1) HAVE A DIAPER PARTY
I cannot possibly stress this enough!!!! We are so incredibly blessed to have a generous and loving group of family and friends, so while my baby shower was taking place the male counterparts to my many fine lady-friends were over partaking in a keg & bonfire event, where all the boys brought a bag of diapers. Lil' K was born in February and I don't believe we actually had to buy diapers until May. Of course, we did have to make a few trips to the store to do a swap-a-roo for the correct size at the time, but this is hands down one of the most helpful things you could do as new parents. Plus, it was a great excuse for the guys to have a keg party.
2) Swaddlers
We were avid fans of these contraptions when bebegirl was wee. Just in case you're not sure what this is, you wrap the baby up in it somewhat tightly and it creates the feeling for them that they are still all warm & cuddly in the womb. I'll admit, both of our mothers thought we were crazy because Kee looked like a little baby mummy all wrapped up so snug, but these particular swaddlers made her so comfortable and put her right to sleep every time. *NOTE: The day she first rolled over by herself was the last day we used this item, in order to avoid any scary situations.
3) There's an App for that.
Damn right there is! Those first few days after returning home from the hospital are a total blur, so it was a really smart decision for me to download something to keep track of feedings/bottles/changings/doctor's appointments, etc., until I grasped the general concept. It was also a great comfort factor for me because I'm a very routine person and the last thing I would want to lose track of is something regarding my child. The one that I swear by was by Sprout, because it's free. And you know how I love free.
After doing a little bit of research on appropriate stimulation for a baby this young, I learned that at this age they are super intrigued by black/white/red images until their sight develops a bit more. So, of course, there's an app for that. This particular one that is absolutely enthralling for her is BabySymbol. It shows patterned images like this one, along with sounds. The result?
MIND. BLOWING.
If you look up this app, you caught me. It's not free. But I had an iTunes gift card, so sue me! :-P
4) White noise.
To be specific, an overhead kitchen vent. To put Lil' K to bed at night, we'd put her in her handy-dandy Swaddler and rock her for a few minutes near the running kitchen vent, and she was lights out. Don't believe me? Whenever our parents babysat, they did the same routine and everything was smooth-sailing for them as well.
5) One kick-ass Pediatrician
I cannot stress enough how important it is to feel comfortable and confident in your child's pediatrician. After all, they're pretty much the end-all advice-givers for your most precious gift. We did quite a bit of research on this topic as well (shocker, I know), and this is one situation where word-of-mouth was the deciding factor for us. This particular doctor, along with the rest of the staff and the establishment itself, is clean, approachable, and efficient. I'd recommend any parent to check them out, and if you can't do the same for your child's pediatrician, then make a change. It's worth it.
These are just a few things that worked wonders for us in particular, but I'd love to hear some of your top picks!
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