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Top 5 Must-Have Essentials: First Night Home With Baby

What do you really need when bringing baby home from the hospital? Obviously, you won’t need your high chair, convertible car seat, or even the bulk of your little one’s clothing. But there are a few things that you’ll want to have on hand to make your transition to parenthood seamless for you and baby.

A Safe Place to Sleep + Swaddle

It’s easy to forget about setting up a safe place to sleep, as it’s both so obvious and necessary. We look to the AAP when discussing safe sleep recommendations, and follow the ABC’s of safe sleep.

A- Alone : Baby should sleep in his/her sleep environment on their own.
B- Back: Put baby down to sleep on his/her back.
C- Crib: On a firm, flat environment, like a crib (or bassinet/playard) without any extra blankets, stuffed animals, or bumpers.

Baby should also be swaddled tightly with a swaddle blanket or a wearable swaddle.

Easy Clothing Options

It is so hard to avoid buying clothes for your little one. But, the reality is that it’s best to hold off on purchasing too much. Once you know how your little one is growing, it’ll be easier to buy clothes for the right size and season. Stick with onesies and PJs that are easy to get on/off. Check out our full overview of Newborn Clothing here.

Diapers, Wipes, Ointment

Diapers, wipes, and ointment may seem obvious, but sometimes they’re the easiest items to forget. Stock up on one box of newborn diapers and a box of size one. While you may need to order more newborn diapers, all diaper sizing will overlap and you don’t want to end up with too many extras. One container of ointment is great for the start, but stock up on wipes. You will use them for years!

Feeding Supplies

No matter how you are planning to feed your little one, you will want to be stocked with the right supplies. Like every other category, be careful not to overbuy. You won’t need breastmilk storage on day one, but you will want to have your nursing bras/tanks if breastfeeding. If you’re bottle-feeding, you may want to buy bottles in both small and large sizes. However, you really only need large bottles. You can always fill with a small amount of breastmilk or formula! And, make sure to purchase slow flow nipples if your large bottle doesn’t come with them. If you’re going to pump, plan on securing your breast pump before your little one arrives.

Postpartum Care for Mama

It’s easy to spend all of our time and energy putting together the necessities for our little ones, but don’t forget about yourself! You have just delivered a new baby (or possibly babies) and you will need to have some postpartum necessities to make yourself a bit more comfortable. Disposable Underwear, Perineal Spray (or Balm), and Organic Cotton Pads will make you feel just a bit closer to normal.

If you’re recovering from a C-Section, take a look at our Recovery Must-Haves.

Meet the WeeSleep Sleep Consultant: Anne Del Valle

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SLEEP. The mere word is soothing to our soul. Since it’s something we dream about, we were beyond excited to meet master WeeSleep consultant, Anne Del Valle. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, but available to all families via virtual consulting sessions, Anne guarantees sleep in 10 days or less. Kind of amaZzzing.

While the “Cry It Out” method is practiced by many, Anne, who is part of the acclaimed WeeSleep—founded by the amazing Janey Reilly—believes that every parent should choose what’s right for their child. As a proud #weesleepdreamteam member, Anne’s approach to sleep coaching via WeeSleep is “customized, gentle, hands on, and affordable.”

We were able to sit down with Anne to explore her sleep strategy in greater detail, and we love what we heard.

“My passion and purpose when working with families is to educate and support them throughout the sleep coaching process. I focus on a proper assessment of a child’s sleep environment, schedule, nutrition, and sleep habits. I then customize a sleep plan that will ensure the child will learn to sleep independently, all while working closely with the parents.”

Even though there are countless books that encourage all different sleep coaching methods, we think this personalized practice could put many parents at ease during this challenging time. Having a one-on-one relationship with an expert is a game-changer, and after all, we’re talking about sleep. Not only is it vital for development for your babe, it’s super important for you as well. Sometimes we forget about ourselves once our littles meet the world, but parenting requires superhuman strength and energy (as you know).

If you’re ready to give the gift of sleep to your babe, yourself and your family (let’s be honest, it’s a family affair), check out Anne’s page on WeeSleep to learn more about her services, including her most popular package: The Rescue Me Virtual. Anne also offers free 15-minute phone consultations, so you might want to chat first to get a feel for her coaching style.

Wishing you the sweetest snoozes!

