I think every new parent should have their own setup of a portable trolley. This trolley holds all of Hailey’s daily essentials, something we have been using since the day she was born. I prepared this before I went into labour and it had everything that we needed for both Hailey and my postpartum recovery. In the first few sleep-deprived months, this was a life saver. Newborns need very little in their first few weeks, and having this simplified things because we could visually see what we need in one place. There was no need to be looking around for anything. As Hailey grew, we switched things in and out as our needs change through the months.
This was our setup looked at 2 months.
Tier 1 – Essential smaller items that we use the most. I had my breast pump on the first tier as it’s a parallel height to my sitting position.
Tier 2 – Diapers and changing mat on the second tier, as it was easy to slide our hands under to grab it anytime and also close it with the lid to avoid dust.
Tier 3 – In the first month, we did half clothing, and half swaddles/burp clothes – all covered to avoid dust. And later on, we moved her clothings to her own cupboard and used it to store more burp clothes.
This was my DIY mommy setup. I attached a 5-socket extension cord to the middle tier which has my pump, phone charger and epilator all plugged in. I’ll attach the power cord when I need to use them and detach it when I need to wheel it to another room. I’ve also found a perfect to place my phone against my pump while watching YouTube videos during my regular pumping sessions. TIP: Having a water bottle and a phone charger nearby are super important!!!
Why we love having this
Portability
Easy to move in and out between rooms. In the first month, we had it in our room in the morning, afternoon in the living room, and at night in our confinement nanny’s (CN) room. After our CN left, we kept the trolley by our bedside, where we can easily grab a diaper and change her on our bed. Also I get to pump out in the living room or in the bedroom when needed without having to carry anything else other than the trolley.
Know where everything is
Avoid different ones asking where the diaper, the swaddle, the cotton bud or wet wipes are. They just have to find the blue trolley and find everything there. It makes it easier for people to help if they know where everything is. With a designated place to house the essentials, you only need one set of everything. We also keep everything Hailey needs after her bath, diaper change and sleepwear there.
Have mommy setup on there too!
As mentioned, I have all my pumping gears ready to go, phone charging dock, earphones and also epilator. There will be days when you are pumping alone and your baby starts crying. You can easily roll the trolley closer to baby to comfort them, while still pumping. For night/early morning pumping sessions, I like having all my pumps and flanges attached beforehand and ready to go.
I think the key is to find a setup that works for you and that makes it quick to find what you need. This has been our personal setup and I hope you find yours too!