Five Baby Favorites for the First Six Weeks

1. Homemade Wipes

I do not use cloth diapers.  I toyed with the idea when I was expecting Jill, but a near and dear friend told me "Jessica, I just don't see you doing it."  Thank you, Kathy, for saving me from my wanna-be crunchy inner hippie with your honesty.

I DO make my own disposable wipes with my very favorite Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash.  I used these wipes on Jill for the first several months, and have already talked Patrick into sawing rolls of paper towels in half for me.

For one half roll of paper towels, I use this recipe.  If I'm using Kirkland paper towels (and you know I am), I have to multiply everything by 1.5 because Costco is like Texas.  Everything is bigger.  If I went to a Costco in Texas....I can't even...

I find these wipes to be softer, drier, and gentler on baby skin than any store bought wipes.  They are also cheaper and smell delicious.  Not that I would eat them.  I keep the half roll in a gallon size ziploc.

If you follow Earth Mama Angel Baby on IG, they post discount codes every Friday!

2. Baby K'tan Baby Carrier

I posted this out of focus picture on Instagram yesterday.  I have been petitioning St. Anthony to help me find my misplaced Baby K'tan Baby Carrier for weeks now, and the moment I committed to buying a new baby carrier yesterday, the K'Tan turned up.  (Thanks, St. Anthony!)  In the front hall closet of course.  Under the pool bag and the library books, naturally.

I love my ERGO, but it's not practical for anewborn.  I even invested in the infant insert which is like wearing a baby carrier inside a baby carrier, no good for me or the baby here in No Central A/C July.

Truthfully though, our window units are off and the windows are open as we experience yet again the only gorgeous season in Chicago, summer, high of 75.

3. Starbucks Refreshers

I picked these up before Polly was born, knowing some excruciatingly exhausting days were in my future.  I loathe coffee, and under normal circumstances, I loathe the soul-sucking corporation of Starbucks.  I much prefer locally owned Funky Java if I have to partake of the bitter coffee bean.

Starbucks Refreshers are made with green coffee.  I won't say they taste good, but they don't taste like coffee either, so that's something.  They help me power through when Jill and Polly double-team me with bouts of sleeplessness.

I might re-invest in the Zipfizz too.  It's expensive, but it works.

4.  Fiber One Bars

In the first six weeks of newborn life, I need food I can throw in my mouth.  Hopefully, food that is not always jalapeno kettle chips or handfuls of chocolate chips.

Enter the Fiber One bar.  It tastes like a chewy chocolate chip granola bar, and it's not half bad for you either.  Takes the hangry away for a few hours.

5.  Lily Jade Baby Bag

I used my Vera Bradley birthday coupon to pick up this sweet bag. (40% off - KaChing)

 Did you know VB sells bags that aren't fabric?  My mother didn't.

It's a nice size tote, big enough to hold all the things a mother of many needs on her person.  However, it does not zip, and it only has one teensy interior pocket - also non-zipping.

So I started looking for a diaper bag insert thing.  You know, like the guts of a bag with good organization, but sold separately.

I checked out Etsy, but those organizers cost more than my tote, so I ended up ordering from Lily Jade.

I got the red baby bag in medium.  It ZIPS!  And has lots of pocketses! And it's washable!

Hey Mr. Postman, please bring it soon, because every time someone needs my keys or a tissue, I stick my arm in my tote up to my elbow and swirl it around like James Herriot turning a breech calf.

You didn't need that image.  My apologies.

Linking up with Heather (eventually) for Five Favorites.