Mama Must-Haves

As a Mom I’m sure there are things you wouldn’t be caught dead without. I’ve learned the hard way there are just certain things that need to be kept on hand at all times. Think of them like items in your Mom tool belt. Or better yet, a parachute for a skydiver. As Moms we never want to be caught free falling from 40,000 ft without our parachute. Which is exactly what it can feel like if you’re unprepared at 2:00 am with a screaming newborn. Let me share some of my Mama must haves that allow me to float safely to the ground of this free fall we call Motherhood.

Nasal saline! I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know what this was before having a baby. After some middle of the night Googling from a stuffed up crying child, I found out. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime. I was able to order and have it delivered same day.

Since that night I make sure this is always in stock at the Hammer house. Typically I keep one in the diaper caddy and one in the diaper bag so no matter where we are we have it.

These kids always seem to have a stuffy nose. I think congestion is a right of passage for little ones. Luckily it’s nothing a little nasal saline can’t provide some relief from.

There are multiple brands out there that we have used, but my typical go to is Little Remedies. Not that this is better than any other brand, but it seems to be the most commonly available at any local store.

Pedilyte is another must-have in the medicinal department. We’ve also found that having this on hand is nice for us parents as well. You never know when someone is going to be sick, and being able to pull this right out of the cabinet rather than going to the store is so convenient.

We always keep an unflavored bottle on hand for the baby. We mix it in with breast milk when she is sick to keep her hydrated or when she’s stuffy just to help thin out the milk and make it a little easier to drink. I typically mix half and half. 3oz of breast milk and 3oz of Pedialtye. Use your best judgement here, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong. Just keep that baby hydrated!

Now that our son is older he likes the grape flavor so that is always in our cabinet for him as well.

Children’s Tylenol and Motrin. I don’t even feel it necessary to explain this one or provide a link. This is obvious. It’s in our medicine cabinet and our diaper bag. Enough said.

Applesauce pouches seem to be a nessecity for us. These save us from meltdowns and provide a nice snack while waiting for dinner. I get the Kirkland brand. The best bang for your buck while being organic with no added sugar. You can’t beat it.

These easy on-the-go pouches can always be found in our cabinet and in the diaper bag. And can you really have too much applesauce? You want three applesauce pouches in one day? Sure, buddy. Go ahead. He’s not asking for twinkies so I’m not arguing. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t steal one every not and then. They’re a quick healthier snack option for Mama’s and our busy schedules too!

Tubby Todd AOO (all over ointment) is a God send for us. Eczema, cradle cap, diaper rash, sun burn, it covers it all! I should probably be the spokes Mom for these products. My son has terrible skin. Poor guy’s eczema looks so bad at times, I’m pretty sure other parents think he has some sort of infectious disease. Tubby Todd was highly recommended to us and I see why. After one use I was hooked!

The all AOO is our favorite and a definite must-have, but we also use the Everday Lotion and Hair + Body Wash. You can get all three in a bundle. With my son having such sensitive skin we always get fragrance free, but there are fragrance options as well.

Juice Plus is a Mom-must, for me, anyway. Full disclosure, I do sell this product, but I am NOT using this post to try to sell it to you. If you are interested I am happy to answer any questions and provide information, but the point of this post is not to push products on you. It is also expensive so let’s cut the bullshit. I’m not going to feed you some line like “Can you really put a price on good health?”. If you want it, great. If not, great. Now, moving on.

I’m all about anything extra I can do to stay healthy. These kids bring home all the germs from daycare and I do not need them passing them on to me. Juice Plus provides me with extra nutrients from food that simply bridge the gap between what I am eating each day and all that I should be taking in. I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but likely not as many as I should.

They also have a great program called Healthy Starts. This programs provides free Juice Plus gummies or capsules to an eligible loved one between the ages of 4 and 25 with your purchase. All you do is pay shipping. I buy the capsules and my son gets his (once he’s 4) for only shipping costs. It’s that simple.

There you have it! These are some of my Mom must-haves that make my life a little smoother. Please share with me some of yours.

Keep the goods on hand, Mama.

Fran