Arms Reach Co-Sleeper

The Arms Reach Co-Sleeper has helped to make nighttime feedings relatively quick and easy. The Co-Sleeper fits right next to our bed so all I have to do is reach over and lift my daughter out when she wakes up to eat. This is especially nice this time of year since it is cold in our room at night and the last thing I want to do is get out of bed. The Co-Sleeper has also made putting her back to sleep easier as she knows I am right there and I can keep a reassuring hand on her while she dozes off.

Carter's Lap Pads

I received my first set of Carter's Lap Pads as a gift and they have become an essential component of diaper changing. They are waterproof so we place them on top of the diaper changing pad cover and this saves us from doing tons of laundry. When our daughter decides to pee mid diaper change, all we have to do is throw the pad in the hamper, not the whole cover.

I also have a pad or two in our diaper bag. I place these on top of the diaper bag changing pad to catch any mess that may happen on the go. I am sure they have uses that I haven't thought of yet.

Bella Band

The Bella Band was a must for me during and after my pregnancy. There is a period of about 2-3 months when you are too small for maternity pants yet you are too big for your old jeans and pants. Instead of having to go buy pants and jeans that were one size bigger I bought a few Bella Bands and was able to extend the life of my regular pants.

The Bella Band also came in handy for the first month after birth. I was very eager to get back into my pre-pregnancy jeans and put away my maternity clothes for good. Even though my hips and stomach were still too big, with the help of the Bella Band I was able to get back into my old jeans and put away my maternity clothes for good.

With the Bella Band I was able to put away my maternity clothes earlier and get back to into my regular clothes

Medela Pump In Style Advanced

If you are planning on breast feeding, then this is one product you must have. I don't know what I would have done in the first week after birth if I hadn't already purchased the Medela Pump In Style Advanced. Both my husband and I agree this was the best $300 we ever spent.

My daughter spent her first week after birth in the hospital being treated for jaundice. The treatment involved her being kept under special lights for most of the day in order to improve her condition. The more we kept her under the lights, the faster we could get her home. This didn't give my daughter and I much time to bond and consequently she had latch-on problems. Fortunately I had purchased the Medela pump and was able to avoid having to feed her formula while in the hospital.

I continued to use the pump for another week after being released from the hospital. It was very easy to use and each session only took 10-15 minutes. My daughter is now breastfeeding but I will be using the pump again when I return to work and I am very happy to know that I won't be spending hours at work pumping. My pumping breaks will end up being shorter than my coworkers' cigarette breaks.

If you are planning on breast feeding I encourage you to purchase the Medela Pump In Style Advanced before you give birth. Yes it is pricey but if you end up in a similar situation it will be invaluable. Early in my pregnancy when I told my husband I had to purchase a pump he scoffed at the price tag. But after our ordeal he said he would pay triple the price if he had to do it over again. If for some reason you don't end up needing it, then you can always leave it unopened and return it.

Baby Gear Pros: fast, non-nondescript carrying case, comes with a cooler to store milk for a few hours.

Baby Gear Cons: expensive

Huggies vs. Pampers

I have a feeling that diaper effectiveness is more dependent on the child's shape than on the design of the diaper. However I still thought I should share my early experiences with various diaper brands I have tried.

We started out using Pampers Swaddlers Newborn size as that was what was provided in the hospital. I then purchased a package of Newborn size Huggies after receiving a coupon for a couple dollars off. We had no issues with the Pampers but the Huggies could not contain anything my daughter produced. At one point I was nursing her and felt a warm liquid streaming down my belly. At first I thought it was milk but then realized it was pee that was pouring out of the side of her diaper. I didn't want to waste the diapers so we continued to use the Huggies until they were gone but we had to change her more frequently and only used Pampers if we were leaving the house. We now are using Pampers exclusively and I don't think I will try another brand unless we run into problems once we advance to a larger size.

Update: I tried Huggies size one because I had purchased a pack before my daughter was born. After 3 diaper changes my daughter's diaper rash returned. I have realized that it is not the fit of Huggies but the lack of absorbency. Pampers have a layer that wicks away the liquid immediately where as with Huggies it stays on the surface and sloshes around. I will never try Huggies again.

Update 2: I found out that the P&G website has a page that details when the next P&G brandsaver will be in the Sunday paper. This is normally when you will find Pampers coupons.

Aquaphor

Our daughter developed a horrendous diaper rash during her first week home from the hospital. It was red and raw and looked similar to a second degree burn. Changing diapers was excruciatingly painful for both her and us as her wailing brought us to tears.

We were desperate for something that would stop the rash. We stopped using wipes as we believed wipes had started the problem. We slathered her bottom with Desitin to no avail. We then switched to Balmex but that still didn't work either. My sister mentioned that Aquaphor was the only product that had cured my nephew's diaper rashes so we went out in search for this miracle product.

We had to visit a few stores before we found a drug store that carried it but it was well worth the search. After only a few diaper changes we began to notice improvements. We now use it after every diaper change and the rash has not returned. I would highly recommend that you stock your changing table with Aquaphor before your baby arrives.