Birth Affirmations

**I found these from Pinterest and printed them out so I could have them with me in the delivery room, I only compiled it here so I could link it for those of you who wanted to see them all.**

Necessary Items for Baby

My younger sister is getting ready to have her first baby and prompted me to write this post when she asked me what I think are actual necessary items for having a baby. I just had my second baby in August so this list is very fresh and slightly catered to the first 4 months of a baby's life. A lot of these are things that make parenting more convenient, but everything in bold is an absolute must. There are 7 siblings older than me who weighed in on this too, and together we have 25 children, so consider this list to be pretty accurate:

Clothing

• 8-12 newborn onesies long sleeve with mittens and short sleeve mixture 
• 10-15 onesies in 0-3 and 3-6 months
• 3-5 pairs of pants in newborn and 3-6 months
• 6-10 newborn pajamas with zippers and mittens
• 5-10 pajamas with zippers in 0-3 and 3-6 months
• Sleep sack newborn and 3-6 or 0-9 months (without arms for summer and with for winter)
• 3-5 pairs of socks (necessary only depending on the climate)
• Beanie
• 5-10 swaddles (I use them as burp rags, too. You can also use them as a cooling method if you live where it's hot or have a baby in the summer.)
• Burp rags (love the diaper cloth inserts and muslin swaddles)
• Bibs
• Blankets
• Crib sheet

Gear for the Home

• Pack n' Play (I have never used a crib and I have a 3 year old)
• Rock n' Play
• Bouncer/Swing
• Changing station area (I use my bed, a portable pad, and the diaper storage on the Pack n' Play)
• High chair (I love the one from Ikea with the inflatable and machine washable insert)
• Boppy pillow
• Gym (like the kind the baby can lay under and there are toys dangling/keyboard at the feet)
• Sound machine (you can use an app on an old phone, fan, or portable sound machine)
• Mam pacifiers
• Pacifier clips

Gear for Going Out

• Jogging stroller
• Diaper bag (I'm obsessed with my backpack one)
• Nursing cover/car seat cover
• Infant car seat
• Carrier (like this)
• Cordless breast pump
• Booties if you live in the cold
• Bundle Me (car seat insert if you live in the cold)
• Mini hand sanitizer

Gear for Mom

• Nursing bras WITHOUT a wire 
• Melaleuca oil (this is an everyday life necessity, too)
• Nursing pads (I tried reusable this time around and they just don't cut it, go with Lansinoh brand every time)
• Soothies breast pads
• Milk catchers (necessary if you leak like me, also good for sore nipples-buy them and return if you don't use)
• Nipple cream
• Nipple shield
• Nursing dress 

Diaper Gear

• Stock up on size 1-2 diapers if you need to, otherwise only buy them when you need them
• Get all the wipes you want, you will use every last one
• Hand sanitizer
• Vaseline for rashes and circumcisions
• Portable changing pad
• Stain remover

Bathtime Gear

• Puj bath
• Shampoo/body wash (yes as one item, not two)
• Wash cloths
• Hair brush (to avoid getting cradle cap)

Sickness Gear

• Nose Frida (saline is necessary, too)
• Humidifier
• Vapor rub
• Infant Tylenol and syringe
• Thermometer

SIDE NOTE:
As you can tell all the links are from Amazon, that was mostly out of convenience for me but they mainly do have the cheapest prices and definitely the quickest delivery. Another thing I would check (depending on the item) is the Wish app. The biggest downfall here is that shipping usually takes weeks. Happy shopping and congratulations on the baby!

Arm Yourself Against Mom Blues and Winter Woes

Staying in the house for the majority of the day feels like absolute torture. I never imagined that I could feel so captive in my beautiful, cozy home! If you're a new mom or a very experienced mother or surrounded by thick white mounds of snow, you know what I am talking about.

