Essential Baby Products for the First Time Mom August 31, 2015
This post is written in collaboration with Babies R Us, P&G, and Pampers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’m no mom expert (who is?), but I will say I feel a little less clueless while prepping for this next baby. This may be a little too honest, but I feel like the first baby is a trial baby. It’s all trial and error, and you learn what works and what doesn’t, or what you like and don’t like. And while I know all of that will be totally different with baby #2, I’m at least a little more knowledgeable on what baby products I prefer! For instance, I know what swaddles I like and don’t like, and I also know that I don’t need 73268249130034 baby blankets. I do know that there will never be enough white onesies or socks. And I also know that gas drops are 100000000% a necessity. Always.
Since baby #2 is almost here, I thought I would share some tips I learned as a first time mom when it comes to essential baby products! Because I wish I knew about these beforehand!
1. Gas is common the first three months in a newborn. SO COMMON. So stock up on gas drops because you’ll need them. I feel like this is such a common issue for all first time moms…it’s disheartening when your baby is screaming and you don’t know why! But given that their GI systems are brand new, it’s going to take some time for things to adjust. Therefore, gas drops or colic tabs (our real favorite) are necessary. I also include one or the other in baby shower gifts because they often aren’t on a registry and yet they’re so important.
2. Find the right swaddle for your baby. I know a lot of moms say their babies don’t like to be swaddled, which I guess I won’t understand until I have a baby who is this way. I’m convinced swaddling, in combination with white noise, was one of the reasons Landon slept through the night so soon. We love these, these, and these swaddles. I avoided swaddle blankets because I found Landon would wiggle his way out really easily, and therefore wake up. And this mama needed her sleep! I recommend swaddles that prevent this from happening, like the options I linked to.
3. White noise is a gift from Heaven. A friend recommended this book when I told her I really needed to get Landon sleeping through the night. I was going back to work full time, and really needed my sleep. One major tip I learned was why white noise works. In the womb, your baby hears a lot of whooshing from all the blood flowing around him or her. The white noise mimics the sound of the womb. That, in combination with being swaddled, almost reminds your baby of what it felt and sounded like to be in the womb and helps them sleep because they’re comforted! We’ve used white noise with Landon since I read the book, and I swear the kid will sleep through anything as a result.
4. Not all baby wipes are created equal. This sounds so dumb, because one would think any brand of wipes would do the job. But we learned really quick which brand would rip mid-wipe and leave us with a finger full of poop. Pampers wipes have proven time and time again for us that they’re soft enough on baby skin, but durable enough to avoid the poop finger 😉
5. Don’t judge a diaper by it’s looks. Choose a diaper based on its performance. With so many diaper options nowadays, it’s easy to get sucked into diaper trends.When Landon started sleeping through the night, the diapers we were using were NOT cutting it. He sleeps 12 hours and would wake up soaked. We switched to Pampers Cruisers for his overnight diapers a while ago, and we’ve been hooked since. He has never ONCE soaked through them. Pampers recently unveiled two new innovations to their Cruisers and Swaddlers line that make them even better, and I can promise you they really are! They now stay drier longer and don’t sag, even after 12+ hours of sleep, and they also have Extra Absorb Channels which help evenly distribute wetness. We refuse to use another brand for overnights for this exact reason, and we’ll be doing the same with baby #2. We learned quickly that an important key to having your baby stay asleep is a DRY diaper. Pampers keeps not only Landon happy, but mom and dad happy and well-rested in the morning!
I have more tips I’ll share later on, but these are my tried and true pearls of wisdom that I want to pass down to first time moms. I know I have a WHOLE different ballgame ahead of me in the next few months! From 8/1- 8/31, you can save $10 when purchasing any value box diapers and value box wipes at Babies R Us. I also have a special giveaway for you today! Babies R Us has been kind enough to give a $75 Babies R Us gift card and a pack of Pampers wipes to one lucky winner! Enter via the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway runs from 8/31-9/7 and is available to US residents only! Good luck!
I have baby number two on the way also – thanks for the great reminders!
great tips!! Jackson hated to be swaddled and was a terrible sleeper. Not sure if that was why but oof! Quinn likes it/needs it and she’s been sleeping so much better than jacks did, with a rough night every once in a while! she is so much different than him!! So funny how babies can be so different. And pampers wipes are so soft!!
Great tips!!! I should get those gas tabs! Quinn isn’t really super gassy but for those moments she is they’re good to have! We have used gripe water in the past too! She is so different than jacks it’s so funny! She does need to be swaddled, while Jackson absolutely hated it!!! Can’t wait to meet sweet Noelle!
I have been told that I just need to keep calm and go with the flow. Everything will fall into place eventually.
Treat each day as a gift – even if you’ve been up half the night – because it won’t last forever!
The best advice I was ever given was to accept help when offered, you don’t have to do everything by yourself.
Just to relax. Everything always works out how it should. Its ok if the house is a little messy sometimes. They are only kids for a little time then they grow up and move out so enjoy it!
CHERISH EVERY MOMENT BECAUSE IT GOES BY FAST 🙂
One piece of advice I’ve been given and have passed to my daughter who has children now is to not sweat the little things!
