Product Spotlight Series: #1 Must Have

doxiemoxie212 · April 2018

Alright, we've reached the end of the Product Spotlight Series, so it's time to share your #1 Must Have Item! If you could only pick one item, for mom or baby, what is your #1 must have item? (Try not to repeat anything someone else has said - instead, love tit their post)

Lifestyle factors that might influence your choice (climate, vaginal/c-section/etc:
#1 Must Have Item:
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
What you like about it:
What you don't like about it, if anything:
Additional thoughts:

To view past Product Spotlights or view the upcoming schedule, see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gjNtxy2Kd2JceTYYR5wkwVcpTbU-khgazhjcZnfI1y4/edit?usp=sharing

(Also just a reminder that if anyone wants to revive old threads to ask questions as we get further along and it becomes more likely everyone is doing further research, please feel free!)

mytinc · April 2018

Diapers. I don't think I could have a baby without some sort of diaper.

In all seriousness though, there are so many categories that I don't know if I could choose just one product over any other.

Austenista · April 2018

I have a tie for number 1, sorry. My two faves, which I've said before, are the Fisher Price Sit me Up and the Boppy. I've used the heck out of those two items and never even packed them up because they're the fan faves.

I didn't even breastfeed and I used the boppy for bottle feeding, snuggles, naps, as a pillow for myself on car rides, couch naps when he was sleeping next to me in the RnP, as a prop for my laptop. Seriously love that pillow.

Sit Me Up was just my everything for setting baby down when he didn't want to lay down. He sat in it to watch tv, sometimes to eat, to sit on the table next to us while we ate, on the bed hanging with me while I folded laundry and did chores, I'd put him in it and sit him in front of the back door so I could see him while I walked the dogs, he'd hang in it while I took a shower, etc. I used to take it to the park before he was mobile for playdates so he could chill with us while the bigger kids played. If there's a way to use this item, I've probably used it.

I've used it twice even now since he's been walking because he's broken something and I needed to trap him to get glass up safely. Weight limit is 25 lbs and he still weighs just that, luckily. SMU for sure would be the shower gift I would get a friend.

sunshineandwhiskey · April 2018

Baby Bum Brush. Hands down.

https://www.amazon.com/BabyBum-Diaper-Cream-Brush-Blue/dp/B00LYQ53JW/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1523367648&sr=8-3&keywords=baby+bum+brush

krash_ · April 2018

@sunshineandwhiskey I registered for that and got it at my shower and everyone was really confused why I got a spatula for the baby. I had to explain to 40 women why it will be amazing! I'm pretty excited about it.

doxiemoxie212 · April 2018

@sunshineandwhiskey BIL/SIL got us one, and once DH saw it he made me order another one for himself. FOR HIMSELF.

sunshineandwhiskey · April 2018

@doxiemoxie212 Like his own personal use????

doxiemoxie212 · April 2018

@sunshineandwhiskey lol lol lol yes

ETA: "creams are icky"

jsl82 · April 2018

@doxiemoxie212 the stories you share about your husband are too much!

Austenista · April 2018

@doxiemoxie212 my grandmother is bedridden due to vertigo after a stroke and has to wear diapers. My dad saw our wipe warmer and immediately went and got her one. She was always complaining that the wipes were so cold. Problem solved.

mytinc · April 2018

I actually thought of something that I don't think we've discussed (or maybe I missed it) that was a life saver for me as an exhausted mom to a newborn. I was nursing and both my kids preferred to only nurse one breast per feeding (vs. switching breasts halfway through as some moms do). I had a nursing app where I could mark down what time the feeding was, for how long, and which breast. When baby is nursing a bijillion times a day it's not always easy to remember which boob to put them on, especially at 3 am. And both boobs always felt full, so that wasn't a help either.

I used an app called Feed Baby Pro (there's a free version as well with ads). You can also track diaper changes, pumping, medicine, sleep habits, growth, and anything else you may want to keep track of.

rnielsen321 · April 2018

My recommendation for all new moms, and frankly going to use it again is an app, called Wonder Weeks.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.twisevictory.apps

It is based off of a book, (is a companion to it) . Literally a sanity saving device, that smooths through the "what is going on" parts of changes and "leaps" in development through the first 12-18 months.

I have recommended it to new moms that have had their wee ones since I used it with DD, and they all really like it as well. Worth the few $$ for some sanity IMO.

LaceyBee522 · April 2018

@sunshineandwhiskey Thanks! I hadn't heard of that yet. I just added two to my registry plus a mini for travel/diaper bag.

@mytinc Does the app allow you to share info with your partner/nanny? Like could we all log in to the same account, so MH could track changes and feedings into the same system?

mytinc · April 2018

@LaceyBee522 - Yes, there's a function (at least in the Feed Baby Pro version) that allows you to sync the information on other devices. You can also have more than one child listed.

@rnielsen321 - I always heard great things about wonder weeks but never bothered with the app. Maybe I'll try it this time around.

