Sleep

Swaddling:  every baby is different but our's liked having his hands near his face.  Because of this we did an arms out swaddle for the first month.  We also tried some different swaddle products but ended up abandoning these for a sleep sack when he was around 4 weeks old.

0 - 4 weeks:  At night, our little one slept in the Fisher Price Rock 'n Play for the first month of his life.  It's controversial as he wasn't on his back but for me it was great because he was at arm's reach and I never had to worry about reflux because he slept on a slight incline.  He loved it and was super comfortable.

For naps, we had used the dock-a-tot.  Sometimes on the floor, sometimes on a bed...  but the dock-a-tot has been one of the best hand me downs we received.  We use it to travel and our little one has used it for naps since he was born.

4 weeks and beyond:  After the first month we transitioned night time sleep to a dock-a-tot in his pack and play (it's a mouthful).  We use a sleep sack (Woolino and Aden + Anais are our favorites) and we use the dock-a-tot for both naps and nighttime sleep.

My husband's amazing colleague recommended that we take a baby massage class.  We signed up and attended at week 3.  Our little guy slept the entire time and we awkwardly avoided massaging the plastic doll that was 4x the size of our baby.  We did establish a nighttime routine that we've stuck to since week 3 -- every night we do the same routine:

  • bath

  • massage

  • feed

  • bedtime story

  • sleep

This has been highly successful for us.  We landed at 1 am in Edinburgh and did the routine in a bathroom sink -- our babe slept like a champ that night.  The routine allows him to wind down and sets the expectation that it's time to rest.  It's elaborate (think Explosions in the Sky music + steaming up the bathroom when he was little to keep him warm) but absolutely worth it.

Play + Explore

The pediatrician thought I was nuts when I asked what we should do developmentally for our baby when he was only a few days old.  We've done tummy time since he was very little and love reading to him.  

  • Spots and Dots - this book helps babies see contrast and our guy is still mesmerized by it

  • O-ball - we didn't introduce toys until our guy was 3.5 months old and the o-ball rattle was the first toy we gave him.  It's easy to grab and if you run a scarf through it, the toy won't roll away.  

  • IKEA play mat - we just got this and it's a nice, soft mat for kids to play on

  • Nancy Tillman Books - we received The Night You Were Born as a gift and the first time I read it I teared up.  We now have about six of her books and they're a delight to read.  

Other Necessities

  • Aden + Anais burp cloths - not only are these cute but they're highly functional

  • Aden + Anais swaddle blankets and small blankets - these are SO soft and multi functional - we use ours as blankets, toys, nursing covers, etc.

  • Water Wipes - we've used these since day 1 because they are the closest thing to wiping your kid's butt with just water.  

  • Butt Paste - we don't use diaper cream often but when we do butt paste does the job

  • Coconut Oil and Olive Oil - we use this for our nightly massage and to combat cradle cap

  • Haakaa for breastfeeding (to suction excess milk)

  • Como Tomo bottles