Non-Traditional (and Some Traditional) New Mama Must Haves

So now that I'm a whole two months into this mom of two gig, I thought I would share some things that have helped me survive throughout this time. I've seen a lot of "must have" lists online, and I realized they were leaving out some crucial things - stuff for the actual mother, that don't necessarily have to do with the baby, but let you feel like a human being again, not just a food source, or a burp rag. So I compiled a list of both mama must haves and must haves for the baby.

Some things are definitely different than when I was just a mom of one child. I look back on that time and think of how much more free time I had, especially during this newborn phase. I was blessed with a baby who slept very well. Anywhere. I got a lot done - cleaning, laundry, projects. I showered every day, did my hair, wore make-up.

Now, thankfully, I still shower every day, and 99% of the time, I'm wearing make-up, moreso for fear that if someone came to the door on a day we were staying home that they'd be scared of what they saw if I wasn't wearing it. :) But I've found a few products to help me "fake it" a lot easier, as well as the typical baby products.

1.   Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner - I have naturally curly hair that has turned from tight ringlets back in high school to more waves since I've gotten older. Add in the hormones from being pregnant twice, and I now have weird hair. Naturally curly in places, stick straight and won't hold a curl in others. It can be curly, but I really need to work at it with a diffuser, gel, curling spray, etc. So I wear it straight 99% of the time and use a flat iron on it. To cut down on damaging my hair too much, I only shampoo it every two - three days, depending on how active I am. That way I don't have to use the flat iron as much. This shampoo and conditioner really help to keep my hair straighter in between uses of the flat iron, and smell really good too! Plus, with the both of them costing less than $10, you can't really beat that!


2. "Sparkly" nail polish - I am barefoot all the time. I think I get it from when we lived in Florida, where I'd wear flip flops most of the days I wasn't working. I stopped wearing shoes in the house then too because it was too hot and it's just carried over since we've lived here. And now that we have kids who crawl around on the floor, we don't wear shoes inside at all. So since I'm barefoot all the time, I like looking at pretty toes. I don't really like the look of bare toenails, so I have them pedicured all of the time. However, the upkeep on a regular color (flat colors like reds, or a french tip) is a lot, and something I don't have a lot of time for anymore. So I discovered my new best friend - sparkly nail polish! It is very forgiving if you can't get a pedicure all of the time. I usually just cut my toenails short, file them, and throw this on quickly (while one baby naps and the other one is playing in the next room.) It makes me feel good to have somewhat pedicured nails, and they don't take as much time or precision as it would to apply a flat color.

Currently I'm wearing this gold from Sephora/OPI which is "I Only Shop Vintage": 

3. Burt's Bees Hand Salve - I wash my hands all the time. And because of this my hands get really, really dry. I found this salve long before I had kids and used it on my cuticles and my feet between pedicures. Now I slather it on my hands and my feet twice a day. It works so well, and I love that it's all natural. It definitely works better than any lotion I've used before (and believe me, with dry hands, I've tried A LOT!)


4. Hand sanitizer - any brand, any kind. I have one in my car, one in the diaper bag, and one next to my bed usually. I use this all the time as well since it keeps the germs off of me (and I use it on Santi too after we go to play dates, the grocery store, etc.)

5. Bare Minerals lip gloss - I got this as part of a kit of different beauty products last Christmas and LOVE it. It's just the right amount of color and isn't super sticky. And it helps me "fake" being made up throughout the day too!

6. Moby wrap - I have one that I made and it's a lifesaver. Especially with Gaby being so small and not able to fit into any other carrier initially. She loves to be held and will fall asleep instantly in this thing.

7. Infantino Mei Tai wrap carrier -  I have this exact print and it's so pretty. Plus this carrier is so much better for my back than anything with a buckle. I had a Bjorn for awhile with Santi and it just made my neck and low back hurt. I found this and was in love. And the best part is I can wear the kids facing in, facing out and on my back. I used it as a backpack with Santi in it (when he was 9 months old and over 20 lbs!) in Peru when we went walking around Lima and Miraflores.

8. Baby swing - we have this one, but any swing will do. They are life savers for the times when you actually want to put the baby down. This one that we have I love because you can change the swinging from side to side and front to back. And it has music and a twirling top that the baby can look at. The only thing I dislike about this one is that it's battery operated, and if we use it a lot it runs through batteries often.

