What Does Baby Need?

I have read so many different articles and blogs about what people think are essential for babies to have. Sure there are some important things, but often I find that people are saying things like swings and wipes warmers are essential. Much of what is essential depends on when the baby is born (winter vs. summer baby, etc.), personal choices (cloth diapering, etc.) and what is important to you, and also how much emphasis you put on convenience and ease over necessity and budget.

 I believe that having a baby does not need to be expensive. I do not have a large budget to spend on this baby, nor did I have much at all to spend on Elanor. We did get a lot of help from family (our stroller was bought for us, along with tons of clothes, a start on our cloth diapers, and numerous gift cards). We were very blessed by this and grateful. Elanor did happen to be the first grandchild on both sides, so everyone was pretty excited! 

Here are some items I do think people should have :
{I did not use "need" as a baby really only needs to be fed and loved (also maybe some clothes or blankets)}

A cradle/bassinet/box-- 

something to put your baby in while they are small and still nursing at night. I never felt comfortable co-sleeping and could not sleep soundly if baby was in bed with me, so something for the baby to sleep in while in my room was important for us.

A crib-- 

we got ours at a garage sale for cheap and the mattress at IKEA. Elanor slept in her crib until she was just over 2--climbing out had become an issue. 

Clothes--

Of course your baby needs something to wear. So much of this depends on what time of year your baby is born. Some essentials are: onesies-at least a weeks worth, pants/ leggings-- a couple pair, socks/booties-if a winter baby this is much more important, a nice dress/outfit, a cardigan, a snow suit if a winter baby, a couple hats and 4 or so zip up pajamas. Everything else is just nice to have. It is fun to dress up a baby, but again you don't need it all. Let your family and friends take care of that if possible with baby showers, etc.

Diapers/wipes--

We do cloth, which I really love. You have to initially spend a bit more, but you save so much in the long run. I am going to do cloth wipes as well this time around. Cloth diapering is so much easier than one would think. I love the Green Mountain Diapers website.

A carrier/stroller--

It is really nice to have a way to transport your baby other than carrying. My parents got us a jogging stroller, which I highly recommend as it is versatile and can go on dirt, gravel, etc. I did not have a good carrier with Elanor but I just got an Ergo (for a great price at Kid2Kid, as it was barely used!). I am really excited to try it out. I've been told that having a carrier like an Ergo or some sort of wrap are better than the main steam brands such as Evenflo or Baby Bjorn as those types of carriers can cause damage to the baby's hips. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it often.

A car seat--

Of course if you have a car, you have to have a car seat. I prefer the convertible typed that go from 5lbs to 40lbs. It saves you money and I'm not a fan of the infant car seats as you can't use them that long and they are super heavy and it has always bugged me that some people keep their babies in there all the time.

Swaddle blankets--

My sister is getting me some muslin ones which I'm excited about, they are great for the summer as they are so light. 

Not as Important, but nice to have:

Some sort of bouncer or swing--

It is nice to have somewhere to put your baby when you are showering or cooking.

a bumbo--
I did not have one for Elanor, but my mother-in-law got me one for Christmas and I'm really excited to have it!

breast pump/bottles/formula--
I did not ever use these, but I know for some people these are on the necessary list. If you breast feed, it is nice to have a pump, so you can go out at times when the baby needs to be fed.

Food mill--
This is basically a super inexpensive way to make baby food. You just put your steamed vegetables/fruit in and it mashes up the food as you grind the top.

Quilts/assorted blankets--
These are nice for baby to lay on, sleep with, take outside/out on walks. Plus, who doesn't love a homemade quilt or a cozy knitted blanket?

Baby toys/mobile/books--
I pretty much think books are necessary and we read to Elanor right from the beginning. As for toys, I do not like plastic toys or toys that require batteries. I like wood and fabric toys. We also made a lot of toys, which Elanor actually liked more than the toys people bought her. Also, a mobile with black and white designs really fascinate babies.


I am not sure if this is helpful to anyone, but it was fun for me to think about. Are there any items I left off the list?

Happy Mother's Day!

There is something so special about moms. They love their children so much and it is hard to comprehend that love until you are actually a mother. When I became a mom, it made me more fully appreciate my own mother. She loves her children and now grandchild so much. She helps us to be better, she created a safe, and happy home and is so much the mom and person I want to be. Thank you for all the zillions of tiny and huge things you have done for me Mother Dearest.

