Some Things #110 Baby Edition
We’ll be back to regular non-baby programming next time!
Following up the pregnancy & postpartum edition with everything baby – we’re eight months into life with Pearl (time is a construct) and here is what we love using to make it all a bit easier. Remember that everyone goes through this differently, pick up what you like, ignore the rest. Send onto your new parent / to-be parent friends with the Pregnancy/Postpartum Edition too.
In no particular order, here we go…
Note: This month’s post is a long one and might get cut off in your email, so head here to read it in its entirety.
NEWBORN RECOMMENDATIONS
Secondhand For The Win. Almost everything you need for your child, you can purchase secondhand or if you’re lucky, receive as a hand-me-down (tell people you would love hand-me-downs!). Almost all the items I list below I was given as a hand-me-down or I purchased secondhand — ask around and look in FB Marketplace, FB Groups, EBay and specialised children-only secondhand retail stores in your area. If you do need to buy something new, add it to a registry to receive a ‘completion discount’ on Amazon, Babylist, Target, Crate & Barrel etc. If you can wrangle it with the gods, organise to have friends have babies exactly a year before you so everything is the right size for the right season — a delight.
The Crewe Recliner Glider Chair. I went back and forth on a chair for a long time due to our small house and not wanting to buy unnecessary items but this chair is one of the most important things I bought for postpartum! I use this chair multiple times a day and it has saved my back while feeding. Importantly, it also has a high enough back that tall people can sit on it and put their head back — very uncommon (!!) according to the 30+ nursing chairs I tested out. It has a relatively small footprint compared to other options, reclines AND swivels.
Room Thermometer. Something I ended up using a bunch was a basic room thermometer to check the actual temperature in the crib as our thermostat was often wildly different to what this thermometer said and helped me know what to dress Pearl in for safe sleep. It also helps to know the humidity level in the room.
Baby Creams. Other than a diaper cream I would hold out on purchasing anything for their skin or hair until they need it. Pearl didn’t need cradle cap cream or moisturiser or anything like that, and at eight months she has used about three pumps of her shampoo/soap.
Swaddles, Bottle, Pacifiers/Dummies. Swaddles, Bottles, and Pacifiers are amazing things to inherit secondhand if you can, as you might need to go through a few different types before you find the one your baby responds to best. Pearl ended up loving the Happiest Baby swaddles, and Bibs glass bottles and pacifiers with latex nipples.
Parker Baby Burp Cloths. Because colourful ones make the day better (and are easier to identify which ones are dirty/clean when they are different colours)
Bath Thermometers. They make it easy to setup bath time.
Blankets. Not really a baby blanket, but something a bit bigger and more multi-purpose. We have two we use all the time for feeding time, the middle of the night, in the car, at the park, at a friend’s house. These ones (also from Parker who makes the burp cloths above) are super soft and 100% cotton. Again, an excellent thrift or hand-me-down find.
This particular night light. It’s small, it’s dimmable, it’s warm light, and if you turn it over it turns off. We use it at home, we use it on holidays — it’s a keeper.
Patagonia Tote Backpack Diaper Bag. I’m truly sorry to inform you that this bag is better than all of the cute diaper bag options — it is super light, works as a backpack and tote bag, and has a bunch of pockets for everything you need.
Canopy Humidifier. If you live somewhere dry (ahem Los Angeles) a humidifier is something you might want. Since we added the Canopy humidifier to our/Pearl’s room we have been sleeping better too. We chose the Canopy one because you can put it in the dishwasher to clean it, and it doesn’t turn off until it is completely dry so no mould can grow.
These light swaddle sheets or something like them come in handy if you have a curious baby that needs sensory-deprivation to sleep in public, or for light breezes, for shade in the stroller, or a change mat emergency.
Stokke Tripp Trapp. This is an expensive purchase, but it does last for many years unlike a lot of newborn purchases (and are readily available secondhand!). The newborn attachment was one of our most used items, so we could have Pearl in the kitchen while we made breakfast and she could see around.
Catchy. This is a $50 piece of plastic, but it also has successfully stopped any food making it onto the floor during Pearls’ dinnertime — worth it to save my back and our rug!
Guava Travel Crib. We have used this on a few trips already and have found it easy to travel with (backpack, lightweight) and easy to use (side zip, and easy to setup). Also very readily available secondhand, and not needed until you travel!
Make A Water Lover. We started using this toy a friend gifted us in the bath from a few weeks old to put over Pearls face, got her into a pool at four months old, and started swimming lessons at six months old (which she is obsessed with). If you want a baby who doesn’t care about water in their face or getting in the pool cultivate the love of water as quickly as you can. Also, luck too.
Baby Bjorn Mini Carrier. Pearl was never much for the wrap carriers, so this was a real game changer. This carrier is able to be used before many of the other ones on the market, and we used it every single day in and out of the house. Now that she is bigger we have graduated to an Ergobaby and an Artipoppe that are both very comfortable but I cannot in good conscience recommend the Artipoppe due to the price.
Toki Mat. Instead of buying the newborn play mat we purchased a (albeit expensive but longer lasting) play mat from Toki and I genuinely think it is one of the reasons why Pearl is such a mover as she has had the space to move early on. Love that they can be used outside, folded into the car, and can be wiped down. I got an ‘imperfects’ one and I can’t tell what is wrong with it.
