Baby Shower Go-To Gift

With all of our friends  becoming new parents, we have frequented many a baby shower in the past year or so.  Fiona and I will be going to one this Saturday, so on our weekly Target run, I picked up my favorite new parent gift for the parents to be. 

After just surviving going through Fiona's first year, I feel like I have this realistic view of newborns and those first couple of months that maybe someone who is still pregnant doesn't have.  I remember when I was pregnant,  I would think how glorious those newborn days were going to be.  You know- where they sleep all the time and they are these little potatoes that stay put and basically eat, poop and sleep.  But the reality of it all is they do sleep all the time, just not when you want them to. And when you finally get that shower you've missed for a couple of days, you immediately get poop shot in your hair.  Or when its 3:34 in the morning and the baby just won't stop crying, and all you can do is sit there and cry along with them. Those my friends, are some of the reasons why Scott and I decided to give our friends who are pregnant our newborn survival kit. 

We have already passed this little bundle along to couple of my girlfriends and they have all come back to me thanking me for the heads up, especially the gripe water.  

<>Philips Avent Paci<>Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water<>Swaddle Me Blankets<>

Fiona was what the doctor called "high maintenance"  A.K.A. Colicky/acid reflux.  Bar none, the best help for that was the Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water.  You can't give them simethicone drops as newborns, and really, who wants to give their precious untouched newborns medicines if they don't have to.  But the gripe water is all natural.  Ginger, Fennel and a little baking soda.  Let me tell you- IT. WORKS. MIRACLES.  Fiona would get the hiccups non-stop and then immediately projectile vomit- one dose would stop the hiccups and vomiting. Wham bam thank you ma'am!

Then that brings us to the Pacifiers and Swaddle blankets.  Fiona was the Houdini of swaddling. She loved being swaddled, but would always figure out how to get her little arms out.  Once we used these swaddlers she slept for hours at a time at night.
We didn't originally buy these pacifiers but received them as a gift.  One night after putting the paci back in her mouth for the 50th time, Scott popped this one in and it stayed!!
She is still in love with it. 

So there you have it folks.  This is our newborn survival kit.  What were some of your favorites??