Before I had Menininho, I was at a loss for what supplies I actually needed. There are a million baby products out there and everyone had a different opinion on what is vital for a new mom to have. Over the past 10 weeks I’ve definitely developed some favorites, so I thought I’d share those with you. [I am not working for any of these companies; I just like their products.]

Leave some of your favorites in the comments!

My Medela breast pump is a lifesaver! I bought it used from a girlfriend of mine and I don’t know what I’d do without it. It enables Mark to bond with Menininho over feedings and allows us to go places we might not otherwise (like on the occasional date night!).

I use Lansinoh bags to store my milk. I had never thought about getting these, until I was pumping more than I could store in the fridge. I’m so proud of my little milk bank!

That said, I only give Menininho a bottle 1-2x a week, except when we’ve taken visiting family out on trips, and then it’s closer to 3-5x. My friend Abbey has her own company, Little Ones (I’ve blogged about it before), and she recently gifted me with one of her handmade nursing wraps. I LOVE it! It was custom made: I picked the color and pattern, and Abbey added extra length since I’m so tall. This one keeps me more covered than any other I’ve tried, and the hard collar sticks up so that I can look in and see Menininho while he’s eating. [Abbey’s currently updating her site so some of her newer items, nursing wraps included, aren’t up yet. If you’re interested in them, email her: orders@littleonesllc.com.]

I haven’t been able to find any of these in weeks, but I really like the Lansinoh thin breastpads. All the stores are out of them so I’ve had to use the ultra-thin, which are ok, but not quite as good. I tried out some of the less expensive brands but they all either showed through my clothes or I leaked through them.

This might just be an “out West” product, but we LOVE Mom to Mom wipes.  Menininho had diaper rash pretty much since he was born. Once we moved out here and started using these wipes, he hardly ever gets one. They are SO soft and kind of dry, which leads to no irritation.

We also switched over to A&D ointment. It’s less messy than some of the other products we’d tried, plus it goes on clear and creates a protective seal. It helps prevent and treat diaper rash.

Kiddopotamus makes a terrific swaddler!  Menininho is one of those babies who won’t sleep without being swaddled, but I never could master doing it with a blanket.  Menininho always got out of it and I worried he’d end up suffocating himself (no blankets in the cribs b/c of SIDS and all that). But, without being swaddled he didn’t sleep well. We bought this when he was 3 ½ weeks old and Menininho has been sleeping soundly ever since!

I don’t subscribe religiously to one parenting philosophy, but I have really enjoyed Dr. Sears’ book. I use a modified version of Baby Wise for sleeping (though I must say, I was really turned off by the author’s tone) but I practice attachment parenting in other ways. This book has a lot of really useful information about child development, and that’s what I like most about it.