Partner Help. Before I had Pearl I heard a lot about how partners ‘can’t do much at night’ and are ‘helpless during the night feeds’ — to which I call bullshit. To this day, when Pearl needs a feed at night, my partner gets her from the crib, gives her to me, checks I have water/snacks, untangles the sheets on the bed, times the feed, puts her back to sleep in the crib. I feed her. This has worked really well for us, and makes it easy for my partner to be an equally contributing parent as much as that is possible in the early days.
Do Things Together. Where possible I am on team ‘do things together’ in the early days. Some folks swear by night shifts and I’m glad it works for them, but I would suggest trying ‘do things together’ if you live in a small/creaky house that means you’ll wake up nonetheless, you are a light sleeper, or you are worried about postpartum mental health. We also found it much more enjoyable when we could make light/dark of night feeds, bath time, daily walks together. It also removed the loss of time together that a lot of couples find straining in the early months of parenthood — I liked hanging out with my partner before, and continuing to do so makes parenthood more fun.
Make a playlist for the season. We made a few playlists we don’t mind hearing on repeat and it really does seem to calm Pearl! Why not make your life feel like a movie? Similarly, we found it really nice in those first few months to choose a different album to play each morning to add a nice little routine into the very not routine days. I 100% recommend Laura Marling’s Patterns In Repeat which is a reflection on her new parenthood.
Limit TV/Phone. I think I’m an outlier here, but I don’t think I watched a single episode of TV until maybe a few months in, and don’t use my phone when I’m feeding Pearl. I find it gives me a real ability to calm down and be in the moment, and the more I return to real life the more I appreciate that I’ve setup this baseline. I am aware this sounds eye-roll inducing, but I do find it really helpful.
Bjorn Bouncer. We were given a few different bouncers but this was the one to rule them all. Pearl is definitely too tall for it now but we still use it sometimes because she loves it so much.
Oxo Tot Wipe Dispenser. It’s all your need, a basic dispenser. It seems superfluous but it does help to be able to pull out a wipe single handed when changing your baby.
Keekaroo Peanut Changer. It is expensive if you can’t find a secondhand one, but being able to wipe up mess is worth the price/basic aesthetic.
Nara App. We use the Nara app so keep track of stuff so we don’t forget — early on it was all feeds and sleeps, now it is to remind us when to feed, and to log firsts we would otherwise forget.
Wait Until You Need It. I’d give wipe warmers, bottle warmers/sterilisers (particularly if you don’t know how you’ll be feeding), breastfeeding paraphernalia (nipple balms, silverettes, handsfree pumps), stroller attachments, travel monitors (we’ve not used one when travelling) snot suckers (that aren’t the one you receive at the hospital), anything boob/feeding related other than the pump you get on healthcare and a small manual pump, changing pad liners, special laundry detergent, and anything you might not need a miss until you find you need it. If you find you need them, you can probably have them delivered within a day.
ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT ARE DELIGHTFUL AND NOT NEEDED AT ALL
Tone-On-Tone Frame. I ordered one of my favourite photos of my pregnancy with this blue frame/blue mat board combination and it is just perfect.
Sarah’s Silks. A friend gifted us one of Sarah’s Silks and we use it for playtime and to cover her in the carrier when we want her to sleep (the girl is curious). It’s one of Pearl’s favourite toys, and is a great gift as it takes up such a small amount of space and can be used differently as she grows.
Custom Cross-Stitch Pillow. An incredible gift, and so adorable.
Cherry Flensted Mobile. This is the first thing I purchase for our nursery, it is the most beautiful hand-crafted mobile and I love that Pearl wakes up to see this in the morning.
They All Saw A Cat. There are so many baby/kids’ books we love, this one has a special place in our heart. As I mentioned above, big fan of buying all books secondhand in-person or online. Here are some of my other favourites + Fairy Beach as I can’t add it into the bookshop list.
Hand-Knitted Baby Bonnet. I challenge anyone to look at this and not go awwwwwwwww.
Family Ring. This Cuchara Family Ring is so pretty and I like that it can live on its own or stack with other rings — I haven’t taken it off since I received it.
Kip & Co Baby Stuff. This company has some very cute baby clothes, and we’ve been using their sleep sacks since Pearl was a newborn. Great for a gift in the US as I don’t think they are well-known here.
The Cradlewise Crib. One fancy item we purchased was Pearl’s crib. We chose the Cradlewise, which can rock the baby back to sleep, and has an inbuilt monitor and noise machine. Unlike the Snoo, the Cradlewise has a bassinet and mini-crib setup so babies can stay in it up to two years old. Pearl has been a very good sleeper from the get-go so I can’t speak to how much the bouncing can help with difficult sleepers though it’s been useful on tricky nights, but the noise machine, monitor, and overall thoughtful design (ie not weird legs to trip over) has made us really happy with the purchase. If you’re interested you can use the code JMGAQNSOCV for $50 off the purchase price, and I’d recommend ordering as early as possible as the price changes with delivery dates required.
Island Creek Oysters. If your new parent loves oysters (and if she hasn’t been able to eat them for about a year) a delivery of these bad boys to her door would be delightful.
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The books on this list are completely new to me! I find a lot of recs/lists online include the same set of classics (which are great), but love stumbling onto new finds. Hitting up the library to test a few out this weekend. Thank you!
I love that your top reco is second hand. Buy Nothing on Facebook has been such a delight for me, going both ways, for finding and giving things. It is also a way to connect with neighbors, re-weaving those thin little threads with "the village."