Nesting: Our Favorite Things
Your entire house, not just the nursery, is going to be the baby’s domain for a while so you might as well equip yourself nicely!
Not going to lie, this list will keep growing (as evidenced by the ever-present mountain of cardboard boxes by our door) but to start, here are the five items we absolutely could not have done without and, in some cases, still use starting with our Top 3: The Dockatot, the Boppy and the our hot water dispenser. Click on the thumbnails for descriptions!
DOCKATOT
We didn’t think we’d be co-sleepers. Before he came along I was all “nope, absolutely not, our child is going to sleep in his own bassinet/crib/cot and that’s the end of that.” BTW you’ll be making all sorts of declarations when you’re pregnant but don’t be surprised when it all goes to pot when the baby is here.
Anyway, it started when The Husband had to leave town when The Child was 5 weeks old. I was nervous to say the least and thought it’d be easier to just keep him close. See also: very tired and lazy. Anyway, we have a king sized bed so the odds of me rolling on him were very slim but just in case, I went ahead and ordered a Dockatot to a) keep him stationary and b) so I couldn’t accidentally roll over him.
Turns out, the Dockatot is the best purchase I made. It's a portable bed (it’s a dock for your baby!) and we would take it with us to my in-laws’ or anywhere really; I could place him in it on the floor if I had to go to the bathroom and he couldn’t roll away (this was when he was still teeny and not rolling over).
This thing became a lifesaver and we ended up sleeping with him at the top center of our bed (we scooted lower so there wasn’t ever a chance of us even covering him with our blankets) and it made things quicker and easier when we needed to soothe him or I had to nurse in the middle of the night. Because it’s so snug, he would nap without being swaddled and he wouldn’t startle as bad which meant longer naps.
Now if nobody buys this for you, that's still ok because it is SO worth the splurge.
BOPPY
This thing is essential. I learned about them when my friends started getting pregnant and I had to shop for shower gifts - a Boppy (if it wasn’t already fulfilled) and a pack of diapers was my go-to. Anyway, The Husband used this more than I did when he did bottle feedings and when he wanted to have the baby on his lap to play with or just be close to. But when The Child was still little I could use it when nursing to support my arm (and him) so that was nifty.
Then we would use it for tummy time and eventually used it to prop him up to teach him how to sit up. Now I have him use it as a pillow when he takes his bottle and I need my hands free. I'd even recommend you get two and leave one in each of the rooms you'll frequently be in to nurse because it'll make life easier.
Boppy also makes a lounger which is a larger pillow and looks super comfortable for the baby but I never got one because the Dockatot did the trick!
HOT WATER DISPENSER
Why I didn't already have this even before getting pregnant I don't know because it's something I grew up having and using at home. This dispenser will boil water and maintain it at a set temperature and we use it all the time for warm water for formula, I used it a lot to heat up breastmilk, for a quick sterilization of things like pacifiers or toys he's dropped, and now I use it to warm up thawed baby food. There's no need to use a microwave or wait for something to boil - you have hot water at the ready.
This Zojirushi model is fun and plays music after the water is ready but definitely shop around and get what you feel is adequate for your needs. Just search for "hot water dispenser" on Amazon.
ERGO 360
This may not be as snuggly looking or as soft as cloth wraps out there (two of which I tried, both of which The Child hated) and the Ergo was really the only thing that he didn't mind being in. I did get the infant insert (He was barely 7lbs when he was born so he started out small) but according to reviews and some message boards some parents have used rolled up towels which essentially does the same as the insert. It wasn't just for going out either and I'd wear it around the house so he'd fall asleep and I could have my hands free to do work or read or use my phone.
I like that there's a head cover built in to keep his head shielded from sunlight or too much exposure. It's also a cover for when you want to nurse with your baby in the carrier (I never tried it, I was always too shy to openly feed) and when his neck was still floppy it provided support when he fell asleep. There's also a drool/teething pad attachments you can order.
NOSE FRIDA
Your baby will have a runny nose/get congested. Your baby does not know how to blow her nose. You're going to have to give her a little bit of help with getting rid of the gunk. Don't bother using those bulb, squeezy things because those do not work for nasal passages. You'll get one at the hospital so definitely bring it home because it's great for clearing fluid from your baby's mouth but as far as the nose? You'll need a Nose Frida.
Now, I have tried two different aspirators (the other one is tear drop shaped and does work pretty well), but the Nose Frida ends up being the one I use most because it's really the most efficient, easy to use and there's no chance you'll hurt your baby because you're not actually shoving something up her nasal passage.
Trust me - you will not end up getting it in your mouth. First of all you'd have to have a very impressive suction strength to even be able to draw it all the way up the tube. Secondly, there's a filter that prevents that from happening so you'll be fine.
Look, it may sound gross now but when your baby is struggling to breathe? You bet your ass you're going to suck it up. Both figuratively and literally.
