Wait what? A baby? Who’s having a baby?

That would be me!!! I gave birth to a handsome little boy named Mirza in late January of this year. He loves to smile and gnawing on his chubby hands. He adores his big sister very much, who loves the attention she’s getting from her baby brother 🙂

Many have asked about my experience being a mom of two kids. A roller coaster of emotions is the short yet complex answer I usually give people :p But one thing I have noticed is that I’m trying to keep things as simple as possible – starting with the things we have for the baby. So I thought I’d share a list of things we use for the baby…

 

Baby on the go: infant car seat (we use Alia’s car seat since it hasn’t expired), Snap n Go stroller, car seat cover from Milk Snob that can also be used as a nursing cover, diaper backpack that contains these items: 3-4 diapers, baby wipes, tissue, portable changing pad, hand sanitizer, 2 sets of clothes, a swaddle, a pouch full of ointment and medicine for mom and the baby like diaper rash cream and vaseline, and a water bottle. I also have a few baby carriers for when we don’t use the stroller – Boba 4G carrier and a ring sling. 

Feeding time: I nurse Mirza exclusively but I also pump a few times a week so my husband could take part in the feeding session (and I could sneak in some me time :p). So in addition to mama’s breast milk, we have Spectra and Medela breast pumps (if you live in the U.S., ask your insurance what it covers because you should be eligible for a free set upon delivery), breast milk storage bags, baby bottles, bottle sanitizing bags, bottle brush, bottle drying rack.

Play time: one of the Montessori principles that we follow is to give a child freedom of movement. By giving this space, a baby can confidently explore his/her environment and develop independence. We place Mirza’s movement area in the play area, an area that gets used the most and can be seen from the kitchen and the living room. His movement area consists of a mat, a mirror, and mobiles (I’m a huge fan of Montessori mobiles! I’ve shared ours on my IG account. After this, I’ll write a separate post on our DIY mobiles.) We also have a Baby Bjorn bouncer from a friend, and Mirza usually uses that when we’re having meals. 

Time for a snooze: Although we have a crib, I have decided to bedshare/cosleep with Mirza for now. Cosleeping is practiced by many families around the world, but somehow frown upon in the U.S. I believe that if you do it safely, you and the baby will have a good night sleep. We use a sleep sack to swaddle Mirza and a pacifier.

 

Bath time: we bathe Mirza once every 3 days, but we wipe his face, neck, and diaper area daily. When he had cradle cap, we washed his hair once a day. Baby bath time is quite simple: bath tub, wash cloths, baby soap and shampoo, towel.

 

Change that smelly diaper! One of the most used spaces in our house is our changing area since that’s what babies do – pee and poop many times a day :p We securely put our changing pad on top of our dresser, changing pad covers, diapers, wipes, and a diaper pail (we use fragrant trash bags to contain the smell).

It seems like a lot, but it’s nothing compared to what we had when Alia was a baby. We learned from our experience being first-time parents. You definitely don’t need 20 onesies or a wipe warmer :p To save some money, go to consignment sales and local swap events. Hope this will help you new (and experienced) parents shop for your baby! 🙂