The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Having a baby in this day and age means an onslaught of STUFF. There are lots of books, websites and people out there who want to tell you want STUFF you need for your baby. I've read and listened to lots of them, and I'm now 3.5 months into this first time parent experience. I'm going to try and give you some reviews over the next few days of what I liked/didn't like and why. What I have figured out is that you really don't need a ton of STUFF to keep baby safe and happy. But, as all first times moms can attest to it's fun to look and shop. So here are my thoughts:

Arm's Reach Co Sleeper.
This is by far the thing we use most often. It attaches to the side of your bed so you have all the benefits of co-sleeping while you and baby still have your own space. When she was itty bitty she always slept in here, until I got less paranoid of rolling over on her. Now she sleeps in here the first half of the night until she wakes to nurse. After that she sleeps in bed with me. It's great because you don't even have to sit up to get them out of the co-sleeper. This is especially nice for those nights in the beginning when they wake up a lot to nurse. I just reached over, pulled her in next to me (laying down) let her nurse, then when she was done I'd just set her back in. You get much better sleep this way! If your into saving money, look on Craigslist for one of these, we found a almost brand new one for half the retail price. Buying used is more eco-friendly too if you feel comfortable doing that. The only annoying thing with the co-sleeper are the sheets. They are not a standard size, so you have to buy their sheets. Overall, one of my favorite things!



The Miracle Blanket (and other swaddle blankets)

We love the swaddle blankets. Swaddling works great for Allison. Most babies, but not all like to be swaddled, so I wouldn't buy a ton of these before baby was born. We are still using the swaddle at 3.5 months. She sleeps longer and more peacefully when she's swaddled, and these blankets are SO much easier than swaddling with a blanket. Allison was a big and freakishly strong baby from day one, so swaddling in a regular blanket didn't work. The Miracle blanket is the best for babies who bust out of their swaddle quickly becuase it has the arm flaps that pin her arms to her body. We've also used the SwaddleMe's (Kiddopotomus) and these work well too. Unfortunately Allison is too long for the Miracle Blanket now, so we are back to Swaddle Me's (which come in a larger size). I highly recommend a Miracle or Swaddle me for any newborn!



More to come later!