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Question for you seasoned moms...
Hey all! Just thought i'd post a question here and get your opinions...Our little boy is due in May, and we're trying to figure out the "must haves" for when he gets here. What do you think? What couldn't you live without? Thanks in advance for the tips!
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Re: Question for you seasoned moms...
I actually just put together a list for a friend of mine who is doing her registry and having her baby around the same time as you. Here's what I told her:
The Sleep Sack are great- but don't bother getting the smalls. Get a medium cotton one for the fall and one or two large or XL terrycloth one for the winter. You are having a summer baby and you won't need them that small because it will be warm out. Also you won't put them in the sleep sacks immediately because they like to be swaddled with a receiving blanket for the first few weeks.
I wasn't a big fan of the Swaddle Me, they had these huge piece of Velcro that I always screwed them up and my kid liked just being swaddled in the receiving blanket better.
Ultimate Crib Sheet - those things are great, especially in the middle of the night when they pee through, who wants to change the sheets at 2 am! (just had to do that last night!)
Exersaucer, I didn't register for one was sorry I didn't. We wound up buying this one- https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2861775
I loved it because it was the only way I could get anything done, like take shower
You are gonna need a monitor. This is the one we have- LOVE IT!
https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265802
You'll want a cool mist vaporizer. It makes a world of difference in helping them sleep when they have a cold.
We hated the Bumbo Seat....complete waste of money.
LOVED the swing, that was a lifesaver when they just won't take a nap. I love that space saver swing! https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-Space-Saver/dp/B0033RIE28 I wish they had that when I was registering!
Put down on your registry that you want the big tubs of Butt Paste and A&D.....trust me you'll use them!
Don't register for bottles. BRU is a PITA with returns now. What I wound up doing was getting one single bottle and seeing if he liked it- that way I didn't wind up getting a whole set that would be wasted if he didn't like it. I used one small Dr Browns bottle then when I knew he liked it I bought more of them.
You'll need a bathtub- don't get anything fancy (like the stupid baby spa I registered for a returned, that was a waste!)
First and foremost: A bouncy chair. You will use it when you want to take a shower, have to make dinner, need to vaccumm, and many other times. My DS loves his and he is almost 5 months old (still using it too).
A Swing
A Playmat
An Exersaucer
A carrier (Baby Bjorn, Moby, whatever... just get one)
don't waste your money on Swaddle-me's... or PM me if you want mine
We never even used ours once.
The Fisher Price Whale tub is the best IMO. It has a removable little ledge that props them up when they cant sit up on their own. My DS is really tall for his age and he still fits well in this tub. I have heard others say their 4 month old outgrew their baby tub.
don't waste your money on a mobile for the crib... buy a soothe and glow seahorse instead. It stays on longer and you don't have to wind it up
I also think diaper bags are a waste of money and hard to juggle. I got a diaperbag/backpack thing for long trips and I bought myself an oversized purse for other quick trips.
I agree with the post above about not wasting money on bottles and stuff until you know what your baby will take.
Just chiming in that both my children were anti swaddle-mes but I have friends that used them without a problem.
We never used out bottle warmer or our steam sterilizer (we boiled everything).
Loved the swing (I agree that it is useful for showing, etc). And LOVED the bumbo seat.
Things we couldn't live with out
Of course bottles.. I agree don't buy a whole bunch..
anything fleece blankets etc.. my son loved them
Of course diapers, wipes and a few blankets
zip up sleepers are your bestfriend.. Who wants to mess with snaps at 2am
i loved our seahorse also..
and of course a carseat
Just go with the basics Congrats!
Thermal Receiving Blankets
Triple Paste
Swing
Bouncer
Wipes Warmer
Diaper Champ
Dishwasher Basket for bottle nipples
Every baby is different so, I say register for EVERYTHING that's been recommended to you, even if doesn't get 100% majority vote!
Our must-haves:
Swing - with an A/C adaptor so you don't have to waste money on batteries and one that swings side-to-side and front-to-back (most swings pivot to do this).
