by D. Warnaar

Created on: November 05, 2008   Last Updated: July 27, 2010

Even the least experienced baby person knows a baby needs plenty of diapers, wipes and either breast milk or formula. Luckily for today's moms, there are overwhelming assortments of baby items that can make life with a new baby that much easier. As a first-time mom to a 3 month old baby boy with a active duty military husband who is gone more than he is home, I came to deeply appreciate some of these "extras" any new mom needs!

#1 BEBE SOUNDS ANGEL CARE MONITOR

This monitor is hands-down the best purchase we made in preparation for the arrival of our son. An alarm sounds if the sensor pad doesn't sense any movement for 20 seconds. This was invaluable for helping us sleep easier, especially when we moved the baby to his own room. While I still worried about SIDS to a certain degree, this monitor eased a lot of my fear. I was able to purchase a brand new one on eBay for around $99.

#2 THE BOPPY PILLOW

This pillow is amazing! I liked it much better than the "My Brest Friend" pillow, which I found to be a bit rigid and too firm. You can use the Boppy at a breast or bottle feeding pillow, for baby's tummy time, to help him sit up with support or to lie in at a bit of an elevation (with supervision of course). The cover comes off easily and is washable which is great for babies that tend to spit up frequently. I couldn't live without the Boppy!

#3 THE BUMBO BABY SITTER

Friends that already had babies told us we absolutely needed the Bumbo chair. Its basically a molded foam like chair that will allow your baby to sit up once he can hold his head up. My 3 month old just started to be able to use it and it is as good as everyone said. Another great use for it is a high chair at restaurants so you don't have to use the germy ones they provide. It's small and portable and we take it everywhere!

#4 BABY EINSTEIN DVD'S

These videos are like baby-crack! Babies love them (and for parents, they are an infinitely less painful to watch than Barney). Yes, the AAP recommends children under two years of age don't watch TV, but unless they want to send someone over to watch my child for 30 minutes a day while I do a load of laundry or a sink full of dishes, I don't see any harm in a little Baby Einstein DVD time. No matter what some people say, I believe they are educational too!

#5 BABYBJORN BABY CARRIER

When you have a newborn, the BabyBjorn is the easiest way to grocery shop since you should never put a car seat on top of a cart. Then, once your kid breaks the 15 pounds or so

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