Welcome to pastelloclub! I’m Jason, a girl dad with another kiddo on the way. As one of the first in our friend group and the first of all the siblings to have a kid, we did what any reasonable parents would do for advice - we turned to the internet.

As you’ve probably noticed, the internet has a lot of opinions about what you need when you become a parent. If you scroll long enough, you will convince yourself that you need a warming wipe dispenser, 47 different swaddles, and a crib that sings lullabies in French.

But when the dust settled and the visitors went home, we realized that surviving the first year wasn’t about having more. It was about finding the quiet rhythm in the chaos. It was about the things that actually worked at 3 a.m., when the lights were off and the world was asleep.

So this space is going to be a collection of what helped us during that first year and beyond. Notes on surviving sleep regressions and the things that help us catch our breath. It’s also a space to help me recollect every that worked and didn’t work as we prepare for the next kid.

To start, here are the five things that actually made a difference in our first year. The things I would buy again in a heartbeat.

1. A sound machine that drowned out the dogs

We live on a street surrounded by nine pandemic dogs; barking from 6:30am to 10pm everyday. A continuous, droning Hatch in the nursery became our invisible shield. Controllable via an app with multiple sound options, it masked the doorbells, the barks, and the sound of us tiptoeing down the hall.

It also gave us enough light to check on the baby and being able to control the volume, sounds, and light from the mobile app turned out to be a huge plus. We could adjust those settings without making noises that’d wake up the baby.

2. A monitor that let us leave the room

The transition to their own room is hard on the heart. Having a baby monitor that just worked - no apps, no passwords, just a steady hum of audio - was the only reason I could step away to take care of other things without hovering over the crib.

We tried multiple “smart” baby monitors with apps and other non-wifi baby monitors before settling on the Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO. We encountered monitors that didn’t work well, apps that were no longer supported, a hacked monitor, etc. So despite the price, it was refreshing to finally find one that just worked.

3. A bassinet that rocked the baby to sleep

I was extremely skeptical at first, but the SNOO Bassinet worked. We read that using it sometimes made sleep training more difficult down the road, but when you’re on 1-2 hours of sleep for who knows how many days straight, that’s a problem for another day.

We did use it every time we put our baby to sleep, but when it was 4am and the world was a blur, the SNOO did absolute wonders so that we could sleep even for 30 minutes.

4. Diaper pail that saved our noses

You’d think all trash cans are created equal; they are not. Queue the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail. Regular trash cans definitely don’t cut it with diapers. We bought a couple different diaper pails upstairs and downstairs, the Munchkin was the best of the bunch when it came to those blowouts.

Until you’ve experienced your first blowout diaper, you wouldn’t think a diaper pail would make the top 5. But after your hundredth one, you know how important it is so that you’re place doesn’t smell like a concert porta potty.

5. Gift cards for takeout

My dad owned a restaurant when I was growing up. I love to cook and I can whip up quick dishes. I overestimated myself and thought, “Sure other parents may ask for food delivery gift cards, but I’ll be good.” I was wrong. No one should be operating fire and cutting produce when you’re sleep deprived.

Buying food from Uber Eats (Costco and Amazon often have deals on those gift cards) or frozen meals was a life saver. Even when you’re just trying to survive, it’s easy to click a few buttons to have food ready. I’m back to cooking what I love, but those togo and instant meals cannot be underestimated during the first few months.

Well that’s all for today - stay tuned for our next note!

A quiet note: Some of the links in my journal are affiliate links. If you click them and decide to buy, I earn a small commission at no cost to you.