Top 2 Purchases...

I try not to fall into the trap of anxious first-time parents being led to believe they need TONNES of gear to take care of baby...  but it's harder than you think! So hard! And I'm generally not even a materialistic kind of gal. I frequently purge random stuff on Kijiji or dropp off massive boxes to Goodwill just because I don't like having so much unused "stuff" around!
But in this case, I think my "be organized/be prepared' mindset when preparing for Baby's arrival happened to  over-ride the desire to keep things simple & uncluttered. Oh well!

But that being said, I do wonder how parents of previous generations kept their sanity without some modern day inventions. I guess it took creativity... and perhaps a little more hearing loss!!

Anyways, my friends - young mamas and mamas-to-be, here are two things that have made my life easier:


#1. I am VERY, VERY grateful for WHITE NOISE. For awhile we were just doing it ghetto-style low budget style and just using a radio set to static, but this white noise machine is much more pleasant. It has many different sounds, including a heartbeat, waterfall, jungle, etc. Anyways, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, as it helps Baby J sleep so much longer... and it also helps her momma fall asleep quickly after night feeds. No more insomnia for me (because waking up every 2 hours to feed baby PLUS insomnia = worst combination ever...)!
Oh, and a tip. DO NOT get it from Babies R Us - they run about $50+ there. Get it from Zellers like I did (for $22 - yipee!). Because saving money is SO THRILLING, ha ha!

#2. Exercise ball... AKA "the MAGIC BALL". It helps to soothe a sobbing & otherwise inconsolable baby. Pacing around helps too, but bouncing on a ball requires less energy when it's 2 AM and you're exhausted. AND in my case, the Hubby enjoyed bouncing with baby while watching a movie with wireless headphones. Baby's happy to be bounced, Daddy's happy to watch a movie, and Mommy's happy to get some time to herself.