A Few of My Favourite Things

There are so many things that babies need.  I honestly tried to be a minimalist, I didn't want my house and diaper bag full of unnecessary items.  But regardless of how few things you try to get, the baby still needs certain items and these things can make your life a lot easier.

1. Receiving blankets.  Parker is a spitter and a messy eater.  I go through blankets like crazy and need a ton of them so that I'm not doing laundry on a daily basis.
2. Moses basket.  I ended up borrowing an actual bassinet from a friend, but we still use the Moses basket constantly.  It sits on the floor in our living room so that Parker can be in the room with me during the day.  I can move it around the house, or easily take it to my in laws house.  At this point it's easier than a pack and play to move around.  You can get a stand for them as well and use them as an actual bassinet.
3. Medela Freestyle Breast pump.  As a preemie mom, this was a lifesaver.  I got it for $70 off back in November and am so glad I did as I was using it 8 times a day for the first 6 weeks of Parker's life!  It's rechargeable and transportable which makes it really easy to use.
4.  Boon Grass Drying rack.  I love this because you can put your parts anywhere on it and it looks cooler than a regular drying rack.  
5.  Coffee.  Yes I limit how much I have a day, but it is so necessary.
6. Boppy Nursing Pillow.  Mine has a firm side and a soft side.  I actually use the firm side most of the time as I can literally lay Parker on it and barely have to hold him, leaving my hands free to do other things.
7. Angelcare Monitor.  I know it's crazy to be worried about your babies breathing constantly, but this takes care of so much stress.  If I pick Parker up out of his bassinet and forget to turn it off it goes nuts, so I know it works and I can sleep more soundly because of it.
8. Boppy Nursing Cover.  If you don't want to be covered up when out and about then all the power to you, but I'm just not that comfortable.  Nor do I want to have to go to another room every time I need to pump or feed my baby.  The nursing cover allows me to have visitors while feeding/pumping or to stay and socialize when at someone else's house.  Once we are out more I will be able to use it in public too.  I find that the boppy one is really sturdy at the top curved part so that while I'm nursing I can see Parker clearly.  
9. Bath with sling.  Parker isn't a huge fan of the bath, and right now the sling on this one works great for us so that he doesn't have to be fully submerged in the water.  
10. Ubbi Diaper Pail.  I wanted this pail because it can be used for both cloth diapers and disposables.  You can use regular garbage bags in it and you can buy a cloth bag for it if you are using it for cloth diapers.  It looks good and it really does contain the smell!  It's a bit on the expensive side, but you don't have to buy diaper genie refills, so that's a plus!