(1) An infant car seat.  I liked the Chicco Key Fit 30 (in Sedona – also available in Graphica Gray). it had great safety ratings and is easy to install.  It carries infants up to 30 lbs (although my son who was somewhat freakishly tall at 98th percentile in height outgrew it quicker than its weight limit — but he’s in the minority).  Don’t be fooled by people telling you that you can get away with a convertible car seat for a newborn. The convenience factor alone is worth the price!   You will not want to have to wake your infant from sleeping just to get them out of a car seat (especially if you’ve been up with them all night the prior evening)!  With an infant car seat, you just take the entire car seat with you, and if you’re really smart, you snap it into a Snap and Go stroller.

Other options that my mommy friends liked were: 

Graco Snugride Click Connect 30 Infant Car Seat

(2) A Snap and Go Stroller.  Sure, we will get to investing in a great stroller later in this list, but if you don’t have a lot of money (or even if you do, the sheer convenience of this thing is so worth it).  It’s not sturdy by any means, but you just take your sleeping infant right in its car seat and snap the car seat into this frame and voila you go!  For the Chicco Key Fit 30, there is the Chicco Keyfit Caddy Stroller Frame and for the Graco there is the Graco Snugride Elite Stroller. 

If you have a little more money, you could get a more sturdy snap and go stroller like the Chicco Bravo Trio Travel System and forego a luxury stroller altogether (at least until they outgrow their car seat).

(3) A Changing Pad.  I got this cheap Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad for less than $20 and it’s still serving me well.  

(4) A Real Stroller.  If you’re going to have a nanny or yourself drag the baby all over a concrete jungle like New York or expect to be strolling a lot, then I’d definitely invest in a high grade stroller.  The two strollers that I or other moms have loved are: The UppaBaby Vista (it is so sturdy, relatively easy to fold and if it breaks, they will replace the parts or stroller no questions asked) and the Bugaboo Bee3 Stroller.

If you’re like me and don’t expect to be taking your stroller everywhere, but just to and from your car to short distances or for leisurely walks, the BabyJogger City Mini GT did just fine for us (and was half the price of the luxury strollers).  It has the most convenient easy fold that is hard to beat and it’s pretty light.

(5) A Swing that Swings from Side to Side.  In those early months, there will be a million times the baby cries for no reason at all and you can’t get them to stop (even after checking his diaper and feeding him) or you can’t get the baby to sleep at 4 am!   That is why it is absolutely essential to get the right kind of swing.  Forget those wimpy swings that are portable and swing front to back (they don’t calm crazy upset babies well, if at all).  Yes, I know they look ginormous and you’re going to be wondering “Where in God’s great created earth will I have space to put that thing?!?”  But believe me, you will not regret it.  Get the kind that plugs into the wall also because they will drain your batteries like nobody’s business.  We liked the My Little Snugapuppy Cradle N Swing from Fisher Price.  Any other Fisher Price cradle n swing will do just fine too like the Deluxe Cradle N Swing with Rainforest Friends.

(6) A Bunch of Cotton Side Snapping Shirts.  A nurse told me this in a baby class and she was right.  You don’t want to be putting things over a baby’s head the first few weeks.  You want changing to be easy.  As much as you think you will put the baby in cute Tutus and overalls the first few weeks, it ain’t going to happen.  So get these side snappers and make your life easier!   Try the Gerber Unisex Sidesnap Tees or the Carters Unisex Baby 5 pack Sidesnap Tee.

(7) If it’s Fall/Winter, a bunch of footies (preferably gloved).  We liked the Gerber Footies because they were cheap (they’ll be outgrowing them quick) and comfortable.  We also liked the Carters Fleece Footies.  Ralph Lauren Polo also makes some great gloved cotton footies!

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First, get yourself some Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads.  After your feedings, and in between feedings, apply them for the first few days.  Your incredibly cracked and sore nipples will thank you. 

Second, get yourself some Medela SoftShells for Sore Nipples and put your breast in them between feedings and certainly before putting any clothes on.  The chafing between your sore nipples and clothes will be quickly unbearable (and that’s why so many new moms walk around topless if they can get away with it!) 

Third, get yourself some good nipple cream.  And I don’t mean lanolin (which is recommended by some OB GYNs, but is in actuality a waxy substance which costs sheep’s fur and can also contain toxic pesticides), but the good organic stuff that is safe for the infant to eat.  Because no matter how well you clean your nipple, some may be left behind.  Some safe nipple creams that I used include Motherlove Nipple Cream and Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter.

