my top 5 newborn essentials

Eric and I were a little on the frantic side trying to get ready for baby when I was pregnant with Mia. We weren't sure what we needed, so we thought we had to have it all! I mean seriously, I wish I had taken a picture of the trunk of our car when we went to do newborn photos... we packed so much CRAP that we could barely close the trunk, ha ha. Anyway, that was totally off point. I could go on and on about what a new momma needs, especially a nursing one (pump, lanolin cream, adult diapers- I'm only half kidding ;), 10 pairs of hands, sleep, ibuprofen, and the list can go on. Wow- if I wasn't already pregnant that would have been a good dose of birth control for me, ha ha! Being a new mom is far from glamorous... but those days with your brand new, tiny newborn? They are PRICELESS!) But a sweet, precious newborn needs very little in the term of "things" and that's just one more reason to soak up that phase and try to stop your heart from bursting with love! Aside from LOTS of snuggles and food (whether it comes from formula or nursing) I've narrowed down our 5 "must haves" this time around with baby boy. Trust me, we've come a looooooong way since this is our second go around ;)

1- I am completely obsessed with baby nightgowns, especially for the middle of the night diaper changes, etc! They give the baby full coverage to help keep them warm, but I'll still have easy access to his tiny toesies ;) We own multiple nightgowns for our little man but the "Sleepy Bear" nightgown that Loved By Hannah And Eli sent us is at the top of my list! I can't wait to snuggle my little bear in his nightgown!

2- Mia loved being swaddled so swaddle blankets are a definite necessity this go around, too! We bought Aden and Anais blankets for Mia and they were by far our favorite for swaddling, but the best part is that she STILL sleeps with them every day over 2 1/2 years later! These are light weight enough that you can easily swaddle for sleep and survive the hot months, then layer with another blanket for warmth during the cold months. I also only ever used my A&A blankets as a nursing cover during the hot months with Mia. It was big enough that I had full coverage but super light weight and breathable to make it more comfortable for Mia to be covered! We've also discovered that these tie around to make a PERFECT toddler cape, ha ha! Can you tell that we are #1 fans of A&A blankets? I ended up purchasing a bamboo swaddle set during the Nordstrom sale and holy moly, they are SO SOFT! I didn't think it could get any better than their normal swaddles, but these are amazing! So baby boy will have the normal swaddles as well as a bamboo set!

3- Mia was a binky baby so I'm totally okay with brother taking a bink as well! This time we will be taking the binky's we hope he'll like best to the hospital with us... which are the nuk pacifiers! We loved them with Mia!! Obviously if he doesn't love it, we will try other brands to see if he prefers them (or maybe he won't take a bink at all!) but I'm definitely trying our favorite brand very first!

4- Diapers are obviously a necessity... we LOVED Pampers Swaddlers when Mia was a newborn. Our favorite part was that a little line turned green when she peed, and you bet we changed her diaper anytime we saw the littlest bit of green, ha ha! Since this isn't our first rodeo we really don't need the line to tell us when and if baby boy needs a diaper change, but we still plan on using swaddlers during the newborn days for him! We discovered that every brand has different sizing though, and we have literally used a different brand for every single size of diaper Mia has been in. So we may discover that Pampers isn't the best fit for our boy, and that's okay! Being flexible is what being a parent is all about anyway ;) Side note: I guess wipes go hand in hand with diapers- our favorite are the Kirkland wipes from Costco. And we are TOTALLY stocking up on them right now because they are in the coupons for the first time in 2 years (until the end of the month) ha ha!

5- So here's the deal, we used our (borrowed) bouncer the very day we brought Mia home from the hospital so a bouncer was on the top of our "need" list this time around. I know there are mamaRoo's, rock a roo's, etc and I know people swear by them, but we are going off of what we know for our list. And we don't know if a mamaRoo is worth the money (although I wouldn't say no to a free one, ha ha!) and the newly launched bounceRoo (we would be more likely to splurge on this since we know we love having a bouncer) But all these sweet babes need are a cozy place to lounge and feel comfort. So again, a bouncer is a necessity to us because we used one with Mia from day one. But he could turn the tables and really hate the bouncer... which means we will find ourselves scrambling for a swing or even a mamaRoo ;)

So there you have it- our 5 must haves, plus food, cuddles and love to survive the newborn days!!