Too Cute to Pass Up

So not everything is practical, but these are just too cute to pass up for Carson!

Images via EcoStreet, Taylor Joelle, & ShutterflyBaby

Look forward to Jess Creates getting a few cute images of Carson sporting these new threads!

Carson's Favorite Items

Ok - so tomorrow in newborn language can mean a week or even a month, but I am now getting around to that post :)


Top items I would recommend for a newborn are:

• Ergo carrier with infant insert. We also have the Bjorn, but I think the Ergo carrier is a better fit for petite women because it disburses the weight making it easier on my back. My husband uses the Bjorn. Carson falls asleep within minutes of putting him in this thing and since he likes to be held all the time I use this to get things done around the house so you still have your hands free.\


• Aden + Anais burp cloths. Love that these can double as a bib and a burp cloth that is contoured to your shoulder. They are also super soft and wash nicely.


• Sleep Sacks - these are great in the middle of the night making changing diapers a lot easier without having to undo a bunch of snaps. Our favorite one is one that zips all the way down, but all of them make it easier to change diapers.


• Halo swaddle sleep sacks - If your baby is anything like mine he will love being swaddled. We love the swaddles from Halo. They give you a piece of mind against sids and keep baby cozy.


• Snap-and-go stroller - it's light weight and convenient for running errands so you don't have to take him in and out of his carrier. I also highly recommend our car seat - the Graco Snug and ride up to 22 lbs. It has a great safety rating and is light weight. It is also contoured to fit on top of a shopping cart - some aren't and you have to put the carrier in the shopping cart leaving less room for your groceries. We looked at the snug ride 35 lbs thinking we would get more use out of it, but knew with the weight of the carrier there was no way I would be able to carry a 35 lb baby in that thing. We really liked the Britax as well and it had the best safety rating, but it was a few pounds heavier and wouldn't sit on top of the grocery cart and they said the Graco had just as good safety ratings so we went for functionality.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

I am putting together a list of my favorite things that may be helpful for my mommy " to-be" Tomorrow I will post my list of favorite baby things!

Must have Mommy items:

• 3-4 pajama sets (you will be changing every day to every other day with night swets and boob leaks!) - if you plan on breast feeding than purchase nursing pj's. These will be quite handy in the middle of the night! I bought two pairs from Gap and splurged (Daddy splurged) on a pair from Pea In The Pod. They are cozy, but still nice enough to wear when the parade of visitors come through to meet the new baby.
• Hanes boy shorts from Target. By bigger sizes because your body will still be recovering. These are really comfy to sleep in and wear around all day. You don't want to ruin your nice undies and these fit well with a pad. I had a c-section so they were comfy and sat low enough not to bother my stitches.
• If you plan on breast feeding - Lansinoh HPA Lanolin, AKA liquid gold. This is a lifesaver. Just be cautious because it does stain your clothes so be sure to use a breast pad after you put it on unless you don't care.
• A good breast pump with let-down feature. This will help save time when pumping. I actually purchased mine off of Craigslist and bought new tubing, breast shields, valves and membranes (all the parts that touch the milk). It saved us $180. I bought the medela pump in style advance. I am happy with it - what I would really like is if I didn't have to hold the pump the whole 10 minutes of pumping. I have heard there are hands-free ones, but am not sure how they work and how expensive they are. I am sure it is a cheaper option to do one that isn't hands-free. I have also heard of some type of attachment for the breast shields that allows you to be hands-free, but I haven't tried it. I figured it's only 10 minutes so I can suck it up!! I usually pump into bottles and then dump in the freezer bags to store it. You can pump directly in the baggie, but for me two bottles usually only fill one freezer bag it saves me a bag. Also, you can buy the Lansinoh freezer bags as well. They are cheaper than medela and they work just as well.
• My Breast friend - I prefer this so much more than a boppy. I don't use it all the time, but I probably will once he gets heavier. It helps with your back support and works really well.
• If you can splurge I love love love my rocking recliner in my room. It is so perfect for night time feeding. It reclines and has a pull out foot rest. When it isn't reclined it rocks. It allows me to lay back and feed him at night. At least once a night, we both end up snuggling - him on my chest and fall back to sleep together. It is so great! We also have a glider in his room, which I use just as much, but it is nice to have an option in our room as well.
• Johnson & Johnson disposable breast pads. This brand works really well for me. I can usually get away with using two pads for the whole day. They are really absorbant and at the end of the day you can just toss them. They sell re-usuable ones, but trust me you will have enough laundry to keep up with!
• Nursing bras and camis. I really like the ones I purchased at Target - Gilligan & O'Malley and Liz Lange. The tank tops are great to wear to bed or under swetshirts etc. when you are going out and may need to nurse. They aren't the prettiest things by far, but are too convenient to worry about pretty!!!
• Button down shirts. I am not a big fan of most nursing tops out there - go figure they aren't from JCrew. I purchased a few Ralph Lauren oxford button downs and some from JCrew that provide easy access for breast feeding and still maintain style! Just make sure they are cotton and no silk as you will probably leak on them at some point!