Mamas: List your top 10 Must-haves for baby
Married2MrWright
member
Reading the check-in this week got me to thinking...I know every baby is different, but what are the must-haves that got you through the first few months (or beyond)?
For me it is:
1) Cloth prefold diapers, covers and wipes and lots of burp cloths
2) Wrap carrier (DIY Moby)
3) Swing (Fisher Price Zen Cradle Swing)
4) Happiest Baby on the Block DVD
5) Fisher Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse (we've nicknamed her Sally and Libby absolutely LOVES her!)
6) Dex Sound Sleeper White Noise Machine
7) Hair Dryer (for those times that the noise machine just isn't strong enough)
8) Miracle Blankets (although I wish we had gotten them before she was born because she out grew them around 8 weeks old so then we had to come up with our own super swaddle)
10) nursing tanks and breast pads (wear them every.single.day)...Gel Soothies in the beginning really helped the pain/burning.
And more recently, my mom and J swear by the Rainforest Jumperoo (Libby loves it) and the Summer Infant 3 Stage Super Seat (again, she loves to sit in it an play). Sophie the Giraffe is also her favorite teether.
I also love our Twillight Turtle and use it every night as we go to sleep and in the middle of the night for feedings.
ETA: I completely forgot...Colic Calm...totally works and was a godsend for weeks 4-12 when Libby was really gassy and burpy and would scream in pain from gas. Now that she's teething we really like Humphrey's Teething Swift Strips...we get them at Walgreens.
Re: Mamas: List your top 10 Must-haves for baby
Oh these are my fav posts too!!
And Lori, I registered last weekend & while I was at BRU, this poor, completely lost man was in the BF section trying to find what it appeared to be something to comfort his wife's nipples. He was getting the lanolin, but I also steered him to the soothies & told him you swore by them. He got them...hopefully it helped her. Passing your wise words beyond the boards!
1) the obvious diapers/wipes/burp cloths (we used cloth diapers for the burp cloths, now we more or less just use old tshirts)
2) the swing as a newborn, now exersaucer and jumperoo
3) Baby's Bliss Gripe Water - could not have survived the first couple of months - he was so gassy and mylicon didn't do much at all
4) carseat and snap&go stroller
5) Dr Brown's bottles
6) Sophie the Giraffe is still a favorite teether
7) Tylenol for teething
8) saline & Bulb syringe for his nose
9) nail clippers - those things grow SO fast!
10) Sleepsacks
ETA: yes, definitely the glider/rocker/ottoman - I slept there with him for the first like 6 weeks b/c he would only sleep on my chest!
1) Swaddling blanket. We still do a make shift swaddle to get her to sleep, but her arms are always up and out by the time we go check on her, it just helps her to feel sleepy I think.
2) An organized change table and diaper bag. I find if these two things are in chaos it makes life so much more difficult. I like to have the diaper bag always packed so we can get out the door with ease.
3) "The Baby Whisperer" book. I think alot of other books have the same theories regarding a routine and sleep patterns.
4) A swing
5) Some kind of baby carrier. We originally had the bjorn, but it hurt my back once she was bigger than 10 lbs, so we bought the Baby Trekker and I'm in love (plus it's made in Canada).
6) An activity mat.
7) Other mom's (online and IRL). When Elyse wasn't sleeping for 5 weeks, my friends were what helped keep me from losing my marbles.
8) Camillia and Motrin for teething (except motrin has been recalled, so whatever the generic brand is).
9) Glider. Elyse sleeps in her nursery and I feed her in there at night.
10) Oval - to help with gas
Married Bio
Oh one more thing --- Is there a special site that you found to make a DIY moby?
1. Carrier - we used the Moby and Ergo a ton when she refused to nap and needed to be carried all.the.time.
2. Cloth diapers & covers
3. Burp cloths & bibs - she spit up a lot and now she's drooling like crazy.
4. SwaddleMe swaddle blankets - we don't use them anymore but they worked great for us. (The Miracle Blanket didn't work for us - she managed to get her arms out every time.)
5. Breast pump - I have the Medela PISA.
6. White Noise Lite app for iPhone - the actual white noise sound was the only thing that calmed her down sometimes.
7. Infant bath tub - we still use it every day. It's hard to bathe her without it.
8. Nursing tanks - I LIVE in them.
9. Car seat & Graco snugrider/snap n go - we still haven't bought a full size stroller because I can't decide what to get.