Back to Sleep: Baby Shusher

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September is Baby Safety Month, and Gugu Guru honors this month with our Back to Sleep week, which is focused on safe and healthy sleep for baby. Today’s post features the Baby Shusher, which is a must-have for tech-oriented parents, parents of newborns, parents of multiples, and great for traveling. Plus, head to the bottom of the post to enter for a chance to win one!

Get your baby to sleep faster with the Baby Shusher Sleep Miracle Soother. This innovative baby sleep device is one of the only products on the market that uses a recorded human voice to help with baby sleep training. This sleeping device for babies features rhythmic ‘shushes’ recorded that can play up to 30 minutes at a time. This helps to interrupt your baby’s crying session and engages their relaxation and calming reflex. The shushing noise reminds babies, especially preemies and newborns, of being in the womb, which helps them calm down and sleep easier.

This Baby Shusher is great for getting baby to sleep in the car, crib, stroller or anywhere else your baby needs to sleep while traveling. The adjustable volume on this Baby Shusher is ideal for accommodating you and your baby’s personal needs during the night without keeping everyone awake. The Baby Shusher has a flat bottom, which makes it easy to place on a changing table, shelf, or ledge. See The Safety Mom’s tip below on how to find a safe place for the crib in the nursery!

The Baby Shusher simply makes life easier for the family, but helping baby sleep better, letting everyone rest. It is BPA free, and has two settings, for 15 minutes and 30 minutes. This innovative product also makes a perfect shower gift!

Enter below to win a Baby Shusher:
Back to Sleep Daily Giveaway

Back to Sleep: Crane Humidifier

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Back to Sleep week is focused on safe and healthy sleep for baby. Today’s post features the Crane Drop Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier which is a must-have for infants, clean-living, and health conscious families.

We featured Crane in last year’s Back to Sleep event also – and this year, it is no surprise that they are back, as we think they are an essential item for any nursery. Not only is the Crane Drop Humidifier a nursery must-have, but their sleek style (and choice of many colors) will blend in to any nursery!

Plus, for all the eco-conscious families, Crane humidifiers are all BPA-free and energy efficient, using ultrasonic technology to add soothing moisture to the air. Crane’s Drop Humidifier is whisper quiet and operates on a low power consumption, more energy efficient than a household light bulb (up to 45W).

So, why is it essential to have a Crane Humidifier in your nursery? Humidifiers are especially important for Newborns because they are Obligate Nasal Breathers, breathing only through their tiny noses for their first 4 – 6 months. Any congestion can make breathing, feeding, and sleeping incredibly difficult for your little one.

Plus, the Crane Humidifier will grow with your child; even toddlers and kids need humidifiers! Many pediatricians recommend the use of a humidifier as a safe, non medicated, all natural alternative to help relieve congestion from the common cold and flu instead of potentially harmful over-the-counter cough and cold medicine.

Where in the nursery should you put the humidifier? Our Sleep Expert, The Safety Mom Says…

Back to Sleep: Snuza Pico Wearable Monitor

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Back to Sleep week is focused on safe and healthy sleep for baby. Today’s post featured the Snuza Pico wearable monitor, which is a must-have for tech-oriented parents, parents of newborns, parents of multiples, parents of toddlers, and great for traveling.

We have highlighted another amazing Snuza product – the Hero – in our past Back to Sleep event. The Snuza Pico wearable monitor is an advanced multi-sensor smart device for infants and children. For the first year of life, the Snuza Pico wearable monitor provides peace-of-mind movement monitoring in addition to sleep analytics, skin temperature and body position monitoring. After one year of age, the movement monitoring function may be turned off, allowing caregivers to primarily monitor their child’s sleep patterns, which has been proven to be a critical aspect of healthy brain development.

The monitor attaches to baby’s diaper and connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. The Pico uses a patented contactless sensor, meaning it does not need to be in direct contact with the baby’s skin, which reduces false alarms caused by loss of contact. If there is no abdominal movement detected after 15 seconds, the device will gently vibrate in an effort to rouse the child awake. After 20 seconds of no abdominal movement, the Pico will alarm.

The Snuza Pico wearable monitor is a fantastic investment in safe sleep, because it provides parents with a peace of mind so that everyone in the family can rest easy. Plus, while you can utilize the movement monitoring function for up to one year, you can turn that function off after your baby is over a year and simply monitor your child’s sleep patterns. By monitoring your child’s sleep patterns with the Snuza Pico, it will allow for you to figure out which sleep habits work best for your family, letting everyone rest easier.

