Recommendations and Tips anyone??

junismum

HI, 

I just wondered if anyone had any recommendations or tips to pass on - either from you own experience, or from your friends...

as I navigate the very confusing world of what I need to buy to prepare for new arrivals, what we really need, what we don't? what is hype?

For example - what brand of bottle is best for sharing breastfeeding and expressing? Swaddle or not swaddle (straightjacket type wrap or sleep sack?)

Or anything else you think others will benefit from - I enjoyed reading the moses basket vs bassinet discussion - so thought some other recommendations might be good for other people too.

Thanks 

2redtulips

I am a FTM, so I can't say from personal experience, but...

Swaddling - I have heard from several people that it really depends on the baby. Some moms swear by it, but others say their babies hate it. I have some velcro swaddle blankets, old-fashioned receiving blankets, sleep sacks and regular snap-up pajamas at the ready and will see what baby likes best. 

NeonNoon

FTM here too.. I've been lurking on the 0-3 month babies board.  I found this thread to be useful:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12397916/things-you-wish-you-bought#latest

dukemeli

Bottles are so subjective. You can get a couple of a few brands to figure out which your baby likes best. I know people that swear by Medala, Avent and Tommee Tippee. We started with Dr. Brown's and ended up with Born Free.

You definitely want to swaddle. Most all babies love it. We loved the Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. I wasn't a fan of the Swaddleme's. We transitioned to the sleep sack when DS started to roll. Swaddling was no longer safe.

mandyreads

swaddling usually depends on the baby...one of mine loved to wrapped up tight, and the other 2 not so much. 

bottles are also something that you will have to find a fit. I used the funky shaped nuk nipples with my first and avent large nipple bottles with both my other 2. I plan to try the avent ones this time around too.

you'll find your niche. best of luck!!

NicoleWI

What one person loves, the next hates. It's so individual!!! Perfect example: previous poster loves Avent bottles. I couldn't stand Avent and we used Born Free. You'll figure things out. Most babies like swaddling and I love the Miracle Blanket, but there are probably new things out now (most of my baby stuff is 5.5 years old). Do research, go to a baby store and try things out. Definitely get a vibrating bouncy chair and make sure the noise isn't super annoying. My personal choices? MAM pacis, Born Free bottles, Chicco infant seat, Fisher Price bouncer/jumperoo/etc, Super Bibs, Pampers Swaddlers newborn diapers, Triple Paste for diaper rash, THE COSTCO KIRKLAND WIPES--BY FAR THE BEST!, Carter's plain white onesies, Aden & Anais swaddle blankets, Miracle Blanket, Ameda or Medela pump, Lansinoh breast pads.

MsMacual

@NicoleWI - YES!  It totally depends on who you talk to bc one mom will rave about something that another one hated.  

I think the bottle question first depends on how you plan on feeding.  We EBF so there wasn't really a need to have bottles or formula on hand before LO arrived.  In fact, we didn't have any bottles on hand before LO arrived- I went and bought medela slow flow nipples when we were told by our ped to supplement for a few days.  Thankfully our son took that nipple so we eventually invested in a big stash of medela bottles to use while we were apart.  I know of other EBF babies who refused every nipple that the mom tried and never took a bottle.  My suggestion is to have one or two on hand and then invest in more once you know which nipple your child prefers.  The same thing goes for paics if you are going to use them- some kids are picky.  I thought that mybreastfriend was a lifesaver and used ours a ton.   I know of other moms who preferred other breastfeeding pillows (or no pillow).  

We swaddled with regular receiving blankets and it was fine.  We are investing in a stash of A&A blankets for #2 and will use those to swaddle.  Swaddlemes are nice, but in the middle of the night they are sort of a pain (and you need a stash of them b/c of late night blow outs!).  I've heard several moms rave about the miracle blanket, which is sort of like a swaddleme, but a little different.  

In terms of other gear- it really depends on your parenting philosophy, life style, and size of your house.  For example, we don't go places that often where we need our stroller so investing in a really expensive stroller didn't really make sense for us. We have the Chicco Cortina and I have been very happy with it. I have a good friend who lives near Disney World and goes pretty frequently (like 2-3 times/month) so it was super important for her to invest in a nice double stroller (she ended out getting an Uppa Baby with the rumble seat).  They have used it a ton so it was worth the investment.  Our son was very take it or leave it about the swing and I'm glad that we had borrowed one vs buying one.  We did find that it was convenient to have some kind of seat in a few rooms in our house (I had a bouncer in our bonus room, baby pampasan in our bathroom, etc).  It made things a little easier when I was moving about and needed to put our son down to do something.  Finally- check craigslist and your local resale shop for gear.  I picked up a basically brand new bouncer for $15 and the same one was being sold new for $60 at that time.  I'm planning on doing the same thing this time around!