1) Water bottle: seems obvious maybe but ice water (or water in general) was/is/will be a huge part of my life postpartum!! huge! If you are breastfeeding, you are thirsty all the time. at least i was, and tons of other mamas i know. so be sure to have gallons stored up (twenty gallons in a week, sooo not joking).
2) Swaddleme swaddle by Summer infant. So with Luke, we swaddled swaddled swaddled! It made life easier. We had tried swaddling him with the muslins from the hospital the first week and we got used to it.. but if we’d only thought to bring a few of the velcro swaddles we had at home, there would have been a few less cries from broken swaddles.
^^Update—Here’s the thing about the swaddles though—the girls hated them! They preferred sleep sacks. Which is why it might be wise to have both on hand so your babe has options! So here’s a link to some sleep sacks too 🙂
3) Bamboobie pads: these are wonderful! I have a ton of the daytime pads and a few sets of the nighttime ones. I’ve learned that leaking has nothing to do with your supply, and can happen at any given moment.. and especially helpful overnight (he’s sleeping 5+ hours) when i wake up in a puddle (fun). so when i found these reusable lovelies, i was elated. and they get softer with each wash, woohoo for bamboobies!
^^I’ve used these with all three babies! The same initial set. Just better and better. Perfection.
4) Sleep sheep: stick this sucker anywhere and instant white-noise. Another thing I would’ve loved that first week (we kept using our iphones which was a hassle). This sheep can go in the crib, on the car seat and beyond. love it!
^^as time’s gone on, so has our sheep! He’s been lovingly replaced with the incredible Dohm sound machine, which trumps all noise makers and actual fans in my opinion. You want one of these, for serious.
5) High waisted american apparel leggings: anything that pulls it all in after birth without being too tight are my favorite and these high-waisters are awesome. as high as the pregnancy pants and great for the in-between being-a-huge-balloon-to-deflated-balloon-back-to-normal-tummy times. and way better quality than most i’ve found.
^^Update—since then I’ve also come to love Old Navy athletic black running tights and they totally take first place.. they’re amazing and pull in so well and don’t look athletic so they can go with anything. New winner!
6) Eat Sleep Poop by Scott Cohen. This book is awesome! I’ve read lots of stuff for the new parent but this book is fabulous. And it’s written from the perspective of a pediatrician, who’s also a first-time parent. Gold. It’s extremely practical (common sense stuff) as well. Can’t say I’ve read it since but I POURED over this my first many months with Luke!
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