The Snuza Pico is available at Best Buy, BabiesRUs.com, Target.com, and Amazon

Top 5 Must Have Essentials: Sleepless Nights

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-Sponsored Post-

It’s no secret that with a new baby comes many sleepless nights; however, we rounded up our top items which parents need to survive those long sleepless nights. We know that it can seem overwhelming to register for everything you may need for a baby; so, we’ve broken all the necessities down into your Top 5 Must Have Essentials for every category you may need. Today we’re covering the Top 5 Must Have Essentials for Sleepless Nights; don’t forget to add them to your registry!

Micuna Flor rocking chair and the Nacelle bassinet: Get some help rocking baby all night with this innovation from Micuna! Use the Flor rocking chair and the Nacelle bassinet together to rock your baby with the magnets docking system. Put the bassinet in your left or in your right side at your convenience. You can also rock your twin babies easily with two Nacelle bassinets at the same time with the Flor rocking chair and its magnet docking systems. This is ideal for parents of twins, as you can rock both babies at the same time.

Bravado Dream Nursing Tank: If you’re going to be up all night nursing, why not feel good about yourself, too? We’re huge fans of Bravao, and the Dream Nursing Tank is no exception. The Dream Nursing Tank is the ultimate nursing bra and tank in one that provides full length style and full time support. Perfect to wear anytime, whether at home or on-the-go, when you’re pregnant or nursing. You can opt to wear it alone with your favorite jeans, or under a sweater with a cozy pair of leggings. It also comes in gray and black.

Check out more on Bravado: Product Discovery: Bravado Designs’ Petal Soft Bras; Product Discovery: Bravado’s Clip and Pump Hands-Free Nursing Bra Accessory; 7 Must-Haves for Breastfeeding Moms

ergoPouch: Even if baby isn’t quite sleeping, you’ll need a safe way to keep baby warm (but not too warm) at night. ergoPouch is ideal for this exact mission. The award-winning ergoPouch collection includes premium quality baby swaddles, sleeping bags and sleep suits available from birth to 6 years. All ergoPouch products are made with natural fibers including Organic Cotton, Bamboo and Merino. ergoPouch products offer great functionality and versatility with swaddles that can easily transition to a sleeping bag, and sleep suits that convert from bags to suits with legs for easy use from bassinet to stroller. You can buy any of the ergoPouch sleep items at Babies R Us.

Check out more on ergoPouch: Sleepytime Find: ergoPouch; Back to Sleep, ergoPouch; Minimalist Baby Registry

Angelcare AC517 Movement Monitor: Although you want to be by your baby’s side all night long during those sleepless nights, sometimes you have to put baby down! Angelcare Movement monitors will watch your baby all night long even when Mom and Dad can’t. They monitor that your baby is sleeping soundly and will send an alert to you if your baby needs you. Angelcare Monitors make you less worried, so you can sleep too (eventually!). Don’t fret, you can still keep track of everything baby is doing with Angelcare’s Movement Monitor. Angelcare’s AC517 touchscreen movement, video and audio monitor offers the only wireless movement sensor pad in the market and features activity tracking which reports on baby’s movement levels. The new wireless sensor pad goes under the crib mattress and can track subtle movements (like breathing, rolling and kicking) that audio and video monitors can’t detect. This means parents can truly monitor all of baby’s slightest movements. This touchscreen monitor from Angelcare offers the only wireless movement sensor pad in the market and features new data analytics that sense and track baby’s activity level.

Check out more on AngelCare: Nursery Gear Essential: Angelcare AC517 Movement Monitor; Product Discovery: Angelcare Movement Monitor; Top 5 Must Have Essentials: First Night Home With Baby

Baby Shusher: Despite popular belief, babies don’t actually need quiet to fall asleep! They are accustomed to the loud whooshing noises in the womb, and often sleep better with a white noise around them. However, it’s exhausting for an already tired parent to shushhhhh their baby all night long; enter, the Baby Shusher! This revolutionary product quickly soothes fussy baby with rhythmic “shush” sound. Inspired by Dr. Harvey Karp’s book ‘The Happiest Baby on the Block‘, the Baby Shusher will (hopefully) help lull your little one to sleep.

