Five Things For New Mamas

I always love reading these Five Things posts by other bloggers, so I thought it would be fun to do my first one.

A close friend of mine from high school recently had a baby shower, and a group of my besties from back home put together a fun baby shower gift full of things every new mama needs. Now that I’ve had a baby, I feel that my gifts are so much more useful. I used to just pick the cutest newborn outfit I could find (not knowing they outgrow those things in 2 seconds)!

Here are my five things every new mama needs for this “Five on Friday” “Oh, Hey Friday” post:

ONE
Happy Baby Wrap Organic Bamboo Baby Carrier
We tried a couple different carriers with Liam when he was a newborn, including the Moby Wrap, but wraps like this and the Solly Baby Wrap are winners in my book. The stretchy breathable bamboo material make them SO much more comfortable to wear, and they are easier to put on and get a snug fit that holds baby close. With the Moby Wrap we were constantly having to take him out and re-wrap, because we didn’t have it snug enough and it would start sagging while we were walking. This wrap is worth every penny – it made our little Liam so happy and is great for warmer weather if you live in SoCal like we do, or are having a summer baby!

TWO
Fisher-Price Rock n’ Play Sleeper
Liam slept in the Rock n’ Play Sleeper for the first 4 months of his life. We probably would have used it longer had he not grown so fast! When he was a newborn, I loved that he could sleep in here and we could move the Rock n’ Play around without waking him. We had many lunches and dinners out on our patio with our little guy asleep in his Rock n’ Play. During the night we had this set up right next to my side of the bed, so all I had to do was reach down and pull him into bed, nurse him, and put him right back in the Rock n’ Play fast asleep. He slept SO well at night from the very beginning in his Rock n’ Play.

THREE
The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD
This DVD is a life-saver, and I am a firm believer that every parent on the planet should own this! Just order it now, and thank me later!

FOUR
Bebe Au Lait Muslin Nursing Cover
I love the Bebe Au Lait nursing covers – not only are they pretty, but they are generously sized, so when your baby decides to start waving it around like a flag while they are eating, you won’t expose yourself to everyone nearby. I don’t have the muslin cover, but if I were to purchase another one, I would totally go for this one. Liam always gets so hot nursing on-the-go under our regular Bebe Au Lait cover; I love the idea of a more breathable fabric!

FIVE
Philips Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump
You have no idea how much I was stressing about a breast pump before I had Liam – I made so many phone calls to our insurance trying to figure out how to get an electric pump with no success. I did end up purchasing the Medela Pump In Style, but reach for my manual pump every day. I love that there are so few parts to clean, it’s so easy to travel with, and I pump about 6oz from each side in one sitting – it only takes a few minutes. So simple. I started out using the Medela Harmony Manual Pump, but forgot it on the plane during our recent trip to the Dominican, and we were able to replace it with the Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump which I actually like much better! It is easier to clean, is more comfortable to use, and there are no little membranes to replace (this was always annoying to me with the Medela pump)!

I hope this helps some of you new mamas in deciding what you really need, or maybe you’re putting together a special baby shower gift for a friend like I was.

I am also linking up with April and friends for 5 on Friday and Karli for Oh, Hey Friday.