8 Products I Really Wish I Knew as a First-Time Mom!

8 Products I Really Wish I Knew About as New Mother!

Being a mother since last 6 and half years, I have had my share of great and not so great products. You see a product marketed so well but when you use it, it is utter fail. Other times you wonder why no one has tried to fix a certain problem that you are facing.

Children are hard work, both birthing and bringing them up. Throw in some of New World Challenges, it becomes a figuring-out job!

If you are about to pop a baby and are nervous, check out this Childbirth course by Jeddah Mothering. She has been my rock in my 3rd pregnancy. The things she had helped me with, no one helped me before. May Allah bless her and increase her knowledge, ameen.

As an expat, I had traveled back home with babies. Along many challenges I faced, Travel itself was the BIGGEST! With the first baby, I literally had no clue. That was a experimental few years for me. When my second was born, I had come up with solutions.

Traveling with Baby?

Your baby is in car seat sleeping and you have to go out and put her in stroller. There goes her peaceful sleep. Or you are traveling and it is time to leave the plane, you have no stroller, you have your baby bag and a long line to clear through customs, you are already tired. Your baby is cranky, what to do?

Wear Baby Carrier!

Not any baby carrier. Use the one in which your baby is secured, not dangling! Her limbs are tucked in, her back and neck supported and the weight of baby is equally distributed across your body. (I learned this in Childbirth Classes)

I used Ring Sling in first couple of months but when my baby started to wiggle alot, I switched to Mei Tei. I found this on Pinterest when my second was born and quite liked it better than the buckled type found in stores everywhere.

Mei Tei has long straps which may seem intimidating at first, but once you get used it to, it is manageable. When we went to Dubai, I wore my 8 month old baby in it everywhere even in Metro. No pushing stroller and trying to make way in a crowd! He would sleep in it without any hassle.

Do you want a Pattern and Instructions on How to  Make your very own Mei Tei? Let me know in comments!

Baby Bag

With first baby, I bought a standard Baby Bag. But when I traveled with it, my shoulder was sore because of lifting it on one side. The baby was already cranky and the bag kept slipping.

With the second, I bought a backpack but it was not designed for keeping baby's stuff. Finally I got Sunveno Baby Bag. It has pockets and sections to keep everything organized and gives ease of access. I wore it to Karachi, Lahore and back to Jeddah. Because it is a backpack, it keeps your hands free.

So imagine wearing a Baby Carrier and Backpack, I was able to look after my older two as well. I stuffed so many things in it, even my Haakaa Pump.

Haakaa Pump

Where were you when my first baby was born? Seriously this is the BEST PUMP EVER! When you have delivered a baby and leaking milk left and right(literally), this pump will catch the drip, without you doing any hard work, except making the milk lol!

 Haakaa Pump is made in one piece, it is easy to use and wash. I ordered it from Mumzworld.com and it arrived on time. One mistake I made was to not order its Flower Topper Stopper. I then got it from Amazon. Because this pump is light-weight, it is very easy to topple over with a light smack. The topper will not let the milk spill out. It also prevents anything falling in the milk.

40 days after delivery, when milk production is regulated and established, it would not pump milk easily. Little tip here: use Haakaa to pump from one side when you are nursing your baby from other side. It will save your pumping time too!

Medela Swing

If you are looking for powerful pump, then Medela is the one to buy. You can buy the single or double, it is up to you and your budget. I have used it with my two babies and I loved it. Although it does not leave you hands-free as Haakaa, it is good for powerful pumping that Haakaa cannot do. It is easy to assemble too.

Diaper Changing Mat

Have you gone to public washrooms with your baby? In hospital, restaurant, airplane or Airport? You either take your whole bag with you and worry it might get dirty when you place it somewhere. Or you take necessary things like diaper, wipes and mat in one hand, and baby in another? How frustrating is that!

Try Baby Diaper Changing Mat that folds into a Clutch!

It has wipe-able mat surface to lay your baby on, a pocket to keep diaper and wipes and a Wrist tab to slide on your wrist easily when folded, making your hands free to hold your baby easily. It is compact enough to fit into most baby bags and large enough to lay on changing table.

It is good for small spaces like a plane's lavatory. How good is that! Wanna buy? Place your order here.

Bottles Drying Rack

I have been drying my children's bottles and pump parts in regular dish drying rack. But I never liked digging for teats and pump parts among plates and bowls and glasses. When you have a crying baby in house, everything must be easily accessed for mother!

 The second option is dedicating a basket to keep the stuff in. I had to use this option when we went to Pakistan. I hated it even more as things never dried quickly. When I went shopping before arrival of my third baby, I saw it! The product I did not know about!

Baby Bottles Drying Rack!

Even though I am not into fancy-schmancy baby stuff, but this one I needed! there were few variations available, so I went for easy clean-up and easy to use one. This one has a drip tray, its stands are of different heights and hooks style too so you can hang bottle rings and pacifiers too.

I even used it to dry Haakaa, Medela pump parts and Haakaa topper. No more digging in your dishes rack!

Imagine my horror when I forgot to take it with me to Pakistan! I literally cried! All the places I stayed in, I missed it so much!

Plus it is good for drying water bottles of school going children. I did that! So if you think it will be of no use after baby grows, you are wrong. I even use it for drying glass jars and tumblers. I bought this from Centrepoint Store.

Safety Locks for Drawers

When your baby starts crawling and walking, a new phase begins. Suddenly you are confronted with numerous challenges. The drawers and cabinets are opened and babies take all the things out.

One thing I have learned is that doing the hard-work in the beginning, makes life easier later on.

When I wanted to put child lock on drawers for my first born, I was told they are useless. As their child took off the locks easily. Still, I bought them and stuck on all drawers. Result? My baby tried to take them off but failed. Victory for this Mama!

Maybe it was because she was a girl and boys are aggresive?

So my second one tried and he failed too.  Victory again for this Mama!

So why did it worked for me and not for others? I am not sure, but here is the thing. You have to set boundaries for children. Let them know what is acceptable behavior and what is not, even when they are babies. Trust me they understand!

Allah has bestowed children with knowledge and skills, its us who cannot see.

I bought these from IKEA but these are no longer available. Now they have of different design.

Safety Harness for Toddlers

Do you Love it? Hate it? I did not hear a good word about it from people around us.

We bought it for our second born when he refused to sit in stroller. He did not like his hand to be held either. When he wore the harness, he gave us hard time in beginning. My husband did not like it either. But when I had to go alone for shopping 2 years ago, I made him wear it.

Either I was going to keep an eye on him or shop, I could not do both. We were already pressed on time as we had to prepare for my BIL's engagement in Pakistan soon. He adjusted Alhamdulillah!

What I would suggest is to buy something that is worn across the body, not only the wrist. Or you will be pulling his arm accidentally and he will get irritated. Make sure the parts are strong and it cannot be broken easily. He did not feel constricted in it. Sometimes he had his toy with him so he played with it as his hands were free. We found this at Nahdi Pharmacy and it has been used a lot and still in good shape.

So here is my list of 8 Products I Really Wish I knew as New Mother! Let me know do you have a favorite one? Did it make it to the list? I would love to hear from you!

👶🍼💗