When I first realized I was pregnant, I experienced feelings of fear, followed by feelings of joy. Then I looked at my husband and said, “Crap! How will we all fit in the apartment?!” Living in 675 square feet of space is a challenge. Especially when you have three cats, five fish, a daddy, a mommy and a little boy. Where would we put the baby? What baby gear was absolutely essential and what could we live without? After much research, we came up with a list. We registered for the items and made sure to tell people not to get us anything extra! We just didn’t have the room to store it.
When Dylan was finally here, we realized there were things we had left off the list that we really needed. Essential items to help calm a screaming baby at 4am (and 5am, and 6am), or to allow us to put the baby down for a few minutes so we could eat a meal together…or even go to the bathroom.
Here’s a list of the things we didn’t originally think we needed, but which we found crucial in the first weeks and months:
Baby Carrier: This item doesn’t take up a lot of room, but we realized it was absolutely essential. Derek’s choice is the Baby Bjorn. I prefer the Ergo, as it’s easier on my back. This handy device can transform a fussy (even screaming) baby into a calm baby, and can even help facilitate sleep! It is also a great way to transport baby around in an urban environment. Especially if they aren’t feeling the stroller just yet.
The Swing: At first, we resisted this item. Let’s be honest, it takes up a ton of valuable space. However, when we realized that Dylan was too little for the bouncer, and there was no place to really put him down when we needed to do something, we immediately ran to the store and bought one. Dylan, like most babies, loved to be rocked and to be in constant motion. It is exhausting to constantly be rocking your baby in your arms, and impossible to do this all day and night. That’s where the swing comes in. I wouldn’t spring for the really expensive ones. We got one on sale for less than $80, and it works like a charm. Some babies will even nap in them. If you are going to get one larger item, I would definitely suggest this.
Melody Bear: We got the Summer Infant Mommies Melodies Bear as a gift. The nice thing about the bear is that it straps onto the crib, and doesn’t take up a lot of space. The bear plays melodies for 15 minutes and you can choose between music, nature or womb sounds. The convenient large buttons come in handy when it’s dark and you are holding your breath, sweating and trying to get baby into the crib without waking him. (Only downside here is that changing the batteries is a real pain. It requires a screwdriver.)
Play Gym: In the very early days, Dylan was too small for this, but it became invaluable very quickly. This is a great activity for baby and the best part: it folds up nicely and can be stored out of the way. It’s a great place for “tummy time,” and most play gyms come with toys and a little sound machine. We are still using this!
Swaddle Me Blankets: Learning to swaddle your newborn is a challenge. Doing it in the middle of the night, when you haven’t slept a wink, is impossible. These convenient little blankets have Velcro; you just wrap baby up and bundle them in! They make getting baby into the crib while sleeping a lot easier. You only need one or two and the blankets fold up small, so they don’t take up much dresser space.
Bath Sponge: Since we don’t have a bathtub, nor room for a baby bath, we use a bath sponge. We also got this as a gift and it’s perfect. You simply put this into the kitchen sink and bathe away! It takes up almost no room to store, and after the bath you can dry it overnight on the dish rack.