Fourth, rent yourself a hospital grade pump.  I tried both a portable Medela Pump in Style and the hospital-grade Medela Symphony.  The Symphony was way more efficient at getting the milk out and much more comfortable.  It is only about $75 bucks a month to rent as of June 2015 at a hospital or local baby store.  The only downside is that it’s not easily portable.  The only respectable pumps out there are purportedly made by Medela or Ameda. I have also heard good things about Spectra.  You will also want a manual breast pump for travel because they are much easier to use when traveling.

  
Five, get yourself some comfortable organic nursing pads (the disposable stuff is not comfortable on your sore breasts).  I liked these TL Care Organic Cotton Nursing Pads.

Six, screw the big bottles and get yourself Medela’s 2.7 oz bottles because they are the perfect size for preparing and storing breastmilk.  Unless you are one of the lucky (or unlucky) ones with an oversupply, you won’t need the big bottles. 

Seventh, get yourself some sturdy breastmilk storage bags.  I hear Lansinoh and Medela break a lot.  I liked Honeysuckle Breastmilk Storage Bags (although the quality isn’t as good as it used to be, but still better than the others).  Also, get yourself a good breastmilk storage solution such as The First Years Breastflow Milk Storage Organizer (to save space in the fridge).

Eighth, get yourself a milk saver so you don’t lose any drippings of your liquid gold while your child is feeding on one breast or as you go about your day. 

  
Ninth, get yourself a nursing pillow (it makes life much easier and your back will thank you).  I liked the Boppy Nursing Pillow much better than the Breast Friend, but some moms disagree.

 
Tenth, get yourself a breastmilk cooler set if you are going back to work to keep your liquid gold fresh.
  
Finally, eat those galactagogues to keep your supply up (especially if you are returning to work and pumping).  Oatmeal, liquid fenugreek, blessed thistle and mothers milk tea are all great!
If you ever feel intense pain, notice red streaks or your temperature spikes, please see a doctor as it may be mastitis.
Most importantly — know that the pain will eventually pass and soon, before you know it, you will be looking down at your child nursing away and you will love it and you will be amazed at what your body is capable of doing.  You will be so sad at the thought of having to wean (well, at least until their teeth come in!).  Breastfeeding is one of the greatest things you can do your child and will eventually be blissful.  There’s nothing like that intimacy with and nurturing of your child.  You just have to grit your teeth and hang in there!  It really does get easier!
** The content of this post is only the opinion of an everyday mom. Please do not rely on anything in this post as medical advice. Please always consult a doctor or a lactation consultant. 

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Everybody knows breast is best.  If you can’t breastfeed because you are going back to work, fine — then please, for the love of your baby, please at the very least give your child colostrum while in the hospital.  Colostrum is that liquid gold that comes out of your body between birth and when your milk comes in (some women get it before birth during pregnancy).  Among other things, it contains a concentrated amount of carbs, proteins, and antibodies to help keep your newborn healthy while his or her immature immune system is playing catch up.  It is also a natural laxative and helps the baby pass its stools and excrete bilirubin, which helps prevent jaundice.  Most importantly, it contains IgA and leukocytes, which will help protect your infant from illness.   Moreover, colostrum coats your baby’s digestive tract which helps prevent foreign substances from invading your baby’s tummy.  

Moreover, there are great health benefits to YOU as well from breastfeeding — please read this NIH articles here regarding benefits to both infant and mother.

Assuming you are lucky enough to produce it (because some women cannot), your breasts can’t be THAT great of an asset that you must withhold this great benefit from your child in the first few days of life.

There’s a reason the doctors and hospitals push it so much.  

(And if you can’t be inconvenienced even for a few days, query why you brought a child into the world in the first place — there I said it)

As someone who was formula fed (my mom had an infection and medications that dried up her supply) and suffers from autoimmune disorder and a host of health problems — please, give your child the best start in life.  It is so worth it.

So assuming you have breastfed for as long as your possibly can — and you get to a point where you need formula, where do you go?

Well please don’t be fooled.  Organic formula will not save you (buts it’s still better than non-organic).  At least not in the USA.  Read this informative article by the Cornucopia Institute, which reviews all of the dangerous or potentially controversial ingredients in organic infant formula and tells you what to look out for.  From what I can tell, the only semi-safe formula in the USA  is by Baby’s Only (and it’s technically a toddlers formula and gives some babies constipation based on reviews).  However, even that brand once had trouble based on levels of arsenic (which they have since claimed to correct).  Earths Best tasted horrible – or at least my baby didn’t care for it.

