(Hypothetical) First Month Survival Kit

Now that I have a whopping 6 weeks of parenthood under my belt, I have put together a list of things that I would put into a First Month Survival Guide for a pregnant friend.  Not that I’m actually going to do this for anybody (sorry!), but if I did this is what would be in it.  Isn’t the hypothetical version of myself a sweetheart?

Some of these things I listed in the 1 Month recap so there’s really no need to gush about them again, but I can’t write this list without including them. 

1.  Sleep sheep:  You should have seen the panic on my face the first time the batteries ran out of that little guy.  Do yourself a favor and make sure you buy a tiny screwdriver when you buy this because apparently baby toys have the lock their batteries behind the tiniest screws you’ve ever seen.

2.  Rock n’ Play:  Can’t say enough good things about this thing.  I want to mouth kiss my friend who recommended this to me.  One day, you’ll want to kiss me on the mouth.  As I type this, John is in the Rock n’ Play listening to his Sleep Sheep.

3.  Baby Connect App:  I love/hate this app, but I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it.  I think I need to stop relying on it so much and start trusting myself and John, but I’m not ready for that yet.  Example:  Yesterday John didn’t eat quite as much as he usually does and I was worried about him and trying to force-feed him at 9:00 pm.  Bud reminded me though, that he was perfectly happy and had plenty of wet diapers so why was I letting an app stress me out?  It’s a good point.  Maybe the little guy is just getting more efficient at nursing?  Or maybe he’s gearing up for a MASSIVE growth spurt that’s going to kill me?  We shall see.

4.  iPhone:  How did people breastfeed before smart phones?  I’d be SO bored without mine.

5.  Nuk Pacifiers:  Before John was born I had registered for Soothie pacifiers because that’s what my friends use and was told that they are “the best.”  Well, I’m glad we didn’t get a ton of them because John strongly prefers Nuk pacifiers which is the kind he got in the hospital (during his circumcision and jaundice checks...ouch!).  He likes Soothies, but the kid loves a Nuk.  Lesson to be learned:  Don’t buy a ton of pacifiers or bottles until you know which kind your little weirdo likes.  If I were making this hypothetical Survival Kit, I’d put a variety of pacifies in there.

6.  Boppy Pillow:  Is it possible to survive without this?  Yes.  Should you?  No, crazy lady.  This little pillow makes my life so much easier.  The pillow lets me nurse John hands free so I can surf the internet on my phone (see #4).

7.  Keurig:  Oh, I love you.  It was a happy girl when I read that nursing mothers can drink up to 5 caffeinated beverages per day without affecting her baby.  Not that I’m drinking that much, but still…good to know.

8.  Cheap cloth diapers:  As I mentioned before, John is a binger and a purger.  The poor kid seems to spit-up after almost every meal.  I have a bunch of cute burp cloths, but learned pretty quickly that the best thing is a cloth diaper, hands-downs.  We go through a lot (sometimes 6 per day) so I’m glad they are cheap because we stocked up.

9.  Long sleeve onesies:  Because of the aforementioned spit-up situation, John also goes through a lot of wardrobe changes.  He’s like Beyonce.  I love these long sleeve oneies with the little mittens on the end because this kid also loves to scratch his cute little face.