rinse, lather, repeat & repeat & repeat

Holy crap, the amount of daily repeating you do for your children is unfathomable! This little tid bit is no surprise to the seasoned mom, and is quite often mentioned in all the awesome mom blogs, but never in a book, and I don't know why.
For some reason you can say to your kids one day, " okay time for school, get on your coat & shoes" . And on a good day, they can complete this insane task in a somewhat timely fashion so you don't lose your shit. They next day you say " its time for school", and they stare at you like they have no idea what to do next. As if you haven't been telling them 6x/day for 4 years. Holy shit kids, this is a sure fire way to slowly kill your parent

Essentials I think Every new/expecting mom needs

One of my colleagues is due to have a baby in the next month and I wanted to get her all the things I didn't realize I needed before the baby was born, until after I had my babies.  I found many through my own trial and error, and on advice from other experienced friends. While I couldn't afford to get them all for her, I did tell her about most of them. I realized that I should probably share this list. So here goes:

*disclaimer: I breastfed both my babies so I have no experience with formulas, hence you will not see any formula recommendations here. This is not personal. It just is. I have no problem who can't or choose not to breastfeed.

1. a kick ass diaper creme, such as Butt Paste

courtesy www.buttpaste.com

This stuff is the bomb-diggity of diaper cream. There are times when you will need the classic A&D, but for pesky diaper rashes, use THIS STUFF.

Also, FUN FACT for pesky yeast rashes (persistent, little red dot rashes) you can use Lotrimin Athlete's foot cream. You don't have to go to the doctor's and get the fancy prescription.

courtesy www.lotrimin.com

2. Cloth Diapers

courtesy www.amazon.com

Regardless of whether you cloth diaper or use disposable, I don't care. This are for using as burp cloths. You need classic cloth diapers for this purpose. These Gerber ones are just an example. I am pretty sure you can often purchase used pre-folds online somewhere. There are fancy/really awesome other varieties great for actual diapering. Pre-folds are great for diapering too, and they also make great cloths for WHATEVER and make a good impromptu changing surface

3. Teething Tablets

courtesy www.hylands.com

Things things are wondrous, and really seem to help with a cranky teething baby.

4. Gripe Water

courtesy www.mommysbliss.com

I discovered this with my second son after a friend raved about it with her daughter. Man, I wish I knew about this stuff with my first son! I found that it often worked and soothed better than gas drops, and we all know how awesome those are. 

5. A bottle warmer

courtesy www.target.com

I breastfed my babies both for over 2 years. I also worked which meant I pumped, and I did so a ton because my boys had an epic appetite, but I digress. There will be times when the baby needs a bottle and you use milk from your supply stash. Boiling takes faaaaaar too long when you have a hungry baby, and microwaves are out, so get one of these. Many can also be used for baby food too if you decide to warm baby food, I didn't but you can.

6. If you breast feed, I GREAT pump.

courtesy http://www.usa.philips.com/c/avent-baby-breastfeeding/28523/cat/en/

Electric or manual it doesn't matter. But I must say the pictured is the one I had, and it worked fantastically for me. Hand pumps are way underrated. I tried the electric from the hospital and I didn't like it at all. It's affordable at around $50, easy & comfortable to use, ultra-portable, needs no electricity and doesn't make gawd-awful noises at it pumps. Because I do a ton of driving as part of my job, I became a master and pumping and driving. It probably wasn't safe, but it needed to be done... things we do for our kids

7.Lansinoh/breastfeeding care products

courtesy: www.lansinoh.com

courtesy www.medelabreastfeedingus.com

When I was nursing I tried a variety of different nursing pads and milk bags, and these by Lansinoh were the best. Lanolin is also a must for nursing moms for the early weeks when it can be downright painful, and your nipples are cracked and bleeding and all you want to do is cry and not feed your baby. Nipple shields are a must if you need them. I didn't need them with my first son, heck I didn't even know they existed. I most definitely needed them with my second though who ate like he was a vacuum.

8. A microwave bottle sterilizer

courtesy avent.fashionstylist.com

This thing totally rocked my socks off as a new mom. wash the bottles, put them in, add a little waetr and microwave for 3 minutes and BAM! they're done

9. A great group of other new moms

After I had my first son and I was on maternity leave, I started going to the breastfeeding support group. Nine years later, and I am still friendly, if not close friends, with many of these women. When I returned to work, it was part time and I was still able to attend. I also took my son to local playgroups in town to socialize with others. It was my saving grace. Staying home with a newborn isn't really as fun and dreamy as books and movies make it out to be. Everyone is tired, and learning the cues of the baby is really hard, and your lucky if you can manage a trip to the bathroom without a screaming baby. Spending time with others who are going through the exact. same. thing will make you feel better.

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and there is my list. I feel like I'm leaving something out. Did I? leave your additions in the comments!

Sleep and attitudes

No one told me that I would never tire from watching my child sleep. With their arms thrown above their head they rest feeling completely safe. They look so peaceful and beautiful, especially so the younger they are. For some there is a point where it us much less cute and more awkward and silly, but you watch them all the same. You will generally never get tired of cuddling with them when they want to hug you.
On the other end of the spectrum, no one ever wrote that the son or daughter who has absolutely stolen your heart with be a jerk in the worst way to you. I'm not talking teenagers, we expect that, but I am talking when they are small. They can become the worst a-holes for whatever reason and it can be quite frustrating. Sometimes you will need to step away and go to your room, and that its totally normal and okay.

Laundry

Not once in any of the books and magazines I read did it ever mention that I'd have a problem keeping up with the laundry. It never mentioned anywhere that I'd one day be living out of laundry baskets and that bureaus were a thing of the past. I consider myself *lucky* if I not only get the clothing folding, but put away as well. The worse thing though is when you think you've caught up, you find a pile of the rugrats dirty clothes piled up behind a door.. rinse. lather. repeat

Wood

Being a woman who grew up in a house with only women, as our parents got divorced when I was an infant and my mom never remarried, it wad a surprise to me to find that baby boys get morning wood from pretty much the day they were born. I was not expecting this, it wasn't in the book. And if that isn't all of it, they also spend a decent amount of time "making it big" or running around the house nude just after he made it big.