From my personal experience: these were the most useful items that I had, or had to purchase in a hurry, right from the get go!
For Mommy:
- haaka – I had the first generation and actually ended up buying a second one
- Mandela Breast Pump – I just had the one side and used the haaka on the other side.
- Mandela Breast Pads – I tried the Chicco ones at first… Mandela’s shape is a lot better.
- pregnancy/breastfeeding pillow
- nursing bras/very comfortable sports bras
- bigger clothes/maternity clothes – I am one of the few people who say BUY MATERNITY. Not a lot, but at least some. I tried to just stick with buying bigger clothes, but when I got maternity clothes it made me feel so much better. It was easier to show off my belly and not feel like a big ol’ sack of potatoes
- night light – for night time feedings. SO important!
- almond oil/body butter – I used both at least once a day. Absolutely did not want stretch marks.
- those net undies and pads
- the bidet (or something to pour cold water)
For baby:
- an infant boppy pillow I actually didn’t have one for newborn, but this is something that I saw and really wished that I had to place Noah in anywhere that I would go
- a next to me bassinet some babies prefer a smaller space, but the Chicco next-to-me worked great for us
- foppapadretti trio (although, if you can fit one with a bigger undercarriage in your car it may be useful to check out the trio from CAM as well, my friends have really liked theirs)
- pacifier from research (here is an example) I found that sleeping with a pacifier may reduce risk of SIDS.
- baby swing we had the Momaroo and loved it
- blankets I didn’t swaddle, but I love my swaddle blankets. They still are very useful to always h
- burp clothes
- newborn clothes (some premie clothes if baby may be small)
- baby toiletries
- diapers wipes, and diaper cream
- books
- heart beat sound maker we had one for the room, and always used the sound on the momaroo as well
Click here to see what I had in my hospital bags
What were the items that you found most useful right from the get go??