Attachment Parenting
Texas77again
member
a few questions from a FTM
Texas77again
member
Hi ladies!
1. we are going to cosleep and i'm thinking we'll buy a cosleeper. for those who did it, did you use a crib too? FYI, a friend gave us a bassinet.
2. we are minimalists, what were the things that you considered a must have?
omg, before i started this post i had a million questions. now this is all i can think of. lol. any other advice for a newb?
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Re: a few questions from a FTM
Francesca Pearl is here! Josephine Hope is almost 3!
When my son was born in '06, we had one of those co-sleepers that fit between me and my husband. I don't even know if they make it anymore. I thought it was a pain to use and my son wanted to be close to me, so we chucked it...and just co-slept in bed with him. We also had a bassinet that we used-- I didn't want to exclusively co-sleep, but did want to be able to nurse in bed with him which just made us both much, much happier. He slept in both equally by the time he was about 4/5 months old.
We are minimalists too. I'd say, if you are planning on nursing, a really, really big cup (for all the water you will need to drink!) or extra bottles of water in the 'fridge. Lots of easy to grab snacks for when you are at home by yourself, trying to learn how to juggle new momhood. This was by far essential for me. My son nursed upwards of 12 times a day (he was a big guy....) and fluids and nutrients out, meant that I needed to be constantly eating/drinking to keep my supply up. I hadn't thought of this before baby was born and while I learned the positions for nursing, the requirements of my body just didn't compute until after the fact-- thank goodness I had my mom to help me out for a few days!
1. we are going to cosleep and i'm thinking we'll buy a cosleeper. for those who did it, did you use a crib too? FYI, a friend gave us a bassinet. We just used a bassinet by the bed for the first few months. We co-slept also. We didn't start putting him in his crib until he was about 9 months? I have heard great things about the fischer price rock-n-play sleeper though. I think we will get that for next time!
2. we are minimalists, what were the things that you considered a must have? Honestly it depends on your baby. They are all different, I know that doesn't help. My LO loved his swing, changing table, and my arms.
omg, before i started this post i had a million questions. now this is all i can think of. lol. any other advice for a newb? Like PP said the first months fly by so make sure to document! Take what everyone else says to you with a grain of salt. They all have their opinions but it's your life and your baby, do what you feel is right.
1. we are going to cosleep and i'm thinking we'll buy a cosleeper. for those who did it, did you use a crib too? FYI, a friend gave us a bassinet. I'd stick with the bassinet. When baby gets here you may decide you just want them to sleep in bed directly with you. I'd try what you already have gotten for free, and then if you feel it's not working for LO and/or you, then change it. Don't fall into the trap of buying too much baby stuff. So many FTM do that and you end up with a ton of stuff that never gets used. If you have friends with a baby, a great thing to do is try out their stuff, like their swing/bouncer. My son hated the swing but loved the bouncer, but I bought both. It would have been nice to try out products before committing.
2. we are minimalists, what were the things that you considered a must have? Diapers and clothes. lol.
Any other advice: Don't try to plan ahead too much. The majority of things you're not going to be able to know until your LO gets here and what worked for your someone else might not work for you. You might want to BF but you may be physically unable to. You might want to bedshare, but baby may hate it and want their own space. While having some sort of plan is nice, I see too many get hung up on doing everything a particular way and when something just doesn't work they are heartbroken (not saying you specifically will be like this-more of a blanket statement). Take things as they come and be adaptable to changes in your plan. For now, just enjoy your pregnancy and live in the moment instead of making this hypothetical plan that might not work.
1. We co-sleep on and off. DS had a Moses basket that is much smaller than a bassinet, and he stayed in it until about 2.5-3 months. I would say use the bassinet now -- if not for sleeping, then as a place to put LO when you need to put them down. After a few months, you'll know whether you want a crib, or whether you want to try co-sleeping until LO is old enough to have their own bed.
2. DS lived in his ring sling for the first few months. I would say have a carrier -- many people like the moby, and it is great for a newborn; I just wanted something that lasted longer (they're only good up to 15lbs or so). Also, have *something* that you can set LO down in. If your house is small, the bassinet could always be that for you. If you have multiple levels, you might want something on each floor.
FWIW, DS cried every.single.time I put him in his swing (we had the lamb one). And it took him a really long time to tolerate his bouncer, but still wasn't the "miracle worker" that it seems to be for others!
My advice? See if someone you know has a swing or bouncer or whatever at their house that your LO can "test drive." Swings and bouncers take up so much space, and if LO doesn't like them it's kind of frustrating! In the end, all we needed was a carrier and a bed for LO (the basket was easy to move around the house, and DS often napped in it when he wasn't on me).
Texas!!!!! It is so good to "see" you and even better to see you over-half-baked! Fun story: my phone navigated to this board by accident earlier, but I just went back now to reply and your post wasn't in my usual forums, so it took me for-ev-er to find you, but I finally did in the nicest possible stalker way.
To make up for my stalking, I'll answer some of your questions. Our top newborn essentials were the Rock N Play bassinet, Aden and Anais swaddle blankets, and the Ergo with infant insert. We were minimalists by default because baby arrived early before we had amassed any baby items, so we shopped by eat (boppy, burp cloths), sleep (bassinet, swaddle blankets, white noise machine), poop (diapers, wipes, desitin, waterproof pads), travel (ergo, stroller frame and carseat), and he basically lived in onesies for the first few months. My advice is to follow baby's lead and try not to overthink things.