After much heart wrenching research,  I have discovered that the best formulas on the market are either HiPP from the UK (manufactured in Germany) or Holle from Germany.  HiPP powders, however, were once cited for high levels of aluminum so I’d stick to HiPP ready made formula or Holle. They are expensive and hard to find, but so worth it.  Among other things, both companies have been around for over 50 years and their products are from grass-fed, organic cows of much higher quality than the USA. EU organic standards are much more stringent than in the USA.  Holle goes a step further and is made from biodynamically grown food (Holle is Demeter certified, which means it is one of a number of strictly regulated organizations complying with regulations set by the Demeter Society whose criteria exceeds standard organic farming and all stages of production are checked).  No pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used in Holle’s raw ingredients and free of GMOs.  More than that, Holle tastes great!  So the overall winner for me has been Holle.

The only downside is that they are expensive and hard to come by in the USA.  You have to make sure you are getting it from a legit importer/dealer.
 

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Make way for the Dex Daydreamer (in Sage, also available in blue and pink).  It was immeasurably helpful for the first few weeks that my infant was too small and didn’t want to sleep in a big scary crib (even with a swaddle).  Also, if your infant has colic, excessive gas or reflux, the Daydreamer helps with preventing or limiting spit up because the baby sleeps at an angle.  

The only negative was that you can’t really belt in a swaddled infant and the daydreamer is a bit costly.  But I felt that it was a great investment.

Our baby slept on the floor of our room in the Daydreamer the first few weeks and we were always watching him.  

The daydreamer is sturdy and very cushiony.  My little one loved it very much.  Unfortunately, he was 98th percentile height and 85th percentile weight,so he outgrew it pretty quickly.  For more average-sized babies, however, it would be an even greater investment.

But while he was still in the daydreamer, our newborn… well… slept like a BABY.

If your baby has gas, I’d highly recommend it!  

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I have tried almost every diaper out there.  I’ve tried Pampers Swaddlers, Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive, Pampers Baby Dry, Huggies, Andy Pandy, Earth’s Best, Seventh Generation,  you name it — and in my experience, nothing else came close to leaving my baby’s bum dry and bead-free after 12 hours (yes, I said 12 hours) of use than Bambo Nature Made diapers.  Andy Pandy diapers were really nice in terms of comfort, but didn’t hold a candle to Bambo’s absorbency (especially given the comparable price).  Andy Pandy was decent for daytime use, but not for nighttime or extended use.

The Bambo diapers won BabyGearLab’s Editor’s Choice Award for Best Overall Disposable Diaper against both eco-friendly (Andy Pandy, Earth’s Best, etc) and traditional diapers (Pampers, Huggies, etc) scoring a 9 in absorbency and 7 in leakage.  Check out the side-by-side comparison here: http://m.babygearlab.com/Disposable-Diaper-Reviews

Moreover, Bambo diapers’ list of accomplishments and notable features include, among others:

• The most certifications in the industry, including: EcoCert, Nordic Swan, Asthma Allergy Denmark and FSC.

• The Dermatologically Tested Label gives you confidence that the diapers will not irritate your baby’s skin or induce an allergic reaction.

• The Asthma & Allergy Association certification assures you that the diapers pose the lowest possible risk of causing allergy, eczema, or skin-irritation.

• Certified free of all known allergens, perfumes and dangerous chemicals  (no additives are used in the manufacturing process, i.e. no dyes or inks — other than on the outside of diaper for design– perfumes, essential oils, preservatives,  latex, glue, odor eliminators,  plant extracts, lotion, moisturizer, etc.)

• Free of locally irritating, sensitizing, carcinogenic, or mutagenic ingredients.

• The absorbent core has less SAP.  Wheat starch is used for a substantial portion of the filling.

• Made from approximately 75%-80% biodegradable materials.

• No chlorine is used in the bleaching process.

• No chemicals or compounds from Substances of Very High Concern or SVHC.

• No Phthalates, Formaldehyde (HCHO), Colophonium, AZO-pigments or PVC.

• One of the few diapers with a breathable backsheet ensuring that the skin can breathe and stay more dry.

•  Diapers (above size 1) have a wetness indicator (the light blue writing on the surface of the backsheet will smear or blur when the diaper gets wet).

*It should be noted that I have never tried the old version of the Bambo Naturemade Diapers as those that have used it seem to believe it is superior to the newer ones.  Yet, I’ve had no issues so far with the new diapers.

My little guy is very long and fairly big for his age with chubby legs.  The Bambo diapers fit him well.  I moved up a size to get more out of the diaper and so far, no leaks — even after extended use.  We had a blow out and no leakage up the back either.  The tabs fit snug but it’s not too tight around his chubby legs.  When you remove the diaper after extended use, it’s amazing how dry the inside of the diaper feels!  The diaper is sturdy.  And overall, it just looks and feels like it would be better for your kid than Pampers or any other commercial diaper.  We use less diapers a day because they are so absorbent, so we believe the extra cost somewhat balances itself out.

Your kid is in their diapers all day long.  It’s about time to treat his or her bum with some gentle tender loving care (and not chemicals and SAP).

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