I see a lot of posts about what you need for the baby and honestly for every baby, it is pretty much the same! So I won't do that generic post. But I will tell you 5 of my favorite newborn items! I feel like besides the usual basic items, I wouldn't have survived without these!

1. Sleep 'n Play Zip Up Onesies

These zip up onesies are my favorite! My daughter would especially wake up crying after she pooped and would be extremely hungry. I didn't have time to close 10 buttons and that is why I love these zip one ones. I got most of mine from Target but you can really find them anywhere such as Walmart or Babies R Us. My daughter was small so she just barely fit into newborn. Now that she is 1 month old, newborn is getting small on her. I definitely recommend these especially in the beginning. 

Carter at Target

Circo at Target

2. Swaddle Blankets

Oh, swaddling. I do not have time or patience for it. Yes, some people get really good at it but who has the time or energy..especially as a new mom! My friend told me to get these ready to swaddle blankets that have velcro on them. They are a total game changer! I love the ones by Summer Infant from Target or Swaddle Me. These really helped Safa sleep at night and keep her all warm! Also, who has time to learn how to swaddle amongst 10 other things I'm trying to learn! 

Swaddle Me

Swaddle Me 2

3. Cotton Hats

This one seems odd but no hats fit Safa when she was first born. Most brands make hats that are 0-3 or 0-6..which does not make any sense! My baby was smaller and every hat was super loose. The only hats that fit her, I had happened to order a week before she came, are H&M hats. H&M is one of the few companies that make sizes that are 0-1, 1-2, 2-4, etc. They are the new arrival hats and come in a lot of different colors. They do go in an out of stock but I ordered a bunch! The 0-1 still fits her but is now getting tight. 

H&M Organic Cotton Hats

4. Mini Bassinet

During the day, when I was at my apartment I would put her down in her regular bassinet. But then I realized I was paranoid to see if she was crying or it was getting annoying to bring the bassinet to the living room, even though it is just a 2 bedroom apartment. I ordered this side sleeper from amazon a few days after she was born and it is the best! We actually stayed with my mom for a few weeks and this was really helpful to have around the house. You can even bring it when you to other peoples houses and not leave the baby in the car sear. It is also much safer and keeps her on a similar flat surface like the bassinet. I can easily have it in the living room or even on the floor while I'm doing house work. Only thing I did not like about this is that it doesn't fold to be portable so I would say maybe get one that folds to take easily on the go. Also, it says it is for co-sleeping I only use it during the day and night put her in the bassinet. 

Swaddle Me Side Sleeper

5. Stuffed Animal

Okay this last one isn't really a necessity but it is definitely something to have for a newborn. I think it's memorable to have and also cute to see how they grow next to this stuffed animal. I took this above picture just a few days after she was born and plan to take one monthly. My cousin actually gave me this and usually I'm not a fan of stuffed animals but just loved this one!

Hope you enjoyed. My next post will be Survival Tips for New Mommies and then a Fashion brand Feature!

with love,

sania 

This past weekend my friends and family helped me throw me the most amazing baby shower! I wanted a simple all white baby shower with some pops of greenery and light pink. I love the boho look and really wanted to incorporate that into the decor. I wanted a simple and clean look. We were originally supposed to have outside on the patio but due to the weather and possibly hurricane we decided to move it inside. We definitely made it work and brought the outside in!! They definitely helped made everything amazing!! Here are details of all the decor :)

Mommy to Be Backdrop

 

I originally wasn't going to have a backdrop since it was supposed to be outside. When we moved it inside we quickly had to DIY a backdrop area in my mom's living room. We decided to use the fire place. We covered it with white curtains and made a burlap backdrop with tissue paper flowers to cover the TV and fire place. It was really easy to make!! We took cardboard from a box and covered it with burlap. The tissue ball flowers my friend made. A tutorial to make those flower can be found here. We then pinned it onto the board and hung the burlap backdrop on the TV. We added some simple decor with vases and greenery. On the side we added this amazing diaper cake my cousin made for me! For the mommy to be sign we got printed card stock from target and hand wrote Mommy to Be. I loved the subtle hints of pink!

Centerpieces

 

For centerpieces, I wanted it mostly filled with natural greenery. But I also didn't want to spend too much money. I love the simplicity of baby's breath and thought it be a cute flower to have at a baby shower ;) I then got these long vases and succulent plants from IKEA to fill up the tables. Then we added a touch of pink with carnations in the vases. I love burlap and we used these burlap runners from my friends shower to add to the nature look of the event. 

Dessert Table

 

I love dessert tables!! I found this idea obviously on pinterest and decided to copy it exactly! We got the wooden plank from Michaels and my friend painted Sweet Love on it. We made the backdrop really simply with these white curtains (4.99 for 2!) from IKEA. For the actual dessert table I got these white crates, the bird cage and decor pieces from Michaels and IKEA. I then placed all the desserts on white or clean plates. For the cake, we ordered a simple flower design cake from Wegmans!

Cookies made by my talented friend Binita from @TopthatCookie www.topthatcookie.com

Activity Stations & Favors

Baby Shower games and activities are always so much fun. My friend, Sejuti found this amazing idea to make headbands for the baby. Everyone made headbands for the baby, inshAllah and put their name on a tag so inshAllah when she wears it, it'll be a small gift from the :) We also did guess how many honeycombs game for fun!! We also had the "don't say baby" game. That was definitely a lot of fun to hear everyone getting everyone else pins! For favors we purchased these honey jars from Amazon. Something simple and sweet :)

 

Really the best baby shower I could ever dream of. Now it's just the final stretch!! Keep us in your prayers. 

with love,

sania