As a new mom, you hear from so many friends, social media posts, books- you name it, of the best gadgets and what to buy and use. I wanted to share a few of my favorite things that have made my life a little easier the last 7 weeks.

1- Rock n’ play, pretty much the best invention ever. At first we were just using it for when she napped during the day and a place for us to put her down safely. Unfortunately, Kayla like many other babies did not like her bassinet as much as this. During the night she would wake up frequently and many times the second we put her down, she would wake up and cry. With the rock n’ play, it is slanted (which makes me feel better about spit up) and is almost a little cocoon for her. It is magic!

2. Sound Sleeper App- which is free! (There are in app purchases, but no necessary at all.) We use this at night and not only does it put Kayla to sleep, but also my husband and I. It runs for 30 minutes and you can choose sounds for that are best for newborns, infants etc. She LOVED the womb sound for the first 2-3 weeks and now we have moved on to the ocean, rain or river. I have actually used the hair dryer one a few times as well, girlfriend used to kick in my belly when I did my hair and still loves it.

3. Dr. Brown’s Microwave Steam Sterilizer- oh the time it saves. At first we were using Dr. Brown’s bottles so there were about 5 pieces per bottle to clean and boy it was annoying and time consuming. We had a big pot on the stove and twice a day would have to boil bottles, nipples and any nuks we had. We had to change bottles and now use the Playtex with liners so we really just have to clean the nipples and nuks (I do sterilize the bottles every week too). This is amazing. We put 6 oz of water in the container with everything that we need done (holds a decent amount, we can put 4-5 nipples and lids in at a time) and mic for 6 minutes. Done! They come out looking great and we aren’t spending much time and less mess…a win/win.

4. Dexbaby Spin Changing Station- before we had Kayla, I thought I had the changing table and dresser all organized but I was wrong! Once she was here, I realized there were other things I needed in my reach and I found this $20 gadget on amazon- boom! It holds diapers, wipes, and anything else you may need. We have vaseline, her shampoo/soap for sponge baths, nose aspirator, hand sanitizer for us, q-tips and wine. HA just kidding- wanted to see if you were paying attention. This would make a great gift for a shower!! I highly recommend.

5. Had to come back and add one more thing I forgot! The Walgreens App! It makes it SO easy for you to order pictures right off your phone, facebook, etc. I printed over 200 from the last 6 weeks and within 1 hour, they are ready to be picked up. Make sure to google coupon codes, I found one for 50% off. This day and age we have everything on our phones and ipads, but this makes it so easy to save these memories. I purchased a photo album off amazon and will have them so my daughter will always be able to look back on her childhood!

There you have it- I will keep making posts like this as I find out what works for us as we go along. Let me know what you use that you would love to share too!