Baby’s First Year (Pt. 1)
As we enter August (how is it August already?!), we are nearing my daughter’s first birthday at the end of this month. I could, and probably should write a post on her birth just to share that experience and also to save it fondly in my memories. As if I could actually forget that crazy and emotional day.
But now that I have had almost an entire year to look back and reflect on this experience, I feel like I can, with some authority, speak to the things that you’ll need or want for that first year of life.
Keeping in mind that every experience is different and each person has their own ideas of what they will need or what worked for them, I’m simply speaking from my perspective and what worked for my family.
Now if you’re anything like me, convenience is king. My husband and I began this journey of parenthood with the mindset that our daughter was joining our family and not completely upending it. What I mean by that is instead of changing my entire life for my child, my child becomes part of my life.
I won’t ramble on about that because every parent is different. My husband and I simply wanted to continue to live our lives the way we have (with obvious exceptions) and our daughter would join those experiences with us.
So here are five of our must-haves for that first year. These kept us sane, they saved our lives and our clothes or furniture, and they just made our lives more enjoyable with our new best friend.
1. Baby Brezza
Is a formula dispenser necessary? Absolutely not. Do I use mine every day and wouldn’t know what to do without it? Absolutely.
I don’t think I would have ever even known what a Baby Brezza was if I hadn’t received one as a hand-me-down. A friend received it as a baby shower gift that she didn’t register for and then never used it, so she gifted it to me. Now the first 5 weeks of Lottie’s life, I was breastfeeding and pumping and also supplementing with formula here and there. Then I had a postpartum hemorrhage (more on that some other day) and the medication I went on unfortunately made my milk dry up. So I dug this thing out of a box in the closet and set it up. Bam. Life changed.
Suddenly making bottles at 3am was so much quicker and less stressful. Lottie is almost a year old now so we aren’t making as many bottles, but I’m definitely saving this one for the next kid.
Pros:
- Convenient
- Easy to use
- Warms water quickly
- Bottle sizes 2 - 10oz
Cons:
- Expensive
- Must be cleaned frequently
- Not portable
2. Tabletop Highchair
My daughter is very petite and I have no idea where she got that from. So restaurant high chairs are too low for her and she can’t reach the table. Plus, no one ever cleans those chairs, have you ever thought about that? Well I do.
We saw a woman with one of these at a restaurant and a quick google search led me to this one on Amazon. There’s a reason for all the 5 star reviews. It lives in our car so we have it anytime we’re out and about. I’m actually considering replacing our high chair with one!
Without fail, every time we out to eat at a restaurant, someone will ask me where I got this chair. And I don’t gate keep this, it’s too good.
Pros:
- Super convenient & portable
- Fits almost any table
- Has an attached bag to store it
- Has a tray you can purchase separately
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not super quick to set up
- Must be on a sturdy table
3. BabbleRoo Diaper Bag Backpack
Everyone needs a good diaper bag and there’s a reason you’ll see this one often. It has so many pockets! Like almost too many to know what to do with them.
I originally had one from Target (one I had registered for after checking it out in person) and I replaced it with this one. You really have to do the parent thing for like a month before knowing exactly what you’ll need but this one ticks most of the boxes.
Pros:
- Insulated bottle pockets (and lots of pockets)
- Several color options
- Includes pacifier holder and changing pad
- Stroller straps
Cons:
- Insulation can wear over time
- Backpack style might not be for you
4. Muslin Burp Cloths
These are essential. The amount of spit up, spills, dirt, water and you name it that these have cleaned up in the last year is immeasurable. We keep them in the diaper bag, the car, at the grandparents house, upstairs and downstairs. They are everywhere. Stock up, seriously.
Apparently they come in several colors but the white ones are the cheapest. I could see the advantage to not getting the white ones would be hiding stains better, but that’s a personal preference I suppose.
Pros:
- Super convenient
- Available in 10 count packs
- 100% Cotton
- Machine washable
Cons:
- White does stain after a while
- Color options are more expensive
5. Sleepsack Swaddle
A fair amount of newborns like to be swaddled while they sleep. This was news to me as a first time parent. It’s something about being wrapped up and cozy like when they were in the womb and they just sleep better.
Some people can do the baby burrito with just a blanket swaddle. My husband and I could not keep our newborn contained in our pitiful attempts at the blanket method. The L&D nurses are actually experts at it and even though we watched and studied, we couldn’t compete. So we went the easier route and got a sleepsack swaddle. It was much more effective for us. But if you’re a person who can baby burrito like a champion, then by all means you keep doing you.
Pros:
- 100% Cotton
- Velcro swaddle keeps it tight
- Machine washable for blowouts & spit up
- Variety of temperature ratings
Cons:
- Some babies can still bust out of them
- Swaddle can only be used until they roll over
- Velcro is loud in the middle of the night
- Expensive
I may end up doing a part two for this, but these were our ride or dies in the beginning. Or at least a few of them! Hope this helps someone and happy parenting!
