The Top 10 best Newborn Baby Products

There are too many choices when it comes to getting baby supplies. Recently, I brought home my seventh newborn. Although I am thrilled and incredibly blessed to have had seven precious little wonders, I admit the first few weeks with a new baby are hard. How do you get through those first days, and even more, those first nights with that new little person? What are the baby basics that you really need? As a mom to 7, I have found 10 products that made my life easier in the first few days and weeks. Read on! Any of these 10 products would be a perfect gift for new or expecting parents.

Okay, it took me 7 kids to figure out that this blanket with a bit of velcro to keep the baby swaddled would make my life much easier. Call me a slow learner, but I finally got it. I had seen these before but never thought I needed one. But I decided maybe it would be a nice gift. So I registered for one. Thankfully, someone bought one for me. I have delivered all 7 of my babies at the same hospital, but this time even the hospital was using the swaddle blanket. This is a nifty little blanket that comes with a bit of velcro to swaddle wrap the baby. And the neatest thing is, he stays swaddled! My little one went from fussing to instant calm the minute he was swaddled. Hurrah! Instant calm can be hard to come by!

Most of my babies never wanted to be put down. And I usually didn't want to put them down. But how do you get anything done while holding a baby all day? You wear him! I used a sling constantly for my babies. I have several ring slings and a hotsling too. I just treated myself this time to an Ergo baby carrier. Now I can carry this baby hands-free and still attend to my other children, the grocery shopping or whatever.

Okay, I know that there are dozens of different kinds of diapers. Believe me, I have tried them all. I have been changing diapers for almost 14 years straight. (Did I mention that I have 7 children?) Often I had 2 in diapers. I like other diapers, but for newborns, Pampers swaddlers are my favorite, hands down! I go into withdrawal when my newborns outgrow the swaddlers. Try them, you'll like them!

My babies didn't like to be put down much. But when I did put them down, I put them in a baby swing. This was a lifesaver for me! I had a swing in my kitchen and a portable swing in my bedroom. Newborns aren't very good at sleeping when or where you want them too. Mine napped in the swing for the first few weeks. Believe me, I needed them to nap. When you are not able to nap at the same time the baby is napping, a swing in the same room where you are is a good option. We took our portable swing camping when this latest little guy was just 8 weeks old.

I have used the Boppy pillow with all of my babies. This is a great pillow to support a nursing baby and it is great later to help your baby learn to sit up. He or she can be propped up a tiny bit in the Boppy pillow (supervised of course) so he or she can see around. I use mine to nurse and to take pictures. The Boppy has different covers available, so you can throw one in the wash and still use your Boppy. This is a wonderful, versatile product!

My favorites are Huggies Wipes

You will go through thousands of wipes! Again, this one is my opinion, but my favorite wipes are Huggies. They are thicker than most wipes. They are plenty big enough. (There's nothing grosser than wiping your baby and finding the wipe just doesn't measure up and now some of it is on your hands. 'Nuff said, but it happens.) Again, as a mom to seven and one who has been changing diapers for 14 years straight, I have tried them all. Huggies wipes are worth their weight in gold. Keep a pack upstairs, downstairs, and in your car. You will be glad to have them. Wipes are also great for cleaning up the big kids' messes too!

A bouncy seat will give you an easy, portable way to have your baby nearby you. There are many kinds of bouncy seats--fancy ones with toys, music and motion or simple ones with no bells or whistles. I have had several. I like the ones that have a bit of vibration and a toy bar. When your baby is a few weeks old, he or she wants to be able to look around a bit. A bouncy seat is a safe way to have your baby a bit upright. Pictured is my 6th baby outside in her bouncy seat. (It had a removable toy bar, but I took it off so she could see her siblings playing.)

Make this music part of your baby's bedtime routine

I have heard a lot of lullabies in my time. But none have been as wonderful as this one. We were given this CD as a present for our sixth baby. I wish I had had it for all of my babies. It is one I could listen to over and over. A bedtime routine is so important to help get your baby to sleep. Make this lullaby CD part of your bedtime routine. It will calm and soothe the baby and you!

You can buy the whole CD or download a few of the songs to your Ipod.

This one is for breastfeeding moms. Those first few weeks are tricky. Breastfeeding isn't always easy in the beginning. You get engorged, you leak. I have nursed all 7 of my babies. I have used all kinds of nursing pads. I have used the washable kind and the disposable kind. With some of my babies, the only nursing pads I could use were the Lansinoh brand disposable pads. When I used any other kinds, I got sore. So I figured I would always go with the sure thing.

I love my Canon Powershot!

Okay, so maybe this one really isn't a baby product. But these newborn days are going to go by so fast, you won't believe it. Take lots and lots of pictures! You will treasure them later when that new baby is a big teenage boy (like my first baby is now). I prefer the Nikon coolpix so I can take lots of shots without thinking too hard. I use 16 GB SD cards and I still fill them up fast. Hey, I may have to buy a whole new computer hard drive just to hold my pictures. (Have you figured out by now that I take a lot of pictures?)