LaceyBee522 · April 2018

@mytinc Thanks! And yes...I guess I will need to track more than one child. Whoops - I forgot. Lol!

marcus7676 · April 2018

@mytinc @laceybee522 I used Feed Baby (free) and recommend as well. We were able to share info between me and my husband using the free version.

lisa2589 · April 2018

@doxiemoxie212 I’M DEAD

starla487 · April 2018

Nose Frida. Hands down.

pupsicle23 · April 2018

This is lame, but mine is muslin swaddle blankets! Target has three packs that get the job done. I used them for everything with DD — burp cloths, sleep swaddles, car seat cover, draping over arms and legs when I wore her into the sun, nursing cover (just tied corners behind my neck), first blanket for DD in bed when she was old enough. Seriously, I love them.

BurlapandLace · April 2018

A good baby carrier - whether it be a wrap, a sling, a SSC.

marcus7676 · April 2018

Grace. Give yourself grace. The first few weeks will be challenging as you adapt to a new situation. Rather than any product, be kind to yourself.

ramennoodlegif · April 2018

Cloth diaper prefolds. I used disposable diapers, so my first thought when I got those at my shower was why?!?! They have myriad uses. I used them as burp cloths, makeshift bibs, makeshift breast pads (at home, of course.) I used them to dust with, too. I always kept at least one in the diaper bag and in the car and it was no big deal if I lost one or if they got stained.

MissKittyDanger · April 2018

kfren said:

Cloth diaper prefolds. I used disposable diapers, so my first thought when I got those at my shower was why?!?! They have myriad uses. I used them as burp cloths, makeshift bibs, makeshift breast pads (at home, of course.) I used them to dust with, too. I always kept at least one in the diaper bag and in the car and it was no big deal if I lost one or if they got stained.

You make a really good point about them!

BurlapandLace · April 2018

@marcus7676 answer has me feeling all the feels. Very well said!

jsl82 · April 2018

@kfren yes- I always tell new moms that when they think they have enough- they don't and to order a pack of 10 more. I find they work so much better than the burp clothes for absorbing spit up. And they are so cheap- with so many uses. Like you said, you can clean with them after baby out grows them, the are super absorbent, so breast pads during early BFing days was a must, wash clothes for DD now (she's a really messy eater), tissue (so much softer than paper towels when you run out of tissues/ boogie wipes), and I've used them as a diaper pad when I was running errands and needed to change a diaper. They cost like $10 for a pack of 10 on amazon- so there is no reason not to have a huge supply.

I also tell everyone that the Baby Merlin Magic Sleepsuit saved my daughter's life. For the first 6 weeks of her life she only slept at night if she was attached to my nipple- so I didn't get to sleep. As soon as we put her in the suit I was able to get 4+ hours of sleep a night. It doesn't work for every baby- but it was my #1 product and I really hope DS sleeps in his too.

MissKittyDanger · April 2018

Not a STM, but my OB's office has an ad for a group of dads for newborns. It goes over PPD, being a new parent {first time or not}, etc
Sounds like it's basically a group where dads can help other dads understand the mothers and validate their own issues/feelings/exhaustion.

starla487 · April 2018

If you are planning to breastfeed, find a support group or LC now... not when you are sleep deprived and frustrated. Go check them out. See if they are on par with your goals. La Leche League usually has groups in major cities. Check your hospital for weekly meetings and weigh ins as well.

katelynrae86 · April 2018

I've been mulling this over to identify my #1 and I think I agree with @BurlapandLace on baby carriers. There's so many options, that we've discussed in that thread, but I think mine helped save my sanity. If you've got a baby that wants to be held constantly or will only sleep on you, its so nice to be able to wear them and get something done (or go for a walk!). I can't tell you how many times I nursed DS in his carrier while unloading my groceries onto the conveyer belt at the store.

And @marcus7676 you are SO right. I will try to remember your words this time too

murraydog2008 · April 2018

If you plan to nurse, you need the Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple cream. It is magical! I did not have it with my first and had the WORST cracked nipples and most painful nursing experience. I ended up getting mastitis twice with that baby too. I was using the lanolin stuff and it just gave me absolutely no relief at all! I was given the Earth Mama nipple cream with my second and it was the most wonderful soothing stuff ever! I can not live with out it as a nursing mom!

starla487 · April 2018

murraydog2008 said:

If you plan to nurse, you need the Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple cream. It is magical! I did not have it with my first and had the WORST cracked nipples and most painful nursing experience. I ended up getting mastitis twice with that baby too. I was using the lanolin stuff and it just gave me absolutely no relief at all! I was given the Earth Mama nipple cream with my second and it was the most wonderful soothing stuff ever! I can not live with out it as a nursing mom!

Ordered mine this week. Also serves as a decent lip balm.

marcus7676 · April 2018

@katelynrae86 I said that as much for myself as for everyone else. I was so hard on myself and I need to try to remember that this is hard and it’s okay if things aren’t “perfect.”

doxiemoxie212 · April 2018

Sometimes often I fail at giving myself grace because I am a perfectionist at heart (but like, omg, so chill guys, so chill; things don't have to be perfect, no no, just effortlessly perfectly imperfect; that's totally better, right?) so I've started instead telling myself, "lol this would be so relatable if you were the main character in a TV show." And then I picture all the dumb fck things main characters do in TV shows, and I still like them and watch them, and then I don't feel so bad. (This has been your daily journey into Doxie's mind. You're welcome.)

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