with every baby gadget known to mankind. The people who’s house you go to and there’s nowhere to sit because baby gear have taken over.
We did acquire a hand-me-down swing which has been nice, and this sort of bouncy seat that I can put him in while I’m making dinner and have him up on the counter with me., but neither of those are pictured here.
Here are what we decided were “essentials” in having a newborn around the house:
1. | Hanna Anderson PJs |
They are soft, snuggly, and come in adorable patterns. Plus, I really like that they don’t have built-in feet. Avery had a few pair of PJs like that, but they always seemed so uncomfortable and tight. Because these don’t have feet, he can wear them even if they’re a little big. They also make diaper changes in the middle of the night a breeze because there are no buttons to mess with (bonus!). Costco has Hannah Anderson sleepers off and on as well for way less than average. Target also makes some genius | ones | that zip from the top-down, so you don’t have to unzip them all the way to change them.
2. Medela Symphony Breast Pump.
It’s commercial grade. Enough said. No, but really, this is what they let us use in the hospital and we were able to rent it from Walgreens for I think $2/day or $50/month. If you can find this to rent somewhere, I’d highly recommend it, especially during the first few weeks.
3. iPhone.
Avery loves to play on my iPhone, it keeps him busy for hours. Juuuuuust kidding! (It’s actually scary how young littles know how to unlock iPhones these days). But no, the iPhone was essential for me. For starters, it holds about 95% of the photos we have of Avery. It’s so much easier to snap a photo of him with that rather than lug out the big camera. Second, in the first few weeks when we were getting into the swing of things and running on little sleep, I would take a screenshot when I started feeding. If I couldn’t remember the last time I fed him, I’d just look back at my pictures and see the time. Finally, my phone worked for helping keep me awake during middle-of-the-night feedings while perusing Pinterest.
4. | Aden + Anais Bamboo Swaddle Blankets |
These blankets are heavenly. They are also slightly larger than the muslin ones from Target, which was great for us because Avery loved to be swaddled. They were also the perfect lightweight blanket to have around in the hot summer months, and great for throwing over he and I when nursing to remain decent.
5. | Charlie Banana Cloth Diapers |
Of the two brands I bought, these are, by far, my fave. I wasn’t sure how early we’d start cloth diapering, but I had them all ready to go, just in case. We started exclusively using cloth at about 8 weeks, only because I felt like any earlier, they looked really uncomfortable on his tiny body. More on cloth diapers coming in a follow-up post, so stay tuned.
6. | The-Pat-a-Cake-Baby Large Wet Bag |
I just happened to come across this wet bag on Etsy and I’m so glad I did. I wasn’t fond of any of the others I’d seen, so I was thankful to find some with cute fabric. I ended up buying two of these and I love the fact that I can dump the diapers out of it without touching them, and then throw the wet bag directly into the wash too.
7. | Precious Firsts Onesies |
We have a long, skinny boy on our hands, so I’ve found that these onesies fit him best. Plus, they are super-soft and inexpensive.
8. | Praying the Scriptures for your Children |
A dear friend sent me this book shortly after Avery was born and I love it! Highly recommend this read for any mom.
There you have it! Our most-used baby items during the first 3 months. Of course, there are plenty more items that didn’t make the list including a Boppy (which I swore I didn’t need), the world’s most comfortable | rocking chair |, and plenty of homemade burp cloths.