These are a few of my favorite things

The first time I walked into Babies R Us I ran out in 5 minutes on the brink of a panic attack. I was overwhelmed with the choices I had. Choices of strollers, diapers, formula, pacifiers, nipple creams, play mats, highchairs, and the list goes on....and on.....and on. How was I going to make these choices? What will my little one like? What will I need? Do I splurge on the expensive pack and play? Am I a bad mother for choosing the cheaper version? Too many questions for such a pregnant lady with her first baby. Now that Bryn is here the best I can do is tell you what things saved my butt a few times and what you should definitely register for. But the fact of the matter is that some things you just cannot prepare for.

To start off, every baby pees and poops and let me tell you, formula-fed babies have some seriously smelly poo! Even breastfed babies poo doesn't exactly smell like roses.

Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail: It is much less expensive than the Diaper Genie and does exactly the same thing. I can't even smell her diapers anymore. It holds about 20 diapers so you need to change the bag about every 2-3 days (2 in the beginning for sure). Refills are about $10 in the grocery store but if you buy the 3-pack at Wal-Mart its only around $16.

At my shower everyone loves to get two things for a new momma: lots of clothes and little basket fillers. One of those fillers is most inevitably the pacifier. I registered for the Gum Drops. In the beginning, Bryn was alright with them but I quickly learned that they were not her favorite. She has a very high pallet and it turns out that the round ones don't exactly float her boat.

Tommy Tippee Orthodontic Pacifier:  It sounds super specialized but its only a pacifier with a round-ribbed top and a slanted flat bottom. It helps to fit better in babies mouths. It costs the same as Nuk and is pretty much the same design. My niece also likes this kind and they are much easier to hold compared to Gum Drops. My recommendation is to register for a few different kinds and just one. Now I have about 20 Gum Drops that she doesn't use. Oh well! Theres always the next one ;)

Oh the wipe section! There's a wipe for just about every possible mess your baby could ever make. Boogies, eye crusties, poo, sticky hands, dropped pacifiers blah blah blah. You start out our motherhood by boiling every nuk dripped on the ground and in about a week your mouth will do the same exact job. There is really one that will do it all.

Wet Ones: My life saver for quick clean ups when I don't have any water available. Cleans everything from those nasty little eye boogies that Bryn wakes up with that work like superglue on her poor little eyes to a convenient little hand wipe for those little fuzzies that find their way between her little fingers and toes. Don't get me wrong, a nice bath will fix all of these things too but when a little touch up is needed, these wipes will do the trick and for much cheaper than those other specialty wipes.

What baby doesn't love to swing. Think about it. They are constantly moving when they are in your warm belly all snuggled up. They are always getting rocked to sleep. It just makes sense that they enjoy it when they are welcomed into the world. I got a hand-me-down from my Aunt that is great but for newborns it doesn't work the best.

Graco Swing:Look for a swing that can recline that has a shallow dish and side support so your little one isn't virtually bent in half. I even used rolled up swaddles to giver her a little boost when she was really little. Ones with music are absolutely necessary! Classical music is always a hit. Not my favorite but it puts Bryn right to sleep. There are ones that can change direction from front and back to side to side. Bryn prefers the front to back. There are a few speed setting but I usually keep it on medium. I don't let Bryn nap in her bassinet or crib. I believe those are for sleeping at night. The swing is great for those daytime naps so Momma can actually catch up on the laundry. :)

Gas. Bad in husbands and bad in babies. Poor Bryn has been battling this since she was born and thank you to some very helpful FB friends we discovered this very early on and it has been making our lives so much more pleasant.

Simethicone: Anti-gas drops that give baby (and mom) virtually instant relief. It works as an anti-foaming agent that combines bubbles in the tummy so that they do not work their way into the intestine and cause bloating and pain. For about $3 a bottle this will save your life. There are many different brands but they all do the same thing. I found this one at my grocery store and it is a fraction of the price of Little Tummies. I used to give them to Bryn after every meal to prevent it but since she has gotten a little bigger I only used them about once a day to relieve occasional gas.

When Bryn was diagnosed in the hospital with colic, before we found out it was reflux, we started looking up ways to calm a crying baby. Dr. Havey Karp and the 5 S's really were a life saver. What wasn't so helpful are those loose swaddle cloths that Bryn wriggled her way out of in about 4 seconds. We spent more time trying to keep her in the swaddle than actually calming her.

Summer Swaddle Wraps: These take about 10 seconds to put her in and keep her more tightly snuggled than wraps. These are worth their weight in gold!

This next one might seem like an extravagance but trust me it really works!

Aveeno Calming Comfort Bath & Lotion: I use them every other night or when Bryn is fussy around bed time. It helps calm her (and me) so that we can both relax into a deeper sleep.

I started Bryn on this about 2 weeks ago and I totally believe that this is why we aren't using the simethicone as much.

Enfamil Gentlease: It worked almost within the first 2 days to help her little tummy feel better. She still gets occasional gas but its mostly from the way she eats. I uses the Tommy Tippee bottles and that paired with the slow nipples have really helped her cut down on the amount of air she sucks when she is eating.

I hope this helps some of you. I really couldn't have gotten through the first few weeks of motherhood without the advice of the mothers in my life. :)