Everything I've Bought in the Last Month
Amazon? More like AmaMOM.
Like I said a few weeks ago, if you’ve sworn off Amazon because of Bezos and all he stands for, you clearly aren’t a new mom and it shows.
There has been a constant stream of Amazon packages arriving at our front door over the last month (Ziggy is 1 month next Friday. WTF). The thing about babies is, although they’re barely a human, they seem to have strong opinions about pacifiers, swings, swaddles, carriers, and just about everything else. They may not know what’s day and night or that the tip of your nose is not in fact a nipple, but they know they fucking hate the Mamaroo and they won’t hesitate to let you know with loud, face-reddening cries.
So, in lieu of my beloved gift guides (no one is more sad about this than me, but I just do not have the mental capacity for it, y’all), I’ve thrown together this list of every single thing I’ve panic-ordered from Amazon since walking in the door with a newborn on Halloween. I hope it helps even one new mom or mom-to-be or someone who knows a new mom or mom-to-be.
Real quick though:
I’ve been sharing my initial thoughts and experience with motherhood behind the pay wall (for my family’s privacy and my mental health). Consider upgrading to a paid subscription to read these letters:
Okay. Let’s chat AmaMOM purchases!
The very first thing I ordered was this pack of velcro swaddles. The hospital did it old school with the footprint blankie and that’s great if you’re good at blanket swaddles, but some of us need help with velcro to get the swaddle right and tight.
I quickly realized we needed more no nonsense onesies, so I grabbed this 8-pack. You can never have enough plain, easily washable, whatever onesies.
Our night nanny told me to order this, so I did but truth be told, I’ve only had it three times. The licorice flavor is strong and I hate licorice, but I’ve choked it down in hopes of upping my milk supply. I don’t think it made a difference, but what I DO think made a difference are these MotherLove pills. Maybe it’s coincidence that my supply grew a ton around the same time I started taking these, but maybe not.
Another night nanny suggestion and so smart. I got washable pads to put on his changing table, but she said to just get puppy pee pads because it’s cheaper and more efficient to throw them away and she was right. Genius.
Our pediatrician swears by this stuff over butt rash cream. She was like “I should be a spokesperson for it.” Ziggy had a diaper rash pretty much right away, and she said to “schmear his butt like cream cheese on a bagel” with this stuff, and we listened. It has a medicinal smell, but we’ve gotten used to it. Also, we use this silicone spatula to spread it, which has been so much better than using your hands.
You can’t not have hand sanitizer when you have a baby. I got this 3-pack and we have one in the kitchen, in the nursery, and in the diaper bag at all times.
I mean, I had to. Zac may or may not have teared up when I showed him.
Bro, my lips were BUSTED after giving birth and staying in the hospital. Even though I was on fluids for most of the time and chugging water, they were fucked up and my typical regime wasn’t cutting it. I got this stuff and lathered it and they finally healed.
You can use whatever pillows you have on-hand, or you can get a designated nursing pillow so it’s more ergonomically correct, which is what I did. Love this animal print so much.
My sister had this in her nursery, so I knew to get one for Ziggy. The charging pad is game-changing, and I use this egg-shaped light for 3am feedings so I don’t rouse my child too much.
All-in-one bottle dryer and sterilizer
Another night nanny suggestion! Brezza has one that WASHES, dries, and sterilizes, but it’s $250 so we went with this $57.99 option and just hand wash the bottles beforehand. Your call! Both are great.
Speaking of washing bottles, this is what we use! I also use it on my pump parts.
The moment I figured out how to use this and had Ziggy secure against me was one of the proudest moments of my new mom life. There’s just something magical about wearing the baby, and it’s amazing to feel how calm and snug they are in there. I watched this video to learn how to do it!
We were using Dr. Brown’s bottles, but our lactation consultant introduced us to Pigeon. The shape of the nipple is an easier, more natural latch for babies and there are WAY less parts to clean (Dr. Brown’s has like 5 parts). Ziggy latched to the nipple well and we like the bottles, so it all worked out!
This is baby-adjacent. One or both of my hands are now occupied 99% of the time, so I got this little phone loop just to have a more stable grip on my phone while I one-hand Ziggy.
Not super exciting. Just realized we needed more!
We discovered that Ziggy fucking hates gripe water by way of him choking it all up and crying, so that was fun. But this medicine pacifier is super handy and will be even more so in the future!
We have the Musela body soap, but needed the lotion. Why does this stuff smell ssssssoooooo good?
The fact that I didn’t even think about a bottle warmer as something that existed shows how out of it my brain has been since giving birth. This is a detail I would never overlook, but it took our night nanny asking if we have one for me to be like wait… Anyway. It’s a must if you’re pumping bottles or using liquid formula!
You are obsessed with time when you have a baby, especially if you’re trying to get on some semblance of a schedule. Therefore, I got this little digital clock for Ziggy’s room so it doesn’t feel as much like a casino when I’m feeding him at 3am (cold, dark, and you have no idea what time it is). The rainbow colored numbers are so fucking happy, I can’t get over it? Every time I look at this clock, it makes me smile, which is saying a lot when you’re sleep deprived and feeding your newborn at all hours of the night!
My aunt insisted I get this Graco swing and was singing its praises. My best friend gave me her Mamaroo, but we quickly discovered it’s not Ziggy’s favorite (and, as it turns out, no one’s? Literally so many women have written me saying their child HATED the Mamaroo. It’s bizarre). Zac put this together yesterday, and Ziggy immediately took to it. It’s also half the price of the Mamaroo and doubly as effective in calming your baby! I foresee a lot of daytime naps in the swing.
However, Ziggy is way too tiny to fill out the swing right now, so we ordered this infant insert to help keep him and his head cushioned!
I don’t want Ziggy to rely on pacis, but they’re called pacifiers for a reason — they literally pacify. Because he’s so little, he’s having trouble keeping heavier ones in his tiny mouth, and after several moms recommended these super lightweight BIBS pacifiers, I got them and they’re a game changer!
After one trip to Target, I immediately knew I needed this. It holds two drinks, your phone, and whatever else you want to have immediate access to at the front of your stroller. You can even take it off the stroller and wear it (say, at a park or something). Amazing.
For the days I don’t wanna deal with the cloth wrap, I got this carrier. It hasn’t arrived yet, but it has 4.6 stars and over 72k reviews so I feel like I’m gonna be happy with it? Stay tuned!
— EGM
I am deep down the rabbit hole of baby carriers. I’ve purchased 7 different ones since September 🙃. Ergo embrace is my favorite for newborn. Mabe and Wildbird are new favs now that’s she’s almost 3 months. Wrap is also top of the list!
One of my best friends that is a doula swears by the spatula! She gives it as a gift to her soon-to-be-moms. I loved wearing my nephews when they were babies, so the wraps are great!