My Newborn Must Haves List:

With our chaotic and annoyingly stressful lives due to moving and living in limbo while we wait to close on our farm I have often found myself thinking of the future. The idea of this all being done excites me greatly but it also will be the beginning of another busy chapter. Building a home, planning 2 birthday parties, planning a vacation, preparing to have 3 children in school, preparing for another move, and preparing to welcome a newborn in to our family is all going to happen with in the next 5 months. The fact that we will still be so busy has me planning well in advance for the things that I can do now while we wait for the next chapter to start. One of those things was creating a must haves list for the baby and beginning to get those items together. I have 3 large tubs that are just for new baby stuff so that we can keep it close and easily accessible incase the baby decides to come before our new house is built. I will probably go into detail about a few items throughout this list but other items will just be an 'in general' kind of thing. 

Here are my Baby Lane must haves:

-Newborn disposable diapers!

We cloth diaper but newborns are so tiny that they do not fit into one size diapers. You can purchase newborn sized cloth diapers but I think that's a waste of money so for the first month or so we will use disposables. I personally prefer Pampers. I found that most other brands leaked on all of my kids. If Pampers doesn't work for this baby for whatever reason it's no big deal to exchange diaper brands. 

-Wipes, lotions, soaps, medicines, diffuser, essential oils, socks, bibs, burp clothes, mittens, ect

-Sleepers, onesies, and comfortable outfits for basic everyday wear

I have a blend of neutrals, boys, and girls stuff.  

-Cute personalized outfits 

I have ordered many etsy outfits that I had custom made. Some of them are neutral with a matching top knot bow and hat as well as separate bibs that have Granger and Eilee on them. My favorite etsy shop for these outfits is Simply Spinning Thread. Others outfits are as girly/boyish as it gets. These types of purchases got a bit out of hand though so that's why I decided to let my mom find out the baby's sex. I will just send her the links to everything else that I want and she can purchase the proper items. She can also take our gift cards and load up on some gender specific stuff for us to have right away for that month or two after the baby is born. 

-Blankets, swaddlers, and swaddle cacoons

I have recently became obsessed with Mint and Arrows (newly changed to Fawn and Sage) swaddle cacoons. They are adorable and light weight. I plan to announce the baby birth/gender with a picture of the baby in one of these. I ordered a super girly floral one with a matching bow and I ordered a boyish one with a hat for a boy. 

-Baby Tula Carrier

I have 2 of these and I love them. If you are looking for a baby carrier I highly recommend Tula. 

-Pack and Play

Our babies have all slept in our rooms in a pack and play until they were out of the SIDS risk stage so for me this purchase is one that I didn't take lightly. I researched the crap out of what was safest and the most comfortable for the baby. I ultimately decided to go with the Graco Cuddle Cove Rocking Seat Play Yard. 

-A infant car seat

Again this was something that I put a lot of research in to. We've had Britax, Baby Trend, Graco, and Chicco infant car seats. I wasn't a huge fan of any of them except the Chicco. People complain because they don't snap into carts but I have 2 thoughts on that. One, I RARELY take my babies into public places where a cart would be needed. Two, it's a huge safety hazard to put your car seats on to the top of a cart. The carriers should go IN the cart, not on top. I have not purchased our carseat yet but I have narrowed it down to two options. 

The Chicco Singapore and the

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 Moon Birch 

-A swing/bouncer

My babies all loved their swing so this was something that was an absolute must for me with this baby. I bought a Mamaroo because I've heard endlessly great things about them. They are a little on the pricy side in comparison to most swings but I got ours on a Black Friday sale. 

-A diaper bag

I have a large purple Coach diaper bag that I adore. If the baby is a boy I might invest into something less girly but for now I'm not ready to give up my Coach. 

-Breast feeding gear

A wrap/cover, boppy pillow, storage bags, a breast pump, ect. I will not be purchasing bottles because I do not intend to use them. If there is an emergency it will be no problem to get those if I absolutely have to. I also don't plan to introduce a pacifier until we have successfully established a nursing latch routine. I believe that doing this too soon with Charlee is why she started refusing to lack. It was a major struggle to get her latching easily and it wasn't a problem prior to giving her a pacifier. I know that they can reduce the risk of SIDS so I'm definitely open to using them but not until the baby is out of the new to nursing stage. 

-Owlet Monitor

A breathing monitor to prevent SIDS is a must this time. I can't tell you how much sleep Brian and I lost with our kids just because we'd sit and watch them sleep. We were terrified of SIDS. I'm hoping that this monitor will help give us a little relief.  

This will be my first of several posts about preparation for the months to come. I'll be doing a newborn photography must haves post, a 'what will be in my diaper/birth bag' post, a birthday parties prep post for Hudson and Andlee's birthday parties, and a pre-planning for labor/birth post. I will also do a nursery tour/essentials when we are all moved in.