Must haves/Must not haves

CopleyCarrier

I am a first time expectant mother & I'd like to know what were some of the things you absolutely needed (e.g. Baby swing, 'pack in play', changing tables, dressers). Also, what were the items you could do with out? I am on the fence about putting a 'pack in play' on my registry so I'd appreciate your reviews on those as well

cappleby

We used the pack n play bassinet feature and it was critical. I liked it because it had the most airflow and an attached changing table and we used it for the first four months at night. Then it got used for traveling and as a spare bed for visiting baby relatives. So definitely a must for us. I also used the swing a fair amount, get one that plugs into the wall so you don't have to keep buying batteries. Car seat and stroller were musts, especially having a stroller the car seat could click into. We went with a britax bagile and a britax chaperone and it was perfect for us and we still use the stroller with our now two year old. Other must haves for us were halo sleep and swaddles, a baby carrier was nice, and a couple of bottles and breast pump. Luckily babies don't need much at the beginning! A place to sleep, a place to change diapers, some clothes, blankets to swaddle, car seat, stroller, are really all you need at the beginning. Everything else might make your life easier but you might hate it. Don't stress too much! You can always send someone to the store or get it on amazon if you decide you need something after the baby is here! Good luck!

MommyAtty

We use a table in DD's room for changing and put the pad on a dresser for this LO's room. I don't see a need for a piece of furniture (a changing table) that will basically expire in a year. We had a deluxe rock n play instead of a pack n play, and it was the best purchase we made with DD. Was great for sleeping in our room for the first 6 weeks until she transitioned to her crib and we used it for naps until she started trying to crawl out. We didn't have a swing and didn't miss it, but many people swear by them. Don't stock up on any type of bottle. Get a couple of options because goodness knows what baby will accept. Don't get a sterilizer or warmer for bottles. We did. Utter waste of space! We also didn't get a wipe warmer. We did buy a bazillion flour sack towels, which we preferred to burp cloths. They are bigger, cheaper, and super-easy to wash. Oh, and a bazillion receiving blankets, which we loved for swaddling our tiny 6 lb baby.

MelCfromMN

Baby gear will totally depend on your space and lifestyle. Do you have a small house/apartment? Most of the big gear isn't necessary in that case, baby needs a place to sleep, a little space to play, and a place to change/dress. We have an average sized house, but our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the other bedrooms. We had a pack n play in our room (baby ended up sleeping in our room for about the first year), that was very handy for diaper changes, sleeping, containment while I showered, etc. But if your room is a few steps from baby's, and you don't travel much, you probably don't need it. Same goes for swings, bouncy chairs, rock n play (we loved our rock n play as our little one had reflux problems and this was a Godsend, also great for traveling to other people's houses instead of the pack n play) all of those things become places to set baby down to sleep, play, whatever while you do something else. If you have a small place, one or two contraptions is plenty, if you have a large house or two story, try to have something easily accessible in each area. We did the changing table on top of the dresser and it worked very well for us, I could keep all the diaper stuff in a bin on top of the dresser as well, and clothes were in the dresser so I could keep hand on baby at all times.

Other gear I loved if your budget/space allows- Jumperoo/Excersaucer, floor gym, bumbo chair(nice to have, but only used maybe a month or two, so only if you get one as a gift or have extra cash), spacesaver highchair, My Brestfriend (I liked this better than Boppy for breastfeeding, but probably personal preference).

Items I didn't use/passed on: Bottle sterilizer (I did use this for my pump parts, but not for bottles, we just put them in the dishwasher or hand washed), wipe warmer, bottle warmer (I just microwaved a glass of water and stuck the bottle in that to warm), baby food maker (food processor was fine, but it was too much work for me in the end, plus my kid had eating issues and didn't really eat baby food all that long anyway, he was a Gerber baby). We didn't get the expensive stroller either, just the travel system with our infanct carrier (Chicco Keyfit), and I didn't miss it. Although we are more the walk around the neighborhood/mall, not the jog/hike type, even at 3 years old, he still loves his stroller and it has held up nicely. Again though, if you live in a big city and walk everywhere, you may want more of an investment. 

It can all get overwhelming, so just spend some time trying to plan the logistics of your house and your lifestyle. And keep in mind, they will only use most of that stuff for a very short while, so keep yourself in check. Good luck!

hollygb22

It depends on what is important to you. I didn't want a ton of gear clogging up our house.

For us, the PNP is used for travel only. She hated the newborn napper and wouldn't sleep in it. She slept in the RNP instead. So the PNP got packed up and we use it for travel only with an additional mattress we bought for it. If you don't mind a used one, you can snatch them up for half the price.

Space was an issue for us..we opted for a jumperoo vs an exersaucer since it had the addtiional feature of jumping. We loved the Boon Naked Tub because we didn't have space in our bathroom for a large plastic whale tub etc. It folded flat and hung on the back of the door.

DD#1 used the swing for maybe a month? We borrowed if from a friend to see if she would like it and didn't really take to it. alot of smaller gear..bumbo, activity mat, etc you find tons of at consginment shops and sales. That all had short shelf lives for us as she was in and out of it so quick.

We didn't do an extra changing table..pad on top of the bureau. A good carrier was key but we kept it to just one.

fsumom

I'm a STM and the Pack N' Play was one of our most used items.  We used the bassinet portion for DD to sleep in the first few months.  Even afterwards, it was great to put here in it to play when I needed to get housework done, etc.  I also loved the Fisher Price Space Saver highchair.  The changing table was a waste of money in our experience.  We never used it.

