Why the Diaper Genie is a Must Have for this Mommy and Some Baby Essentials! #RefreshYourNursery #pmedia #ad

** This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Playtex, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RefreshYourNursery http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV**

We’ve just welcomed the newest member of our family, a healthy baby girl named Taylor, and our home is filled with joy. She was born this past Monday, 7-7 and she is absolutely beautiful!

Joy and chaos, diapers, and onesies are all filling my house right now. Although Zane is only 3 years old, I truly forgot how often a newborn needs to be fed and changed! As the mother of a newborn the outside world has fallen away, and for the moment my universe expands no further than the walls of our home. It is an exciting time for the whole family as the two older kids adjust to the seismic shift to their worlds as well.

As a new mother there are few items that I could not survive without right now. I figured I would list my essential must have baby items that have helped so far, in the hopes that they will help the new mom out there!

Top Five Essential Baby Items:

1. Swaddlers, Swaddlers, and more Swaddlers:

A baby has been in your belly for 9 long months and they fit in the smallest confined space in your belly. When they come out, they flare and tend to wake themselves up all the time. To get them comfortable, I highly recommend investing in some great swaddlers. By far my favorite swaddling blankets are Aden + Anais Swaddling Blankets.   Seriously, when I wrap baby Taylor in these, she drifts right off to sleep. They even get softer when you wash them!

2. Rock N’ Play Sleeper and the Day Dreamer:

I learned about this sleeper and Day Dreamer when Zane was born and it has been a complete lifesaver for us. It is a place where you can put your babies to bed and feel comfortable knowing they are getting great sleep! They both have an incline to it, so if your child has reflux, they will sleep without having their stomach issues waking them up. The sleeper is quite cheap at only $60, and has helped me and Taylor get some sleep. Baby girl even slept 4 hours in it last night- not bad for a 6 day old!

3. WubbaNub Plush Pacifiers:

Babies come out and they have a natural sucking reflex. Whether you are breast feeding or bottle feeding, sometimes a pacifier is a great soother. I found out about the WubbaNub Plush Pacifiers when Zane was born and they have been a fan favorite in this household. Seriously, how cute are these soothers attached to a stuffed plush. They are great because as your infant gets bigger, they can grasp the plush part of the pacifier and put it back in their mouthes!

4. Diapers, Wipes, A &D Ointment..Oh my!:

I am not going to tell you what diaper brand to use but I will tell you to make sure you stock up on diapers. Your baby in the beginning will go through about 12 diaper changes in a 24 hour period (minimum) and you will need to make sure you have diapers wherever you go. Also, don’t forget to have reliable diaper wipes and A &D in the case of diaper rash. These are not only baby favorites but essentials.

5. And Now presenting one of my most favorite baby items- THE DIAPER GENIE with REFILLS:

The diaper genie was one of the greatest baby shower gifts that I received this time around because it was really a double gift. There are two types of necessities for a new mother, the practical ones and the sanity saving ones that are just as important. When you have a new baby it’s easy to loose yourself in the process. That’s the beauty of the Diaper Genie gift, because while supplies last, when you buy three or more Diaper Genie refills at Target you get a $25.00 Spa Finder Wellness gift card! (while supplies last).  I can assure you that Spa Finder Wellness gift card is going to come in handy for me in the near future! This special offer is really exciting for those of us who are the proud owners of not one, not two, but three Diaper Genies in our home.

That’s right, we own three Diaper Genies! Of course with two older kids we already had a Diaper Genie that we’ve gotten really good use out of and another one for our downstairs living room , so we didn’t need to run upstairs. I  still added another Diaper Genie to my shower list for the new baby because the old one is still in frequent use and the one downstairs is going to stay. I wanted one for our basement where we play all the time. It’s okay- I am totally obsessed with the Diaper Genie! There is no way between the constant changing of a newborn, and the potty training phase with Zane that we could have gone without a second, or for that matter, a third one!  That means lots and lots of Diaper Genie Refills!

If you are not a mom yet or are pregnant, you will learn just how stinky the diapers can become, especially when they start table food! The house can become so stinky but with the Diaper Genie and wonderful refills, my house smells wonderful. You wouldn’t even know that there are thousands of smelly diapers a week. Also, no more searching for a bag to throw away diapers. Simply throw the diapers in the Diaper Genie and voila…you are all done! Always make sure to have refills available so you can change the Genie, whenever you need. Also by stocking up on the refills, you can take advantage of the awesome Spa Finder Gift Card! Total Win-Win! How many times as a new mom do you think I can get away with sneaking off to use my Spa Finder Wellness gift cards that I hope to amass?

I feel like finally with the third baby we’ve somewhat figured things out. With the first newborn we were nervous wrecks! With newborn number two we were so concerned about how Hayley, our then toddler was going to adjust, that even though we were more confident with the newborn, we were uptight about our toddler. This time with baby number three we are confident and relaxed as parents, with both the new baby, and the older kids. I know that during these first few weeks there is no time to focus on myself, but that’s fine because this time around I also know that things will settle down soon enough. I know that our family will fall back into a rhythm that allows me to take breaks and do things for myself, and that’s o.k. I’m keeping that time in my mind as a carrot dangling above the sleepless nights, endless cycle of diapers, and feedings. When the time comes that I can break away, my Spa Finder Wellness gift card will be there for me, ready and waiting. Thanks to all the Diaper Genie Refills from Target!