The 10 Best Products for a New Mom!

As a first-time mom, I felt the full spectrum of emotions and moods that everyone warned me about...happy, full of wonder, exhausted beyond belief, grumpy, etc. My little guy is the best thing that ever happened to me, and every day I wake up feeling thankful and happy.

These months, though, have also been a continual learning experience. Before I even had little man, I was very excited about the many cool-looking products on the market, and went berserk shopping. What a waste! Many items I never used twice, and others I never used at all. Some were somewhat helpful but too much of a hassle to make them worthwhile. New moms are inundated with products and tend to buy up a storm to make post-labor life easier, but in the end, I have lots of clutter and too much stuff.


The best products I've found to help me the first few months of having little man are very basic. Babies don't need much in the beginning...food, sleep, snuggling, warmth, to be kept clean and dry. Likewise for new moms, we don't need much either, just stuff that will make us comfortable, are easy to use, and will actually help us more than they annoy us.

My favorite New Mommy Helpers these first few months:

1. A good nursing pump. If you are going to breastfeed, a good pump is a great idea. It helps to get your milk going if your baby sleeps for long periods of time early on, it helps to prevent clogged milk ducts (especially in the first month) if your supply comes in abundantly but your baby isn't demanding much yet, and it helps moms going back to work both keep up their supply, and provide their baby with expressed milk while they are gone.

A great one is the Hygeia EnJoye Breast pump. I made the mistake of trying a partially manual, partially electric pump and got stuck when I fell asleep using it at 2 am one night...very painful! Completely manual pumps are tedious and time-consuming, so I would definately recommend a good electric double pump to save time and prevent any painful accidents or utter boredom. The Hygeia breastpump has a rechargeable battery, making it great for working moms, has a feature which allows you to record your baby's voice to play while you are apart (helps with letdown), and is more durable than competing electric pumps (it's designed for long-term use).


2. A nursing cover and basic nursing necessities, such as Lily Padz Reuseable Nursing Pads to prevent leaking and heating pads to relieve clogged ducts. I like Joia Mommy Covers because they are so pretty, and reversible, and have a semi-rigid neckline so you can see your little one while you nurse (makes latching on easier). You can't live at home the whole time you are nursing- you'll get cabin fever- so a nursing cover that is easy to use and attractive will make it easier to go about your day without fear of your baby becoming hungry while you're in public.

I could have just expressed milk to take in bottles as I went about my day, but that didn't solve the problem of engorgement, so I found myself preferring to feed little man directly whenever we went out, and made use of my nursing cover very often.

3. A nursing pillow to help position baby and take a lot of the strain off your back. There are many companies that make this, at various prices, with different patterns, colors, fabrics and features, so you should choose this based on what fits your life and taste. The one I got (called My Brest Friend) has a little pocket to store some basic things and the fabric is a fuzzy blue material that I like. Before I bought this, I had upper back pain from hunching over as I fed little man- not a fun thing.



4. Good nursing bras are very important. Leading Lady offers a great basic collection at affordable prices, and my favorite is a plain white one that is about $17, very supportive, and easy to use. I love the price and the support I get from these bras.

5. Lamaze Maternity Intimates is a company I recently learned about that offers pretty maternity and nursing products. They are super comfortable and attractive- lots of different styles. I was surprised at the lovely range of colors and style. If you are nursing, you will need good quality, attractive, supportive nursing clothes (especially if you are married and embarassed to have your husband see granny panties after you gave birth). Unfortunately their nursing bras don't come in my size, but they make fabulously attractive products for pregnant and nursing women that don't look like maternity or nursing wear. Their maternity underwear is so pretty I still wear it.

6. A good diaper bag. I didn't have much luck in this area until I found Amy Michelle diaper bags. Their sweat pea and gladiola diaper bags are not only attractive, but they have a zillion useful compartments, for bottles, binkies, my personal affects, etc, all organized sensibly with zippers and dividers. The outside has useful sections too, and until I got one of their diaper bags, I had a heck of a time finding anything when I needed it, or fitting everything I needed in. Investing in a good diaper bag that fits your personal needs and is attractive is a good idea, especially if you are at the beginning of your baby-making career. (see below if you can't afford a new diaper bag)


7. A baby carrier- my favorite is the LilleBaby Carrier, because it's the most supportive from birth, and available in organic (little babies like to put their mouths on everything). Find one that your baby likes (many stores have samples to test with). I like the LilleBaby Carrier also because it's padded for little man's comfort (many are just padded in the shoulder area for parents). Baby carriers allow you to get things done while still snuggling with your baby, so if your baby is fussing to be held but you need your hands free, baby carriers are a necessity.

8. A remote control mobile...then again, remote control everything! You get so little sleep as it is, that having to get up just to wind up the mobile every three minutes is a huge hassle. My husband got me the Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile with remote control that lasts ten minutes (long in mobile time) and allows me to stay in bed, able to turn it on again from a distance when I hear little man calling to the animals to get moving.



9. A universal infant carseat carrier/stroller, so you don't have to lug the baby's heavy infant car seat everywhere. It converts your infant carseat into a stroller until your baby is big enough to graduate into a regular stroller (about six months). Whichever infant carseat you get, there is likely a compatable infant carseat carrier, which makes you portable, allows a sleeping baby to keep sleeping in his carseat, and keeps you from breaking your back carrying your baby and a heavy carseat. If you get one with a cargo basket and cupholder, you can leisurely run errands and shop. I got the Snap N Go from Baby Trend (it fits our carseat best), and it's made my excursions outside of the house a breeze.

10. What to Expect the First Year- the mommy bible. This book is truly terrific. It answered every question I have, and I can't believe how many I had. I read it month by month, and it is not only reassuring and informative, but has lots of great solutions, ideas, and suggestions for every baby-related situation and stage of development. This is going to be the book I buy every new mom- love it!

Bonus
Ideas to save money:

* Make your own pumping bra. Pumping bras can be purchased, but if you are on a budget and have some old bras you want to toss anyway, just poke holes in the bra cups at the appropriate place, cut a little hole with scissors, and fit the funnel of the breast pump through. My sister came up with this idea, and we both made our own successfully. Just make sure to use a well-fitting bra that you can tolerate ruining.



* Wrap your belly to help it shrink faster, especially if you aren't breastfeeding (breastfeeding tends to help the uterus and belly shrink quicker). It's an old trick, probably passed on for thousands of years from woman to woman. Use fabric (an ace bandage would work) to tightly wrap your tummy. Belly wraps are sold in many stores, but if you are a frugal momma like I am, why spend the money? (especially since I didn't have much luck with the expensive one I got as a gift- a wrap with elastic fabric would have given me better coverage and results).

* If you don't want to spend the money on a diaper bag, Similac makes free diaper bags that are offered in many hospitals to new moms. Not only is it a great, simple, black bag, but it comes with the best bottle insulation pack of all the diaper bags I've tried. It's the perfect size for quick trips or short errands (holds about 4 diapers, a changing pad, wipes, a change of clothes, and some small supplies- good for up to four or five hours out). It also fits a bottle or two and is pretty attractive- very nice of Similac to offer these as a gift to new moms.

So this is my list of the most basic, practical and relevant products a new mom needs. If I were to buy a gift for a new mom, it would be one of these, such as a pretty nursing cover, remote cotrolled gadgets, a stylish baby carrier, or my favorite new mom book. I'm writing a list of the best new baby products soon, because new babies have basic, practical, relevant needs too (and if you think there are lots of expensive, useless mom products out there, wait until you start shopping for a new baby!) Stay tuned for chapter two...