Five Most Useful Baby Items

1. Swing: Mollie's swing is the hugest lifesaver. Besides breastfeeding, it's one of the only ways we can get Mollie to sleep, and the only way I'm able to eat, get on the computer, do my homework, clean, etc. It feels like such a victory when she finally falls asleep and I can have some free time!

2. Boppy Pillow: I love Mollie's Boppy that a friend gave us at our baby shower. I use it every time I feed her. It's comfortable, has a cute print, and many uses since we prop her up on it sometimes during "tummy time" and she'll be able to sit in it as she gets older. Also, I can set a book on it while I'm feeding her.

3. Nipple Shield: I'd never heard of these before but they are these rubber nipple shaped things you put over your nipples if they are sore or the baby's not getting a good latch. Mollie didn't like any of the HUGE variety of pacifiers we tried to give her, but ever since I used a nipple shield a few weeks after she was born, we could give her the nipple shield as a pacifier and she'd take it! In a way I'm glad she doesn't love her pacifiers since I'm sure we won't be weaning her off of them at three years old, it would be nice to have a sure fire way (besides feeding) that would make her stop crying!

4. Blankets: Mollie has about a million blankets, more than I thought we'd need but we use all of them. They are one of those things we just have scattered all around the house: in bed, upstairs for tummy time, in the carseat, in the swing, everywhere!

5. Breast Pump: It's so nice to have a bottle of pumped milk ready just in case! We usually use them just as a last resort to calm her down, not when she is actually needs to eat. They definately come in handy in the car, at church, at the weddings we've been to, and on our trip to Seward. I do love the bonding experience of breast feeding though and make sure to enjoy it while I can!

What are/were some of the things that you found the most useful with your kids?