There is a never ending onslaught of advertising to mothers to be and new moms. How could we ever get this parenting thing right without the 200 dollar dress? Or the 600 dollar bassinet? I mean, the marketing is obviously doing a great job because they know how to prey on the vulnerabilities of any group. And mothers are no exception.

I am here, waving you down, to say please don’t fall for it. Please don’t spend your hard earned dollars on things that honestly you may never even use. Please take the advice of someone, maybe not even me, that you trust about what you might actually need.

In an effort to be that someone, that you trust, I made a small list of things I loved having with a new baby. If you have been following along so far, you will notice that I like to keep things short and sweet.

MAM Pacifiers

Nuk, paci, plug or whatever you would like to call it. I have loved MAM. All my kids, except one, have taken them without issue. The one didn’t take a pacifier at all. EVER.

Moving on, they have great designs as they grow older and they come with a little steamer box for the microwave. I am not saying other options aren’t great because I think products keep getting better. I just have really loved these.

Moby Wrap

When you have the option, wear your baby. Make sure you measure for these and get it right because it will be the difference that makes you feel comfortable and your baby being safe. I wish so much that I would have done more baby wearing while I could. I am trying to do as much as possible now. Moby is comfortable and soft. I feel like my babies are snug and safe. Newborns have no where better to be but on you. Wear them!

Philips Avent Steamer

I LOVE this thing. It steams all my baby stuff. Bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, chewing toys and anything else that you can fit! There is a smaller option and larger when stacked. I will keep this thing for sanitizing stuff even after my babies are grown. Perfect for new moms who want to sanitize everything for the first few months. And who has time to boil all the things! I am exhausted and don’t want to deal with boiling. I will say you should boil before the first use. Then use this thing. It does the work and I can walk away.

Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper Bassinet

I truly love this bassinet. I am a co-sleeper. Shhhhh. I am not giving advice as to what you should do. Many people advise against co-sleeping and I get it. There are dangers. This makes it easy for me to feel ok about my baby not being directly on me because I don’t want to put them down…ever. With this, I can put my baby right next to me. However, there are new models and brands now that have adjustable heights. I would have really loved that. The one I have was lower than my side of the bed and harder to reach into and grab a hungry baby. Still a wonderful addition to my bed. I also feel better knowing it is there in case I fall asleep accidentally. It has pockets for diapers and wipes. Also a storage area underneath for blankets or whatever else. We kept a package of bed protectors under ours for diaper changes on the bed. And after a c-section that is really helpful to have everything right next to you.

Triple Paste Diaper Cream

Shortly after my second son was born, we ended up in the hospital. He had an infection on his lips and face. It ended up being disagreed upon by two doctors but he was put on an antibiotic (not what I want to do in most cases but necessary) and we went with the diagnoses of a staph infection. Impetigo had recently gone through our whole family, that is a story for another day. Point is, that while there they gave me this diaper rash cream and I LOVE it. I have tried a ton of creams. No joke. This works really, really well. I don’t particularly like petroleum but we know it does protect skin that is aggravated and so we use it. When newborns are poo-ing all the time it is great at protecting their little bums. Side note-my son is a healthy happy kid and healed completely. 🙂

I know how busy we are and I don’t have time to read long blog posts and so I expect no other woman does either. I hope you find them beneficial. I truly use all the products I recommend and after 6 kids I have found things that work for me. I hope they work for you too.

What products have you found that make your life easier with a newborn? Or littles?