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Showing posts with label must haves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label must haves. Show all posts

My Must-Haves for the First Six Months

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

I survived the first 6 months of motherhood! Even though it went by crazy fast, it was completely packed with learning experiences, tears (from me and Vi), being scared, and the kind of love you don't think could be any stronger, until the next day when it always is. One thing I've learned is that majority of being a parent relies on instinct, but it definitely doesn't hurt to have a few handy items to help you out along the way. So far, these are mine. 

Covered Goods Nursing Cover. I already talked about this a bit in my Favorites post from February, but it really belongs in this list. This cover has made the first six months of nursing in public such a breeze. It's so much more subtle and less bulky than the apron-style ones, and it's so breathable and soft for baby to be under. It also can be used as a stroller cover, shopping cart cover, blanket, and scarf! Such a great buy, I'm so happy I have this!

Simple toys like this colorful links are Vi's favorites. She loves to just sit and look at these, shake them, feel the different textures, chew on them, and pull them apart. I've really noticed that the simple, versatile toys like this are the best. As she gets older she's really discovering different ways to play with them and they encourage her to use her imagination instead of the toy doing it all for her. She also loves the ring stacker and rattles.

These baby feeders are so cool! Before she was eating actual food, we would put chunks of frozen breastmilk in these and she loved chewing on it, probably felt great on her sore gums. Now we do the same thing but with frozen fruit and vegetables, and she loves it. It turns eating into a little treat that she can feed herself.

This Baby K'tan Carrier has been so handy, literally! I've been wearing Vi in it since she was weeks old, and will be able to until she's 30 pounds! I've worn her in it on walks, while grocery shopping, while cleaning the house, and even out at dinner. It's so comfortable and has been amazing to be able to hold her while still having two hands. She really enjoys facing out and being able to look around while I do things.

These Indestructible Baby Books are the coolest! They literally cannot be ripped, chewed, or ruined by wetness. Vi loves being able to hold books on her own, and it's nice to be able to let her hold and play with these without her ruining or eating them. These are the ultimate entertainment for her and we always have one in the diaper bag!

The Honest Company has been a huge necessity for us. We use their diapers, wipes, soap, diaper rash cream, baby powder, sunblock, lotion, even cleaning products for the house! If Honest has it, we buy it! I love how safe it all is, and has always been gentle enough for Vi's very sensitive skin. I feel really confident that they're safe to use around Vi and the dogs, and feel so good about only using natural, clean products.

I've raved about this Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag before, but I feel like I just can't say enough good things about it. It's so amazing. It's cute, can be a bag or backpack, has so much room for everything you could ever need, is spill-proof, it's really everything you could want in a diaper bag. I love it so much and recommend it to everyone in need of a diaper bag.

Finally, this Joovy walker has been really great to have. She doesn't even use it as a walker yet, her little legs don't reach even the floor, but it's still been awesome. We keep it in the kitchen with some measuring spoons on the tray and just stick her in it while cooking. She loves sitting in it and playing or just watching me cook. It's also really light and easy to roll from room to room, it's the perfect little entertainer that she can safely sit in on her own.


There have been so, so many amazing products that I've loved using the first six months of motherhood, these are just a few of the things that I've discovered and now feel like I couldn't live without! Have you ever tried any of these things, what did you think?

My Must-Haves for Baby's First Month

Thursday, December 17, 2015

These are the things that have really made the first month of parenthood much easier for us:

A SwaddleMe. Violet has loved being swaddled since day one. We swaddle her to sleep every night and she just loves it. We started out using receiving blankets to swaddle her in, but when she was about two weeks old she was able to kick out of them, and I didn't like her having a loose blanket in her crib. So we bought a couple of these to try and love them! They're made with velcro, so she's sure to stay put when she sleeps, plus they're so much easier and quicker then using a blanket.

Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops. We started noticing sometimes after eating Violet would get really fussy and we would have the hardest time burping her. These gas drops were recommended to us and they're amazing. I mostly use them before each nighttime feeding since we lay her right down after, and they make her burp super easily then she's right back to sleep. I keep a bottle next to the bed and one in the diaper bag just in case she gets a bad case of gas, they're a lifesaver.

