In the first week Baby Sea Otter was born, we were just surviving. We had our bundle of love home, and now we had to nurture him and keep him alive. Well-intentioned friends would often tell me things that worked for their babies, which was appreciated, but ultimately, this is our list of what worked for us the first crucial weeks.

1. Rock N Play Snugamonkey – We bought this on a whim while we were in Portland, and Baby Sea Otter has decided that this is the one place he really wants to sleep. Since he has a little bit of reflux, our doctor recommended that he sleep in it. We try to keep him out of it was much as possible and re-position his head so he doesn’t get a flat head.

ADVERTISEMENT

2. Summer Swaddle Me Blankets – As someone who would have failed out of swaddle school, these are great. You just put the baby’s legs in the pouch and wrap the swaddle around. The velcro keeps them in. The baby goes into a happy trance.

3. Happiest Baby on the Block – Otter Pop and I watched this video the night before Baby Sea Otter was born. It’s filled with invaluable knowledge. I can’t recommend it enough.

4. Soothie Pacifier – Lastly, I heard that these were great, and they’re the only pacifier that Baby Sea Otter really prefers. I know a lot of people enjoy Wubbanub pacifiers, which are basically Soothies with a stuffed animal at the end, but our dogs have made it clear that those will not survive in our house for longer than an hour.

5. White Noise Machine – A lifesaving sound machine. Switch on the Dohm and get ready to zen your baby out like no other.

6. Zip Up Onesies – I mentioned these in my last post, but the zip-up onesies were essential. When you’re so tired you don’t know if you’re changing your baby or knitting a quilt, these are a no muss, no fuss way to change your baby quickly.

7. Dr. Brown Bottles – We tried several bottles since we are feeding Baby Sea Otter breastmilk. These worked the best and significantly reduced the reflux issues he was having since he could gulp down the contents like they were going out of style.

8. Boon Lawn – If your counter is going to be taken up bottles, they might as well be displayed on a cute green lawn. The larger lawn fits the bottles and most of the bottle parts. If you’re only using bottles for supplementing, I’d recommend just the Boon Grass, which is the smaller version.

9. Yoga Ball – Not just for strengthening your core, the yoga ball is perfect for late nights when you don’t know what to do with your crying baby. I spent most of those nights bouncing him and singing sorority recruitment songs, since those were the only things I could remember at 3am.

What got you through the newborn weeks?

Newborn Essentials part 12 of 13

1. My Top 15 Most Used Baby Products by Mrs. Bee
2. Absolute Essentials for a Newborn by Checklists
3. Newborn Essentials by Mrs. Hopscotch
4. Mrs. Markers' Newborn Essentials by Mrs. Markers
5. Newborn Sleep Essentials by Mrs. Checkers
6. The Essentials: Newborn Edition by mrs. tictactoe
7. Mrs. Sketchbook's Budget Gear Faves: Newborn to Six Months by Mrs. Sketchbook
8. Twin Newborn Essentials by Mrs. Blue
9. Top 10 adopted newborn essentials by Mrs. Jacks
10. Newborn Essentials by Mrs. Tea
11. New Mom Tips by Mrs. Bee
12. Newborn Must Haves by Mrs. Sea Otter
13. Mrs. Rabbit's Top 10 Newborn Must-Haves by Mrs. Rabbit