To Tyler's mom, Kim, thank you for loving and raising such a sweet boy! You love us all so much and we love you. You are such a wonderful grandmother as well!

 I am so extremely grateful for this little girl who made me a mom. 

Being a mom is so many things in one. It is the best and sometimes the worst. It is the most fun and it is sometimes the least fun. There are ups and downs, but mostly there are ups. Elanor often says, "I have the best family in the whole world." I melt every time because she says it so sincerely. Family bliss is real and we have it in our home everyday, even amid the tantrums.

Happy Mother's Day!

Union Jack Quilt

I must say I am rather proud of myself. I rarely say that, but on this occasion making this Union Jack quilt was quite a feat for me, plus it turned out really well. If you know me well or have known me since I was little, then you would know how much sewing and cutting do not come naturally! I made Elanor a quilt over the summer, if anyone remembers, but did not quilt it (I had a friend do it). It was just squares, but it was also quite large (twin sized). The Union Jack quilt is only lap sized (50"x 60"), which did make it a bit easier. However, it was more complex than Elanor's quilt and I quilted it myself.

My mom loves Great Britain and also many bands, shows, books, plays, food and general culture from there (as does everyone in my family). I decided to make a Union Jack quilt for my mom before Christmas, but did not have the time or money to start it until the end of January. However, I did not want it to be just a Union Jack, I wanted the fabric to be of different things from the U.K. So, I went to Spoonflower --a very cool website where anyone can put on their fabric designs--you can find almost anything on there! I only wanted fabrics that were red or blue and they had to be well designed, not tacky. I fortunately found many fabrics I loved, but I had to limit it to only six, since the fabric is rather expensive at this site. I got a fat quarter for every print I choose on Spoonflower, and then also I had some spare blue and white and then the tartan flannel, red plaid and batting I got on super sale at JoAnne's for only $7!

The blue fabrics from Spoonflower (Tardis-Doctor Who, The Beatles, London scenes).

The red fabrics from Spoonflower (Hobbit holes toile, British telephone and mail boxes, everything Harry Potter).

I designed the quilt myself. I decided to make nine blocks and then sew those nine blocks together.

This is my horrible drawing trying to figure it out.

This is my drawing of the blocks and sizes I would need to cut out. 

 I first cut out the blue fabric into strips and then sewed them together. Then, I cut each rectangle in half diagonally.

  I then sewed on a white strip to each triangle and ironed it. Since, I had not bought my red plaid yet, I moved onto my red fabric. I cut it out and then laid it out. Then I sewed two pieces of the red fabric together for each of the four arms of the cross and then sewed the middle bit with the white squares and telephone boxes together. After, I sewed the white strip onto each section, but did not sew the cross together. Does that make sense?

You can sort of see what I mean in this picture:

None of the blocks are sewn together, just sections.

Once I had the red plaid, I sewed it between each blue triangle, and then I could start sewing each of the nine blocks together. I started with the upper left blue block and sewed it to the small red arm to the right of it, then the other blue block, then next row was the left arm of the cross, the middle of the cross, and the right side and finally the last row was the bottom left blue, middle red, right blue. Make sense? I am horrible at all this, so I need every little thing described in detail to me, so I suspect there is someone out there like me!

Red plaid added.

After my top was all sewn together and ironed, with the help of my friend Becky, we basted the quilt top, batting and backing together. To baste a quilt, you spray this glue-like stuff onto each layer and it sticks together. It makes it so you can quilt it easily without all the pins!

I decided to quilt straight, horizontal lines across my quilt. I had never done this before and wanted to do something fairly easy. I used chalk and ruler to mark out the line and then just sewed along the lines. I used my regular sewing machine, which you can do as long as the batting is not too thick (I think 1/4" batting is ideal).

All quilted!

Next, I cut out my quilt evenly, and then binded it. To bind a quilt, you cut out several long 2 1/2 " pieces. You then sew all those pieces together for however much you need to go around your quilt (there are many binding tutorials out there), and iron it in half. Then, you sew the binding onto the quilt, with your machine. Then fold it over and hand stitch the other side down--at least you are supposed to! I zigzag stitch it on the other side because it is easy, looks nice enough and is strong.

Nice and cozy flannel backing!

I was so excited to give this quilt to my mom! She loved it so much she cried.

My mom on her birthday with her quilt!