Lazy mum’s Newborn survival kit

5 things that I literally couldn’t have survived the newborn days without.

You have waited 40 weeks, eagerly anticipating the most exciting time in your life, you have the cot, you have the pram, you have 100000 beautiful pastel baby grows and those ultra cute itty bitty baby shoes. You have followed every tick list “what you need for a newborn” “what to pack in my hospital bag” “what will my baby need”.
Here is my ultimate guide on other very random things that have helped me survive the best but longest days of my life so far.

1. Microwave rice

I did warn you it was random things. I am no Nigella in the kitchen, like at all, I can burn a bag of crisps. So with that been said microwave rice, 2 minutes in the microwave, warm up some sauce (sweet and sour is my preference – and I can then use the jar for my wedding centrepieces), bag of prawn crackers, you have a £3, 2 minutes, easy peasy fake away. Of course I am not too sure of the nutritional value to have the regularly and its always optional to add veg, chicken or prawns but that may take an extra few of those pressure minutes (and pounds) that you want to spend with your beautiful new bundle. So when Carl is busy working on late evenings, a quick, easy and my favourite meal is in the shape of a microwave rice package.

Tip – Using the prawn crackers as a scoop to eat the rice saves on washing a fork and makes it easy to eat whilst feeding your baby!

2. Flask

So 2 days into mummy hood and bottle feeding, my first question was, when can I have a cup of tea? I was forever making a cup of tea at the same time as making Nalah a bottle. Only to find out that when the bottle was cool enough to give Nalah, my cup of tea was just the right temperature for me too. Obviously feeding Nalah had to take president so I was forever having to down my cold cup of tea. How do people have a warm cup of tea I kept asking Carl, until on my birthday along with loads of other thoughtful gifts I opened up my literal life saver, a travel flask! Now I can sip on a lovely hot cup of tea or coffee whenever I fancy.

ThermoCafé Stainless Steel Flask, 1.0 L

But the flask is actually a double header on this list. After the health visitor advised me on all the new health scares and changes, that bottles should all be made up fresh with freshly boiled water and not kept for any longer than 2 hours. Wanting to give Nalah the absolute best start and follow advice this is what we did. But making up a boiling bottle every 3 hours throughout the night, boiling the kettle and then waiting a further 10 minutes for it too cool down was not our idea of a fun time. So we went a head and bought a larger flask for Nalah’s bottles. Now the water is at the right temperature to sterilise the formula but also takes a lot less time to cool and I don’t even have to get out of bed to make a bottle, no more cold kitchen tiles under my feet!

3. Baby wipes.

Well you will have read this one on the Website and checklists and endless magazines you read throughout your pregnancy. Though baby wipes are actual life savers.

1. They clean poo, wee, sick – that obvious that is what they are made for. Our favourites are the water wipes because they are so much gentler on little babies new skin.
2. Make you feel fresh when you’ve not had chance to shower properly in a few days. Brilliant make up (if you’ve bothered to but on some – 4 days ago?) wipes, arm pit, neck and the rest fresheners!
3. Speaking of the bathroom, when you do ever get to visit, baby wipes are also a brilliant two minute cleaning solution just to keep things grime free until you are ready for an actual deep clean.
4. Speaking of cleaning, kitchen sides, oven tops, microwave door, sink taps, cupboard doors, skirting boards, mantle piece, kitchen table, baby toys, wiping a bit of snot of your 3 day old leggings or sick from your 2 day old top.

           Baby wipes can save the world!

WaterWipes Chemical Free Baby Wipes, Natural & Sensitive, 12 x 60 (720 Wipes)

4. Washing machine

So I know that babies create a lot of washing, I have had one, but 5 years ago I never remembered quite how much washing I did during the baby stage.
Bibs, we must go through at least 5 bibs by lunch time, dribble, sick drool soaked. And you can’t just put them on the radiator because they dry all hard and crispy so washing is a must.
And its not just the dribble and sick… Poonarmies are the worst. We have only had a few horrendous episodes so far but they have completely thrown us! The worst was straight after birth, I had just been stitched up following my Caesarean so was unable to move. We were both cooing over Nalah and telling her how beautiful she was (at this point she was in the clear cots wrapped in 4 towels) and suddenly we heard a very loud, very wet trump. Suddenly Carl, (who had never changed a nappy before) was faced with the first tar poo, that Nalah was covered head to toe, kicking her heels in and balling her fists in. All over 4 towels (which thank god we didn’t have to wash!) He managed though and I think that set him in good stead for the rest we have faced! The worst are when I pick her up out of her Moses basket and realise there is yellow wet liquid seeping into my palms! Thank god for washing machines!

Make more time for the fun things in life with the Indesit Innex XWC 61452 W Washing Machine – 6kg of capacity

5. Prosecco

Well okay, I could actually survive without this (I am not an alcoholic) but really this represents ‘me time’. Every mum, dad, carer needs me time. Even if it is just 10 minutes in the loo. My me time and escapism when you are barely managing to keep your eyes open and string a sentence together is here. Coming to write my blog. It is like me going out of the door for work, even if Nalah is sleeping just moments away from me it gives me time to think and focus on something that I feel is productive (It may not be it may just be read as the ramblings of a severely sleep deprived mad women.) but its the thought that counts. And if I can do this with a nice cool glass of prosecco in my hand well then why the hell not!