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Okay friends, the ‘must-have’ lists are exhausting, I feel you. I’m going through photos from when Maddox was a fresh babe and honestly, my list is not that long especially for those early days.
The key at the beginning is honestly survival LOL. All the lists and posts have you thinking you’re going to need one of those activity centres the second they exit the womb, but you can definitely stagger your purchases because if they can’t hold up their own head, they don’t need a jumper with piano steps.
A wrap / carrier
This wrap one was my fav in the early days, mine was secondhand, but Baby Beluga is a great option. I used this one right away with Maddox. Once he was a little bigger I loved this Baby K’tan wrap as it doesn’t take as much wrapping effort and was easier for doing out of the house (Canadian October babies = slushy parking lots).
Also in this photo – Bibs Pacifiers. They’re our favs and also come in the nicest colours. They are meant to be v close to the real deal, so I’d start here and see if your kiddo goes for it (full disclosure, they might never take a soother!).
A Diaper Genie
If you opt for the regular diapers, these are great. If you cloth diaper, the Dekor pail has a liner for those. We cloth diapered for about 18 months and mostly switched when we moved cross-country.
Diapers + Wipes
We love HelloBello and have used them since day one without issue. The subscription is key for my brain, I get an email when it’s time to pick my designs, and if I forget to go in it’ll ship anyway so I’m not out of diapers because that is the worst LOL
We love their bubble bath and shampoo too, and you save 15% on those extras if you order them with your diapers.
I’ll also note, their wipes are fantastic.
If you have a puker…
These LouLou Lollipop bibs were our favourite – they’re more absorbant and cover a larger area, and it’s much easier to swap a bib than change your kid 10,000 times a day…
If you decide to nurse…
… and even if you don’t, water is important LOL. But when you’re nursing the thirst is real, so get you a good cup (with a straw because you’ll be one-handed a lot). I love my Yeti’s, but those big Starbucks cups are good too (get the stainless plz, no plastic).
Nursing Essentials
Okay couple more things on mama comfort here. The Marley’s Monsters nursing pads were my favourite – super absorbant, and the flannel, cotton terry cloth and anti-pill fleece material combo won’t make you want to cry.
I could probably do an entire post on nursing alone, but I’ll say this: it’s not easy. I had a bad latch early on and it took me 8 weeks to stop crying. Find a lactation consultant, rent a pump (Shoppers has the hospital grade ones, but your local pharmacy may too!) before you drop a few hundred on it because I honestly didn’t pump after I returned my rental.
Also if you have a hard time, talk to your midwife / provider about Jack Newman All Purpose Nipple Ointment because it’s the MVP.
Bathing + Laundry
I’m guess I’m what they’re calling a bit ‘crunchy’ when it comes to detergents, so our favourite bathing product since day one has been the Só Luxury bath soaks. You use this in place of soap, and if you end up dealing with eczema it’s also a miracle worker as a paste.
For laundry we use Nellie’s for everything – I know, I know, no Tide?! LOL.
I find Nellie’s doesn’t leave a residue, and it’s unscented so there’s no fake fragrance to worry about irritation. You can find it at Winner’s, Costco, Amazon etc. There’s a baby-specific option as well but we’ve always just used the regular!
For stain removal, we like Puracy.
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