When I lived in Cedar City, Utah there were so many things to do outside! When winter hit and my one year old wasn't walking yet, going outside wasn't as easy anymore. Minor depression started to sink in and I found myself using technology as an outlet. I suppose this is the one downfall that comes when your 1 year old is not walking yet. Well I started thinking, "What in the world did moms used to do without technology?! How did they survive their days inside?" So I asked my mom, mother-in-law, and a few other family members for ideas. I will grace you with their answers and a few that I added for myself when I was in a state of feeling like, "There's nothing to do, and my home is my new prison."

--> Go to the public library. Ours is amazing and has a fantastic area for kids. A lot of moms that I introduced to the library had no idea how resourceful and kid friendly it is. Check yours out and make sure to see if/when they have "Story Time."

--> Set up play dates. The most successful play dates are with a few people and repeat each week on the same day and same time with either a varying location or the same place each time.

--> Go to parks (indoor on super bad days such as an indoor pool, trampoline gym, mall play area, fast food place with a play area, etc. AND outdoor parks on fairly good days).

--> Read books. Read books. Read books!! This is for both you and your kid(s). Again, use your library! It's free!

--> Find a store you can simply roam if you hate shopping like me, or go shopping! Making sure to take your time and let people talk to your baby and that you talk to them.

--> Any type of crafting. Color, play dough, bath tub paints, paint in a ziplock bag, use old baby cereal as a sand pit or the purees as paint, chalk, etc.

--> Activities! Some of our favorites include bubbles, balloons, racing, obstacle courses, playing music, dance parties, hide-and-seek, etc.

--> Turn bath time into play time. You can do paints in the bath, these fun aqua beads, glow in the dark sticks, etc. Find new bath friendly toys around the house such as your pots, pans, cups, bowls, plastic animals/objects, balls, etc. Whenever we use bath time as a time to play I do it at a different time than normal and I don't stress about cleaning as much as I stress about playing!

And here are more technology free examples for what YOU can do either alongside your child, while your kid is entertained with something else, or while they are taking a nap:

--> Become more invested with your church calling or religion. Read scriptures, prepare for lessons, learn a new song, etc.

--> Sew your kids' clothes or a new blanket, anything really! Crochet, quilting, etc.

--> Make cooking more fun. Learn how to can and preserve food. Make a new meal. Bake some goods and bring them to a neighbor with whom you can bond with. Build a chalkboard and start menu planning.

--> Find a way to get out of the "mom" routine. Volunteer, have a girls night out, get a part time job, or an at home job, etc. (The key here is to do something without your precious wee one, but even if you have to haul them with you do something to change things up!)

--> Visit a grandparent, family member, or a nursing home.

--> Set goals for yourself that will help you become the mom, wife, and person you have always dreamed of becoming with a specific way to achieve said goal. (Make it S.M.A.R.T.) You can also start up an accountability group that consists of close friends or family members to help you maintain responsibility for your goals.

--> Read a book!

--> Gardening! Plant some flowers and/or plants in or out of your house. This is possible no matter where you live.

--> Journaling. Write in a journal, on a blog, on your phone, record videos, etc.

--> Go to different types of ball games in the community or get involved in them yourself!

--> Join a class of some kind, aerobics, Zumba, sewing, sign language, etc. A lot of public libraries have free classes.

--> Learn something new! A new language, a cooking technique, how to run a business, new parenting techniques, etc.

--> Teach your kids new songs, numbers, colors, etc. and go around the entire house finding new things. You can use nap time to prepare props that will be age appropriate for your kid so they will get more involved and have more fun. Depending on their age you can hide things or store certain objects around the house that they can go find.

--> Go on a walk. If the weather is terrible walk around the mall, a store, on a treadmill, etc. get creative!

--> Start a project. Most of my projects are things to decorate my home (like this map I made), or decluttering, organizing, deep cleaning, building something, etc.

--> Serve someone. Make it more thrilling by doing so anonymously. Take your time to study what the person truly needs and then make it happen!

If you have anymore ideas to add, please let me know! There can never be too many ideas. (:

By the way, I just read today that, "Children that play outside in all weather grow up resilient." After reading this I immediately felt inspired to get outside no matter what. Read this article and feel inspired, too. So basically if you remember only one thing from this post, let it be this...GO OUTSIDE! You will not regret it.