Things I Can't Live Without!

Okay so now Elijah is almost three months old, I'm sorry I have been slack on updating my blog but to be honest I'm lucky to even have a shower some days so...priorities, haha.

So since becoming a mother I've realised there are things I use A LOT and things I purchased that I don't use at all. I won't get into the things that I don't use because I'm sure husband will read this and get upset at all they money I've spent BUT I WILL talk about the things I constantly use.

SO.

1. The Angelcare Baby Monitor. I use the monitor with the movement pads you place beneath the mattress (if you have this and it beeps all the time you're probably unaware the pads need to be placed on a wooden plank for stability). This monitor notifies you if your baby stops breathing for longer than 10 seconds, and then an alarm will sound at 15 seconds. It's only gone off once during the night and husband and I have never moved so quickly in all our lives. I'm so grateful to know that it works.

2. Detol hand sanitiser. There are bottles spread everywhere throughout our home, and a like, 5 kilo tub next to the change table for when a stray bit of poo or wee splashes on you. I am now a sanitising freak.

3. Disposable Bed Protectors: http://store.independenceaustralia.com/continence-aids-76dc611d6ebaafc66cc0879c71b5db5c/bedding-protection/cello-bed-protector-bluey-40cmx60cm.html
So basically, I am surprised at how much wee and poo gets in places it shouldn't be, and how often your little one can't hold on while you're trying to get another nappy on to them. You can just throw them out when they get dirty, rather than washing your change table cover every time it gets dirty every second day! (Not eco friendly though, sorry!)

4. Gaia Skin Soothing Lotion. Elijah had the worst skin at about 6-7 weeks, it was so dry and red, and looked incredibly painful. We went to the doctors and were told it was a mixture of hormones leaving the body from birth and eczema. It didn't seem to bother him very much, but it just looked so painful. I tried EVERYTHING. QV lotion, olive oil, vaseline, breast milk - nothing was working. Also QV lotion smells like vomit. I put the Gaia lotion on ONCE overnight and the next day his skin was completely clear. Unbelievable.

5. My Avent Electric Pump. No one actually warns you how ridiculous breastfeeding is, and that it takes weeks for your boobs to get some sort of normal routine. And even when you finally get a routine, your baby might sleep a few hours longer, or sleep through the night and all of a sudden it's 5am and you've got two hot air balloon sized boobs and you need that milk OUT but your baby is still sleeping and you don't want to wake them up because YAY SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! I mean really, it's good for a lot of other things too. Pumping if you've had a drink, pumping for comfort, pumping for a babysitter, pumping if you're out and about for a weekend without your baby. I genuinely love my pump.

6.  My Avent Steriliser. As I said before - sterilising is life. The last thing you want is to give your baby something that's disgustingly dirty and covered in germs and bacteria. Especially bottles and teats. A little bit of germs is okay to build an immune system, but a bottle that hasn't been cleaned properly and has three day old milk residue with bacteria building could cause some serious problems for your little bubba.

7.  Dummies. I am PRO DUMMY AND I LOVE IT. I don't use it as a silencer, but rather as a soother. It works for us, Elijah loves it and that's all I care about when he's unsettled.

8.  A great nappy bag with loads of room. I purchased an Oroton nappy bag and it's pretty great. It's nylon so it can be washed easily. It has three separate compartments plus a few zip pockets on the outside, as well as a padded changing mat and zip up bags inside for little bits and bobs. It's not too big or too small, and also very classy!

9. My 4Moms Electric Rocker. This thing was damn expensive, and we probably could have got something similar for less than half the price, but it really looks great compared to the big ugly rockers you see in all the stores. This baby has saved my life, especially when Elijah is having a 'don't you dare think you can put me down' day. It keeps him rocking and strapped in while I can have a shower and eat, the small things I will never take advantage of again.

10. The Boori Bassinet. To be honest, we have't even used Elijah's cot yet. He sleeps in his bassinet next to our bed (as recommended by the SIDS website). It's on wheels so I can rock him to sleep if he's super unsettled, it's small and when he wakes up during the night I don't have to totally wake up by walking into another room, it's more of a 'throw an arm over the bed' situation.

11.  Zip up swaddles. No annoying midnight wrapping, and great for babies who like their arms up. They also come with zips along the shoulders for babies who have started rolling over.

12. The Angelcare Nappy Bin. The cartridges are expensive ($50-$60 for 4), but so much better than smelling poo in your house all the time.

13. Bonds Wondersuits. Not so much anymore, but for the first 6 weeks these things were all I could manage in my zombie state. Honestly, I think I have 300 of them.

I'm sure the list of things I can't live without will change as Elijah grows and his needs change, but for super newborns, these things honestly made life so much easier, so I hope I am passing some helpful information to you!