Top Ten Must Have Items Nobody Told Us About

This post was requested from a pregnant friend who asked what our "must have" items were.  Everyone knows you need a carseat, crib, clothes, bottles, diapers, etc.  However, there are lots of items that Jesse and I didn't realize would be so helpful until after Jackson was born.  These are the top ten items that weren't on our registry but should have been.  We acquired each of these items after struggling with issues related to nursing, sleeping, coughing, spitting, soothing, driving, etc.  They are the most frequently used, best purchased items we relied on to get us through the first three months.

Item	Specific Brands We’ve Used	How it Helped Our Family
Swaddler	Summer SwaddleMe or SwaddlePod, Miracle Blanket	Jackson was very active at night and Jesse and I were very bad at swaddling with a receiving blanket.  Safely securing Jackson’s flailing arms and legs helped him sleep soundly.
Pacifier	Soothie, Nuk	We introduced the Soothie within two weeks since that was the one recommended from the hospital lactation consultants.  Two weeks later we started using Nuk pacifiers and haven't used the Soothie since.  To help Jackson get better at keeping the paci in his mouth, we gently tugged at it so he would suck harder and learn to keep it in his mouth.
Nursing Nightgown/ Sleepwear	Motherhood, Target online	To be fair, my sister actually did suggest this to me; I just didn't realize I would sleep in it every night.  When you are half asleep, you don't want to fumble around with clothes trying to feed your baby.  While wearing my nursing gown, I am able to easily nurse the night away in the side-lying position while sleeping.  I just stuff a burp cloth on the other side so I don’t leak on the sheets.
Safe Co-Sleeper	Snuggle Nest or Summer Infant Rest Assured Sleeper	Jesse, Jackson, and I slept in the same bed for the first two months.  Jackson hated his pack-n-play bassinet from day one.  We weren’t ready for the crib.  He nursed 5+ times a night.  I was afraid of rolling over him, so we purchased and used both of these co-sleepers.  They allowed all of us to actually get some sleep those first few weeks!
Breathable Crib Bumpers	BreathableBaby Breathable Safer Bumper	The first time Jackson slept in the crib, I found him with his face up against the bumpers.  I was terrified he would suffocate and immediately removed the bumpers.  For the next week Jackson woke up screaming with his legs stuck through the crib slats.  The breathable bumpers solved the problem.
Baby Carrier	Ergo Carrier (with infant insert), Moby Wrap	It’s so nice to snuggle with your baby AND use both of your hands.  I used to put Jackson in the Moby Wrap if he was fighting sleep.  If I’m going to go shopping, it’s so much easier to put Jackson in the Ergo and run errands rather than lugging around the car seat.
Car Mirror	Fisher-Price Travel Care Max View Mirror	I was completely uncomfortable driving with Jackson in my back seat until we got the car mirror to put behind the carseat.  Being able to glance at my baby in the rear view mirror gives me a much needed peace of mind.
Pre-folds for  burp cloths	12 pack of Gerber Pre-fold Birdseye Cloth Diaper	Our kid spits up a TON.  I absolutely hate the thin, washcloth size burp cloths.  I refuse to use them.  While I’m not a fan of pre-folds for diapers, they make excellent burp cloths!
Suction Bulb	Take the ones from the hospital!!	The suction bulbs from the hospital work so much better than the ones you can buy at a store.  Since babies can’t blow their nose and they frequently get mucous in their mouth, the suction bulb is invaluable!
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Karp	bought from Books-a-Million	Of all the parenting books and articles I’ve read, this one makes the most sense.  While it is redundant and dull at times, it gave me a lot of confidence and tips on soothing my fussy baby and taught me a lot about newborns’ needs.