9. Summer Infant SwaddleMe - These are the best swaddles for us with Gaby. We didn't swaddle Santi past 6 weeks old since he hated having his hands enclosed. But Gaby LOVES the swaddle. We have several swaddle blankets, but since she was so tiny in the beginning, she would work her way out of the tight swaddle. And then we discovered an old one of these in with the baby stuff from Santi and tried it. The thing we love is it velcros, so it really stays put and tight. And she'll fall asleep really easily when she's put into it.

 

10. Kawaii cloth diapers - We have these in two different sizes: the newborn size and the next one size fits all size up. They are great. They are pocket diapers, where you insert a microfiber or hemp insert into the pocket to help catch the diaper goodies. They velcro and they snap. And are adjustable in size lengthwise as well as width wise. Plus, they are cheap, but well made. I bought these online for about $7 a diaper whereas the Bum Genius, or other similar diapers, are about $15-$20 each. It's an investment up front, but it saves us in the long run. And I just wash the diapers every three days (alone in the wash with the wet bag) and it really takes no time at all. Right now I just throw them in when they're poopy and don't rinse them off, but in the future when there is more heft to the poop I'm looking into getting a diaper sprayer for the toilet. We have had only a few leaks, so these are great. We still use disposable at night, but using cloth during the days really saves money.

 

11. Bouncy chair -  You can get a bouncy chair starting at about $20. We got this one above at Target for Santi and he loved it. We are using it for Gaby (she's actually in it right now and I'm rocking her in it, as she likes the extra motion.) She naps in it during the day and sleeps in it at night. In the morning, I bring it into the bathroom with me so I can see her and she can see me while I shower. These are so great, and I love whoever invented them. They allow me to do simple things like shower, sleep, and brush my hair.

12. Pacifiers - Any kind. We didn't use them with Santi at all. The nurses tried to use them for him when he was in the NICU but we didn't want to cause any confusion, so we told them not to. And when he got home he just never liked them. So when Gaby started taking one, we didn't know if we should let her and just decided to let her have it, and to hopefully be able to wean her off of it by the time she's one. She prefers the Soothies and the Avent ones above, but really, if you have a child who is helped by one, then just let them have it. 

 13. Pacifier clip - We have the BooginHead one above. This is seriously one of those inventions I wish I had thought of. So simple yet so necessary. Helps when you are traveling or just when the baby might spit the paci out when they're sleeping. And keeps it off of the floor.

14. Pacifier pod - We have this one above, the JJ Cole pacifier pod in Strawberry Burst. It's cute, small and can carry about two pacifiers with their clips attached. I keep it on the outside of my diaper bag and have the paci's accessible at all times.

   

15. Reading material for you - you may be tired all the time, but you are going to get breaks. If it's your first child, the baby will sleep a lot. I was unable to "sleep when the baby sleeps" with Santi because he slept so much. And there is only so much tv you can watch, and the house can only be so clean. So I read. This time around, I'm more exhausted, but I'm able to take some downtime for myself and read. It's really necessary as it makes me feel like I'm more than just "mama".

16. Carter's First Year Calendar -  I love this perpetual calendar! I have a friend who gave me one for Santi, and it was great. I didn't have to have the baby book out all of the time, and I could record things easily such as doctor's appointments, milestones, etc. and then use it to cross reference the baby book. And this one is cute, as well as has stickers for the major milestone moments to put onto the calendar.

17. My Baby Book - Santi has this same one, and I loved it so much I got it for Gaby too. There are places for journaling, photos, etc. I loved the conversational style of the book, and it's just really well put together.

 

18. Belly binder - I had a c-section but I think this would be helpful for anyone after birth. Since I had a c-section though, this helped suck everything in, as well as provided support for my abdominal muscles and my c-section incision when I would sneeze, laugh or cough. Plus, I really think the use of it helped to train my abdominal muscles that their job was to go back into my belly area rather than hanging out. When I had Santi, I was given one from the hospital but it was way too tall for me since I'm short waisted. I wore it for a day and took it off because it would fold over when I sat down. This one, I bought and it was shorter and much more comfortable. I wore it essentially everyday for a month after I had Gaby and it really helped.

 

19. A good stroller - We have this double BOB Revolution above. You do not need a BOB, but I got it because I run, walk and participate in Stroller Strides every week. It makes sense for me. Whatever stroller you get, make sure you get one that's sturdy and holds up to normal wear and tear well, since it will become your "home base" when you're out and about. Ours on any day holds the diaper bag, snacks and drinks, books, and shopping bags if we're at the mall.

So there you have it, this is my list of new mama must-haves. Take from it what you will!