Vibrating chair - The Fisher Price Baby Papasan Vibrating Chair wasn't a true bouncy seat but it was the perfect plush place for Emily to sleep 24/7 for the first 8 weeks of her life! I loved that it would run continuously (I hate auto-shut off!!!) and had a music option. Co-sleeping isn't for everyone and not all babies are able to sleep in a wide-open space like a Pack 'n Play or a crib... most will want to be snuggled up tight to you and it was awesome to have somewhere to set her down!
White Noise Machine - We have the Tranquil Moments White Noise machine from Brookstone and are still using it 3 1/2 years later! It plugs into the wall but has battery back-off, has the auto shut-off/timer features and like 8 sounds.
Summer day/night handheld video monitor - this is my #1 top must-have! Being able to SEE your baby/toddler puts you at ease 99% of the time and allows you to stay in bed, worry-free when they are making noises or you just need to know what's going on in their room.
Lap pads - 18" x 27" waterproof, machine-washable cloth pads that I used on every surface while at home, in the car and out & about to lay Emily down on to change her. Babies have accidents, diapers leak, it can get messy... lap pads saved my car and lots of furniture! They also saved my cute, matching changing pad cover from wear & tear as I never had to change her on it as I kept a lap pad ontop of it all the time.
The infant safer bather - a padded, bathing mat-thingy that you just lay down in the tub and lay baby on it. It's slightly inclined so their head stays up out of the water and allows the water to come up to their belly-button to keep them nice and warm. You just squeeze it out and let it dry after bath time. We used this for nearly 18 months and it never had mold or deteriorated and it was like $20. Baby can sit on it once they can sit up themselves and it keeps them up off the slippery tub bottom.
A pack 'n play - even though Emily never really used it to sleep in, as a newborn, we used it 1,000 times when travelling all the way up until this past Christmas when she was 3 years old plus 3 months! She's a wee bit big now at 3 1/2 years old. It was also a wonderful, safe, confined place for her to be when I needed to do chores inside or out, needed a shower and/or when we had friends over. It was the $150 my mother ever spent (we got it at our shower).
A breast pump - I got the Medela double electric pump in-style at my shower and much to my surprise (I was and still am a SAHM and never thought I would need one!), I ended up pumping exclusively from the time Emily was 5 months - 11 months! SOOOOOOO happy I had it!
Fleurville Mothership diaper bag - could not have lived without mine for the first 2 1/2 years! LOVED that I would just wipe it clean inside and out and that it was perfectly organized with all it's compartments. I love all the Fleurville products!
Emily was only swaddled about 5 minutes after birth, she hated it so, no rec for swaddling blankets from me! I also never used a bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer nor wipes warmer but lots of other people LOVED them! I would put them on your registry if you just aren't sure.
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
Wow, you guys are great! I can't wait to join your board in a few months! Thanks for all the recommendations.
-I guess I'll start out with just swaddling blankets first and then if he tolerates it, go for the swaddleme's. Thanks for the heads up!
-The bottle idea was a great one...but I already opened my box of Dr. Brown's glass bottles. Darn, hope he likes them! He's getting mom boob almost exclusively anyway (hopefully!!). Anybody have the Medela Swing? I plan on pumping for the occasional bottle and building up a small freezer stash, so I thought this one might be good?
-We got the Fisher Price Whale tub, and it's too darn cute. Glad it gets good reviews!
-Definitely getting a bouncer...has anyone tried the Bright Starts Ingenuity Bouncer that bounces itself? I saw it at Target the other day, it looked kinda cool. Otherwise, I thought i'd go with the Boppy Bounce in Comfort.
-Do I need the bouncer AND the swing right away? Or can we wait a little while on the swing?
I had my baby shower on Sunday, and we got lots of really cute stuff!!...just not a lot of the stuff we're going to "need". lol, oh well. So i'm just wanting to get us through baby's first month or so, and hopefully build from there. I keep telling him he's expensive...and he responds with a foot to my ribs. Love him already.