Check out more on Dr. Harvey Karp: How To: Maintain a Peaceful Home During The Holidays; Books Before Baby: Suggestions From Our Favorite Writers and Bloggers; Atomic Moms Hot Mama Summer Must Haves with Ellie Knaus!

PS. Don’t forget the number 6 essential for those long sleepless nights: a Netflix account!

Thank you to Micuna, AngelCare, ergoPouch and Bravado for making this sponsored post possible.

Nursery Essentials: Crane Penguin Adorable Humidifier

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-Sponsored Post-

It’s no secret that we think Crane USA Humidifiers are a must-have for any nursery, especially when it comes to a healthy nursery for baby and preventing congestion for tiny noses. Today we’re excited to introduce you to the Crane Penguin Adorable Humidifier, which is a must-have essential for any nursery or child’s room. Featuring award winning, child-friendly animal designs and top rated performance, Crane’s Adorable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifiers provide up to 24 hours of soothing moisture to help relieve the effects of dryness and congestion, helping you and your Family to breathe easy and sleep through the night peacefully.

Puffington the Penguin is an adorable way to add humidity and wellness to your baby’s room. Did you know that humidifiers are a recommended non-medicated alternative to over the counter cough and cold medicine? The Crane Penguin Adorable Humidifier is the perfect size for any nursery and the removable 1 gallon tank easily fits under most bathroom sinks. Plus, it runs whisper quiet up to 24 hours, so it won’t wake even the fussiest of sleepers. The ultrasonic cool mist increases moisture in the air for easier breathing and a good night’s sleep.

Humidifiers are especially important for Newborns because they are Obligate Nasal Breathers, breathing only through their tiny noses for their first 4 – 6 months. Any congestion can make breathing, feeding, and sleeping incredibly difficult for your little one. Not only that, but many pediatricians recommend the use of a humidifier as a safe, non medicated, all natural alternative to help relieve congestion from the common cold and flu instead of potentially harmful over-the-counter cough and cold medicine. Did you know humidifiers are an ideal choice for relieving the discomforts of nasal congestion, dry itchy skin and hair, chapped lips, nose bleeds, and dry throats?

Crane’s cheerful designs complement any children’s bedroom decor. Not only are Crane humidifiers adorable, but they are easy to use, whisper quiet, and feature Antimicrobial Material in the Base to help reduce mold and bacteria growth by up to 99.96%*. This compact, BPA Free unit uses ultrasonic technology to add humidity to the air, is more efficient than a household light bulb, and includes a built-in auto-shut-off feature that engages when the water tank is empty to ensure safety.

You can find Crane USA on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Thank you to Crane for making this sponsored post possible.

Introducing: The Owlet 2 Monitor

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We’ve written many times about why we think Owlet is an essential item for every baby registry, and now we’re excited to announce that Owlet has released the Owlet 2 Smart Sock! As part of its vision to transform infant health and safety for every baby, Owlet is revolutionizing the way infant care is handled with the release of this new Smart Sock and the corresponding Connected Care platform.

Building on the award-winning design of the original Owlet Smart Sock, the new Smart Sock 2 is the result of parent feedback and a continued investment in making the product comfortable, safe, and functional. The new and improved Owlet Smart Sock 2 can be worn on both feed, and has updated fabric for baby’s comfort. The Smart Sock 2 also has breathable toes through all sock sizes. The re-design of the actual sock is a more secure fit, which allows for a better reading of baby’s stats. The advancements in firmware and hardware to reduce false notifications, and the improved Bluetooth range means there can now be up to 100 feet between the Smart Sock 2 and the Base Station. Plus, the smartphone app is updated as well, making it an easier user experience overall.

Once you get the sock on your baby’s foot, what kind of information can it relay? Revolutionizing the monitor industry, Owlet has released their Connected Care platform. A first of its kind, the Connected Care platform tracks more data from the Owlet Smart Sock than parents previously had. It allows parents to view trends and use the insights to be proactive about their infant’s health; making decisions based on trends and data, as well as charting a course for development. Connected Care works by visualizing the data collected from your Owlet Smart Sock 2, which uses pulse oximetry to track heart rate and oxygen levels. Parents can view this data via the Connected Care app on their smartphone. The app also allows parents to access their baby’s sleep trends and analytics, a powerful tool to help parents create bedtime routines and develop healthy sleep habits. As Dr. Ken Ward, Owlet’s medical director says, “By making this information accessible to parents, we are striving to improve infant health and to help chart a course for proper development.”

