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Pennsylvania Babies
Really, how many do I need?
Of course all of the registry "checklists" list outrageous numbers of things so that they can make their money...
1. So how many of these items do you really need?
-Mattress Pads
-Pack n' Play Sheets
-Fitted Crib Sheets
So far, we have two of each of the above. I've seen numbers such as 3-4 fitted crib sheets for example, but is that really needed?
2. What do you have of things that you're glad you have multiples of that I may not think of? (besides CDs, burp cloths, etc)
3. Does anyone use the Ultimate Crib sheet or another "sheet protector"? My cousin swears by the Ultimate Crib sheet - but its just another layer added in. Safe? Worth it?
Thanks!
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Re: Really, how many do I need?
Mattress pads - I only have one. As a newborn if they have a big wet spot from spit up, you can move them to another spot in the crib. No biggie.
PNP sheets - we had two of these, and probably could have used a third. There's not as much room to move them in case of a giant spitup.
Fitted crib sheets - 2 or 3 maybe. I think we have 4 now, but that also includes keeping some at daycare. And as for the ultimate crib sheet, I had 3 of them and had them all layered on the crib, thinking that if one got messed up, I could just yank it off to expose the fresh one underneath. However, my diva son refused to sleep on them. He was so used to the warm soft cushy quilted PNP sheet that the cold smooth crib sheet (February baby in a cold room) was a no go. So I had to buy a plush mattress pad and crazy expensive chamois crib sheets from Pottery Barn Kids. He still uses them to this day.
How many changing pad covers to you have? That's one area to maybe get a few more. I think we have 3, and we just used cheap hooded towels or receiving blankets that we got as gifts to cover the PNP changing pad.
In the beginning we did laundry every day because he urinated every diaper change, so we always had soaked sleepers, washcloths to cover the penis, changing pads, etc. So we didn't really need a ton of stuff because it's not like we let the urine-soaked stuff sit around.
And babies aren't shy about telling you what they like/don't like, so don't go crazy buying multiples (and don't remove everything from packaging) until you know something's a hit. Like SwaddleMes. I had a bunch of those, but he hated them. He much preferred Sleepsacks, which had me on ebay at 3am trying to find extra small fleece sleepsacks! Same with my sheet story above.
1. -We use one mattress pad. I think we have another but haven't ever used it. He leaked through the sheet and mattress pad a couple of times but in the middle of the night we just put a new sheet on and didn't dig out the extra mattress pad.
- Two pack and play sheets. We didn't use the pnp much though. When he was in the bassinet I think we used 2-3 sheets regularly.
-2-3 fitted crib sheets. We rotate two and have gone through a third when I was behind on laundry one week. We have two for daycare as well so 4 total.
2. Swaddle Me's/Miracle blankets ... really, whatever tool works for your baby. I also liked having two bouncer type seats too. We only have 2 changing pad covers and could have possibly used more. You're doing prefolds, right? If so, you'll have those to put under her bum while changing to help keep the changing pad clean.
3. I have no experience on the UCS, sorry.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
I have 2 mattress pads, 4 PNP sheets, and 3 fitted crib sheets.
DD was never a spitter-upper, so I never needed more than that. I change the crib sheet and mattress pad weekly. I think we've only ever had 2 instances of where she woke up in the middle of the night because her diaper leaked and we had to change the sheets. We don't use the PNP too much right now (that will change as she's getting more moblie), so I think I only change that when we break it down to take it somewhere - so maybe once a month.
However, I do have at least 8 of the basinette-sized mattress pads. I used them not only in the basinette, but on top of the cover on the foam changing pad, since they're waterproof. I also carry one in the diaper bag and use it as a changing pad. Some days, she would dirty 3 or 4 on the foam changing pad. I highly recommend these little waterproof pads! I would also put one on top of her sheets in the crib and put her on it diaperless for fresh-air time.
I also have a ton of washcloths. DD had blocked tear ducts during her first month, so we were going through several washcloths a day. And now that she's eating solid foods and getting a bath every day, we use 4 wash cloths a day (one at her high chair, two for her bath, and one for her teeth before bedtime). I probably have 30 wash cloths!
I don't have a sheet protector, and never needed one.
We only have 1 mattress pad. I got lucky and didn't have a baby who spit up a lot or peed through diapers (until recently) so having 1 was enough. We did get some Koala Baby sheet savers to put under her head/butt (they go on top of the sheet, not under) just in case.
We used the Pack and Play for a long time, so I have 1 of the quilted sheets and about 4 of the regular sheets. But again, we used it as her bed for months. I think generally 2 or 3 sheets would be fine.
Crib sheets we have about 6 of (we got several as gifts) and I probably only use 3. I think when it comes to any of the sheets it really depends on how often you do laundry and if your baby spits up a lot or soaks through diapers, since you'd have to change them more often (this is where those sheet savers are nice because if it gets spit up on, you just take that out and don't have to change the whole sheet since it lays on top).
