Game Changers

Preparing for my daughter to make her debut 2 years ago was completely overwhelming. I’m sure all first-time moms out there can relate. However, as someone completing a pediatrics residency and as a perfectionist INTJ who must research everything, picking out a car seat suddenly felt like climbing Mt Everest. Of course, MY CHILD deserved the best of the best. How would I dig through the parenting blogs and reviews while keeping practicality and cost in mind to sort out the RIGHT ONE? Even after the hours of scouring the internet, polling friends, and reading Consumer Reports to settle on the seat we ended up with 2 years ago, I went through the whole process again earlier this week while picking out an extra seat to avoid daily car switches.  …And stayed up until 2am. So, to multiply my efforts and make the time worth it, I thought I would share with you my list of parenting game changers: the items that after nearly 2 years we can confidently say are worth it. So without further ado and in no particular order, here are our top 15 parenting must haves:

1.       Infant Car Seat (with extra base) – the cost-conscious warrior in me waffled back and forth about convertible seat from the beginning vs infant car seat with later transition. In the end we went with the infant car seat to start off with, and we were not sorry. Being able to easily pick up the whole seat and bring her in (or settle her in before the car ride) made a huge difference, especially since my car at the time was not that big. We could also easily switch vehicles since both had a base (only about an extra 30 bucks as opposed to buying a 2^nd car seat). Bonus, we could put it in a shopping cart or her stroller without unbuckling her…nice on those days she fell asleep. We decided to go with the Graco Snugride – a really popular middle of the price range option that also topped the safety standard charts. We also purchased the matching stroller which we will be using for years to come. Although I thought we would only get 6 months or so out of it, we were able to use the seat until our daughter was about 18 months old. Thanks to our petite genes. J

a.       Though I wouldn’t call a convertible car seat a “game changer” as much as it is a necessity, I thought I would also share for that we ended up going with the Britax Marathon Clicktight. It’s comfy, very safe, and easy to install. Since I’m not as worried now about my daughter having a Cadillac carseat, for her second one I chose the Graco Milestone All-in-One since it also converts to a booster but doesn’t break the bank.

2.       Baby wearing carrier – we still use this. This was our preferred method of transporting our little girl. In fact, we just recently started using our stroller (now that she weighs more) because wearing her was so much easier. She also loved it. When she was 6 months old, I wore her for an entire day at the zoo, with no issues. We ended up buying a Lillebaby 6-in-One All Seasons. It has great support and functionality. While I’m sure there are more affordable carriers that also work well, I would highly recommend opting for a structured one. We had a wrap for use around the house. It was ok, but very difficult to put on outside the house and had almost no support.

3.       Rock-n-play – I thought this would be a rarely used item, but on the suggestion of a friend we registered for one. While we put her in her room from night one (I slept on a twin bed in her room for 2 months), it was easier to get her to go to sleep in this than her crib in the early days. It also helped when she was congested because of the elevated surface. In addition, it served as a great place for her to nap during the day or on trips. *When your child is old enough to start rolling (around 3 months) please stop allowing your child to sleep in these as they can become unsafe at that point.

4.       Floor seat with tray – another item we still use all the time. This was great to help with core control when she was small. When she started to roll, it was an easy way to keep her stable while working in the kitchen, ect. Now it serves as our travel high chair. She ate in this on the table until she was about 8 months and when she gets older it will convert to a booster seat. With straps to secure to a chair, a tray, and a removable insert, it is the ultimate grow with you item. We chose the Bumbo Multi-Seat, which costs the same as the regular Bumbo and has so many more uses.

5.      Sleepers with zippers – Just try to imagine lining up fastidious snaps in the dark at 2 in the morning with no sleep. Need I say more?

6.       Sleep sacks – something else we still use. When you have a squirmy sleeper, these move with your baby without fear that they will be unsafe. She never really loved swaddles, so these provided the support of a swaddle that stayed in place without chaining down her arms. She’s never slept a night without one.

7.       Pack-n-play – Since our house is fairly small, we never used ours for the diaper changing or daytime napping function except on trips (no need to buy a really fancy one). However, it did serve as a safe place for her to play in the living room after she started trying to roll around. We also still use it as our travel crib with trips.

