New Baby Essentials - The First 3 Weeks

 I've been a Mom now for exactly 22 days. It's amazing just how much you learn in such a short amount of time. I'm by no means an expert on anything baby-related but I have found a few items that I just couldn't live without. Some of these items I bought before my son was born in anticipation of his arrival. Others have been bought in post-baby Target runs out of slight desperation.

Avent Free Flow Pacifiers

I heard lots of people say not to give pacis at all. I certainly wasn't opposed to their use but I wasn't ready to give Samuel a paci the day he was born. I waited until the next evening when he was having so much blood drawn for the bilirubin test. The hospital gave us the large Soothie pacis and Samuel hated them! Once we got home I raided my paci basket and found these. We haven't used any others since then. The Avent Free Flow are made to have extra air flow so it doesn't irritate baby's mouth. Samuel loves the little handle and likes to hold it himself. 

Aden and Anais Blanket

I wouldn't call these swaddle blankets since we use the Swaddle Me wraps for that but I love these for wrapping around S in his car seat when we venture out. They are large yet thin and don't take up a ton of diaper bag space. I love the simple patterns that don't scream "baby." I splurged on these with a registry coupon and don't regret the purchase at all!

Summer Infant Swaddle Me Blankets

We practiced and practiced swaddling during our newborn care class and in the hospital and never seemed to get the swaddle tight enough to contain Samuel. These solved all our problems! The first evening we were home we used this but unfortunately got some spit up on it. Thankfully Walmart and Target both sell these and we quickly added 3 more to our stash. 

Dr. Brown Bottles 

I did not want to use these bottles at all! Mommy was being very stubborn because who wants to wash all these pieces? I bought Avent Natural bottles and had freebies of the MAM and Latch brands as well as one single Dr. Brown bottle we'd gotten as a gift. After the first week, we noticed Samuel had less spit up and gas after feeding with the Dr. Brown bottle. He seemed much happier and more comfortable with the standard nipple size as opposed to the wider bottles so I caved. I returned all of my unopened Avent bottles and bought tons of the Dr. Brown's. Ironically, Dr. Brown bottles were cheaper than the Avent. The pieces are a bit annoying but I'm becoming good friends with my dishwasher and the bottle baskets for all the parts. 

Formula Mixing Pitcher

Makes mixing a day's worth of formula fast and easy. Less bubbles and just fill your bottles as you need them without having to scoop powder. I haven't used this a lot since Samuel seems to do better with ready to feed right now. I know this will get lots and lots more use in the coming months. 

Adelina Madelina Diaper Bag from Babies R Us

I registered for this bag and received it as a gift. The original price is almost $80 but it has been on sale for $30 for the last few months. I love the wipe-able fabric and the cross body strap. It's plenty big enough for a couple of outfits, bottles, diapers, my wallet and more. I have a Vera Bradley diaper bag that I'll be switching out with this one as we start going more places. Not sure you can ever have too many purses ... or diaper bags!

Huggies Diapers
We used these in the hospital and I'd planned on using the diapers I'd been gifted - all different brands. These are unscented and Pampers aren't. The Pampers caused an allergic reaction and now I'm Huggies all the time. I do prefer the tabs on the Huggies as the are more velcro like and therefore more adjustable during middle of the night sleepy diaper changes.