As PP said, your baby will tell you what they like and don't like. DD didn't mind being swaddled so we stocked up on SwaddleMes. We also had about 6 of the Carter's long sleeved sleepsacks..total livesavers in the winter since I was paranoid about blankets. But, I also stocked up on Gerber thermal blankets; they are a bit warmer than a regular receiving blanket but not super thick so you can still swaddle with them (and they made me feel better about using them than a thick quilt). I still use these blankets - I don't know what it is, but I really love them!
I don't know anything about the Ultimate Crib Sheet, so I'm no help there!
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
1. We have two mattress pads but only really used one, three fitted crib sheets but only ever used two and one pack and play sheet. Connor never napped in the pack and play so we didnt need more. Otherwise I would say two. We also did laundry daily when he was younger so everything got washed really quickly.
2. We had a lot of different blankets on had all the time. Lots of bibs. I EP'ed the first five weeks and we needed to use a new bib for every feeding. Socks, it will be cold and you will need a lot of those since they get lost very easily. Swaddle blankets, definitely have two of whichever kind you want to use, I had a tendeny to forget to grab it and put it in the daily wash.
3. Never used it.
1 mattress pad, but 2 'waterproof pads' as well. They are pretty much just flat mattress pads the sixe of a crib mattress. This way they are a backup pad, a PnP pad, and can go under our sheets where he sleeps. In a pinch, you can also use it as a changing pad.
2 pack n play sheets, one summer, one quilted winter.
3 sheet savers, could easily get by with two - Get the ones from target, not the BRU Especially for baby ones (unless they are the more expensive quilted ones!) The BRU terry is rough, and when spit up gets on it at night, in the morning it's dried into HARD points! I like 3 since I wash his bedding once a week, if I change the SS twice a week, I don't have to do extra laundry.
I love kiddopotamus swaddlemes! I have an entry on my blog with my fav baby items and wastes of money in my experience you can check out if you want
We have:
-Mattress Pads - 1 and never even bother with it.
-Pack n' Play Sheets - 1(and he slept in the PNP every night until a couple of weeks ago) Could have used another if we had had it.
-Fitted Crib Sheets - 3 for the crib and we do seem to go through them.
2. What do you have of things that you're glad you have multiples of that I may not think of? Wash cloths for sure. Pacifiers(Mia never really took one, so we never realized how quickly they get lost!)
3. Does anyone use the Ultimate Crib sheet or another "sheet protector"? My cousin swears by the Ultimate Crib sheet - but its just another layer added in. Safe? Worth it? Nope
2 Mattress Pads- 1 bought one and got the other half off. It's nice to have the extra one while I'm doing laundry
1 PNP sheet. Only used PNP for naps when she was a newborn. We use the changing table daily, but only the sleeping part for traveling. If I found another sheet on sale, I would probably buy it, but it definitely wasn't a necessity for us.
3 or 4 bassinet sheets. One came with the bassinet and the others came in a three pack. Didn't need that many extra.
4 cotton crib sheets and 2 warmer weather more sheet like crib sheets (if that makes sense). DD is a puker/slobber'er. Sometimes I change her sheets 3 times in one day. I could probably use a couple more!
We had two swaddle me's and one miracle blanket. If the MB's weren't $25, I probably would have bought another one. Once she was more than a few weeks old, she broke out of everything. The MB held her in longer!
I got a million receiving blankets at my shower. I couldn't imagine what I would need them all for. I ended up using them on the changing table on the PNP (still our main changing table). If she peed, I'd just clean it up and pop another blanket down.
I did have more than one boppy cover. While I definitely didn't NEED it, it was nice to have.
I also agree with the extra bibs. I had to EP, and eventually switched to formula. Bibs were essential!
I also agree with having more than one pacifier. DD only takes them to sleep. We also keep 4. One at the baby sitters and two at home (rotate them between cleanings). We also have the "travel binky" which I keep in her diaper bag. Because she only takes them to sleep, I always forget them when traveling.
I wouldn't stress too much about what you may and may not need. You'll see by all of our posts that all babies are different. You'll quickly find out what you need more of. You can send DH out, or, after a week or two, you might enjoy the trip out by yourself (I know I did). Plus there is always internet shopping!
Thanks everyone! That was really helpful as I didn't consider having some extras of things kept exclusively in the diaper bag or for daycare. Good point as well that each baby is different (droolers and non-droolers!). I think we have a good start with two of each, plus we have about 10 washcloths, 6 paci's, some extra lap pads, etc. I'll wait and see what we're dealing with and then go from there
Between the teacher in me and the wedding planner, sometimes I have to force myself to not over plan and just wait and see what else we'll need!