8.       Dr. Brown’s regular sized bottles and sippy cups – I chose these because I knew this is what they used in the NICU, and with good reason. We tried several different bottles we were given for free with registries before starting these, and she still preferred these. They can be tough to clean (the Dr. Brown’s basket with specific slots for parts helps), but they cut way down on discomfort with feeding. Also, the standard size fits on most breast pumps (I used Medela) so, you get bonus pumping bottles. As for the sippy cups—after trialing plenty, these are by far the easiest to clean and use. While others built up mold over time, these work well, don’t spill, and stay sanitary.

9.       A good quality breast pump – my pump saved my breastfeeding relationship. I could write a whole other post about my experience, but just know that even if you don’t work outside the home, you never know how well your baby will take to breastfeeding. If you are committed to breastmilk, this will allow you (or anyone else!) to feed your baby when they refuse or are separated from the breast. A double electric pump is ideal. I used the Medela Pump in Style. As someone who works with lactation specialists daily and used the hospital grade pump at work, I can say with confidence there was little difference between the pump in style and the hospital pump. Bonus: invest in a hands-free pumping bra. You will thank me!

10.   A plastic infant tub – since our house has very small bathrooms, we bathed Evie in this tub in the kitchen sink until after her 1^st birthday. Now that we have transitioned to the bathroom, we still place her in her tub. It saves water and keeps her contained. Bonus: bath toys can make a world of difference for a child who is afraid of the tub.

11.   Changing table – this was another item I wasn’t sure would matter, but after changing thousands of diapers, I can say with gusto that its so nice that I don’t have bend down and wrangle our baby like I do when we are away from the house. It doesn’t have to be a traditional table though. My husband converted an old desk from the thrift store into a changing table and it is amazing! It works perfectly for us.

12.   Video baby monitor – we are fortunate that these days our daughter sleeps well without issue. However, every now and then, she still cries out at 4am. Most of the time she doesn’t even move. If we give her 2-3 minutes, she is either already asleep or lays herself back down. With the video monitor we can tell if she is sick, hurt, or just wanting attention and react accordingly. This is an item I see us still using for years, so invest in a good one. We chose a Motorola one that had its own viewing monitor as well as capabilities to watch from your smart phone. For us this was important because I’m often away from home at night and I wanted to be able to pull up her monitor and see what she was doing. It’s much more for my heart than hers. Bonus, sometimes before she goes to school I can watch her and say hey in the mornings because it has a voice feature.

13.   Sound machine – This made a huge difference in the early days. Like I said, fortunately we are blessed with a good sleeper, but for at least the first year we never went anywhere without it. It allowed us to play white noise to drown out anything that might wake her up. It doesn’t have to be fancy (in fact, if you have a spare smart phone lying around, there are good free apps you can use). We bought a travel one for 10 bucks that turned out to be perfect since it could go with us with ease.

14.   Car Mirror – We have one of these in each of our cars. When your child is rear facing for 2 years, it’s a big deal to see what they are doing while you are driving. I’m not sure how we would manage without these. Although you can’t always do anything to fix the fit they are pitching, at least you’ll know why.

15.   Baby gate – Again, not something we considered early on, but it is so nice to be able to safely corral Evie in a certain part of the house. She hated the round playpen gates that made her feel trapped, but this allows her freedom in the room without feeling locked in. These days even though we have seen her open it herself, she actually likes the gate and prides herself as the “gatekeeper” who shuts the door after we have all entered the room.

So there you have it. When you are a first time parent, the marketing world will try to sell you anything and everything (baby wipe warmers…pee pee tents?). Just remember that they are playing on your emotions and your hormones, and most things you can survive just fine without. However, these 15 items were life savers for us. One last tip for those creating registries: both Amazon and Target (and probably others) will offer you a 15% discount coupon to be used on any items not purchased on your registry (but it’s only good for 1 purchase!). We saved up our gift cards and bought all the items we needed a few weeks before she was born. This meant we put some things on the registry we normally wouldn’t (like my breast pump) to use the coupon. Good luck and be sure to let me know about your family’s game changers in the comments!

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