Top Ten Must Have Baby Items
As you might already know, a lot of moms that blog make a
“Top Ten Must Have List”. I usually find
these lists really interesting and over the last year or so I’ve actually been
filing the printed lists so I could have the latest gadget or the best cream
once baby came along.
It’s funny that many of the “must have” items I would
typically desire won’t work in this environment. For example, while both Zane and I would love
to have a stroller it just wouldn’t work well with the red dirt roads and the
dust. Besides being totally awkward
because no one has one (and you can’t even buy one if you wanted one), they
would be filthy in split second. A swing
would also be nice, but who has room to pack a swing? Even things like a car seat don’t work well
in a lot of the vehicles and I haven’t found one person using one (even
Americans) and the only way to purchase one is in Kampala (which is a four hour
drive from here).
Obviously my top ten list is going to be different from the
usual list because of my circumstances.
Being 8,000 miles away from home changes everything.
10. Pacifier +Pacifier
Wipes
It’s obvious why I would want a pacifier, but having the
wipes has been essential. We have two
pacifiers that he likes and we didn’t bring a pacifier clip; therefore, the
pacifier often ends up on the floor. And
the floor is usually pretty dusty, so it’s difficult to just claim the Five
Second Rule.
9. Aiden + Adais
Blankets
These are the perfect
lightweight swaddle blanket, especially in this hot climate. They are also easy to wash and quick to
dry. I have a few girl friends to thank
who gave me a few of these before I left!
8. Portable
Bassinet
Isaac actually found this at Wal-mart the day before we
left. I kept thinking we’ll just figure
out a crib situation once we got there, but thank goodness we brought
this! There are essentially no cribs or
bassinets here (not even at the hospital).
7. Kettle
Boiling water is a must to not only to sterilize the bottles
but to purify the water that is mixed with the formula. The water out of the faucet isn’t of great
quality. It currently has some sort of
green/moss flakes coming out of it.
Gratefully, we have Peter, the chef, who does the washing and
sterilizing process for us. And, in the
package Isaac most recently sent he included a sterilizer machine. Of course, the machine won’t work if we don’t
have power, but we mostly bought it because we likely won’t have a “Peter” when
we move to Kampala.
6. Plastic
Washbasin
Where else would we bathe him AND wash our clothes? It’s a two in one!
5. “Sleepy
Wrap” Sling
My dear friend, Laura Dickinson, let me borrow an extra one
she had. When you don’t have a car seat,
Boppy seat, bouncy seat, swing, stroller, etc… a sling is your best
friend! And my back and arms thank
Laura.
4. Gripe Water
and Gas Relief Drops
These are certainly not full proof, but it’s nice to have
something to try when you have a fussy/gassy baby.
3. Electricity…
and if not, a flash light
We, of course, would prefer electricity for all the obvious
reasons; however, it randomly and often goes out. When you’re feeding every two hours in the
night, a flash light is a must.
2. Fan
I laughed when it suggested in the baby books (among other
things) to keep the baby at a moderate temperature of 68 degrees. Of course, when we don’t have electricity… we
don’t have a fan! Then, all we have is
piece of cardboard that we can use as a hand held fan. The fan makes for such a better
night. It not only cools us down, which
makes us less irritable and sticky, but it also serves as a great sound machine that blocks out sounds
from outside.
1. Jja Jja
(Grandma)
There is nothing like having Jja Jja here. She’s not just an extra set of hands (which
is actually pretty essential), but she loves Zane to pieces! And on top of that, I’m learning a lot about
infant care from her- after all, she’s an expert after raising three of her own. I don’t know what I would do without her
here. She brings so much laughter, help,
guidance, love, support and wisdom. What
seemed like a really hard situation has become much more doable now that she is
here.
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