Essentials: 0-6 Months

Day 9 of being furloughed. Nothing more to say about THAT…

A few weeks ago I posted a list of my 6-12 month baby “essentials.” Now I’m revisiting the 0-6 month time frame — and I have to admit that a good portion of that period is a bit of a blur! But here’s what I remember being must-haves in my house…

1. Bottles — and in particular, Dr. Brown’s. I hadn’t anticipated using bottles immediately, but my breastfeeding issues had us breaking into the bottle section of my baby shower gifts within the first week of Emma’s life. We had at least 3 or 4 different types of bottles that we’d been gifted, and we tried them all. Dr. Brown’s had the dubious distinction of having the most parts to wash by far…but they also seemed to work the best! The straw thing inside really did help keep the nipple from collapsing, and it seemed to reduce the amount of air Emma swallowed as an infant.

2. Baby 411. This book was a great reference for both Jose and me since it covers basically everything and lets you know when to worry, and when things are probably fine. This one stayed on the coffee table for several months and then was given a convenient spot on the bookcase in the living room — that’s how often we referred to it to answer random questions! (It’s now been replaced by Toddler 411, but I know I’ll grab it again if/when we have another addition to the family.)

3. Bottle warmer. This is one of those really controversial baby items — some people say it’s a lifesaver and others say it’s a total waste of money. For me? It was essential. I suppose you can heat up a cup of water in the microwave and blah blah blah, but we did that at first and it was a pain in the butt. Using a bottle warmer was SO much easier. Plop the bottle in, turn the dial to the right time, and voila. It took all of the guesswork out of it. We never warmed Emma’s bottles too much, but enough to take the chill off.

4. Nose bulb. We didn’t need this for the first three months — but once Emma started daycare, the runny noses began. Sucking snot out of your kid’s nose? Not something I really anticipated doing, but there you have it.

5. Swaddle sacks. Ok, so there are a million different variations on swaddle blankets and each baby is different. But for us, these SwaddleMe blankets made by Summer Infant were the best. Emma started busting out of normal blankets right away, but these kept her legs contained and the fact that they velcro closed (yep, velcro) kept her arms mostly pinned down. Emma was therefore unable to arbitrarily smack herself in the face, and slept better. Yay all around!

6. Infant car seat. I think going with an infant seat that snaps in and out of a base that stays in the car is pretty standard these days, and it’s definitely the way to go for ease of carrying an infant around town and into stores. We chose the Chicco Keyfit 30 based on some research along with recommendations from a few friends, and had zero regrets.

7. Bouncer. This thing was lifesaver #1. We had this Fischer Price version and Emma probably spent as much time sleeping in this as she did in her crib for her first few months. It calmed her down when she was fussy and kept her comfy. We even used this in later months — when she was so big that she barely fit in it anymore — to keep her elevated at night when she was congested.

8. Swing. This was lifesaver #2. If the bouncer didn’t satisfy Emma, the swing did. (And it somehow made me feel better to alternate between bouncer and swing, although I know that makes zero sense.) I remember one night very early on — she was probably only 4 or 5 days old — when we dragged the swing into our bedroom at 3 a.m. in a last ditch effort to quiet a screaming baby. AND IT WORKED.

Honorable Mentions:

Hospital-grade breast pump. I rented a Medela Symphony from the hospital and used it religiously from Day ~4 of Emma’s life until I went back to work and stopped pumping entirely. Even though my supply was never enough, I do feel like the high-end pump helped me get as much as I could.

Exersaucer. We got this Baby Einstein one for Emma when she was ~4.5 months old and used it through 7-8 months. In retrospect, I wish we’d gotten it earlier — as soon as she was able to sit/stand in it. She loved playing with the toys and it was a great, safe place for her to be while I showered or cooked.