Must have baby items

It varies from baby to baby, definitely, but I think every mom has a list of the items she couldn't live without when dealing with a newborn.

I thought I did a post like this with Neil but I'm not finding it on my blog so I think I meant to and never finished it. So this takes into consideration both kids but here are my top 4 baby items/must haves.

Itz Been Timer (or a phone app can work too but I love the timer itself)

I really like this timer at night and for breastfeeding. There are other features on it I don't use at all. It basically tracks the amount of time since the last ___. The last time they ate, when they fell asleep (or when they woke up depending on when you push the button), the last diaper change, or there is a 4th button to use as you see fit. Basically when you feed them, change diaper, etc., you just hit the button on the side and it starts a timer, that will count up to 24 hours. It doesn't tally or keep track of how many times you've done it, so that's where a phone app would be better. But for me, and nursing, it does two things. In the middle of the night I can glance at it and see oh it's been _ hours since he last ate so he's fussing and probably hungry right now. And it also has a button that you slide left/right so it tells me immediately which side to nurse on next.

The other thing I like about it is that at the top if you push the button it's a night light that lasts for about 5 minutes. I use it to navigate in the dark as well as see what's around me and/or help navigate the baby to latch on.

I used this religiously with Neil. I still use it with Nathan but when I'm using the phone application I don't want to use both and I only use the phone application. BUT I still have the timer because I use the light feature.

Ring Sling/Babywearing

I love baby wearing. I have a Maya Wrap ring sling that I got on ebay when we had Neil. It has a zipup pocket on the side that I can put things in. The ring sling allows your baby to be close but your hands can be free. I can use it in the newborn stage if I frog leg them into the pocket it creates. With Neil I used it to go to some sporting events that were chilly, and put a big coat around both of us. With both of them, they love being up close to me and just sleep in it for awhile. Also, with Neil I actually did nurse a few times with it on. I'm buying a Tula now. First so I can nurse easier in that- I can do it in the ring sling but only on one side now. Second for continuing to babywear Neil once Dave can use a regular carrier for Nathan.

This did take someone teaching me how to use it but once I got the hang of it, it was great. I also did a side toddler hold with Neil when he got a bit older.

Rock N Play

If you asked me during I wouldn't have noted this one for Neil. Lots of parents love it to use at night because it kind of cradles your baby and elevates them, both of which seem to help a lot of babies to sleep better. After looking back with Neil though, we did use the Rock N Play when we traveled somewhere and stayed in a hotel and it worked great. We also used it during the day, and you can rock it really easily by just reaching your hand out and nudging it. With Nathan, so far, I'm using it as a bassinet and it is where he spends his first sleep of the night which tends to also be his longest. It lets me get some sleep in bed (other than that Nathan is so darn noisy).

Cloth diaper inserts

Even though we don't use cloth diapers, these things are awesome for using as burp cloths. We  used this with my brother when he was a baby. I haven't gotten to the non-baby point but my mom also used them as dust rags after we were done with them and they worked really well for that too.