I am a Virgo, therefore I like to be organised. I was so organised when I was pregnant with my son that I made a spread sheet of everything we could potentially need. I obviously had way too much time on my hands while counting down the days until junior arrived. My Virgoness paid off as it turned out we had everything we needed and probably a little more. As my child met each stage and milestone we came across a few things that did not make the list. Things that made our life much easier, less stressful and enjoyable. Below is a few things I would have added to that list if I were to write it now.
A vaporiser – This is one of the most used household items in our home. If the little man doesn’t have a cold it’s a chesty cough. A vaporizer works by heating water until it turns into hot steam, the moist air it creates can loosen congestion and may make the throat feel better. Other little tips for colds is to place a small dob of vics on a piece of chux cloth and place it between the singlet and suit your baby is wearing. Plus the Fess Little Noses saline nasal spray and nasal aspirator. As Parents you want to help your little one as much as you can, this was my way of doing what I could to help, combined with lots and lots of cuddles.
Mud Larks – Water Proof pants with built in feet. These are perfect for when bub starts crawling. These were not essential but they definitely made life easier. I originally started using them when I would hang the clothes outside, and the grass would be wet from dew. They allowed him to be able to explore without me having to change his full set of clothes. As we love to spend a lot of time outside we, use these every day. We started using them at 4 months and are still using them today at 13 months.
Jumparoo – Because you are frowned apon for tying your child to the clothes line or the chair leg, this was my solution to keeping him safe and in one spot while I went to the toilet, put gear in the car, or emptied the compost bucket. But best of all he loved it.
Baby Carrier – Now because I own a baby carrier store you would expect me to say this BUT this is genuine. I had a baby with chronic reflux, he would not sleep day or night laying down. The only way he would sleep would be to hold him bolt upright. While I might have guns of steel I did not have enough arm stamina to hold my baby 24/7. To put it bluntly a baby carrier saved our sanity. We are a very active family walking in the bush at the beach so we still use a carrier every day without fail, and bub still loves the ride.
Compact change mat purse that holds 1 nappy and a change of suit for baby – My first parenting fail 101 was in the early days when we went out for a quick visit to see family and I forgot the big change bag. My baby did the most biggest disgusting explosive ….I wont finish that sentence but you get the picture. I had nothing to change him with or to clean him up with. I was very embarrassed too to put it mildly. After then I always had one of these purses in either of our cars AT ALL TIMES.
Air Mesh Bumpers – My child does laps and summersaults all nigh long when he goes to bed. He even went through a stage of getting his arms and legs caught between the bars of his cot and waking him up. I did not want conventional bumpers as they are not recommended by SIDS instead I came across the air mesh bumper. If they roll into it they can still breathe.
I have no connection to the brands I have mentioned above other than of being a mother who stumbled across all these things that helped us get through each stage of our little mans first year.
