I am the first to admit when I have a problem, ever since finding out I was having a girl I knew I'd be a goner. Everything is so damn cute and I have zero self control when it comes to packaging and cute things. HOWEVER, there are some essentials I have found that have made being Everly's mom a little easier (other than the obvious items like a crib/car seat).
1. The Diaper Bag
I am a total diaper bag mom, that thing comes with me everywhere! Looking back I feel like I researched a diaper bag more intensely than I researched universities ha but I knew what I wanted and I hit the ground running. I knew I wanted something that didn't look like a diaper bag because it was something I knew my husband would carry as well as myself. For the last six months we have been using a diaper bag from Timi and Leslie and I love it! It has been the perfect size for what we have needed it for. Recently however I just purchased a diaper bag backpack and I'm waiting on that to come in the mail. Now that Evie is in a convertible carseat I needed my hands free, and once the spring and summer get here we will be doing a lot more day trips. I would highly recommend a backpack diaper bag if you're like me and tote it around everywhere - I can't wait to start using it!
2. The Wrap/Carrier
Surprisingly this was an item I didn't really research all that much and it's partly because people who use a specific brand of carriers/wraps are pretty intense and loyal to their brand so it was hard to really grasp what would work and what wouldn't. I knew ultimately that I would want something easy and quick, and I stumbled upon a Baby Hawk carrier that The Happy Baby carried, tried it on, and was absolutely hooked. I love the cute pattern also (again..the packaging!) and Everly honestly loves being inside it which helps too. I believe we paid $126 for it, so in terms of carriers it's pretty average priced.
3. The Sweedish Bed
This makeshift Dock a Tot bed was essential for the transition from co sleeping to crib. I have written about how our schedule is baby led, and one of the things we really followed was when we thought she was ready to sleep in her crib. This is a subject like so many other parenting things that is completely subjective and everyone has their own opinions about it, I'm only writing about what has worked for Everly. I had watched a lot of reviews about a Dock a Tot and really wanted one, however the price tag was something I wasn't really into. I came across a lady locally who made these and scooped it up! Honestly I'm so happy I did, like I said transitioning her to a crib was seamless because of this bed and it is something she still uses when we are down at my parent's house.
4. The Owlet
My mom was really generous and gifted us with the Owlet, and an like many other products this comes with mixed reviews. Some say that it does more harm than good, others swear by it. In our case, we really swore by this - especially when she was no longer in the same room as us. We had a rocky start at first with it because we kept putting it on too loose, but now it is a staple and really provides us with peace of mind especially being new parents.
5. The Playard
I bought this teepee playard the day before I gave birth to her and I love it because it will grow with her, we can take out the toys when she gets bigger and she can use it as a reading tent or fort. She loves this right now, we added her lamb mat to make it a bit easier for her to reach the toys and it is one of the only things that she enjoys for an extended period of time. What began as a purchase based solely on packaging has grown to be something we could not live without.
6. The Cart Cover
My last most used item that has made mommy-ing easier is the carseat cover! Now that Everly is in a convertible carseat we use it as a store cart cover. The floral one pictured is from Covered Goods and we also were gifted a Milk Snob cover and both are amazing. It helped a lot when she was just a newborn and we took her out in public, it gave her the privacy and coverage so that strangers didn't spread their germs and take a peak. There are tons of multi use covers on the market now, but my favourites are both Covered Goods and Milk Snob. It took all I had not to purchase every floral pattern that Milk Snob carried!
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