New Mom Survival Kit

A friend of mine recently had her first baby. I was so happy for her and of course couldn't wait to meet the little guy. However, being an OB nurse, I see firsthanded how exhausting those first few days with a newborn can be. I waited until the baby was a week old so they had time to adjust and settle into a routine, and coordinated a good time for her between feedings to stop by. 

The night before my visit to the new mama and baby, I went shopping for a congratulatory gift. As I looked through the baby section, the most obvious and most common purchases were all around me: onesies, adorable outfits that will only fit them for a month or two, cuddly blankets, and sleepers. I didn't want to get her something she likely already had too much of from her shower, so I continued searching and found myself wondering if I should call and ask her if there was anything she needed from the grocery store. I wondered if she had enough of the essentials for postpartum life.. pads, motrin, and so forth.

Then the idea came to me that she probably is, or will be, running low on essentials and may not have the time or energy to run to the store for simple things. I decided to create a Postpartum or New Mom Survival Kit. I threw things in my cart that I thought might be helpful for her:

• Dry Shampoo (she may be too tired to shower every day!)
• Maxi pads (That first couple of weeks postpartum can make a girl go through a lot!)
• Fresh Linen Candle (With a new baby, I don't know that dishes/laundry/vacuuming is a priority, but the smell of a clean house is comforting, in my opinion.)
•  Hair ties (Those little buggers are always getting lost and I'm sure they would be coming in handy right about now)
• Season-appropriate outfit for baby and pair of shoes
• Something funny.. I saw a super cute onesie with instructions for dad on where to put each limb ;-)
• A simple sign for baby's room for a little decor (click for the link)
• Baby Lips chapstick and nail polish for mom

Here's some other great ideas if you want to switch out or add some items to your New Mom Survival Kit:

• Motrin
• Baby Gas Drops to help fussy baby
• Protein bars
• SD card for when her camera memory fills up with new baby pictures
• Tinted moisturizer
• Breastfeeding reminder bra clips so she can remember which side baby left off on when feeding start to run together 

   

She loved it! I hope you found this useful and as a good gift idea. Please stop by my Etsy and take a look around at other cute (and inexpensive!) items for baby and mom: https://www.etsy.com/shop/juiceboxbaby