.first week survival items: for baby.

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

one] mamaroo: a gift from grandpa wayne [my dad] and a freaking lifesaver! seriously, this magical ride has allowed me to shower, do laundry, blog, read, watch a movie, take a bath, brush my teeth, etc. etc. it has basically has given me a life to do some normal things without having to tote around the little man. he stays nestled nice and tight and if he's fussing at all, i just turn on the 'car ride' motion and for the most part he's in heaven. he has also moved from co-sleeping [although, after daddy leaves in the morning, jack's goes right into bed with me for a morning cuddle and sleep] to snoozing in this at night. he seems to prefer the tightness of this better than our bassinet. best.gift.ever.

two] baby socks / mitts: while, i didn't think that would need these, i was very wrong. babies have the sharpest little nails and just love to have their hands in their faces at all times. poor little man really tried to do a number on himself! and while we went with tiny itty-bitty socks to cover jack's hands, these adorable mittens are just too cute. 

three] extra wipes: so completely necessary! and having a bunch of extra's around has saved me numerous trips to the store. i like to use the sensitive ones as they are basically water and cloth, without all the washing.

four] pacifiers: most nurses will tell you to not give your newborn a pacifier until you are well established in the breastfeeding department. and while i completely agree with them on that one and tried to keep a 'soother' out of jack's mouth for the recommended 1 month, it just didn't happen. the little man needed something immediately to calm him and after eating his fill of milk [we did pretty well right off the bat in the breastfeeding department], my poor sore nipples just couldn't take the extra 'play time' jack wanted. so after we figured out that he was just using me as a soother anyways, we introduced a nuk style pacifier and it saved our sanity and my boobies!

five] newborn / premie onesies: i was totally surprised when my 7.4 lbs baby didn't seem to fit anything we had for him. so i totally recommend picking up a couple newborn/premie onesies for those first couple weeks. and for summer, go with short sleeves; winter, stick with the long.

six] nursing pillow: at first i wasn't sure how much use i would get out of this, but after purchasing it on sale at a 50% discount at toys r us, i went for it and boy was i happy that i did! most used item by far for breastfeeding. i carry it with me from room-to-room.
seven] extra diapers: we've gone with cloth diapering at home [at least we're trying] and disposables for our and about. however, most of my cloth diapers are too large for the wee boy, so having a ton of extra diapers around has been a saving grace. especially considering this child poops 100 times a day!

eight] swaddling blankets: i've mentioned these [and my love for them] about a million times, but they really are just so awesome: the aden & anais swaddling blankets. as any new momma will tell you, most new babies like the feel of being cozy and warm [i mean they where basically in a tight heat machine for 10 months!]. so after discovering the benefits of a tight swaddle, little jack slept longer at night and i felt assured that he was cozy and warm. a win win. they can also double as a breastfeeding cover, stroller blanket, burp cloth, spit rag, etc. etc! i personally prefer the bamboo style of material [so incredibly soft!], but these bejeweled colors are pretty darn awesome too!

nine] baby lotion: this heavenly mom and baby balm was lathered over little jack day and night. with him being born in the middle of october and with us albertan's getting a bit of a cold hit early this year, his newborn skin was all sorts of dry. this totally helped with the little guys flakey and dry skin. the normal shea butter is pretty awesome too and totally soft enough for your little babe or yourself [click here to view].