New Mama's Must Haves: December '08

Babies 'R Us gives me a headache. It's overwhelming. Have you ever seen the sheer number of bottles, nipples, binkies they have? I thought Bed, Bath and Beyond was overwhelming, but Babies 'R Us is ten times worse. At least at Bed Bath and Beyond I know what I'm looking at and what it does. That's an ice cream scoop, that's a spatula, that's something for coffee...you get the idea. At Babies 'R Us everything looks the same, but it's all different. It's not until after I registered for the stuff that I realized I needed two more of this or none of that. In my four and a half short months as a mama here's what I can't live without. 

Boppy Pillow (and two covers)

This soft U-shaped pillow is a god-send. I've used it to wrap around my waist when I breastfeed, I've put it on the floor to prop up my daughter, it's helping her learn to sit (it goes around her butt and legs), and she can use it for tummy time by laying with her belly in the hole and her head and arms over the top of the "U". The two covers are key! One's bound to get spit up on, pooped on or drooled on! Just unzip it, and slip on the spare while the other's in the laundry. 

Microwave Bottle Sterilizer 

This "spaceship", as my husband calls it, has saved me so much time it's crazy! Sterilizing bottles can be a pain in the diaper if you have to boil water every time. This container just requires that you wash and rinse your bottles, nipples, pump gear, binkies  load them in the bowl with about 7 oz of water, snap on the lid and microwave.  The two minutes in the microwave steams and sterilizes the bottles so fast. 

Bottle Drying Carousel 

The bottle dryer goes hand-and-hand with the sterilizer. After I take everything out of the sterilizer I load it on the carousel. The two tiered carousel saves a lot of room on the counter and holds a ton of bottles, nipples, and all my pump gear. Thank goodness I don't have to lay out towels all over my counter so everything can dry. 

Medela Bottle Accessories

I have a Medela Breast Pump so buying all the bottle accessories was one of the best purchases I made. I can pump right into the bottles and then just add a nipple. No need to pour the milk into a different bottles.  Less clean up, and fewer bottles to dry! I'm all for that.  You can get a pack of three bottles, with lids, and nipples for less than $15!

Bumbo Seat

Perhaps my favorite piece of baby equipment so far - The Bumbo! Not only does it help my daughter develop her back and neck muscles by allowing her to sit upright with the proper support, it 

keeps her safe and entertained while being eye-level with us!  

Never leave a baby unattended in the Bumbo.

It should be noted: the manufacture recommends

 keeping the Bumbo off elevated surfaces.