Let me start by saying that I’m sure this article is incomplete. As parents, our most basic responsibility is to keep our children safe, healthy, and comfortable. Therefore, writing an article on this topic it’s tough to know when enough is enough. For now, I’ve chosen to limit our discussion to the things Grant and I relied on early on in our parenting journey. As Henry hits new developmental milestones there will be new products that become invaluable, but, to make this list I took a stroll through our Amazon order history to see what we bought the week (and weeks) right after coming home from the hospital. I added in everything else we used on a regular basis that first week and BOOM – this article was born.
1. PACIFIERS
Get double the amount you think you need. We didn’t have a strong preference regarding the use of pacifiers. At the hospital they provided some and Henry seemed to like when we stuck our finger in it and put it in his mouth, so we went with it (he’s a thumb sucker now…more on that later). Whether you think you want to use pacifiers or not or haven’t thought about it at all, get them. A lot of them. No joke. Looking back at our Amazon orders after we got home from the hospital we ordered same day delivery of pacifiers within two days of coming home. We stashed them on every surface. Seriously, everywhere! We’ve gone through several varieties so I’ve linked to the one we found most successful when we first came home – FUN FACT: these were not the ones we paid $5.99 for same day delivery. Henry has switched what he likes as he’s gotten bigger, and I’m guessing other kids do the same, so be prepared to roll with it. Henry is a fan of the Chicco ones now which don’t really have space to put your finger in them. When he first came home he hated them. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t get clear ones — you’ll never be able to see them when you need them.
Now about thumb sucking. My mother-in-law gave me some good advice to encourage Henry to suck his thumb. I know people have varying opinions on this (and the use of pacifiers) and there is science out there on the topic too, so do research and decide what’s right for your kid. For us, the idea that Henry can learn that he has the ability to soothe himself seems like a worthwhile life lesson that we are willing to pay some lucky orthodontist to give him. And, bonus, think of all the life lessons he’ll learn from wearing braces!
2. PACIFIER CLIP
Sure you’ve got a million pacifiers; you still can’t afford to lose a single one. Like with mittens and socks, you will spend an unreasonable amount of time hunting for pacifiers. These little clips are relatively inexpensive and keep pacifiers from going too far. Also, if you have a sneaky pet, these help keep the pacifier with the baby and out of the dog. To find out more about what you’ll need to prepare your furchild for their human sibling check out our section dedicated to fursiblings.
3. AMAZON ALEXA AND SMART BULB
Smart home technology is great for parents. We started our venture into smart home technology prior to becoming pregnant, but it is awesome for parenting. Being able to dim the lights or play music (or white noise) while our hands are full of newborn is great. Also, side note, I was on bedrest for a good bit (hear more about that here), and I would use it to unlock the front door when people came to visit so I didn’t have to get up. And, even after Henry was born I’d unlock the door with my voice while I was feeding him. So, if you’re up for the investment, throw in this front door smart lock too.
4. HAND SANITIZER
Having hand sanitizer doesn’t make you a germ-a-phobe. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I’m not a medical doctor, and I have heard the news reports about how hand sanitizer is leading to the creation of “super germs” that are resistant to antibiotics. I get it, BUT, until your baby has a chance to build up a little bit of immune system to just the every day things that float in the air give ‘em a break. We kept a giant bottle of hand sanitizer in our living room so as people entered they could pump and be ready to hold the baby. We also keep a bottle at the changing stations for obvious reasons. See our article, Diaper Changing Essentials, for a complete list of everything you need to stock your diaper changing station!
5. OOGIEBEAR & NOSEFRIDA
Yep, you’re going to need to pick your kid’s nose for them. Boogers happen and a newborn’s nose is really, really freakin’ small. You’ll hear raves about the NoseFrida – which I only recently started using. Before this week I left all nose sucking to Grant—but frankly, it was just too big to pick newborn boogers. I love, love, love the OogieBear. In fact, be sure to get one for your diaper bag too. For other diaper-bag-must-haves check out our article on what we stock in the diaper bag. Spoiler Alert: It’s only like 4 diapers.
