First Week Home: 5 Surprising Things You’ll Need in the Delivery Room

editors — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:58:00 GMT

1. Camelback water bottle – Three words: Built. In. Straw. Tipping a water bottle over to drink from it is going to seem like a Herculean task while you’re busy pushing out a baby. And you’re gonna be thirsty. Trust me, you will want this. $11.95 on Amazon.

2. A Sock With Tennis Balls In It. – Even if you don’t have back labor, you’ll have back pain, and your partner’s hands will get tired. This works remarkably well.

3. A Soft Headband – Because you’ll be sweaty, and pushing hair out of your face will suddenly seem a tremendous effort.

4. EO Organic Lip Treatment - Lavender and Aloe – Your lips will get dry with all that pushing, so you’re going to want lip balm. Although I was never an aromatherapy person, in the heat of labor, I found that the lavender scent of this organic lip balm really did make me feel less tense. Go figure. $2.99 on Amazon.

5. Notebook and pen – Not for the actual labor part, but immediately afterwards, you’ll want this to record the baby’s weight and length. And then after that, to keep track of feedings, and pain meds, and baby gifts, and shopping lists…

Now, if you want to save yourself some packing trouble, the Deluxe Little Stork Delivery Bag is a worthwhile splurge – for $280, it has pretty much everything you’ll need for during and after the delivery. (Also, the robe and slippers are way nicer than the ones in the photo.) Toss in the tennis balls and the water bottle – plus a change of clothes, a Boppy and some menstrual pads -- and you’re good to go.

Next up: Babble Bests, breastfeeding essentials and more! -- Gwynne Watkins

7 Days of BPA-Free Plastics: CamelBak Better Water Bottle

Chris Ford — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:03:00 GMT

My kids are (almost) completely done with sippy cups, so now I'm starting to think about how I'm going to bring a drink for them to the park without using a sippy cup. Luckily I found a BPA-free option at Amazon - The CamelBak "BPA- Free" Better Water Bottle.

The CamelBak water bottle comes in a 16, 25 and 32 oz. size, has a handle that you can clip to a carabiner or back pack, and is made of BPA-Free plastic. It even has a standard size cap that will apparently allow the lid to fit other bottles.

CamelBak "BPA-Free" Better Water Bottle, $6.95 from Amazon.com for the 16 oz. version

droolicious : camelbak

First Week Home: 5 Surprising Things You’ll Need in the Delivery Room

7 Days of BPA-Free Plastics: CamelBak Better Water Bottle