As a first time mother, I was pretty overwhelmed by the sheer amount of baby items on the market. There are a ton of brands and variations of the same item. It's especially tricky because every baby is unique and what one baby loves, another baby might disdain. So, no amount of reading and imagining could have 100% prepared me for my own situation. Therefore, after a lot of guessing and contemplating, I often just bought the cheapest item just my daughter hated it.
Now that my daughter is no longer a newborn, I want to take the time to look back and share what items were lifesavers during those early days. These are the items I wish I would have splurged on because they worked really well for my baby! It's often a given that you should invest in good and reliable cribs, strollers, and car seats, but down below are the little things that really made a difference!
Sound Machine
I don't know who created the "sleep like a baby" phrase, but I honestly have the world's most pickiest sleeper! She needs to be placed in a warmed crib in a south facing position with pink noise at no lower than 45 decibels and a temperature at 70 degrees, on a full moon, to fall asleep. Honestly, she is so high maintenance when it comes to sleep, and so, of course, the cheap sound machine I bought just won't do! But, at least, concerning the sound machine, I don't blame her. I bought a cheap sound machine from Amazon thinking that all noise was created equal, but that is far from the case. The song selection and sound quality is just terrible, and I've since been using an old cellphone to play white noise from a paid baby app! I am currently looking into buying a higher quality white noise machine, perhaps one like the Hatch, because white noise is absolutely essential for her to get a good night's rest!
Swaddles
I honestly thought taking any old blanket and wrapping the baby up will suffice (Thanks, television), but, swaddling is honestly an art form, and as for my high maintenance baby, only the finest quality linen and most masterful swaddler will do. Fortunately, I bought pretty high quality swaddler blankets from aden + anais, but unfortunately, I was far from being a master swaddler in the beginning. Therefore, my swaddles just made her uncomfortable and want to fight out of it and thus, poorly affecting her sleep. I've thankfully gotten a lot better at swaddling, or maybe she's just given up on me, but I wish I would have invested in other kinds of swaddlers, like the velcro kind that are a bit easier for beginners. Also, now that she can roll over, she's transitioning out of being completely swaddled, and therefore, I've been looking into sleep sacks. I will definitely splurge this time!
Aki had a really hard time with taking naps in the early days. I usually had to rock her for hours and usually I couldn't put her down. That was when I learned about baby-wearing. I had invested in a cheap, sling-like carrier at first, and I quickly found out that it was very uncomfortable for both me and her. I then invested in a cheap wrap-style carrier, and she fell asleep in it instantly and it didn't hurt my back. The only problem with this carrier was that the material was non-stretching and hot. Therefore, I would like to invest a more high quality, breathable style wrap in the future!
Aki was born at 6 pounds despite being super later, and when we finally brought her home and laid her in her crib, she was swallowed by it whole. She hated the crib, so we made a makeshift bed with a sort of "boppy pillow", but more often than not, she was in my arms. I really wish I would have invested in a bassinet so that she wouldn't have become so dependent on my arms, which made the transition to the crib such a huge, painful, leap. I am proud to say that she now sleeps in her crib like a champ, but her crib went untouched for the first two and half months. A bassinet would have allowed us to practice independent sleep habits from day one but still offer that snuggled and warm feeling like being in my arms. The reason we didn't buy one is mainly due to space and the pain of getting rid of things here in Japan, but if I ever have another child, I definitely will not be skipping or skimping out on this purchase.
Breast Pump
Breastfeeding is hard. I'll come out and say it. Breastfeeding is a lot more than just baby latching and drinking. There's the threat of mastitus, low or over milk supply, engorgement, or just the need to be away for the baby. I was really naiive and under prepared for my breastfeeding journey and therefore, ended up buying a cheap, manual, breast pump at the hospital because of my engorgement and baby needing to be in the NICU. The manual breast pump, while it did a fine job, it was just not enough for my needs. It was slow, my technique was inconsistent, and so, it often took an hour plus to pump only 70 or so ml (This was when she was a newborn. She needed more milk as she got older) Just when I finished pumping, storing the milk, and cleaning the parts, sterilizing and drying, it was time to pump again. Eventually, I ended up buying a single breast electric pump, which has sped up the pumping significantly and has made pumping a lot less stressful. If I could do it over again, I'd purchase a pretty high quality, double breast pump!
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