This time around, we bought the Nuna Sena Mini which is a Pack N' Play but is a lot smaller than your typical one.

AKB090609

My number one item on a must have list is a goog carrier. My top choices would be a beco Gemini and a k'tan. If I was only allowed one piece of gear that would be it.

chardonnay24

1. Somewhere for baby to sleep. We used a RnP in our room for 7 months and then transitioned to a crib in the nursery. With #2, we are planning on a RnP for the first couple months and a PnP until we move when baby is 6 months - 1 year old because we don't have the space.
2. Carseat. We had a Chicco Keyfit for our son and loved it.
3. Diapers. We CD'd and used BumGenius 4.0 and loved them. We will be using them for #2 and they are still in perfect shape.

Other than the obvious (clothes, blankets, medication), that's really all you need. Things that are nice to have that I loved:

1. Baby carrier. We inherited a Bjorn but hated it. Invested in an Ergo when he was 4 months and used it comfortably until he was 2.5. This time, I'm also planning on getting a wrap (Moby or Boba) for the newborn days.
2. Swing. My son loved it. We could have lived without it, but it was nice to have.
3. Fisher Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster. Still using it at 3 and love it. Easy to clean, doesn't take up a ton of space, comes with a tray that is dishwasher safe, so we used it as a highchair from 7 months on.
4. Stroller. We had a lightweight umbrella stroller and a nicer stroller that I used for longer walks on trails, the beach, and through the neighborhood. What type of stroller you need just depends on your lifestyle.

frasey

Swing & bouncer - essential, as most babies prefer one over the other, but you won't know until you try them out. We have the graco one that is both in 1 device, so it doesn't take up extra space. 

PnP - essential for us as we didn't have a bassinet or anything other than a crib in the other room. We used it afterwards for when DD slept over somewhere, needed containing, etc.

Change pad - never used it. It was on the dresser in her room, but we just changed her where we were, either on our bed or on the floor in the living rm. 

Carrier - loved the baby k'tan when she was tiny, the Beco Butterfly for when older. 

Stroller - Id say choose the stroller you want FIRST, and then get a car seat that goes w it. Easier to do that way, rather than the other way around. Get whatever type works for you, pref not a 'travel system'.

Other - dd looooooved the jolly jumper, we used a zillion receiving blankets (and still do!), had a space saver high chair, swaddle blankets. We did NOT use a bottle sterilizer, wipe warmer, baby bullet, etc. 

amief

As others have said... this is all very baby and lifestyle dependant.  We live in a relatively small space in an urban apartment.  

Must haves: 

• Used organic cloth diapers as burp cloths
• furniture: got a crib, used an old dresser, put a changing pad on top of an old entertainment center and put bins on a bookshelf we already owned.
• we went with the mamaroo for its small footprint instead of a swing.  DS is 7 months and he still eats his morning bottle in this.  You can get one used for less $.
• We put DS in his crib from day 1 as his room is right next to ours so no need for PNP or RNP.  We also have a Day bed in the nursery which has been great and it  where I slept for the first week or so. 
• baby k'tan (for early on) and Boba carrier now that he is bigger
• Uppa Baby Vista: great stroller that can take cobblestones/curbs and snow

Didn't need:

• bottle warmer- DS likes cold
• sterilizer- we sterilized at first use and then put dishwasher on sterilize mode after that, and even that is probably not necessary
• wipe warmer
• special steamer/blender for baby food- just used blender and steam basket we already owned

Some space savers that have been great for us: 

• Phil & Teds lobster high chair
• Blooming Bath

dmurrie

PNP was wonderful in the beginning and also for travel. DD didn't outgrow the height/weight limit until 3 1/2, so we definitely got our use out of it. That being said, the very basic, stripped-down version is best IMO. Less to pack away and store and works just as well. Now, DD was particular in that she'd only sleep on the quilted PNP sheets... but considering how hard those mattresses are, I don't blame her!

We borrowed a swing, and it was wonderful! And we had a bouncer. Bouncer was good because it is more portable. Once again, both of those could be basic, stripped-down models and you'd be just fine.

Infant car seat carrier was very good (and necessary if your baby is small). Some sort of stroller for it to snap into is good. When shopping strollers, make sure they'll fit into your trunk. Babies r us will let you take it out to the car to check. They'll just make you either leave a driver's license or take an associate with you.

Changing table of some sort is a must. We thought we could skip it. A week in, DH ran to the store to get one. Top of the dresser one would be fine or a stand-alone.

A bottle warmer would have been very good b/c DD refused to take her milk cold.

Skip:
Sterelizer (sterelizing isn't discouraged but neither is it recommended any more. Dish soap in the sink is just fine.)
Wipe warmer
DD hated the exersaucer... we think she probably would've liked a jumperoo better, but we didn't feel like spending the extra $ on it so who knows?

2ndGeneration

 OP, we totally used our PNP-as in, used it through all the kids till the netting finally tore!  Goodness, we traveled with it, used it as a safe place for baby to nap downstairs so the other kids didn't disturb (ok, step on lol) him/her, one of the kids slept in our room in it until the kid before him got out of the crib. We even took it to the beach.

 So I'd defenitely put it on your list! My kids are older so I'm starting over but this time I''m getting another-and I like the idea of the bassinnett insert, now I don't need one of those (I used the bassinnett so I will use the insert).