These are some essential items that I have found helpful so far with my tiny human. Now, I am going to leave out the obvious essentials. We all know that you’ll need clothes, a pram, a car seat, somewhere for the tiny human to rest while you attempt to organise your life and enough nappies to catch more poo than you would have ever thought humanly possible (like seriously, where does it all come from).
*Disclaimer* Please remember that different families may benefit from different things and these are the essentials that I, personally, could not have lived without during my tiny humans life… Enjoy ✌
1. A video baby monitor – Now this may seem ridiculous… Like, just walk in there and look at your baby, right? We’ll unless you’re a ninja and can check your baby without making any noise then I highly recommend a video monitor. It saved us, so many times. During the first few months, if I was out of the room, I liked to check that he was in ‘safe sleeping positions’ the SIDS fear is real peeps… so anything to ease your mind is a win.
2. Swaddles – Some people opt for traditional swaddles but Hudson HATED being swaddled, he would squirm and scream and fight until he was free. He went from a baby possessed, to complete calm upon freedom. The thing is… Babies need to be swaddled. They have a startle reflex, plus they sleep better when they feel secure… They were warm and snug in your tummy after all. We found the Love to Dream swaddles amazing… Hudson was kept snug but had the freedom to move his arms around a bit more.
3. A bath support/bath seat – We didn’t get one of these until Hudson was about 4 months old. I had no idea they even existed. I found it hard to hold Hudson in the bath because he wriggles more than a fish trying to escape from your bare hands. The bath support meant I didn’t have to hold Hudson, I just pop him in the seat and obviously, I’m still right there with him, but I have my hands free to give him a good wash and he gets to enjoy splashing around much more.
4. A bath/room thermometer – I didn’t trust myself to be able to tell if the water in Hudsons bath was too hot/cold but this made it so much easier. We had an Avent one that also doubles as a room thermometer which is great for us to know if we need to put the heat/fan on
5. A breastfeeding/U-shaped pillow – Honestly the best things ever invented. It helped both myself and the tiny human be so much more comfortable during breastfeeding, then it turned into the best sitting supporter when Hudson was learning to sit unaided and now he loves lying in it and drinking his bottle. We didn’t go with a fancy one, just a $10 Kmart one. Bargain.
6. A floor mirror – Hudson did not like tummy time until we got him one of these. He loved lying there and staring at himself and it encouraged him to lift his head and reach out to touch the mirror. Again, we just got one from Kmart (seriously, if there was an award for world’s best store, Kmart has to win, right?)
7. A bouncer – For the first 4 months of Hudsons life, I could not have lived without a bouncer. The old-school style though, not the fancy kind. We tried a fancy bouncer that rocked itself and played music and all that jazz but Hudson tested out how loud his lungs were every time we tried to put him in it. We ended up getting one of the mesh bouncinettes, which he LOVED. We used to put it against a hard surface so Hudson could kick off it and it made his legs super strong. And it meant I could get shit done.
8. A jumper – When he grew out of the bouncer we needed something else to keep himoccupied so we opted for a bounce-a-round activity centre. Again, this was super helpful so I could get shit done. Most come with plenty of interactive toys and we found the ones without a foot platform were better for maximum bouncing.
9. If you do end up, or if you simply choose, to give formula, there are a few things that make outings a breeze. The first is a formula dispenser, they have 3 sections, so you can make up 3 bottles. The other thing I found a lifesaver was a flask for hot water to heat the bottles. Avent does a great one, with a leak proof lid that comes with a container to pour the water in and pop the bottle in to heat it. To some this wouldn’t be necessary, but if you travel a lot and don’t always have time to find a baby room or are going somewhere they won’t have one then this can be a lifesaver.
10. Sleeping bags – When we transitioned Hudson out of his Love to Dream swaddles we wanted to go for sleepsuits/sleeping bags as opposed to blankets because I was a paranoid freak about him getting caught up in the blankets… as I said earlier, he’s as wriggly as a fish. We have different ones for different temperatures. Our favourite brands have been the Love to Dream and Ergopouch.
11. Wipeable bibs for when you start solids. We didn’t learn this one straight away… And we went through soooooo many bibs that basically looked like something had died on them. We now just chuck a wipeable one on when it’s food time, give it a rinse after and waa-laa, good as new. Also, got these bad boys from Kmart, I swear I pretty much live there.
12. A thermometer, you will need to take your babies temperature sooner or later. If you feel like splurging go with the ear ones they’re a lot quicker to get a reading but with some ninja moves and some intense distractions, an underarm one works fine
13. A good nappy cream – We never found that Sudocream or Bepanthen did much for Hudson, but we love Nappy Goo or Eco Store Nappy Balm, they’re a bit more natural and clear up any rash so quick, you forget it was even there.
14. A car mirror – I could not drive with Hudson in the back without this. I would literally, have to stop, every five minutes without it. It puts your mind at ease being able to see them in their carseat whenever you want.
15. Some sort of sleep association – this probably doesn’t come into the picture till about 6 months when you’re establishing a sleep routine and babies can have small soft toys in their cot. We were gifted a blue bunny rabbit who we named Betty… Hudson loved her so much we thought we even got a backup. She just stays in Hudsons cot and when we put him to bed he usually just grabs her, rolls over and goes to sleep. You could use a toy, cuddly or a dummy to help with your sleep routine.
Hopefully, at least a few of these things helps you out. I know they all helped me.
Thanks for reading ✌ xx
Hudson and Her 