My Top Ten Newborn Must Haves

The other day I bought by bulk Maddys nappies and realized she is no longer considered "Newborn"... she is now an "Infant". It hit me hard because it made me realize how fast she seems to be growing... soon she'll be "Adult" and no longer needing a nappy until "Retirement". I then thought how I never realized she was no longer a newborn because it felt like such a breeze, why? For me it was because of my newborn essentials that have helped me enormously. 
Apart from the obvious needs such as nappies, formula, bottles, etc etc. These items were the ones that I don't regret buying at all and used frequently to make my life and her life easier.

1. My First Years Sound Machine - We have to consider a baby coming out of the womb and living in this world is a huge shock for their system. Everything is unfamiliar; they are no longer floating in liquid, the temperature is different and sounds are so unfamiliar. I used this to soothe her and to allow her to have longer sleep. It plays music and different soothing sounds for the babies ear. What I loved about it is it played the sounds baby hears when they were in the womb. When Maddy was crying I'd play it and she'd stop and open her eyes wide (it was so adorable) and minutes later she was sound asleep. 

2. Bubba Moe Sling - When we went out as new parents we found it difficult to settle a newborn to sleep. I don't know if any new parent felt the same as I did - but I felt embarrassed when I couldn't settle my sleepy baby in public, I felt eyes staring and judging. I then purchased this sling and sleeping for her in public was no longer an issue. It snuggled Maddy into a fetal position, we'd put it over a shoulder and when we walk, it rocked her to bed within minutes (hands free!). 

3. Swaddle Wrap - We tried using a swaddle blanket and wrap Maddy ourselves which worked for a few weeks but we found that we'd wrap then rewrap and rewrap her because it was never perfect enough. This swaddle wrap is designed with Velcro so that there is no need to tuck this here and there and be scared that it will come undone. Saved a lot of time and fuss. 

4. Nose suction - Newborns commonly have runny and blocked noses (I guess they are still trying to get use to our environment?), when Maddy had a blocked nose she lost her appetite and wouldn't feed or sleep properly (I assume because she can't breathe). And did you know that babies don't know how to breathe through their mouth for the first few weeks? I used this constantly to clear Maddy's nose which kept her very happy. 

5. Motorola Video Monitor - Probably for Maddys first two weeks of life I literally lived in our bedroom. I never stepped out of it until my husband came home from work because I was too scared to not have my eyes on Maddy. This had a bad effect on my health, because I locked myself in the room for 70% of my day I found myself drop into depression. I then started to use this, I was able to go downstairs and eat, I was able to go to the toilet, get a drink and still have my eyes on my baby. This is one thing I definitely recommend for all mothers - I cannot say enough how important your mental health is, being a mother to a new born can emotionally drain you and put you into post natal depression (even though a miracle has just happened to your life) and you want to do as much as possible to prevent that from happening. 

6. Baby Center App - I had used the pregnancy version throughout my entire pregnancy and now I'm constantly turning to this version for Maddy. You enter information about baby (DOB, weight, etc) and as baby get's older it gives you everyday tips and information. This app and google is my turn to when I'm in doubt. 

7. Mittens/Socks - Babies don't know they're own strength, so they can easily scratch themselves even if you've just cut their nails. I permanently kept mittens on Maddys hands 90% of the day so she wouldn't keep scratching her face. TIP: Mittens are pretty big for newborns and you'll find yourself always looking for the other mitten on the floor because it keeps falling off. Use socks instead! It may look upside down but it sure does work. 

8. Bath Tub - Okay not just a bath tub... I don't know what it's called but it's the mesh thing over the bath tub for newborns (that's removable once the baby is older). You just lay the baby on top so that you have free hands to wash her. This is the one we have that was a gift from good friends and it's worked so wonderfully with her. 

9. Fisher Price Swing - This battery operated swing was a daily use to our household. We didn't want Maddy to get use to us rocking her to sleep all the time so I would put her in this swing and she got use to the motion and would fall asleep in it. 

10. Phillips Bath Temperature Thermometer - The feel of water on my elbow or wrist just didn't cut it for me. This gave me a more accurate temperature of her bath water.

We all know that babies can be very expensive, and some of these things are pricey. Remember eBay and Gumtree can be your best friends. There are plenty of these items (brand new) available on those websites for half the price you'd find at stores. 
I hope some of you find these effective and helpful as I did. Do you guys have any newborn essentials that you found helpful? I would LOVE to have some recommendations.