Featured photo from Lunch Pails and Lipstick

Product Discovery: Snuza Pico Movement Monitor

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–Sponsored Post–

As a new parent, when you’re handed a tiny infant to take care of, it can feel very overwhelming! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a way to monitor your new little one while they’re sleeping, so you can rest easy and sleep too? Snuza, known for spearheading the innovation in one of the biggest trends in the marketplace right now, wearable tech for infants, has just released their Snuza Pico Movement Monitor, which is unlike anything else on the market. While some of the newer baby movement monitors are fitted beneath the baby’s mattress, Snuza monitors attach directly to a baby’s diaper and alarms if no abdominal movement is detected. This early detection provided by Snuza monitors offers a solution to help bring peace of mind to parents.

However, Snuza has recently revolutionized the monitor market with their Snuza Pico. The revolutionary new Snuza Pico is the first wearable baby movement monitor in the line that allows parents to directly connect to a smartphone or tablet via a Bluetooth App! The Pico attaches to your baby’s diaper and using a patented contactless sensor, monitors abdominal movement of your baby. By using this contactless sensor, the Pico does not need to touch your baby’s skin, which in turn reduces the amount of false alarms caused by loss of contact. If there is no abdominal movement detected after 15 seconds, the device will vibrate in an effort to rouse the child awake. After 20 seconds of no abdominal movement, the Pico will alarm. Parents can also select an optional movement rate warning, which alerts parents if baby’s abdomen moves less than eight times per minute.

The App, which is Apple and Android compatible, also monitors a baby’s abdominal movement, skin temperature, sleeping position (side, face-down, face up) and fall detector. It also features an on/off button and alerts parents if they become out of range. The Pico unit can be accessed by multiple smartphones so that parents and/or caregivers can monitor multiple Pico units from one or more smartphones. Snuza wearable movement monitors are made with hypo-allergenic, medical grade plastics and do not send or receive radio frequency signals. There are NO wires, cords, cables or sensor pads that could potentially harm baby. Weighing only 1oz, these monitors are the lightest of their kind on the market today.

For more information, check out the Snuza website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Thank you to Snuza for making great products to keep our babies safe and for also making this post possible.

Back to Sleep Day 19: HALO Bassinest

by Gugu Guru 3 Comments

On our final day of Back to Sleep, we present the HALO® Bassinest® – one of THE most popular products on Gugu Guru registries. The HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper is the only bassinet that swivels to bring baby to you for close and safe sleep. This means your little one can sleep as close to you as you want – even right next to you in bed – and still sleep safely in his own separate space. Read on to find out if this product is a fit for your lifestyle and/or baby registry.

From the 360 degree swivel to the retractable side wall with lock, the HALO Bassinest is chock-full of smart features that make tending to baby in bed easy (score for nursing mamas!) Other features for gadget geeks include its Soothing Center that offers 3 lullabies, 3 soothing sounds, 2 levels of vibration, nightlight and a nursing timer (yes, you read that right.) Also handy? The floor light to help you see without disturbing your baby and the storage caddy to keep baby’s essentials organized.

Breathability is of the utmost importance when it comes to baby’s sleeping arrangements for both temperature regulation and also for reducing suffocation risk. The sidewall panels of the HALO Bassinest are constructed of mesh fabric for maximum visibility and breathability. This means that it’s not only easy to keep an eye on baby, but you can also rest assured that if baby rolls, the panels of the sidewalls are fully breathable.

Recovery from c/s surgery can make any movement painful and difficult – including lifting your baby, or having to get in and out of bed to take care of him. Unlike stationary and attached bassinets, the Bassinest Swivel Sleeper’s 360-degree range of motion allows mom to tend to many of her baby’s needs without having to get out of bed. And when she does have to get in or out of bed, the swivel design allows mom to gently reposition it to accommodate her – so getting in or out of bed can be done easily and with minimal discomfort.

Note: all sleep tips are independent to all the products featured in Back to Sleep and Kim West is not endorsing these products unless otherwise indicated.

preemie

A Safe Place to Sleep + Swaddle

Easy Clothing Options

Diapers, Wipes, Ointment

Feeding Supplies

Postpartum Care for Mama

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