New Baby Essentials for the Minimalist Minded Momma ♥
We thought after our third kid that we were done. God (clearly) had other plans for us.
So, as I had done zero preparations for baby #4's arrival... coupled with her delivery being moved up three weeks from her due date for medical reasons... we found ourselves in a rush to get it all done.
Luckily for us I prefer to keep things minimalist minded in our home (Note: less is more, get only what we need, spend less money).
A super sweet friend did happily donate oodles of baby girl stuff from her family- and we're still working through some of that and what our baby will use. Like, she gave us a swing and a bouncer. I've had one kid that loved her swing, another that loved the bouncer-- we'll see when our little one gets bigger if either are something of interest to her. But as we go through our given-with-love items like that we'll see what we can use and what we can pay-it-forward with!
Here are my FAVORITE items for the minimalist minded mama when it comes to welcoming in a new baby:
Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper ♥ We've always co-slept with our kiddos, but I am SO glad my bff got us one of these for Olivia!
I keep it in the living room, it's super easy to keep out of the way and is a perfect spot to let her nap during the day. I love that it has a slight incline, there is a vibrating feature, and when she starts to fuss and move around it will start rocking naturally -- most times that is enough to kind of soothe her back to sleep.
Biggest feature for me-- I didn't want my house to become cluttered with baby gear, but knew I wanted a safe spot for baby to be considering her 3 older siblings are rather.... rough, and I didn't want her to get trampled!
A Boppy ♥ I've had a Boppy with all 4 of my kiddos, I've always breastfed for as long as I could (but also used when bottle feeding) and having a nursing pillow sure makes a difference. I've stayed with the Boppy brand (make sure you get or make some covers for it for easy clean up!) out of habit as I love them and my kids have all used them for tummy time and even as their regular bed time pillow as they got older, but I know others rave about the 'My Breast Friend' nursing pillow too!
Nursing Essentials ♥ The beginning of the breastfeeding journey sucks... literally. Especially with my three girls who were all pretty tiny babies (Olivia was just over 5 lbs), their teeny tiny mouths made for some pretty cruddy latches and high pain for momma.
I've made sure to have two good nursing bras (nothing too tight), but one to have on and one for back up.
Nursing pads - I love these organic reusable pads, they even come with the mesh and carry on bags too!
A good nipple cream - this by Earth Angel Baby is a life saver and also can double for dry lips and diaper rash!
WATER! I keep a reusable bottle and fill that bad boy up over and over! Keeping hydrated is key! I use the one I already have, but thought this was kinda cute!
Pack n' Play ♥ Having c-sections all four times, having somewhere to put baby/change baby that doesn't require my bending down is a life saver. We gave up on cribs starting with our second kiddo, and opted for something like this instead. It's great for travel and can be used for the first couple years+.
Breast Pump ♥ I was so thankful to have this Medela Freestyle Pump so that when the doctor said our baby girl wasn't gaining enough I could easily start pumping to help her out. A good quality pump works wonders, especially if you're struggling with nursing.
One Bottle ♥ Yes, we have one bottle. I did this with our last baby and what a difference. With our first kid we had oodles of bottles, and I feel like I spent so much time cleaning bottles, looking for bottles, losing bottles.... With our third kiddo I bought ONE. And guess what?! If you only have what you NEED, you stay on top of it. I LOVE this Como Tomo bottle! Perfect for switching between breast and bottle, the silicone bottle is so neat- I notice Ollie kneading it like she does me, and the nipple is the right size if you want to attach it to a small mason jar and use that. I can now pump, pour it into the bottle, feed baby, wash it out right after, and then it's clean & ready for the next time.
WubbaNub ♥ I am not a big pacifier fan- we never used one with kid #1, kid #2 wouldn't touch a bottle/pacifier if her life depended on it, but by kiddo #3 I knew I couldn't be a human pacifier. We got the WubbaNub pacifier with our third baby and I loved how helpful having the animal on there was for keeping the pacifier in baby's mouth, helping baby position it on their own, not losing it... etc. While I don't use it often, and didn't even offer it until a month in (to help avoid nipple confusion) we do have ONE WubbaNub- the bunny one of course, for those times when baby needs something to suck on... and mommy can't be it.
Cloth Diapers ♥ I started using cloth diapers with our first kid 13 years ago. We got the Fuzzi Bunz diapers, there's some great stuff on their site- mine are all just very old. ;) Luckily- we've had ours through (now) all four of our kids, a couple cousins and a friend's kids. I've seen these that a friend uses and they seem very similar - not to mention SO well priced! We also have a bunch of the prefolds with the snappy to hold them in place and a Thirsties cover. Cloth diapering is just so awesome because it saves a ton of money, is better for babies skin, better for the environment, and really quite easy! I keep a small laundry basket by the changing station on the Pack n' Play and each evening I toss in a load of the day's diapers using Seventh Generation Baby detergent and we're good to go!
Homemade Water Wipes ♥ It's super important we all watch the chemicals we bring into our home and use on/in our bodies. Wipes can be full of chemicals- and the more natural options can be so pricey. I found THIS tutorial for DIY Water Wipes and love it! For a quick fix you can cut a roll of paper towels in half (I like the Viva Pick a Size) and place them in a container (anything that holds them with a lid- old wipe box, coconut oil container, whatever). Add two cups of boiled then cooled water (I add one spoonful of coconut oil to the water and mix), let the paper towels absorb it all (shake as needed). Once the paper towels are thoroughly dampened you can pull out the paper towel roll in the center and then pull the 'wipes' out from the center to dispense.
Baby Soap/Lotion ♥ Again, I don't like chemicals. Especially on my baby! Puracy has a baby line- or you can easily make your own with some unscented Dr Bronners, coconut oil (or similar) and a foaming soap dispenser.
Baby Wrap/Carrier ♥ Something else I've done with all four (and boy have they improved over the years) is to have something so you can baby wear! Grocery shopping, household chores, fussy baby, cooking dinner, homeschooling.... being able to wear your baby can be a life saver! And really, this little bean just spent 9 months inside of me, why would I expect her to not want to be snuggled up near me anymore? I have the Moby wrap that I love, especially when they're teeny. But I'm getting ready to order a LilleBaby carrier. The Moby wrap involves more to get on/off/switch positions... ALL the fabric can be a bit much... especially when standing in the parking lot frantically trying to get it on without touching the ground while the baby screams. UGH! A friend has a LIlleBaby that I've always thought was so neat! I tried it out with Olivia and LOVE it! Especially for doing weddings with our family business- this will be AMAZING! I can't wait!
I think that was really it - just over about a dozen items and we've got all we need. A car seat, couple blankies and a few outfits, you'll have one happy baby! The biggest thing is really just figuring out what you'll actually use vs. buying all there is out there. Think simplicity- basics of feeding/clothing/hygiene with somewhere for baby to sleep and I'd add a way to carry/babywear on the list of importance. When you do buy- buy what you NEED for a day's use. Less is more. ♥
What are your favorite baby must haves? Any good tips for staying minimalist minded when it comes to bringing home a new baby?
xoxo,
Heidi + co.
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