For Priscilla:
Swaddle Blankets | We received so many of these as gifts and I’m incredibly grateful. I love using them to swaddle P for naps, keep her cozy in the car, and use to wipe up any spit up. They’re just so practical. I also like laying them down for diaper changes, too.
SwaddleMe Sleep Sacks | My friend Amanda gave us two of these, and I love them. They’re light weight enough so P won’t get too hot at night #summerbaby.
Halo Fleece Sleep Sacks | Another hand-me-down from Amanda, they are perfect for cooler nights. Underneath I usually put her in just a onesie.
Solly Baby Wrap | Life saver! I adore my Solly wrap. I wear her in this daily, multiple times a day. I can get all my household work down and even sit down to write a quick blog post. Oftentimes she’ll nap in the wrap, too.
Pacifier | I gave P a pacifier on day two or three. I don’t see any harm in them. She doesn’t seem to be partial to any sort of brand. They help sooth her and can sometimes grant us an extra twenty or thirty minutes of sleep.
Standard or baby wash cloths | I use these for everything, obviously during bath time, but also to put down during middle-of-the-night diaper changers. I also like them for setting down pump parts on or wiping up breast milk spills.
Bassinet | P slept right next to our bed in her own little bed for her first month {we then moved her right outside our bedroom door because she is such a noisy sleeper!}. She loves her bassinet and does well in it. Our stroller {Uppababy Vista} also has a bassinet attachment that she often naps in and can be broken down easily for travel. I’m trying to teach her the difference between night and day so she naps in her stroller bassinet and sleeps during the night in her basket style one. I have no idea if it will work, but I’m giving it a shot 😉
For me:
Depends + wingless pads + panty liners | I really loved wearing Depends {ha!} for the first few days after I had P. They were also great for wearing once my water broke. I much preferred them to pads. Once my bleeding let up a bit I switched over to regular pads. You can even make padsicles, which I did, and they were helpful. I recommend getting the wingless ones because the wings are kind of annoying. My bleeding stopped by about 2.5 weeks post partum, but for those final days I found simple panty liners to be perfect.
Target nursing tanks | These are the best! I wear mine almost daily under a cardigan. They’re also great for laying under regular shirts.
Unscented lotion | I didn’t want to use anything heavily scented, and strong scents give me headaches anyway. A simple, unscented lotion has been perfect for me.
Burt’s Bees Lip balm | I was given some new lip balm at my mother’s blessing because I heard that labor makes your lips dry. I didn’t experience that, but since having P and nursing my lips have been quite dry. I keep a tube right by my bed so I can put it on at night during nursing sessions.
Mother’s Milk Lactation tea | This was another gift from my Mother’s Blessing. I love it! I like to drink warm beverages {especially now since summer is winding down} but don’t want to overload with caffeine. This tea is delicious and boosts lactation.
My Breast Friend nursing pillow | Another hand-me-down from Amanda… I love it! I have a Boppy as well, but favored the MBF in the early days of nursing.
Nursing pads | Not everyone leaks, but I do, and having a ton of pads has been helpful. I change mine twice a day {once when I wake up/after I shower and once before bed}. They have also helped with some of my nipple pain by providing a barrier between my skin and clothing.
Motherlove nipple cream | This cream is awesome because it’s all natural and you don’t need to wipe off before your baby latches on. It has saved me, especially during the first two weeks of nursing which were so painful.
Nipple shield | I think every new mom who plans to breast feed should just buy one out of precaution. This has made a HUGE difference for me. Highly, highly recommend.
Those are our favorites… I’m so glad to have been well stocked before P was born. I’m all for fun and frilly baby shower gifts, but I also believe any of these practical options would be very well received, too! For my shower the hosts gave me a rolling IKEA care full of postpartum stuff that I loved, and at Seth’s family shower I received tons of breastfeeding and pumping accessories.
{Photos by Kimi Coopet of Oh, Hello! Photo}
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![Sharing my heart on moving from the city on the blog this morning. “Much of my identity has been wrapped up in being a city dwelling lady and mama. I take quite a bit (maybe too much) pride in not being “basic,” as if enjoying things many others do is a sin. It’s not. I don’t believe I’ll ever be cookie cutter, but I’m finding myself settling in and loving non city life quite a bit. It doesn’t hurt, this magical house. I’ve longed for and wanted to live in an old home for my entire adult life. I love Victorians. This particular house has so many unique, interesting, lovely features that it would be impossible not to adore it [...]” #linkinbio {📷 credit to Lisa Quinlan of Gray Duck Studios}](https://katherinedegroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/image-asset.jpg)