10. Zip up sleep n plays - I like the zipper vs snaps because it's much faster and easier for us.
ah yes, I was wondering if the beginning why I had all those bibs - now I know!
The infant bathtub is also a lifesaver for us. I knew I'd forget stuff!
Our LO is too young for a lot of the baby items, like swings and jumperoos. And he's not really interested in play mats and rattles yet. We also havent been going out much except to the grandparents' so we haven't used our Ergo carrier yet...so most of my list is just the basic items:
1. Diapers & wipes
2. Diaper bag
3. Long-sleeve shirts/sleepsacks with the foldover sleeves over his hands--keeps him from scratching his face much better than mittens (he kept getting those off)
4. Bulb syringe--helps extract any spit-up so he doesn't choke on it
5. Nursing bra & cover--great for nursing in public or when we have visitors
6. Breast pump--I have the Lansinoh double electric pump
7. Car seat
8. Nail clippers--it's true, those baby nails grow fast!
9. Receiving blankets--I used them more than I thought I would
10. Changing table & covers--this is a must for little boys since they "shower" you (and the table, and sometimes the wall too) when they're being changed. In fact, I need more covers--we don't do laundry often enough to replenish the covers as quickly as he wets them.
For me it is:
1) Carriers - So far, I use the Moby and a Bjorn; DH has a Bjorn of his own so we never have to readjust and he uses it all the time. Haven't used our Ergo just yet.
2) Miracle blanket and other large blanket swaddlers (took the ones from the hospital and got some really large ones that he has now grown into). We use the bad-boy Miracle at night (very pricey, so we just have 1) and the other ones during the day.
3) Swing (Fisher Price rainforest one)
4) Happiest Baby on the Block DVD - we give this to all our pregnant friends now!
5) Nursing supplies: Breast pump (Medela PISA), Breastflow bottles, Avent microwave sterilizer, Bravado nursing tanks, Lansinoh, breast pads
6) Pacis
7) Bassinet
8) Burp cloths and lap pads
9) Changing table (and whatever diapering system you're choosing)
10) Car seat - we have the Graco SnugRide, but rarely remove it from its base. I think we could have side-stepped this and went straight to our Marathon convertible, had we not received the infant seat as a hand-me-down from our good friends.
We purchased most of the above items, but we also got a ton of clothes, diapers, wipes, bath supplies, and blankets as gifts... all of which we have used a lot, too.
Love it! I like that it has three color options (green, blue and amber)...I usually have it on blue when we get ready for bed and in the middle of the night use amber since it seems to be less bright but throws enough light to see her and get her latched on...I keep it on the nightstand. Now that she's older I'll sometimes turn it on at bedtime and put it next to her for a while. She likes it!
I blogged about it here and you'll find the link to the instructions in that post. It's super easy, no-sew and cheap...we made two for $21.
Now that she's bigger I want to get a woven wrap, but was glad to have started with an inexpensive way to wear her.
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Ooh, me no likey. Despite exercising extreme care, I pinched Libby's skin in a zipper one time and swore them off after that. Poor baby. I also hated how the zippers would rumple up and poke her in the face (they never layed flat)...same goes with her Halo Sleep Sacks. We don't use them because of the dang zippers.
Lol! Us too...along with a Miracle Blanket and Soothe and Glow Seahorse.TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
It's funny with zippered onsies. People either love em or hate em.
I personally LOVED them. We had the kind with a snap at the top to keep the zipper tag down. I hated doing up the darn snaps while bleary eyed in the middle of the night.
The snaps still kind of irritate me. All our zippered onsies are much more worn out that the snap kind.
Married Bio
We have the ones with the snap flap, too.
I hate when I do up snaps and they're not lined up right and then I have to re-do them all!
funny how everyone's list is so different.
1. A good car seat. We have 2 convertibles. I love the Combi Coccoro for my small Jetta, the First Years True Fit is in DH's jeep and we really like that one too.
2. baby care items - diapers (cloth), burp cloths, body wash, etc.
3. swaddle blankets (I like the Aden + Anais muslin ones - they still fit him, I also use one as a nursing cover)
4. baby carriers (especially since we decided not to use an infant specific seat)
5. Arm's reach co-sleeper
6. glomate nightlight. A rechargable night light - use it for night feedings, turn it on just to look at J while I fall asleep
7. infant probiotics - keep his little tummy healthy. helped his gas issues.
8. breast pump. I have the PISA.
9. a good baby care book. I like the dr sears one
10. nursing tanks and/or nursing specific tops. I still wear mine all the time. they are great for discreetly nursing in public (I wear a v neck sweater or something over them).
