I understand that every baby is different. And after last week’s rant on parenting advice, I’m surely not about to dish out hard and fast facts on what babies need. But I will share what we needed. These are the top 7 essential items that got us through the first four weeks with baby.

1. The Maxi-Cosi Micro car seat. This is the Cadillac of car seats- thanks again to Eli’s great grandparents for this awesome gift! The infant inserts create a nice cradle for his little head and they’re removable so the seat can grow with him. Not only do we feel so safe having it in the car but the seat has been super helpful in our house just to have another place to put him! He’s perfectly happy snoozing in the seat or checking out the world around him.
2. The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD shows parents Dr. Karp’s amazing 5 S’s used to sooth infants. In this short video he the reveals a stunning new discovery…the calming reflex. It’s almost an “off switch” for crying that all babies are born with. His techniques have helped us out on a number of occations!
3. The first S of Dr. Karp’s 5 S’s is swaddle and boy do we! Eli loves to be swaddled almost all the time. These Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets are perfect for keeping him warm but letting his skin breathe. They come in a four-pack but we’ve ended up buying about 12 of them. The quantity comes in handy when he sweats through them, pees through them, or heaven forbid there’s a major poop blow out! Honestly don’t know what we’d do without these!
4. Tube’s of Vaseline may not seem like a big deal but they sure do come in handy when that first merconium poop comes and then for little man’s circumcision care. Thank god we’re through that heartbreaking hurdle!
5. One thing I didn’t register for because so many Mommy Blogs said it was useless was a sound machine. But as soon as we got home and were all tucked in for the night, we knew we needed one. The womb is a loud place and even the hospital had it’s rurring HVAC and nurses stopping in at all hours. We immediately purchased this myBaby Soundspa Lullaby Sound Machine and could not be happier. It has mutiple sounds and songs (the rain storm is our favorite) and is super sleek and small. We set the timer on it for 45 or 60 minutes during each late night feeding and Eli (and his parents) fall right back asleep! Actually, we may like it more than Eli.
6. My iPhone. I know I’ll get flack for this but as much as I’d love to stare adoringly into my baby’s face all day and night, I have needed my iPhone even more than ever. Whether feeding little man or pumping, I do not enjoy staying put in one place for so long. Having my iPhone at my fingertips allows me to read news articles, blogs, see what my friends and family are up to on social media, make to-do lists, check the weather, my blog stats, even turn up and down our thermostats thanks to the Nest app! And most importantly, I’m able to capture pics of my little guy when he’s growing by the minute!
7. The Boppy pillow is my friend. It’s supportive during feedings, it allows me to have a free hand when Eli is curled up next to his Momma for a little cat nap, and it makes for a great pillow during a rare impromptu nap for Momma.