newborn must-haves...Adeline's list

I've decided to do a series of posts about our must-haves and what have gotten us through the various stages of welcoming our sweet girl into this world.  First off, are our must-haves for a newborn (beyond the obvious necessities like wipes and dipes).  This list is definitely based on Adeline's preferences--if I've learned anything the past few weeks--it's that every itty bitty is different, you can't solely rely on the books, and just because something worked for another baby, it doesn't mean it will work for your baby.  I am loving getting to know this sweet girl and what works for her and her personality.


1.  Receiving blankets---LOTS of them! We have used these to swaddle, to cover, as a stand-in burp cloth, to prop her up in her vibrator seat, to keep her in place sleeping, to prop her up on her side sleeping, to lay on the floor for some tummy time, etc. etc.

2.  "Sally the Seahorse" (aka Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse-Pink).  This toy has been crucial to get through fussy diaper changes before a feeding.  Adeline talks to her, sucks on her nose, and stares at her for solid minutes.  She loves her Sally.  (The name was given to her by Justin. ;) She hangs out on our changing table and goes for long car rides if needed.  Her belly glows and she plays soothing music--the great thing is, you can hold down on her belly to turn her off to save battery.  We highly recommend this!

3.  Fisher-Price Calming Vibrations seat--Adeline loves this for some of her play times (it plays music and has lights), but she also adores it for an afternoon snooze.  It's also a great item to pull into the bathroom and allow Momma to get a shower in the morning.

4.  Tiny Love Mobile (Tiny Princess version) I first saw this on Ashleigh's blog and was amazed with the remote control option to turn it on and off.  Adeline loves this.  Even though she's not sleeping in her crib, it allows for a few interactive playtime moments for me to get some laundry folded and put away in her room or for me to turn on the monitor and hop in the shower.  The light on this draws Adeline in each time.  Plus, I love that you can remove the mobile part of this when babies start pulling up and you still have a music and light box.  Perfection!

5.  Daddy's chest and Mommy's arms--Sometimes it's the only thing that will calm her down during her fussy time in the evening.  Nothing beats holding this precious girl in my arms! I love that she loves to snuggle.

6. Pretty notebook This neat notebook was made by our friend, Amy.  It has been perfect to record important things from the hospital and on.  I record all of her feedings and bathroom times in this notebook to keep me on track.  I also make sure to jot down important firsts each day...b/c let's be honest...these first few weeks are way too busy to do anything super special as far as memory-keeping goes.  I love that I'll have everything recorded to transfer to a more special memento like a scrapbook or baby book once we are beyond these busy,busy newborn days.  I also used it in the hospital to record her birth story before I forgot the details.

7.  Bassinet We have loved having a bassinet in our room for Adeline.  She sleeps right next to my side of the bed. This has been really handy for middle of the night feedings.  At first we thought we would just use our pack-n-play.  However, we got spoiled in the hospital being able to wheel her right to the bedside.  We just found our bassinet at Wal-Mart and are really happy we chose to purchase one instead of borrowing one--it's already faced some spit-up. ;) I really like the nightlight feature on the bassinet.  Addie can take or leave the mobile feature.  It's also nice to be able to wheel it into the living room if needed.

8.  Sleep sheep The white noise that this provides has been crucial in helping Adeline go to sleep in her bassinet without our help.  There are four options (whale sound, ocean, waves, and rain).  You can conrol the volume and it goes for a long time.  (I think Justin and I are even getting to the point of needing this to get to sleep. ;) We also have the giraffe.  You can find these almost anywhere--ours are from Target. 

via

9.  Footy pajamas After about a week and a half or two weeks, Adeline was completely over swaddling.  She hated it and would kick fiercely until she had herself unswaddled and then would go to sleep.  We even tried the Swaddle Me blankets--she wouldn't even consider it.  We decided it was like a baby straight jacket on her since it wasn't soothing to her like it is some babies.  From there it also got to where we realized she didn't even want a blanket loosely laying on top of her.  She just loves to kick and move her feet and legs.  So we tried nightgowns to at least keep her warm and comfy...what did she do with those? Kick fiercely, pushing her feet straight against the fabric, trying like crazy to get her legs free and out of the hole at the bottom.  Finally, we decided footy pajamas were the trick.  She was warm enough if she kicked her blanket off and her little toes were covered.  Her legs are free to squirm...and a happy, warm, sleeping baby makes for a happy mommy and daddy.