I recently posted about the “fourth trimester” and how it was a trying time. The best advice that we got early on was from a friend at church. He said the first 3 months were all about survival. Surviving means that we did everything right. While the beginning days were the sweetest sometimes surviving was difficult and I know that it would have been exceptionally worse if we didn’t have these things to get us through.
1. The Owlet smart sock monitor.
Sloane was in the NICU for respiratory issues. The delivery essentially but her in distress and so there were a couple separate occasions where she stopped breathing. Everything since then has been a-okay but a mom needs some reassurance. The owlet is a sick that wraps around her foot. It monitors her heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, and sleep. I sleep better knowing that she’s good! I get all updates in the app on my phone. How awesome is technology?!
There are few sleep loungers out there and we haven’t tried them all but i swear by this one! It’s easy to move around wherever you want. When babies lay in the middle it literally wraps up and hugs them. Sloane slept in this every night up until just recently because she can roll. She still likes to nap in it. The fabric is the softest. We are obsessed.
Babies love to be swaddled. This one was the easiest to use and we could leave her hands out while still securing her. She loves to use her hands for self soothing. 
4. Philips Avent Anti colic bottles
These bottles were BY FAR the best at filtering the air out of her milk. Sloane was colic so we took every measure possible when it came to reducing her gas. They have a filter insude that worked a lot better than Dr. Browns in my opinion. We used the Avent Naturals when we transitioned from breast to bottles.
5. Gerber Soothe drops +vitamin D
These drops are a probiotic supplement plus vitamin d. Breast milk doesn’t have a lot of vitamin D in it so it’s recommended that you give babies that if they are breast feeding. I just put 5 drops in her morning bottle and she was good to go. These drops did wonders when it came to reducing her gassiness. Babies need probiotics just like us big kids do!
6. Boppy nursing pillow
We use this daily! It was a life saver (and by that I mean back/shoulder saver) when it came to nursing. Sloane also never really liked laying down. She’s always been so curious. We would prop her up in this while she was sitting on the couch so that she could keep her eye on everything.
7. Baby K’tan
Best wrap carrier! I love baby wearing. We had other wraps that were so complicated. The wraps were 10 feet long and it was hard to get it wrapped around where she still felt secure. This one comes preassembled so it’s very easy to put on. I could even do it while holding Sloane. 
This is my favorite carrier for long hauls. It feels more secure than a cloth one but also it’s a little harder to put on. Super comfy though. 
Lifesaver. Sloane slept in this frequently. It was the perfect height to keep right beside our bed. It’s an automatic rocker so great for soothing to sleep.
10. Little Unicorn deluxe swaddles
We are OBSESSED with Little Unicorn. They have the cutest sweetest prints and the products are really high quality. These deluxe swaddles are the softest and sloane loves to snuggle with them. She’s actually using one in the picture above too! 
11. Little unicorn Bibs and Burp cloths
Again. LOVE little unicorn for their cute prints and quality products. If they sell it, we probably have it. But these are the best because out of all the bibs and burp cloths we have these are by far the most absorbent. Babies spit up and if your babe is like mine her mouth is basically a faucet for drool and leaking milk. 
