Our Top 10 Picks For You & Your Newborn

Personal Life

Oct 27

OCTOBER 2021

The last time I wrote on here we thought we were 6 weeks away from becoming parents. Those 6 weeks turned into 8 and it feels like an absolute lifetime ago. Becoming parents for the first time is overwhelming, daunting and between the two of you it’s like the blind leading the blind. Navigating our way through the last 6 months has been a tricky one but remaining on the same team, being patient with each other and listening to each other has helped us get through the newborn phase with a smile on our face 90% of the time!

Being on the same page is one thing, but there are also products out there that have made our life so much easier. This is not a sponsored or paid blog – these are products that genuinely made our life easier and we want to share it with you because we know we appreciated all the help and advice we could get! So here are our top 10 items to help you guys navigate your way through being a first time parent and some cute photos of Cleo when she was a newborn just because I can.

A good quality “nest”

We use 3 nests – mainly because my mum made us one and the other ones were gifted but having more than 1 has been a blessing. Cleo slept in her bassinet in a nest for the first 2 months of her life, then we transitioned her out of the nest into just the bassinet, now she’s in her cot. Please consult your midwife or Paediatrician about safety guidelines before you do this. We have always had one nest on the couch for her to lay in and another one on her play mat that is designed for her to sit up in which has been great as she’s gotten older. You can easily pop the nest outside while hanging the washing, down at the park or the beach or take it to a friends house when go for a visit so they remain comfortable, safe and in your sight.

Minbie Bottles

I have used a few different bottles but the Minbie bottle was such a huge hit with Cleo. She took to it so quickly and has always been very happy to go from boob to bottle on a day to day basis without getting any “nipple confusion”. We are lucky that Cleo has been able to take a bottle to enable us both to get to work but I swear the Minbie bottle has made that transition seamless and she can now take any style of bottle we have on hand. The minbie bottle is made from medical grade materials that are BPS, BPA, phthalate and lead free (sounds good enough to us) and an Australian brand we can definitely back up!

Chekoh Baby Carrier

The Chekoh wrap baby carrier was amazing for those first few months with Cleo. Now that she’s 6 months old, she’s in a different carrier as our walks are longer and she likes to face outward. The Chekoh wrap is so comfortable and made from breathable, lightweight and natural fabrics. They are Australia’s number 1 rated stretchy wrap carrier and I definitely felt confident carrying Cleo on me as I knew she was happy, staying cool and supported. We also looked really good doing it.

Sleep Suit

Not all babies love the sleep suits but from day one we used it with Cleo and it’s one thing she cannot sleep without. It kept her snug in her early months and the transitional suits made it so much easier during the stages of rolling (don’t miss those). The sleep suit is a part of her night routine now and she knows that when that sleep suit is on, its bed time. We used “Love to Dream” but there are so many awesome brands out there that do the trick. They are durable (which is super important when you have a refluxy baby that requires 2 loads of washing a day), lightweight, warm and I have found that she hasn’t grown out of them too fast so we are getting our money’s worth!

Good Quality Nappy Bag

We use the Alf The Label Stella nappy bag and I don’t think I could be any more obsessed with a bag. Not only is it gorgeous, but it has so much room to fit every single thing you need. I was torn between a back pack style or a tote but either way you can’t go wrong with this brand. The quality is second to none, they are stunning bags that make you feel some-what styled in those blurry first months and there is a compartment for everything. Definitely worth the investment and will stand the test of time AND Alf The Label is another awesome Aussie company to support. Treat yourself.

Munckin & Bear Playmat

Every single person in my family has a Munchkin & Bear Playmat. I remember the days of visiting my sister when her little girl was a baby and I would pass out on the playmat because it is so damn COMFORTABLE. I would visit them while I was heavily pregnant and insist on laying on the ground on the playmat instead of the couch. They come in a range of gorgeous colours, sizes and are so easy to clean. They are also very stylish so they don’t ruin the complete aesthetic of your home like everything else. Now that Cleo is rolling and on the verge of crawling it’s been awesome. Our whole family sits on the mat every morning and night and have a play together without being uncomfortable and Cleo can’t have any nasty hits or falls. Also, the mess is designated to the mat area so it makes cleaning up that much easier every day.

Baby Bath & Stand

While Cleo was a newborn we used a portable baby bath with the stand and it saved our backs. She used it up to the age of 5 months and loved it. I hear of so many parents having back injuries and aches because of the awkward angles we are constantly sitting or standing on to support our little ones. It was also good to have her nice and close to us while we bathed her and we also had a little seat in the bath to prop her up on. We were always very nervous in the beginning when giving her a bath (as first time parents are), so having a stable bath up nice and high made the whole experience so much easier.

White Noise

I cannot stress enough how necessary white noise is. We have used white noise from day dot and its definitely helped us on our journey of getting Cleo to sleep from 7pm-6am (mixed with some other intervention too). In the beginning Luke would describe is as “Chinese Water Torture” and having the white noise right next to our heads when Cleo was sleeping in our room was tough for the first few weeks but now its hard to sleep without it! The white noise we used is built into an aroma therapy diffuser that we use in her room every night and it’s also another signal to her that its bed time. Once she starts to hear the sound of rain, she knows that its bed time! The white noise also helps drain out any other noise going on around her - including the dogs next door that wont stop barking, the traffic noise on the main street behind us and the boys watching the footy!

Baby Bouncer

We use the Veebee bouncer and she loves it! She is constantly in that bouncer so we can still get things done during the day. We use it when we are working in the office, doing yard work, trying to have a shower or go to the toilet … yeah it basically goes everywhere with us… that girl has seen everything. We also have a cheap one we bought from Kmart that we lay a towel on and put her on as soon as she gets out of the bath and wrap her up in it (think of that back parents) and she absolutely loves it. She thinks it’s a game and it makes bath time so much more fun!

Nipple Shields and or Dummy

This is a very personal thing and I know some parents aren’t fans of it, but the dummy saved my sanity. Cleo was going through a phase in the first few weeks where she would cluster feed and comfort feed and I wasn’t getting any more than half an hour to myself (and those first few weeks are physically, emotionally and mentally tough). We used the dummy to see if that would settle her and it’s been a god send ever since. She uses it to help her drift off to sleep and spits it out when she’s over it. I also know that a lot of babies don’t like the dummy and it’s not for every family, but definitely worth the try for us! Nipple shields were something I didn’t even think of. My sister gave me a set before I had Cleo for the cupboard and to be honest I didn’t even know what they were. I had a lot of trouble feeding Cleo in the first few days but I wanted to persist. The nipple shields were the only way I could feed her for the first 8 weeks of her life until we both got the hang of it. I know a lot of women who used nipple shields for their entire breast feeding journey! They are a great item to have in the cupboard just in case!