So I know that baby needs somewhere to sleep, wear, eat, and diapers... but what are your must-haves post shower?
We have: crib, bassinet, all cloth diapers for NB stage, car seat (and an infant/child seat), pack-and-play.
I figure the things I will buy right away if I don't get them include: crib mattress, stretchy wrap, breast pump, nursing pillow.
But I am on the fence about stuff like the swing and bouncy chair... I might be inclined to get one or the other, but not both right away, and watch for them used on the local classifieds.
Thoughts?
Re: What are your must haves? (Post shower shopping)
I would make sure you have stuff for bottles, too, just in case. And the toiletries/medical stuff...just in case :-)
I also suggest 1 place to put the baby, either bouncy seat or swing. I liked the bouncy seat b/c I could move it to wherever I was. I moved it into the bathroom with me to shower for the first 3 months of DS's life! (and definitely check Craigslist for these!)
The only reason I would try to buy a swing or the breast pump before the baby comes is strictly so I won't have to bother running to the store afterwards. If you have support (family, friends, a wonderful DH) I'm sure you can have them run out though.
We have our BOB and apparently someone bought the carseat. We just need the adapter so we can use the BOB with a newborn. I know that this will not be our sole stroller, but haven't figured out what our "run around town" stroller will be, so I am likely to stalk craigslist/ sales for something later.
This! Bouncy seat was a must for us and will be again!
DS born Dec 10, 2013
I did leave out some of the "small stuff" -some of which I know has been bought off of our registry (bottles and the like), as well as the crib sheets (we have two, and plan to use the bassinet for a while.)
Good to know that the bouncy chair would be a choice over the swing for most.
We aren't getting a stroller unless we miss having one... we life on a gravel road, so we would need the awesome crazy $$$ to make it worth out and about here, and I plan on baby wearing if LO cooperates. If that doesn't work out for us we will get it after.
Change pad and cover is a good one. As is diaper bag of some sort.
Here is a 3-page cheat sheet that you may find helpful:
https://www.lucieslist.com/baby-registry-checklist/
I had a bouncy seat on hand and it was great. We didn't use the swing for a few weeks. Neither one was very expensive at all (got a travel swing).
The things I was most thankful I had right away (besides the no-brainers you listed) were a couple of miracle blankets, a white noise machine, and The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. The first night home from the hospital was hell. The next day we busted out this stuff and life got so much easier after that.
https://www.babygizmo.com/news/registrylist.php
has a list of must-haves, get-laters, and don't-needs, all of which are backed up by reasons in their book (check your library). I highly recommend the list.
We got most crib stuff and the playard stuff, car seat, etc. Our situation is a little different-at least one shower after she's born, so we're definitely not buying a swing yet. Split on whether to get the glider/ottoman and stroller now, or to wait for May.
We WILL pick up a changing table, monitor, the bottles (although we're BFing), cloth diapers next time they hit a sale (we have one month leeway due to a one month of diaper service), and some other "little stuff".
One article suggested a diaper bag was a perfect "gift for yourself". And that's what we're doing when I'm really big and on leave!