- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
2nd Trimester
Jenny3
member
Baby must-haves - from experienced moms :)
Jenny3
member
Someone started this thread on another page and I thought it was great for all the first time moms! There is so much crap out there that you really don't need, I thought I'd share with you a few small things that I loved...
Baby sleep positioner - there are several brands out there. Basically it's a set of triangle wedges to keep baby on his side or back. They are adjustable for growth.
Lingerie laundry bag - these are cheap and a total necessity! Helps save all those tiny socks from getting lost!
Wipe warmer - will make those middle-of-the-night changes a bit more bearable for your baby. Cause really, who wants a cold wipe on the butt in the middle of sleep?
Rectal thermometer - it's no fun, but it's the most accurate. And they are not that horrid to use, trust me.
Cool mist humidifier - I'm still using mine for my 5 year old when she gets croup.
Lap pads - put one on top of your changing pad cover, they are cheap, come in packs of 3 and are easy to toss in the wash.
Totally Toddler laundry spray - keep it by the hamper, spray stains before tossing in the wash. Saves clothing!
These are just in my experience (and I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch!). Moms - feel free to add your favorites!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Baby must-haves - from experienced moms :)
They also tend to dry out the wipes so they lead to a lot of waste.
i dont like the fact that you have to keep them plugged in either- makes me nervous! i dont even keep small appliances plugged in like the toaster and coffee maker! but that's just me! i also dont want the baby to get used to the warm wipes because i have seen many kids never go back to reg cold wipes as young toddlers because they had warmed wipes as infants! it's just not possible to have with you on outtings and stuff, so they might as well get used to it!
I don't think any of these are necessities except for the thermometor and maybe the humidifier.
I hated the wipe warmer.
The totally toddler is awesome. I've been using it on my own clothes for years since my sister got some for her daughter. It works really well on call kinds of stains and definitely helps with baby spit up.
I know a few moms who really love their wipe warmers, but I have to admit that I rarely changed DD's diaper in the middle of the night. I remember my mom couldn't believe that I was changing the diaper in the middle of the night when it was only wet. She was like, "those diapers are so good at keeping moisture away from the skin, and you're only waking her up more and making it harder on yourself." So we definitely survived without a warmer.
One thing that I would say is to only buy a couple pacifiers until you know your baby will take one. DD never got the hang of it, and we had so many pacifiers that we didn't end up using.
I would also recommend my diaper champ! I love it, and I love that you can use regular trash bags instead of having to buy expensive refills.
We also loved our mini cosleeper, and we use both that and the pnp. But i know that is always one of the great debates on this board.
Oh! I also really love my headrest mirror that lets me see DD in my rearview. But be sure you get the kind that wraps around the headrest and clips so that it can't fly off in an accident.
Lots of burp clothes are must, cloth diapers work and are very absorbent too.
I also thought my Avent microwave bottle steamer was a lifesaver. The Avent bottles fit best but you can just lay other bottles down in it. It makes cleaning and disinfecting bottles a much quicker task.
oh yes...totally toddler is wonderful! i used it on the kids that i nannied for- the mom swore by it! it really does get out everything!
and the lingerie bag too is a good idea- i bought a ton of socks because i fig she will be kicking them off and i wont even notice! so at least i know they wont get lost in the laundry w/ the lingerie bag!
I think this same wisdom applies with bottles. Don't go out and spend $100 on bottles before your baby is born. They can sometimes have very particular tastes in the shapes and sizes of the nipples. I loaded up on Avent bottles before I had DD and it turned out she wouldn't take them. She actually preferred the cheap $1 bottles from Wal-Mart.
I wasn't aware of that, it's been 6 years since my last baby so I'm sure things have changed.
I only used the warmer part at night, the rest of the time I kept it unplugged.
Oh and as I mentioned, these things were my must-haves - feel free to add your own!
This.
And I've also read in several different places that the sleep positioners are not only?unnecessary, but unsafe.?
The O'Baby Blog
Huh. I definitely don't think the wipes warmer is necessary. Nor the laundry spray and bag. The latter are nice, but not must have items, IMO.
Baking Blog
pPROM at 27 weeks, Birdy born at 28 weeks at 2lb 7oz.
Bah Humbug! Some of yall are real Debbie Downers today! She was just saying what her Fav's were, I'm pretty sure she wanted everyone to add to the list, not to pick apart her list,jeez!
Jenny, thanks for the tips!
I don't think we were being Debbie Downers. I just think that many of those items aren't "must haves."
She never mentioned adding our favs in the OP. I really don't think it was wrong to share my opinion.
I'm sorry, maybe I was taking crazy pills when I read this?!
Sure I did, read the last sentence.
These were just a few things that *I* loved, I was hoping other moms would add their favorites too to help the first-timers out.
Sheesh.
Ooops, I clearly missed that.
Oh well.
I think the Baby sleep positioner and wipe warmer are a waste. I didn't have either and was just fine.
I would say YES to the Cool mist humidifier. It worked great for when DD has colds. I'll be getting another for this baby.
A note for swaddling - Target's receiving blankets worked great. They were the perfect size.
We never used a sleep positioner.
We never used a wipe warmer.
You will NEED a way to feed your baby, clothe your baby, and diaper your baby. Hell, you don't even need to diaper your baby if you decide to use EC (elimination communication). Baby also needs somewhere to sleep, but we co-slept for a while before he moved to his crib. You also need a carseat of some sort, if you drive.
I actually used my pump, Boppy, TONS of blankets, a lingerie bag for socks and other little things, onesies, milk storage bags, the little sterilizing bags that you can use up to 20x, and bottles. We had a few pacifiers, but Calloway preferred his thumb, so we encouraged it. Bath stuff is nice, but not really necessary. Babies don't really get that dirty, warm water and a wash cloth will do the trick. I hated the baby bathtub, most of the time he took a bath with me (he loved the skin to skin contact). Tylenol, a nasal aspirator, thermometer and humidifier are all good things to have on hand, but they're not things that you'll use every day (we don't).
ETA: my favorite thing was/is my Moby wrap. The first day I got it, I popped him in it and he took a four hour nap. It was heavenly.