My Mama Must Haves

Katie over at Bower Power blogged about some must have since she had her son. It got me thinking about things that I use that make being a mom a little easier. Here's my list;

Ring Sling:

I can have Olivia close to me and still have my hands free to get something to eat, vacuum, or fold laundry. Olivia takes her best naps in here. Usually from 2 - 2.5 hours at a time.

Baby Bjorn Carrier:

Olivia always loved being upright and seeing what is going on. I've used this carrier at the zoo, at the mall, or just to quickly run into a shop. Again my hands are free, she can see what's going on, and if she falls asleep (which happens often) she just rests her head on my chest and goes to sleep.

Camilia:

A homeopathic liquid that helps with teething and fussy babies. It works similar to grip water, but it doesn't have alcohol in it. I've used this only a few times, but every time it calms Olivia down and helps her relax so that she can go to sleep.

The Baby Book:

What a great resource. If your thinking of attachment parenting, breast feeding, baby wearing or co-sleeping this book is great. Written by a doctor and nurse who are parents as well. They talk about their own experiences, research results and even things they have recommended to their patients. I wish I had read this book before I had Olivia, it reassures me on the basic instincts that I have been feeling and allows me to parent free of judgement and coaching.

Cardinal Digital Watch:

When you are breast feeding you start to live life in 3-4 hour intervals instead of days or weeks. You also calculate approximately how much your baby is getting based on how long they feed for. Sometimes I would find myself feeding in someone's home and not have a clock or watch around anywhere. Being able to quickly glance at my watch helps a lot. Not to mention since it has very little snaps, Velcro or buttons it doesn't scratch my little girl.

Bed Liners:

These are great for changing diapers on our bed or laying under Olivia when she sleeps. Weather it is pee from a diaper or spit up, these water proof mats save our bed.

Live Clean:

All natural, Canadian products that are safe for Olivia and keep her clean and smelling so sweet. We don't use the diaper cream or petroleum jelly, but the cream and soap/shampoo are great.

Tank tops:

These are great for under my shirts when breast feeding. I am able to lift my top shirt up and pull the neckline of the tank down to feed. Best part, I don't end up baring my entire post c-section body to everyone.

Soothie:

This pacifier is said to avoid nipple confusion when breast feeding. Olivia only uses hers when she is tired and fussy. As soon as she falls asleep she spits it out and goes back to sleep.

AppleCheeks Cloth Diapers:

I won't go into all the detail and benefits of cloth diapers. I love the easy snaps on these. Plus all the cute colours that they are available in make diapers seem so chic. Olivia has never had a diaper rash. Plus on the days when she goes 2-3 times in an hour my wallet is thanking my for not using disposables.

Druide Protecting Balm:

When you use cloth diapers you can't use a regular diaper cream that contains zinc oxide. They coat the diaper and make them less absorbent. I'm actually glad we aren't using zinc oxide based creams. They seem to coat the bottom and are hard to clean off. This cream is natural and smells fantastic, and it moisturizes.

J&J disposable nursing pads:

I was using reusable nursing pads, but I seem to leak through them. Even when I double up on them. I have an excessive supply of milk and always seem to be leaking or dripping. I was turn onto these disposables and love them. They don't leak and keep me feeling dry. I still go through 4-6 a day, and when I'm home I use the cloth ones.