A Sleep Sheep Sound Soother. We received this as a shower gift and love it. It's attached to the outside of the pack n play that Violet sleeps in, and we turn on one of the nature sounds when we lay her down to sleep. The sounds are really soft and soothing, and they really seem to calm her. She's pretty good at sleeping during the day with normal noises going on around her, but at night when it's super quiet the background sounds help her fall asleep.

Gerber Flatfold Cloth Diapers. We don't use these as diapers, but they work great for everything else! I mostly use them as burp clothes, and always have one within reach. They're just simple, soft cloths that really come in handy.

A Diaper Genie. I didn't think one of these would be necessary at first, but I'm so glad we got one. When you change about a dozen diapers a day, it's nice to just toss them in this instead of taking each one to the outside garbage or having them stink up the house. It really covers up any smells and it's so easy to use.

A Swing. Violet loves to always be moving, which can get tiring while holding her, so it's nice to have a swing that she enjoys to lay in. She doesn't really like her bouncer, she prefers swinging, so I'm so glad we got one of these. This is where she usually is while we're eating or I'm cleaning the house!

My Preggy Picks

Thursday, July 16, 2015


1. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Cream for Stretch Marks
I haven't gotten any stretch marks yet *knock on wood* so I've been using this stuff nightly as a preventative. My older sister recommended it to me since she said she used it throughout her pregnancy and didn't get one stretch mark, so I thought I'd try it out too. I'm finishing up my first tube of it and have been really enjoying it. It's so soothing and keeps my belly feeling soft and moisturized. Plus it smells like chocolate, which Joe hates but I love!

2. Nature Made Prenatal Vitamins with DHA
The day I found out I was pregnant, I went to the store to buy prenatals. I spent a while looking over all the options and reading reviews online, and these seemed like a good option. All natural, only one pill a day, and everything doctors recommend for a prenatal vitamin. It's been working well for me so I'm now onto my second bottle and haven't felt the need to try anything different. The only downside is that the pills are pretty big, so that took some getting used to.

3. Snoogle Total Body Pillow
I always kind of thought these were unnecessary, but when my lower back starting to really bother me when lying down, I decided to give one a try, and I'm now a believer. This thing is so comfortable! It supports you in all the right places and really relieves that tension in my lower back. I love to snuggle up to it even if it makes Joe jealous ;) he calls it my caterpillar.

4. Earth Mama Natural Nipple Butter
I think this stuff is meant for when you're actually breastfeeding to keep things from getting dry and chapped, but I figure it can't hurt to get a head start on that. This stuff has a funky smell but I've heard really great things about it so I'm going to use it in hopes it prevents any dryness.

5. Preggie Pops
I bought these when I was in the first trimester and desperate for something to help with my crazy nausea. Even though I was being medicated for it, I was on such a small dose that I was still nauseous all day every day, and I wanted to find something natural that would help. These definitely helped take the edge off. The sickness has gone away 90% since entering the second trimester, but I still carry a few of these in my purse in case a wave of nausea hits.

6. Belli Anti-Blemish Facial Wash
One of the unfortunate side effects of pregnancy I've been experiencing is acne. And since it isn't safe for me to use my normal acne wash, it got way worse. I did some research and discovered this pregnancy-safe acne wash and decided to give it a try. I still am more broken out than usual, and obviously it doesn't treat pimples as well as medicated wash does, but I really think it's been keeping things under control and I've definitely noticed an improvement since using it. It also doubles as a mask, so that's been nice to use once in a while.

7. Mama Super Skinny Jeans
I mentioned these jeans here, but I just love them! I bought them in dark blue and black, and wear them practically every day. I'm so glad I was able to find cute maternity jeans that are so comfortable. I'm tempted to look at H&M for more cute maternity clothes even though I swore I wasn't going to buy any.

Do you have any pregnancy must haves?