Lots of great info from the other posts. As far as a bouncer and a swing, I guess that would depend on the baby. For us, we would not have survived the first few months with DD without the bouncer. It was the ONLY thing she would sleep in. She screamed in the swing, pack n play and bassinet. She started liking her swing around 3 months.
My favorite/most used baby items:
Play arch (like a playmat, but without the mat) - SIL bought us this one, which I love. It plays "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Big Rock Candy Mountain", among others: https://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?ID=17823&BR=485
Swing - he never napped in the first three months, except on me or in that swing
Co-sleeper bassinet - I never thought I'd be 'that mom', but I totally couldn't handle being across the room from my baby when he was brand new. I loved that he was right next to me, and I could pull him into bed with me when he fussed.
Sound machine. He won't sleep without it. Seriously, invest in one.
A sling - my sister made me a Moby-style, but Miles hated it, so I made a Mai-tai style. If you're crafty at all, you can find patterns/instructions online. Just google "babywearing".
Carseat cover to keep him warm going from the car to the store. I thought a blanket would be sufficient until the day it blew off and disappeared across the parking lot, exposing my 2 month old to sub-zero temperatures. You are having a summer baby, though, so this shouldn't be an issue.
Jumperoo, though we bought it when he was 3.5 months old, since he didn't need it before then.
Sleep sacks! These are a lifesaver in our house. He sleeps so much better in these than in just a sleeper, and he refused to be swaddled after about 2 weeks old. We have 3 - the one he's wearing, a back-up, and one in the laundry (usually). He can usually wear a sleep sack for 2-3 nights in a row, but he's also not very messy at night. (i.e. no blowouts or ridiculous amounts of spit up).
Things I didn't like/never used:
Bottle warmer
5 of the 6 diaper bags I received. And I hate using the one I have, but can't seem to find a way around it.
The thousands of stuffed animals people gave us. Ugh.
Baby legs.
The PNP bassinet. I couldn't get the mattress thing to sit in it right, and it continually looked like it was going to fold up on him. I do use the bottom of the PNP as a playpen, now, but I wish I had bought the cheaper version, without the bassinet.
I'm sure there are more, but these are the things that spring to mind. GL with your LO! Can't wait to see him! Oh, and don't be too shy about posting here, now. We're a pretty accepting group, and there's a LOT of good insight and support.
For swaddling, the Miracle Blanket is awesome. I ended up buying 2. My ds loved being swaddled for the first 4 months and dd outgrew it sooner, like around 3 months.
Register for a pack of cloth diapers. They make wonderful burp clothes, b/c they're so absorbent. Then when you're done with them you can use them for other things (cleaning, etc).
Don't bother registering for the crib set. The crib skirt was the only thing I used. Unless you plan on hanging the quilt or something.
Onesies that zip and not snap up the front are terrific. Trying to get those snaps done while they're little legs are moving is tough!
Dont' bother registering for bottles or pacifiers. Your LO may be picky (like my dd was!) and end up going through many different kinds before finding one she liked.
A bouncy seat has been a Godsend!
The FP My little lamb Cradle'nSwing is a favorite at our house. DS loves the mirror and mobile on it. It also swings both directions and plays music.
As for sleepers - I'm in the minority here, but I prefer the snap ones. At night it's easier to unsnap the bottom and change him without waking him up too much. My baby has long arms and legs, and the zip ones are a pain when he's asleep.
Make sure you have some infant Tylenol, OraGel, Mylicon (gas drops) etc. You won't want to be running to Wal-Mart or Target with a sick/crying/teething baby when you realize you need it.
Don't waste money on changing table pad covers that match your bedding. King size sheets fit them, come 2 in a package, and are a lot cheaper.
I didn't get through all the posts so sorry for repeats. I just wanted to offer this:
If you can borrow or are ok buying used, I'd go that route with a swing and exersaucer. With 2 kids, I've found very different preferences and they are not cheap items.
Be sure you have a sling or some kind of baby carrier. Both of my kids lived in mine as infants and still get in on occasion when the stroller just isn't cutting it.