essentials for the first 3 months

 I cannot believe how fast time has flown and that she's officially out of her "4th trimester". I have never found fat rolls to be so cute! Anyways, with my husband playing minor league baseball we end up moving around a lot and can only pack what fits in our car. Because of this we don't have all of the normal baby items and I really try to stay only with what we need, not what I want. That being said, I have found 6 items that I believe to be absolutely essential in these first 3 months.
1. Baby K'Tan - BEST. INVESTMENT. EVER. And it's not even that big of an investment. Only $35 and I canNOT say enough
goodamazing things about this product. I tried both slings and a different kind of wrap before I found this and neither of them can even come close. It is easy to use and stays tight and secure even after long periods of use. Cali LOVES being in this and I love it because I can still use my hands! And nothing makes flying with a newborn easier than this. Even though I have a travel system car seat and stroller, I never use them because this does the job so much more efficiently. See?? I told you I could talk forever about how great this product is!

2. Summer Infant SwaddleMe - This has been a lifesaver! My little one won't sleep soundly without it and I dread the day I have to wean her from it. We have a couple of different types of swaddles and swaddle blankets and this is by far my favorite. It stays secure when she wiggles and you can even use it in the car seat! Plus, she looks way too cute all bundled up like a pea pod when I go to get her from her crib :)

3. Bellefit Corset - This is actually for mom and not baby but still essential for the first 3 months in my opinion. It's a little more expensive than the other belly wraps I found but goes over your hips as well and is thin enough that you can't see it under your clothes. The main two causes of the "mom belly" are the uterus taking time to shrink and the abs having to close back together. Normally this can take anywhere up to 6 months but wearing this corset 24 hours (only taking it off for showers) I was back to my pre-pregnancy jeans in under a week. When you're sleep deprived and covered in spit up, nothing can make you feel woman again like fitting back into your jeans.

4. Fuzzibunz cloth diaper - When we decided to cloth diaper, I did a lot of research on types of diapers. I ended up ordering a few different brands and this is far and away my favorite. It's made as a pocket diaper but I just lay the insert on top of the cover and it gets more use out of the covers. Fuzzibunz are one size and I've found that they're the least bulky and I haven't had a leak yet!

5. Bouncy Seat - We have a Boppy but really, any 'ol seat will do. With my husband traveling so much I end up by myself a lot in cities where I don't know anyone. On these long weeks when it's just me and Cali, I wouldn't be able to shower/cook/clean/etc without this seat. It's one of the bulkier items we pack when we move but completely worth it.

6. Gerber Sleep n Play - I love these because they zip up the front which is great for newborns. Cali hated having clothes put on over her head for at least the first 6 weeks. Because I couldn't stand to see that cute little angel cry, she ended up living in these.

So there it is. My list of essentials so far!

-Whitney