Newborn Must Haves- The First Weeks

You'd think after my first baby was born, I'd be all clued up on products when it came to the second. I thought that I'd make do with the same things I had the first time around- but boy was I wrong.

When I got pregnant with Archer, I didn't see myself getting tempted by any of the new tech for kids, so a trip to the shops to just look was harmless...nope!

On top of what most people end up unable to cope without- nappies, muslin cloths, dummies etc. here is a small sum up of the things we use day in day out and really are a must have for us.

Muslin and Velcro Swaddles:

We didn't swaddle even once with Isla after we left the hospital. We didn't own any, and I couldn't seem to replicate the technique the NICU nurses had used with her blankets. So we just prayed she would sleep and held her till she was quiet and then put her down as gently as we could (often multiple times).

Now with Archer, I couldn't imagine not wrapping him up like a little fajita every night. He went through a phase where from 7pm-10pm every night he would scream bloody murder as he was so over tired and over stimulated from being tired- nightmare right? Not once we started swaddling. You can even get the type that velcro themselves so you don't have to fiddle and faff. I could not recommend them enough- we use the Groswaddle by the Gro Company most nights.

Fisher Price Take-Along Swing and Seat

Isla had a bouncy chair. It vibrated and was pink and adorable and played some awful and annoying but so catchy you can't help humming along tunes. But she liked to be rocked. So we would rock her for hours if we had to.

Archer has a swing. Me and Jack still fawn over it's ability to raise our newborn better than us. It has toys, music, and it rocks him so I can eat my KFC without worrying he will slip out my greasy fingers. Looking back, I wish we had splashed out for one last time. Other than our pram, it's Jack's favourite bit of baby tech for sure. It even folds down for travel and the cover is removable for washing (lets face it, it'll get dirty).

Gripe Water

Babies fart (just wanted to get the word fart out of the way fast, have a good giggle!) all the time. They do it so much I'm honestly surprised they don't visibly deflate after they're finished. The rubbish thing about newborn babies, is that they don't know how to fart by themselves. That means all that gas is stuck in there somewhere- and if it comes up, it'll push out all that milk onto your lovely outfit you finally found time to put on at 4pm.

We used infacol with Isla, but Archer just couldn't stand the taste. The poor boy kept himself up all night in the first few weeks because every fart would make him sob with effort. The gripe water worked by pushing all those gas bubbles together into one big one, so after eating they would shoot right out as a big bubble (either end!). So glad I invested in some just in case!

What product couldn't you live without in the first weeks? I'd love to know!
If you think there's anything I should get now Archer is getting older, do let me know too!

Steph xo

Note: I was not asked to post about any of these products- I chose to share them because I really do believe they're must haves x