I was asked recently to update this list now that we have baby #2 on the way. Happy to! But when I look through this list there isn't much I would change. I've added a few notes next to some items where I might try something different this time.
After a coffee with a girlfriend who is expecting her first and choosing to stay in a 1 bedroom apartment at least for the beginning I realized that I haven’t put in one place the items that helped us get through the first few delirious newborn months. So here they are! My picks and what we loved about them.
We chose a Babyletto Alma Mini Crib (new model here) from Overstock.com and have been so happy with it. It leaves more room for play in our small space and since Theo likes to sleep all curled up, we don’t see a need to upgrade anytime soon. It was a great compromise because my dream crib, the Stokke Sleepi Crib was out of our budget. We put him in the crib as soon as we got home from the hospital so never found the need for a bassinet or co-sleeper. [UPDATE] as mentioned here, we are going to start with a bassinet this time but I still would buy this mini crib again and may transition to it when the bassinet is too small. Theo lasted past 2 years old in his mini crib.
We received a Puj Tub (link here) as a gift and we couldn’t have been happier with this perfect apartment friendly invention. It fit in our washroom sink and we used up until about 6 months old (he was quite small at the beginning!) Bathing a newborn can be a stressful time but the puj tub relieved so much of this. When it was not in use we hung it out of the way on the back of the door.
Please don’t waste any time and get an Ergo Baby carrier (link here). I didn’t want to believe the hype and tried 2 other carriers before we got an Ergo Baby. It’s the best! I’m only 5'2" so It’s starting to get difficult to carry Theo except on my back but it was a lifesaver for the first year and half and I wish we had it when he was a newborn. [UPDATE] I plan to use the ergo baby with an infant insert this time. I have been considering a Solly Wrap as well but haven't committed yet.
We love our Nuna Leaf (link here), for its’ lack of batteries and noise, clean design and for the cozy way it cradled our little one while giving our arms a much needed break. [UPDATE] We loved our Nuna Leaf but lent it to a couple of friends whose babies did not agree. I have been lent a 4moms Rockaroo so I'm going to try it out first and see if it is preferred by Baby 2 or if we will stick with our Nuna Leaf. Obviously there is only space for one chair in our space but I believe a chair is so necessary for sanity during the first 6 months or so.
Update on the second half to follow shortly.