Keep calm and dont try to be in control of everything. Dont sweat the small stuff. Its been a big help
The best advice I’ve been given about motherhood is don’t compare yourself or your kids to others. Do you. 🙂
nap when the baby naps and dont worry to much
I so agree about the wipes!mwe have had no rips with Pampers! The best tip I received was from our pediatrician. At our second well baby checkup she asked how I was doing and I crumbled into tears telling her how exhausted I was. She told me that in order to keep our synapses firing in the brain that adults must sleep for a semi-continuous six hours in a row. My husband and I had been rotating every four hours with my new daughter with major acid reflux issues. As soon as we started doing six hour shifts with her everything changed! We only had to do the shift thing for about 6 weeks, but sleeping six hours in a row once a day was enough to keep me sane!
take care of your self
I’ve learned to always listen to your gut as a mother. You know your child better than anyone.
I’ve learned not everyone is suited for motherhood
I learned to just sleep when the baby sleeps and to not sweat the small stuff!
The biggest thing I”ve learned as a mom…take care of yourself….often times we get so involved in the lives of our children, meeting their needs and raising them we neglect ourselves…we have to come first a little of the time!
You can’t keep your kids in a bubble.
Do what is best for you and your family. Take all advice, think about it, then if it doesn’t work for you, your baby and your family, Toss it!
Pick your battles, life is to short.
Every child is different. I was constantly told with my first that he should do this or that or I should do this or that because of someone else’s experiences raising their child but I did what I wanted and what I felt was right. This applies to the second child too! My second was different than the first which threw me off guard but I just learned what worked for him and us. This is why when first time Mom’s ask me for advice I always say “this is how it worked for us but it might be different for you!”
enjoy the moment because they grow up so fast! and be patient of course!
I’ve been told you’ll need a lot of patience.
The best piece of advice I was given was to stop reading all the books!
Just listen to your baby. You will learn their cries and you will sleep too.
Best advise I was given was to trust my instincts and have patience.
lets people help me and not try to do it all by myself
my favorite advice is that the moments seem like years and the years seem like moments. cliche, but true!
When my first child was born my dad told me to not tip toe around him when he was sleeping. He said to go about my normal routine or else he would wake up to any little noise. Now both of my kids can sleep through anything.
I’m actually pregnant with our first so I don’t have any advice to give yet! 🙂
Be patient.
don’t sweat the small stuff
sleep when the baby sleeps, Seriously!
To enjoy every moment!
I have learned to just go with the flow!
I have learned to go with my guts and my instincts. I’m usually right!
Be patient and compassionate with your baby and with yourself. Whatever seems like the end of the world at that moment, like lack of sleep, baby not wanting to be in its own bed, etc, will all be small stuff. I have two teen daughters, 19 and 17, and a baby on the way and need to remind myself of this often.
Use cloth diapers and cloth wipes. Also they griw fast enjoy the small things
Use cloth diapers and cloth wipes also they grow fast enjoy the small things
My favorite piece of advice is to enjoy every moment because time goes by so quickly.
Have fun
I’ve always heard mothers say that you need to get sleep whenever you can because it’s not going to be regular sleeping again for a long time 🙂
You don’t need a hundred toys and stuffed animals.. A few well chosen , age appropriate toys will do …
cloth diapers are amazing back ups
Be patient and always go with what is BEST for MY family. Different things work for different families. As long as your child is happy and healthy you are doing everything right. Never compare and never judge another parent. <3 #ParentOn
Have patience.
To treasure these moments for they are fleeting.
Let your kids be who they are and not what you want
…That baby speaks loudly and will most times tell you what’s ‘going on’. Listen closely and use your Mom intuition.
I always tell new moms to sleep when the baby sleeps! I didn’t follow that with my first and was always exhausted. With the second, I took my entire 12 weeks of FMLA and always slept when he did…sooo much better!
Advice I was given and was SO TRUE, is: Sleep as much as you can before the baby comes because you won’t be sleeping much once he or she is here. And when the baby naps/sleeps, you nap/sleep too!!! Thanks for the chance to win! Julie [email protected]
Take on day at a time and enjoy every moment.
One piece of advice I was given bymy mother is that I don’t have to be so perfect! I was so afraid to do something wrong, but I realized I was trying to do my best, and my baby would be just fine, even if I couldn’t always figure out why he was crying.
Sleep and take it easy when you can! Especially after the second, it is taking me more time to heal and recover from delivery from not being able to rest as much!
All of the above is wonderful – my best advice is to take care of yourself first. Always remember that’s not being selfish – If you’re not healthy you can’t be the best mom for your child. Think about going on a plane – when they tell you if the oxygen mask should fall down to put it on yourself first! If you don’t you will not be able to assist your child. It’s very easy to become over worked & over stress & we all know that leads to illness. So moms TAKE CARE – When signing up your kids for activities remember, you’re not just signing up 1 child, think about how it affects the entire family. We often over plan. We want them to have a full schedule but that often involves a burden on others. So stop – think – is it necessary & just try to enjoy life.