New Mama Favorites

Happy Monday all! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. We spent most of ours hanging out by the lake and playing with our littlest family member. As a highlight, we even ventured out for an early dinner date night with baby on Friday when T got home from work. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we aren't the only ones who had the idea to bring baby along. There were no less than three other couples dining out with babies at one of the nicer restaurants in our little corner of the world. There's no reason we should have to pass up date night and the nicer restaurants when we have a little one in tow right?!? C behaved like an angel, in case you were wondering, and T & I enjoyed a nice evening out capped off by a sunset boat ride. Perfecto!

In other news, I thought I'd put together a list of some New Mama Favorites for any of my followers out there that might be expecting. Not pictured, but equally important, are the helping hands of family and friends that have helped to make our transition into parenthood a little easier (i.e. those of you who brought us meals, or squeezed a few hours out of your day to come sit with C so this mama could find time for some essentials like taking a shower, getting groceries, or a trip to the hairdresser --- BIG THANKS!).

Nursing Bras & Pajamas // If you are nursing, get yourself to Target. Gillian O'Malley has a great line of nursing bras that offer some actual support...as opposed to those seamless styles that have minimal support. Great for sleeping, but not so great for daytime support unless you are small chested. Motherhood Maternity has some great nursing-friendly PJs that have a shelf-bra style for support while sleeping, and an easy snap down front that doesn't require much extra thought or manuevering while you are half asleep. Very important for those middle of the night feedings if you are a nursing mama!

Dry Fit Workout Tops // It's the middle of summer here, and dryfit T's have been a major staple in my weekday attire. Not only are they nice and cool, they are stretchy, come in lots of styles that aren't super form fitting, and are easy to wipe away baby spit up or slobber. Pair them with some yoga pants or workout shorts, and you have yourself an easy go-to new-mama uniform. One of my favorite budget-friendly styles is currently on sale HERE.

Water bottle // Staying hydrated is key. Increase that 8 cups of water per day to 10 cups if you are nursing. Having a refillable water bottle on hand is a great way to make sure you aren't getting dehydrated, not to mention easy to grab and go without filling up your trash or recycling with disposable water bottles.

Athletic Shoes // Now that it's possible to reach your feet again, a new pair of athletic shoes are just the thing to help get your workouts back on track.

Nursing Cover // Udder cover, hooter hider...call it what you will. If you are a nursing mama, you'll eventually find yourself in a situation where this will come in handy.

Healthy Snack Food // I'm a fan of hummus with pretzel chips, bananas, grapes, apples, and lightly salted almonds. Having something quick and easy you can grab out of the fridge or pantry when baby is fussing is a must. Bonus points for anything you can eat with just one hand.

Postpartum & Nursing Friendly Clothing // While I knew I would need a few items that would be post-baby, pre-losing-the-pregnancy-weight friendly, I greatly underestimated the need for nursing friendly clothing. Naively, I assumed I could easily get by with my collection of breezy summer dresses. After baby actually arrived, my plan to wear those cute T-shirt and halter style dresses went right out the window. Unless you plan to completely undress every couple hours to feed your babe (or are using formula), you're going to need plenty of sleeveless options that you can easily pull down the straps. Enter Old Navy. They offer some super cute and affordable options that work great for the postpartum and nursing mamas out there. I'm not just talking about dresses either. They have some great drawstring linen shorts that have been another staple in my summer mix when paired with a lightweight breezy top. Believe me, nothing makes a postpartum mama feel worse about herself than clingy tops and unforgiving waistbands. If only we could wear maternity leggings forever with their nice full panel waists to smooth out all those bumps...There are Spanx available to do the job too, but during the summer, who wants to wear an extra layer when it's already super warm out?!

Tablet/Smartphone or Book/Magazine // You are going to be spending a great deal of time sitting and rocking/feeding/calming baby. In the meantime, it's nice to have access to technology to keep up to date with emails and current events, or a chance to read a book or magazine. I signed up for a daily current events email (the Skimm) so I can keep in touch with what is going on in the world when I don't have the time to surf multiple news sites. I can't say enough positive things about this...trust me. I've also been enjoying Parents magazine, and reading books or articles aloud to my babe so that he gets comfortable with my non-baby-talk voice, and has a chance to hear a larger vocabulary of words besides my telling him how cute and snugly he is. Even though he is...

Slow Cooker, Freezer, or Grilling Meals // Gone are the days of gourmet meals that take more than a half hour to prepare. If you have freezer space, stock up on some favorites to get you through the first couple of months. Perfect a few easy slow cooker recipes (like Pesto Ranch Chicken or Hot Italian Drip Beef), and inform your significant other that they need to step up the grilling skills. Salad and steamed or grilled veggies are a super quick and easy side. For the nights that you just can't cram in preparing a meal, stock up on some takeout menus to have on hand in a pinch!

What are some of your new mama favorites?