Adding a new baby to your family is so exciting! And along with your new bundle of joy comes a whole new experience for you: parenting. It’s easy and completely normal for first time parents to feel overwhelmed with all their new responsibilities.

You and your partner will explore uncharted territory together, as you describe baby poop – color, consistency, etc – to each other in great detail. Your pillow talk will invariably touch on topics such as baby vomit, what it feels like to be covered in dried up milk, and how many loads of laundry you have done in a 24-hour period.

But the good news is there are some great products out there to help you stay on top of things as you adjust to your new role. Here are the top 10 products every new breastfeeding mama should know about:

1. A Diaper Variety Pack 
You can try out different diaper brands on your little one, without having to purchase a full pack. The last thing you want is to spend a month’s wages on a 150-pack of diapers, only to find that they don’t work for your child. PSA: Poop-splosions can escape from diapers if they don’t fit your baby properly. This variety pack is an easy and affordable way to discover which brand fits your baby’s bum the best.

2. Breast Milk Storage Bags
If you already know you’ll have to go back to work, you should start building your freezer stash of milk right away. While there are lots of different milk storage bags to choose from, we recommend the BPA-free and leak-proof ones. And while most breastmilk storage bags can stand up, we highly recommend laying the bags flat when freezing your milk, so that they take up less space in your freezer and, once frozen, can be stacked.

3. The First Years Breastflow Milk Storage Organizer
Optimize your freezer space with this easy milk storage organizer. Take it from me… you will not be a happy camper when you open your freezer to get out the ice cream… errr, I mean the super healthy vegetable thing you totally eat all the time… and are assaulted with flying bags of frozen breastmilk.

4. These awesome Manual Suction Haakaa pumps
So one thing I didn’t realize before I started breastfeeding was that when one breast has a “let down” and releases milk, SO DOES THE OTHER ONE. They both do it at the same time. And if you are only nursing one baby, they can only nurse from one breast at a time. So someone is about to get covered in the milk released by the other breast. Enter manual suction pumps. Pop one of these bad boys on the side baby is not feeding on, and you can not only avoid spraying you, your baby, the couch, the dog, your whole life – with milk, but you can actually save a few ounces of extra milk each day. It’ll be an immense help in building your freezer stash!

5. Baby-Wearing Tops
Yes, this is a thing!! New moms know that we constantly have our hands full… so why not free yourself up a little by wearing your baby? Thanks to these awesome products, baby-wearing has never been easier! These awesome tops are a HUGE problem-solver for any new mama. Babies love to be held, but busy new parents soon learn that is not always possible. But when you wear your little one in your top kangaroo-style, you’ll keep your hands free so you can do fun adult-y things like paying your bills, cooking, or doing laundry – all while snuggling your baby close.

6. Nursing tops!!!
These will make life so much easier when you need to take baby out in public. In a nursing top, you can feed your baby easily and discreetly. And, if you ever need to pump, you can do so without having to remove your shirt. Here are a few of my favorites:
– The Sweet Mommy Bamboo Simple Maternity and Nursing Long Tank Top (Bonus: doubles as a maternity top)
– Soteer Womens Short Sleeve Nursing Top (also doubles as a maternity top) is long and flowy, but also adorable in a Disney princess sort of way.
– We also love the Milk Nursingwear Sleek Wine Striped Scoop Neck Top. It’s fashionable, doesn’t look like a nursing top, and very flattering for postpartum mommy bodies.

7. You will need a great nursing bra like this one from Bravado! Designs. 
A great nursing bra will be your best friend for as long as you are breastfeeding. This one offers great support, and is also really soft and comfortable. The material is stretchy, so it will fit you well whether you’re engorged or you’ve just pumped and are empty. It’s available in different colors, and is machine washable.

8. You can purchase extra parts for your breast pump so you don’t have to wash/sanitize them as often
Your breast pump will come with a complete set of parts that you will assemble in order to pump. But then you’ll need to wash and sanitize those parts, and let them air dry, before you pump with them again. I strongly recommend purchasing some extra parts so that you aren’t spending your whole life washing pump parts.

You can find spare breast pump parts for sale on Amazon, no matter what brand pump you use.

9. A Changing Table Organizer
You would be amazed how quickly a changing table can fall into total disarray. And believe you me, the LAST thing you want when you’re in the midst of changing a poopy diaper is to not be able to find the wipes. The Munchkin Diaper Duty Organizer has a place for everything. Or, if you don’t have the space to keep an organizer on top of the changing table, try this Hanging Diaper Organizer from Hiccapop.

10. A Backpack diaper bag to keep your hands free
This is ideal for mamas with more than one little. It’s no easy feat to carry an infant and a diaper bag… but add chasing a toddler around into the mix and you will need all the help you can get! This bag is spacious and the fabric is very high quality. It has a separate compartment for storing bottles. And it comes with a 2 year warranty. What’s not to love? (I got it in this lovely teal shade which they list as ‘green’ in the options because my hubby said he had a strong aversion to wearing a pink one when we’re out in public.)

And there you have it! Parenthood made easier with these great product hacks.

If you’ve found this article helpful, please share it with other mamas who might also benefit from these products and tips!