6. PETROLEUM JELLY & NON-WOVEN GAUZE
This one is only for circumcised boys. I’ll just say that there is a bit of wound care you need to continue once you come home from the hospital and you’ll need some petroleum jelly and gauze. You’ll get some from the hospital, but be sure to have some on hand for when you get home.
7. GRIPE WATER
Or, “Hiccup Juice” as we call it in our house. This stuff is magic. It’s billed as a tonic cure for all that ails a fussy baby. I can’t speak to its effectiveness for that since Henry wasn’t a colicky baby, but just a squirt of this stuff makes hiccups disappear instantly. It’s amazing. Henry gets the hiccups pretty much after every burp. I’ve been assured that this is nothing to worry about as long as they aren’t causing him to vomit his food back up. Thus, hiccups are a bit of a concern in our house. This stuff tastes like licorice to me and Henry sucks it down without hesitation. John, on the other hand, hates it, but luckily he doesn’t get hiccups as often.
8. DISPOSABLE PIPETTES
These are necessary if you are a lazy, but hygienic parent. We use a lot of “hiccup juice” in our house and after each use the provided eyedropper provided needs to be thoroughly washed or it will grow stuff—trust me. We just don’t have time for that, so we bought some disposable food-grade pipettes and stash them in a cup next to a bottle of Gripe Water around the house. Every end table in our house has a bottle of Gripe Water, a cup of pipettes, a pacifier, and a half-drunk bottle of formula on it. Welcome to your new reality.
9. GERBER GOOD START INFANT FORMULA SOOTHE COLIC DROPS
Not just for colic. Like always, if you are worried about your baby’s health please seek medical advice from your child’s pediatrician. Now, at about a month old Henry started to get terrible gas. Screaming and crying accompanied every toot. I mean, if I put myself in his shoes I can see how this could be a pretty scary event, but the writhing that occurred was excruciating to watch so I can only imagine how it felt. One night it got so bad we called the nurse line provided by our pediatrician’s office and she suggested we try Colief. It’s a tough product to manage and it didn’t seem to have much impact for Henry. At our next visit, our pediatrician gave us a sample of the soothe drops and everything changed. No more arching and wiggling and waking himself up by passing gas. Woot—or should I say Toot? It’s basically a probiotic you. You give a few drops every day (via spoon) and poof, no more gas.
10. LOTION
Babies get dry spots, you’ll need to moisturize them a little bit. Check with your doctor to make sure there aren’t any restrictions or allergies to be aware before you jump into trying a new product. And, if you have any thought that your child might have a reaction to something stop using the product and call your doctor immediately! We’ve used a variety of products on Henry from Eucerin for particularly stubborn eczema patches to Cetaphil lotion on his face and baby oil on his head to address a little bit of cradle cap. I have no idea if these are the best uses for these products, but it’s what we did and it worked for Henry.
11. TEMPORAL ARTERY DIGITAL THERMOMETER
Yes, you’ll need a rectal thermometer just in case, but the infrared version is way easier. We have two of these, one for our house and one for the diaper bag. We use it all the time. It’s touch-free and easy to use for both babies and adults. If we think either of the boys might have a real fever we’ll go the rectal route. So far, we haven’t had to check their temperature “that way,” but we’ve checked their temperature at least 100 times with the temporal thermometer.
12. GROOMING & FIRST AID KIT WITH ADHESIVE BANDAGES (I.E. BAND-AIDS)
A little kit is an easy way to get the essential first aid items you need. We got one of these for our house and one for each of the grandparents’ houses too. There are lots of kits on the market and all are pretty similar. You can buy a pre-made kit or assemble your own. Whatever you choose, be sure your kit has a rectal thermometer, bulb syringe, eye dropper and/or oral syringe medicine dispenser, nail clipper, nail files, hairbrush, and child-size adhesive bandages. To find out what else you should buy multiples of check out our article on what to stash at the grandparents’ houses.
