Baby Items I Didn't Realize I Needed
1. Bottle Warmer - In our parenting class, our instructor told us babies won't cry for warm milk if they are not used to receiving it. So when we would feed Melody breast milk from the refrigerator, we would feed it to her cold. She accepted it that way, but we could tell she wasn't super happy or taking it really well. During one visit, my mother in law brought us a bottle warmer she had but was no longer using. It made feedings much better. Melody will still take her bottle semi-cold, but she takes it much better warm. The bottle warmer we have includes a lift out basket if the bottle is too warm and adapter ring which allows you to warm both large and small bottles.
2. NoseFrida - When my cousin Amy was pregnant with her first child, my mom was telling me about this contraption where you use a straw to suck the boogers and snot from the baby's nose. Apparently she saw it at a boutique while shopping for Amy's baby shower present. Well I swore I would never ever use one of those. I even saw it in stores while registering for my baby showers and thought no way! Well after about a week of being home, I really struggled to use the nose bulb to get any of her boogers out. We would always have to use saline drops to make her boogers wet then suck them out with the bulb. I finally decided to cave in and purchase the NoseFrida and it has been great. It really wasn't as bad as I thought. The filters keep the snot and boogers from entering the straw, and it is super easy to get all the boogers out for sure!
3. Travel Diaper Changing Pad - I always thought if I had to change Melody in public, I would use the changing stations in bathrooms. Well those are not always super clean and they are not always available. So I decided to buy a travel diaper changing pad. I have used it a LOT. Sometimes it is easier to change Melody in the car than in a bathroom, and this keeps the mess from getting on my seats. The one I have even has a little pillow for her head. I also use it if I change her in bathroom changing stations.
4. Sleep Bags/Swaddles - So this is actually a baby preference. I really had never heard of sleep bags. I really only know of the Halo SleepSacks. I purchased two sleep sacks. One was Halo brand the other was Summer Infant brand. Our hospital also gave us one Halo version. Melody used them the first week, but she wasn't super happy in them. A friend of ours had given us an Ole Miss sleep bag. Once Melody wore it, she slept wonderfully. She loves the sleep bags. I have purchased 4 more so that she doesn't have to wear the swaddles. She hates being swaddled. I suggest buying one of each. Then see which your baby likes.
5. Formula Mixer - When we switched Melody to formula, the biggest pain was mixing each bottle. We would make multiple bottles at once, but have to shake each and every one. It took forever! I researched options for awhile, and I finally found a formula mixer pitcher. It has been a life safer. Each night I make the next 24 hours worth of formula and use the pitcher to do this. I highly recommend it if you plan to formula feed.
