Don’t you hate when you see lists of “best of” items and they’re prefaced by three pages worth of jibber jabber to scroll through before getting to the list? Me too.
pregnancy:
1. H&M Leggings: They’re $12.95, comfortable and allow for some airflow, what’s not to love. I lived in these.
2. Early pregnancy/post partum nursing clothes: No link here because it’s pretty general and can be found anywhere, but when shopping for those in-between clothes to hide your belly before you look pregnant and after you deliver so people don’t think you’re still pregnant, make sure you can nurse in them. My favorite are tops and especially dresses you can pull the neckline down on. Can’t really nurse in a dress if the neckline doesn’t stretch down ;)
3. Shimera boyshort underwear: Does anyone else hate the word “panty”, bleh. These are so soft, stretchy and comfortable. They’ll fit before and after delivery, and the full coverage is great for post partum healing. Sizing is very forgiving, I’d say true to size but you can order up or down and they’ll still fit (I have three different sizes and all three still fit). My favorite is to order a size up for wearing under dresses that run a smidge short. Here’s another link for neutral colors because you’ll want black for the first few weeks pp.
4. Bananas and coconut water: The only thing that helped my late pregnancy swelling. I would eat 2-3 a day and a liter of 100% coconut water plus tons of regular water. The difference it made for swelling was AMAZING.
birth and postpartum care:
3.2 Those underwear, again.
5. Cake “Mousse” nursing bra:
6. Mrs. Patel’s treats and teas for nursing mothers: I love everything they make, not only are the products great for nursing and increasing milk supply but also postpartum healing! I highly recommend the combo package that includes fenugreek bars, tea of choice and their munch crunch seed blend. I love it so much, I’m going to have a separate post just about them!
7. Lanolin: any brand will do, they sell it everywhere, good ol’ pure HPA lanolin. You can also get it in the hospital, and will probably only use it the first few weeks, so try that and save yourself $5. I used it with both babes.
8. Yummie Tummie nursing tank: I wore this almost everyday for the first few weeks postpartum, it really helped me feel more comfortable in clothes and offered great support. The normal camisole shelf bra part was a little weird because the inner piece of fabric has holes in it for nursing and doesn’t fold down, but the outer fabric folds down as you’d expect in a nursing tank. I got used to it and can still wear a nursing bra under, so no big deal.
newborn:
9. Puj tub: I have the Puj Flyte, but either work great from what I hear. Newborns are hard enough to bathe as is, no need to add kneeling on the hard floor, trying to reach over the tub and an additional infant tub to the mix. The Puj tub fits in the sink, so you can stand and don’t have to fill a massive basin with water for a two minute bath.
10. Bambino Land organic cotton muslin swaddling blankets: I got mine for a steal on Zulily, but you can also get them from the website directly, there are a few on sale! I LOVE these, they’re so much softer and fluffier than the other big brand that everybody gets. I hate to throw stones, but seriously, these are better, I have both. They’re so big, I can still swaddle my giant four month old baby, and I do, every night. I also use them as nursing covers, stroller covers, you name it. Get ’em.
11. Comotomo Baby Bottle: I didn’t give Everett a bottle until around eight weeks old and was so afraid he wouldn’t take it at all. Luckily, I had these bottles that mimick breastfeeding, pretty much as close as you can get to the real thing. I also love glass bottles, but there aren’t “great” nipple options out there for them.
12. UPPAbaby 2013 G-Luxe Stroller: I also have a big expensive UPPAbaby Vista stroller, and it’s awesome, but I honestly like this one more, and it’s half the price I paid for the Vista AND fits in the back of my car with the third row up. You can use this stroller at 3 months old, which is pretty much when you start using a stroller anyway, and I love the teal color because it’s really pretty and gender neutral. Save your money, Honey.
13. Any activity mat: I’m not picky. This one is the Plan Toys baby gym. I don’t really use the swing or any other baby gear that takes up my entire house, but playmats or gyms are amazing, easily enjoyed by mom and babe.
14. Rock n’ Play: It’s another low profile place for your sweet little human when not in your arms or bed. I even took it to the beach, perfect to keep babe off the ground and out of the sand but safe and sound in the shade. Have your breeze (below) in the bedroom and this in the living room.
15. 4moms breeze: I wish I had this. With as many times as I’ve used our pack-n-play, I big super wish I had one of these. You really don’t need a bassinet or cosleeper or anything else for those early days, just pop this up until you’re ready to move babe to his/her crib.
16. ERGObaby 360 Baby Carrier: I have the organic carrier, the 360 was just released in March. I want one. Ergo makes my favorite carrier for long-term comfortable babywearing, and now you can wear baby forward facing in an ergonomic position. Win win win.
17. Sakura Bloom Baby Sling: My go to carrier for quick trips and wearing around the house. Also great for toddler wearing while pregnant or securing around that pregnant belly for added support.
18. Solly Baby Wrap: I have coral, which is actually pretty gender neutral also. Great for the hospital, where I ended up with baby sleeping on me overnight both times because it was the only place they’d sleep. Fantastic to pop babe in and out of for the first 25 lbs, lightweight enough to stay cool in summer, and not nearly as much bulky fabric as any and every other wrap carrier. Get this one.
19. Honest Diapers: Delivered to your door, as affordable as Costco, cute and environmentally friendly. My babes have excema, and these diapers are great for that too. I also LOVE the spray hand sanitizer, my favorite sanitizer in existence and we use the bubble bath, diaper cream and everything else Honest makes on a regular basis.
There you go. My products of choice in a minimalist list. Bam.
