So, I have a couple friends who are expecting their first babies and I wanted to be sure to share with them (and for me to remember) my newborn must haves. Clara was a trial and error baby - what first born isn't though? I learned as I went along about how to soothe her. Owen, on the other hand, I was prepared.
Notice, all six things help babies sleep better. There is a reason for that - babies sleep, but only for short spans of time. Each of my must haves was recommended by another friend, a complete stranger or a doctor. I didn't discover them by myself - but I know I could not have a child without these! Lord knows, Mommy needs her sleep. Especially, this Mommy.
As soon as I found out I was pregnant with Owen, I made a short punch list about my must haves and made sure I had all of them before he came home.
The most awesome piece of fabric ever. It is, a baby straight jacket. Seriously. Babies love to be swaddled. Babies also have an amazing ability to wiggle out of any swaddle, double swaddle, triple swaddle, or even duct taped swaddle. Both my babies love(d) to be swaddled TIGHT. Once they bust out of that swaddle - they woke up. This blanket seriously lives up to it's name. Owen has four miracle blankets. No joke.
I remember it vividly. Adam and I were registering at Babies R Us for Clara and we were trying to decide about a monitor. We were joking about how ridiculous and seemly unnecessary it was to have to hear AND see your baby. A complete stranger stopped us and literally talked to us about how awesome it was to be able to see your child and not just hear them. So, we registered for it, thinking, how great is it really? Uh, it rocks. You can see before you go in if they really need you or are they just getting comfortable. It helped so much when we were trying to sleep train Clara. And now, to have two of the same monitor. When they are both sleeping, I can just switch back and forth between the two and be able to see both kids without having to carry around two receivers.
Doesn't matter what one you get, just get it and stick with the same one early. We have the Fisher Price Aquarium (thanks to my friend Megan who bought this for Clara before she was born - she is now on her second one). We used it from day one with both kids (Owen doesn't even have a mobile in his crib - he has the ceiling fan but he has the music). Every time we put the kids down for a nap or to sleep at night we turned on the music. Clara hears the music and associates it with sleep. In the middle of the night, as soon as she could reach it, she would push the music and it would soothe her back to sleep. It rocks.
All I can say is "Have you ever tried to change a crib sheet?" Well, if you are five feet tall, you could pull a muscle just trying to. This just makes life just plain easier. Get past the adorable prints or coordinating sets that other crib sheets have - you don't need them. While they have a few cute designs, Clara had the white sheets and Owen has the organic. Honestly, how are you going to juggle a screaming, barfing baby at three in the morning with one hand while attempting to change a sheet with the other? Well, with the sheets you can do just that.
Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Marc Weissbluth
I also call this book the Sleep Bible. Oh, the wisdom in this book. It was a God-Send with Clara and it really showed me how to be patient and when to draw the line when it came to sleep training - she did not nap during the day very easy. It took a while. This book helped! I used his techniques from nearly day one with Owen and I just watch for his clues. He loves to sleep - day and night. This book just helped me figure out when.
This is probably the best investment we have made with both kids. Thanks to my friend Rebecca, who recommended it, I bought this for Clara at 6 weeks. I gawked at the price, but it has been worth it. It is portable (take it to Granny's house, take it on vacation, etc.) It really drowns out noise. We live in an old house in which every floorboard creaks and the walls are thin. Adam and I probably would have gone crazy with watching television on practically mute or whispering our conversations. Clara cannot nap without it. Owen uses it day and night (remember, his sister is a rambunctious toddler).
Good Luck my new Mommy friends!
