Last Updated on November 2, 2024 by melissanreynolds
As a mama of four, I share my favourite baby items for other fibro mamas.
There are a multitude of nursery items and almost as many articles about which ones are necessary. Here’s my recommendations for a fibro parent.
Some of my links are affiliate links, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you if you purchase using these links. I never promote anything I don’t 100% support myself.
Below are my favourite baby items I found indispensable for a mama with Fibromyalgia:
You can find the entire list on my Amazon storefront here. Below I go into more detail.
Cot
I found it very hard on my back to lean forward and put the baby down so a side opening cot is a great idea. For the early months, before baby is pulling themselves up, you can use a cot with adjustable heights, this also helps.
Bassinet
We tried a different option with each baby. All were easy to move and that was very helpful. I wished for a beside bassinet with fold down side so I didn’t have to get in and out of bed so much and to make co-sleeping a safe option. After four, this is the one I would want if I were to do it again.
Three in one pack n play
If you like the idea of combination products, this 3-in-1 is a great idea, it is a bedside crib and a pack and play. You can get versions with the changing table built in. You will get a lot of use out of this if you use it as the bassinet, change table and then portable bed for when you’re away.
Changing table
We weren’t going to buy one, I had thought that I could get by without one. But, being given one has been a lifesaver. I have everything I need to change them on the shelf and can lay them down at the right height for changing. You could even use a set of drawers that are the right height with a change mat on the top and the top drawer full of your supplies.
A nursing chair
For nursing, expressing or just rocking when you’re too tired to stand, it was worth it. Nursing for a mama with Fibromyalgia can be tricky, so a comfortable place to nurse is a good idea – check out my post on nursing with Fibromyalgia here. I had three different nursing chairs across my four kids, and a glider with a footrest is my highest recommendation.
Other parenting posts:
Pumping or Expressing for Your Baby: Parenting (Fibromyalgia or Not)
Keeping kids occupied during your flare
Pushchair
We loved the City Mini Baby Jogger (we have it in black). I found it very easy to steer and lightweight to put up and down. You can also get the universal baby jogger parent console for phones and drink bottles, this goes over the handle. I have recommended this pushchair to everyone, but especially fibro parents as it is so easy to lift, put up and down and steer. I am so sad that we got the last of the old model which means the handle is shorter so we can’t employ the glider board – it would have gotten so much use as each time we had a new baby the older one was not quite old enough to walk everywhere.
At the end of the day, you will want to choose one that is easy for you to handle on your own. Otherwise you’ll be so limited.
Infant capsule seat with folding pushchair frame
We didn’t get one before Noah was born because I thought the infant capsule would be too heavy for me to lift. I was right, very quickly it became a real burden to carry. However, with the frame and the fact that Noah was not a good napper, it turned out to be invaluable.
At some stage early on I noticed that he was tired by about 9 in the morning, but struggled to get to sleep. So we began leaving the house (rain or shine) either via the car or walking. He learned to nap this way. The seat and frame meant that I could seamlessly move from car to shops to car to home easily.
Not everyone is able to carry these, so I’ve heard other fibro parents recommend swivel car seats like this.
My Book Pregnancy and Fibromyalgia
It’s one of the only books ever written about pregnancy and chronic pain and fatigue. I share my journey, the research/literature that exists and other people’s stories of pregnancy with fibromyalgia.
A Boppy pillow/feeding pillow.
I loved this, it was so useful for nursing and to let baby lie down and watch the world go by. It was a real lifesaver when the boys were small to sit them on it and let them watch me potter around the living area. It was also great for my second with his reflux, he took some of his naps on it. We always used it with supervision because there is a chance of baby slipping down and cutting their airway off by pushing their chin forward.
A front pack
This is a difficult one. On the one hand, you are going to hold the weight anyway, so why not distribute it more evenly. On the other, from about six months my little guys became too heavy for my shoulders to bear for too long. I absolutely loved having the Boba wrap with number three and I was so sad that I hadn’t heard of it for the first two. For more about baby wearing see this post.
I loved the Gemini Beco – it goes from 7 pounds/3kg, which both of my babies started off at! My husband spent a lot of time wearing them in this one too!
For my third and fourth I fellow in love with the Boba baby wrap. There’s a learning curve to tying it, but once you have it figured out, they are snug as baby joeys. I wore my babies everywhere so that I had my hands free for the toddlers.
A bath seat
This has meant that I don’t have to hold their weight while they were in the bath and it’s far easier to wash them.
Jolly Jumper
We used this once their neck was strong, at about four months. This was lovely for me when they were super fussy and I was super tired. It gave me ten minutes of time out from holding them.
One thing they can use to pull themselves up with
Toys that enable them to play independently, at the stage they are at, are invaluable. We’re buying time to take a break ehre.
We got one similar to this.
Baby seat
This was something I wanted but didn’t purchase until he was already sitting on his own. It would have been useful before this as he loved to sit and see so it could have bought me more non holding time. Now we use it, strapped to a chair as his highchair. We can also take it when we go away. He will be able to use this until he’s tall enough to sit on a chair at the table, without the space a highchair takes.
We used a seat very much like this.
Bouncinette/Electronic Rocker
This was one of those things that buys you some non holding time that you so desperately need when they’re clingy or your sore or you need to get stuff done.
Breast pump
This was a lifesaver for me with nursing my children. I had to exclusively express for my first and then expressed a fair amount for my second. With my third, I was able to nurse exclusively so I only used a Haakaa manual breast pump for catching those precious drops when I was nursing. Our favourite bottles were Avent – because the teats were shaped more like breasts and therefore helped us to avoid nipple confusion.
Something to make baby food with. My nutribullet has been a lifesaver for the puree stage.
It is so easy to steam up some fruit and vegetables (say, silver beet, apple and kumara) and then puree it in the nutribullet with some of the cooking water. I also use it for my plant based milks too so it is far more than just a baby essential. This one steams and blends.
Did you know that Amazon has a baby registry? You can sign up here Shop Amazon – Create an Amazon Baby Registry It’s basically a mobile registry (available anywhere!) and you will be eligible for discounts and rewards. If you’re going to purchase some of your items from Amazon, you may as well sign up.
Other
We have always been on a budget when buy baby things. So there were some things we just didn’t purchase: wipe warmer, bottle warmer, special nappy bin etc. if they make life easier for you – pop it on your registry! Otherwise, we managed with four children without them quite easily.
Is there anything else to add? Was there one awesome thing you would not do without?
For more information about pregnancy and Fibromyalgia:
Check out the Pregnancy and Fibromyalgia Resources Page – this is the best page I could compile using the limited resources available.
My book is one of only two available about Pregnancy and Fibromyalgia!
Some of my links are affiliate links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you if you purchase using these links. I never promote anything I don’t 100% support myself.
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