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I'm finding I have to leave the snaps undone because CDs make her so long and I can't button them. Do you have that problem, too? I guess it's mostly because her nighttime diaper is extra bulky.
I really think my must-haves changed over time.
Here are the most important ones I could think of:
1) baby gear (essentials): diapers, wipes, place for baby to sleep
2) nursing supplies: [for me] MyBrestFriend, burp cloths and breast pump (I have the Medela PIS) OR bottles (BornFree, for us)
3) books: we've been reading to Brooke since... two months? It kept her entertained in the beginning and now she brings books to us to read every day, round the clock. Vance claims he's never read as much until he had a baby.
4) bouncer/exersaucer: kept her entertained while we ate (bouncer when she was younger)
5) infant whale tub: used it up until a few weeks ago (we just transitioned her into the regular tub)
6) Taggies: essentially small blankets with tags all around the edges ... Brooke loved these and we ALWAYS had one when she was younger ... maybe until about 5 months. She's gotten over it though
7) Sophie the giraffe: awesomeness when she was younger ... now, not so much
8) Graco snugride carseat / Bugaboo bee (with carseat adapter): although we don't use the stroller now [she hates being restrained in a stroller], the Bee and the carseat adapter was a lifesaver when she would fall asleep in her carseat and we didn't want to wake her.
9) this CD : ugh... this CD is constantly being played in our car. We've tried tons and tons of CDs and this is the one she loves.
10) Bottle warmer
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I'm ignoring obvious stuff like diapers, wipes, etc.
1) A bouncer. Or a swing. Or whatever. Something that moves that isn't you, because trust me - you will want it! It will be a safe place to put your LO while you eat or go to the bathroom, and I'd bet $100 that at some point they'll even spend the night there because sometimes that is the only way they'll sleep (and don't feel guilty when it happens!).
2) White noise. You can buy a CD or download tracks - I like this site (Dash looooooves the dishwasher sound!), which has high quality, 3-hour long downloadable mp3s for free (both nature and mechanical sounds). We loop those suckers ALL NIGHT LONG.
3) Burp cloths. And more burp cloths. And more burp cloths. Seriously, I wash a load of these every other day. I know we have two babies so we use more than the usual household, but it is amazing how many you go through!
4) I agree with HulaLove re an organized change table and diaper bag. I keep our change table fully stocked at all times, and I restock the diaper bag ASAP when we get home from a trip so the only thing I have to worry about the next time is making up a couple of bottles to add to it.
5) Related to #4 - a second changing area somewhere in your house. We have a 2 story house and the boys and I spend virtually all day in the living area; if I had to take them upstairs to their nursery every time they needed to be changed, I'd spend half my day running up and down stairs (on the upside, I'd have buns of steel lol). But I think this is a good idea even if you only have a single story house - it's such a time saver! We have the drawers in our coffee table filled with diapers and wipes, and a portable change mat that slides under the table. When they need to be changed, I just slide out the mat, open a drawer and hey presto!
6) A GOOD stroller. I hestitated a lot before splashing out on our Baby Jogger, but I swear I thank God I spent the money every.single.time I use that thing. It's sooo light and manouverable! It is without a doubt the best money we spent on a big ticket item.
7) Something to swaddle with. We just use large lightweight waffle weave blankets, although I know a lot of people who swear by the Miracle Blanket. I also just ordered two Woombies, because I think our little dudes will like them (they've started kicking out of their blanket swaddles even though we are super awesome fantastic swaddlers, if I do say so myself
- they're just strong, active kickers).
8) Pacifiers. I know not everyone agrees with using these, and not all babies even like them, but they're cheap enough that you can get a couple to have on hand just in case your LO loves them (and I'd recommend getting a couple different brands to see if your baby prefers one over another - Will and Dash prefer different brands of paci).
9) Lasinoh cream if you're breastfeeding or pumping. Cannot tell you how much I love this stuff - it saved my poor cracked, bleeding nipples when I was pumping in the hospital day and night for the first.
10) Breast pump. OK, this one comes with a qualifier: I'd only recommend buying a cheap manual pump at first, just in case you need to remove a clog, give your supply a boost with a quick pump between feedings, etc. Good electric pumps are $$$ and if something goes wrong and you can't breastfeed after all, you'll have spent hundreds on an appliance that can't really be re-sold. If you need an expensive one right away, you can usually rent one from your hospital.