Baby gear! Sometimes if feels like there's a mountain of things we need to get just to take care of our newcomer! Nothing could be further from the truth, we realized.

Here's the 6 items we ended up REALLY needing, every day.

1. A Baby Carrier.

Yes, your baby is going to want to sleep, ON YOU. Nothing soothes a baby more then leaning up against your chest, nicely tucked, feeling our soft bounces as we venture into the neighborhood in a million random directions. It’s also a relief to have our baby comfy against our chest  while doing chores, cleaning, cooking, cleaning up messes, anything! 
We really loved the Ergo - All in One carrier, because it could support Theo at all the different stages of life and it is highly customizable.

2. A real Sound Machine.

In our noisy world any bang, car honk, lawnmower, washing machine or dog barking can effectively ruin our little babies nap, or early night time sleep. So getting a white noise machine really helps cover up those loud noises and provides cues for babies that it is sleepy time. We don't recommend using a cellphone or other small speaker, as the sound just isn't the same. Any real low-hum machine will do - and we avoid the ones with Bluetooth.

3.A wipe-clean changing table.

Yes, baby will poop. All over. Everything. Many times. So a comfortable wip-clean changing table at the right height is a must. Being able to wipe it clean after messes is also a must. We really like our Skip Hop changing table since it has little toys hanging from the top which did distract Theo when he was very small... We and have been using it 6-8 times per day with no issues!

4. A Baby Playmat - Shwally Playmat

Floors are hard. Too hard. Grass and dirt is soft. Our bodies probably evolved for tumbling in the grass, but in our modern world the little ones are often inside, so a soft place for them to land is essential. We can't count the amount of times Theo has face-planted safely on our Shwally Playmat in his discovery of walking, jumping and tumbling forward for no apparent reason other then the fun of it! Our playmay also becomes a comfortable place for tummy-time and a family meeting point where we can land and play at babies height without sore knuckles and bruises. It also helps if the playmat is non-toxic (made of TPU) and has a design that makes you want to leave it out all the time... Less work, more play.

5. A Baby bouncer - Baby Bjorn or Baby Delight 

With a little baby it gets tricky to do simple things like make a sandwich, go to the bathroom or turn off the dishwasher. So a bouncer is the way to go! We love the Baby Bjorn or Baby Delught (more affordable) because it has an optional add-on with little toys that hang over baby. It really works a charm we used it every day.

 

6. Baby booty cream - Shwally Balm

We try to let Theo run around naked as much as possible, as it helps his butt air out and heal with natural sunlight... But with nighttime diapers, sometimes his skin can gets a little red or rashy, and then we apply our Shwally Baby and Mama balm. The rich and natural ingredients really helps the skin heal and protects it from more moisture in the diaper. We use all the time - almost every day - especially as part of his night-time routine... Giving his sensitive skin some extra protection during long nights in diapers.

That's it! We hope this little list helps with what can be overwhelming preparations.

Remember many of these items can be found 2nd hand, at great prices.

And when it comes to TOYS... Theo's favorites include - plastic, pot lids, containers and random plastic wrappers!

Simple really does it.

Warmly,

Gabriel

June 29, 2021 — gabriel shwallyhome@gmail.com