Must-Haves Baby Addition

I've read a lot of recent blog posts about baby items that they strongly recommended or couldn't live without. So that got me to thinking...what did I find to be a must-have as a first-time mom? So here's my list (whether you really wanted to know or not :)

1) Lansinoh Lanolin Cream-This was definitely a life saver for me. I really thought I would die after every time I breast fed. Thankfully this cream helped me through the first month of agony until my breasts were used to it. Don't listen to what the books say...that it would only hurt if your baby was latching on incorrectly. WRONG...it hurts like heck for the first few weeks!

2) Gilligan & O’Malley Nursing Bras-I ordered these online from Target and must say that I have been pretty pleased with them. Some of those nursing bras are so ugly and give you what I call "unaboob." This one doesn't have an under wire (which you definitely don't want while nursing), but it still gives you a normal bra shape so you can actually wear them under clothes and outside the house.

3) Tommee Tippee Bottles- I was very worried about starting Nolan on a bottle and then have him not want to direct breastfeed. These bottles are supposed to be a slower flow and similar to a breast. Nolan had no problem going from the breast to the bottle or vice versa. I really like these bottles and highly recommend them for anyone even if you aren't breastfeeding. They are really easy to hold because they are short and wide.

4) NUK Pacifiers- I was so scared to use a pacifier all due to being told that the baby could have "nipple confusion." We held out for 3 weeks until I finally decided that Nolan needed a some soothing that only a pacifier can bring. My mother-in-law had bought these NUK pacifiers, and they were a huge hit. We had no confusion, and it helped mommy to not be a human pacifier. I really liked the NUK brand due to the fact they go up towards the top roof of the baby's mouth which is also supposed to be the same as when they are breastfeeding. I do own some other pacifiers that are just straight, and they always end up falling out a lot easier.

5) Cradle & Lamb Swing- I didn't own a swing at first. I thought man I won't spend that kind of money on that nor do I want to take up precious space in my house. Well after some convincing from a few friends who saw I needed some relief from a baby that didn't want to be put down I finally purchased this one. I thought this swing better do a song and dance for the money. Well at first I couldn't put Nolan in the swing without him absolutely losing it. I'm like what a waste of money...I thought this swing was supposed to be a miracle worker. Then one day...it happened. He fell asleep in the swing! After that day, this swing became my best friend. It allowed me to put my baby down without him crying. That is when I knew that this swing was completely worth its weight in gold.

So there's my list...I have many more items I could add but this post is getting too long for my taste. Just some food for thought for those who might be in the market for these items!