Every part of me wanted to buy an amazing sequin dress but I had to be honest with myself and accept that lately I just haven't had many occurrences where a sequin dress was required. So I decided to treat myself to this amazing Gorman skort and wear an , iridescent top that I already owned. I already have got so much wear out of the skort, it's really great for dressing up or dressing down and because of the design of the pattern if you end up with inevitable mum stain it just looks like part of the pattern! perfect!
On the subject of practical mum stuff, I thought I would put together a bit of a list of things I found super useful for my child for the first year and beyond and maybe some things I thought I would need that I didn't end up using. If you are only here to see what I am wearing I'll put this content a bit lower.
Plain white tank - topshop
Fruit necklace - Flea Market in LA - I love this because it reminds me of those lollies called runts :)
Vans Classic slip on platforms - Violent green (no longer a store)
Ok you have been warned, baby content to follow. I remember when I was pregnant I would ask people what is the one thing you found super useful for your baby and a lot of people struggled to answer that question. Now I realise it is most likely because they were so overtired they struggled to remember their own name let alone answer my question. I am going to share what I found useful, Ill break it across a couple of posts because sitting down to write lists is a bit tricky with a toddler haha :) starting with nappy and changing and feeding:
NAPPY & CHANGING
Change Table: Ok so this was something that a lot of people had said to me was a waste of money and we didn't end up buying one. Instead what we did what purchase a change mat from Ikea and pop it on top of a chest of drawers. We use it for every change, It is in our bedroom so perfect for the nighttime change. My back would not have copped with changing him on the floor. And of course the most important advice for changing at a height, always one hand on bub, so set everything up so that you can reach it without removing that hand.
Nappy Bin: This was another thing I was told was a waste of money. Because our change table set up is in our bedroom it is an essential. When that bin is shut there ain't no baby stank getting out! There are a few options when it comes to baby bins and the one I chose I chose for two reasons, firstly, I will be honest, aesthetic. And second, you can use standard garbage bags. So the actually bin itself is a bit more pricey but you don't have to keep buying specific bin liners that end up adding to be a fortune.
Nappies: We buy Huggies Ultimate, we have tried others and they just haven't been as good. My son has very sensitive skin and after reactions with other ones we decided stick with this brand
Wipes: Joonya Wipes!!! Love this brand! When you are are the primary caregiver you have an enormous mental load. You have a million trillion things to remember and all of them are important. So if you can tick something of your list that you no longer have to think about, do it. These are automatically delivered and if you run out early you click a button and they get sent out early. I don't think I have ever had to wait more than three days for them to arrive. Again my son has sensitive skin (eczema) and we have had not one single problem with these. Can't rave enough about how much I love these wipes
EATING
Milo is breast feed, 15 months and going strong. When he was really little we had to do top up feeds with expressed breast milk and those were done with a little cup. I was nervous about nipple confusion so we never introduced a bottle and that has worked for us. So anything we had that was bottles didn't end up being useful. I think the best advice is to not open everything up until you actually need it, that way you can always return it or resell it.
I demand fed and still do and that worked for my family. My child feeds for food, for comfort, to fall asleep and it isn't restricted. I don't believe in "bad habits" when it comes to breastfeeding. Everyone has their own path and that is my approach. When feeding I would say start with say left breast and then if bub fell sleep I would do a nappy change and offer right breast for "dessert", next feed I would start again on the right side. This helps with effectively draining the breast and avoiding mastitis. If you do feel anything like that starting to come on the "dangle feed" is amazing.
Rocking chair: I bought a gorgeous Ikea rocking chair and I used it a grand total of maybe 1 time to feed. I fed in bed mostly and getting a hang of laying down breastfeeding was a real game changer.
Nipple Shields: These were a life saver in the early days, I think I ended up using them for the first 12 weeks. I will say though I think it meant I ended up having to spend more time breastfeeding I am guessing because it slowed the flow of milk. But I would have taken slow milk over sore cracked nipples any day haha. The ones I used were the medela brand and I found them really good.
Breast Pump: I used a tommee timpee breast pump which did the job but I think if you were going to be doing a lot of pumping you might want to look at investing in a really good one. I've heard the most positive reviews about the Medela swing.
Feedbaby: In the early days I found this to be a really helpful app, especially for remember which side I had fed off of last. I remember thinking how will I ever be able to remember which side I fed off last and then you get to a point where a simple squeeze of the boob tells you.
Breast feeding info: Breastfeeding can be tough, it can be exhausting and there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information flying at you. I would highly recommend the Australian Breast Feeding Association for answers to your questions or for support you can find their website here https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/ or call them in 1800686268.
Highchair: There are a lot of amazing looking highchairs out there, especially the vintage ones. BUT remember the a cute highchair is a pain in the ass when it comes to cleaning. The Ikea ANTILOP doesn't have little gaps for food to get caught and you can hose it off or chuck it in the shower - excellent price point as well.
Food pouches: These are great for bub to hold themselves with yogurt and better for the planet than the pre packaged ones. I couldn't resist these ones with the little cute animals
I can't say that I have found any plates or bowls that have been stand out, although I do prefer things made from bamboo for their supposed antibacterial quality,
SOLIDS: We did a combination of baby led weaning and home made puree. I love these little pods for pre making purees to freeze and now I use them for making up a batch of lentils or spag bol to freeze, you can also use them for making muffins in the oven. I now own three of them, I also love the bowls that you can use to heat up the little serves, or good for heating up some peas or whatever. The brand is Weanmeister and I purchased it from here https://www.eatteethsleep.com.au/
I also found this chart super helpful to know the difference between choking and gagging
Behind the scenes haha
Breast feeding info: Breastfeeding can be tough, it can be exhausting and there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information flying at you. I would highly recommend the Australian Breast Feeding Association for answers to your questions or for support you can find their website here https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/ or call them in 1800686268.
Highchair: There are a lot of amazing looking highchairs out there, especially the vintage ones. BUT remember the a cute highchair is a pain in the ass when it comes to cleaning. The Ikea ANTILOP doesn't have little gaps for food to get caught and you can hose it off or chuck it in the shower - excellent price point as well.
Food pouches: These are great for bub to hold themselves with yogurt and better for the planet than the pre packaged ones. I couldn't resist these ones with the little cute animals
I also found this chart super helpful to know the difference between choking and gagging
Both my partner and I did a baby first aid course which I couldn't recommend enough just to make you feel more confident. We did the course through a place called my baby basics.
Next post I'll do sleeping, clothing and some other bits and pieces. Let me know if you want to know anything else I found handy xxx
Behind the scenes haha
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