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Babies: 3 - 6 Months
teacherlindz
member
Registry Must-Haves
teacherlindz
member
Hi ladies,
Getting started on my registry...a little late and I have pretty much NO idea what I am doing as a first-time mommy with all these goodies. If you wouldn't mind...I would LOVE your top 5 must-have items that I should be registering for! (Maybe tell me the items you could not live without, besides the big obvious things!)
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Re: Registry Must-Haves
get the latest edition of "Baby Bargains". It was my registry life saver.
Top 5:
Snug-a-bunny swing (only thing she slept in until 4 months old)
Miracle Blanket
Chicco keyfit car seat
Sleep Sheep
Rainforest Bouncy Seat
I would suggest really investing in a good stroller, one that will take you through the next couple years. I adore my Phil & Teds Dash, and got it for a great deal on ebay. But my top 5 would be:
1) Awesome Stroller
2) some kind of carrier, I have baby bjorn and the moby, depending on DS's mood....if he wants to be cuddled more or look around decided which I use. DS had colic and has reflux so the carrier saved my sanity for the first few months and we still use both and he will be 5 months soon. I have heard great things about the ERGO...it was a lil more $$, and i got the bjorn used.
3) I second the Snug-a-bunny swing....actually the whole line, DS is still using his bouncy and swing. Love them!
4) Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail
5) California Baby Super Sensitive product line. DS has super sensitive skin, this with aquaphor has been great!
My Little Lamb Swing
Rainforest Bouncy
Swaddle Me blankets (also those wooly type backed blankets omg LO loved being snuggled in them and 4 months later he still does)
Bumbo Seat
Sophie
(these are the things I wish I knew I would have needed before hand, instead of buying tons of NB stuff )
A great, safe carseat. We have the Chicco Keyfit.
LO used the Rock N Play for about two months and we still bring it along when we're visiting friends/family because we don't have a pack and play. LO has reflux so I have not bought a PnP yet because I don't want him flat on his back.
Zip up footed PJ's. So easy, warm, comfy.
A swaddle/sack of some sort (I like the Halo....its the easiest to change a diaper in, IMO).
Onesies for under the swaddle/sleep sack. Short sleeved for summer, long sleeved/legs for winter.
Snap N Go. I would say that's the best $50 I spent. We have used it since day 1 and will use it until LO grows out of his infant car seat. We have the Baby Jogger City Mini as our main stroller after he outgrows the SnG/infant car set.
A playmat/activity mat. LO has used his since day 1 for tummy time. Now he uses it for tummytime and playtime. He loves it.
and I hate to say it, but now that he's a little older....he really loves his Sophie the Giraffe. UGH...I hate that thing but he loves it!!!
Is that more than 5? Sorry!
DS has the FP Luv U Zoo swing...Awesome because it plugs in!! Plus it has batteries if needed
Swaddle blankets/Sleep sacks
AngelCare Video Movement monitor..worth every penny! Sure beats the ol' mirror under the nose trick...lol!
Exersaucer
Breathable Bumpers
Baby Einstein Ocean Playmat
In no particular order:
- carrier of some sort - except not a Baby Bjorn or other crotch dangler because those aren't good for baby's development
- swing or bouncer - babies seem to like one or the other. Also check out The Happiest Baby On The Block DVD for ways to soothe LO during fussy evenings, etc. I borrowed the DVD from the library and it was some of the best 30 minutes we spent during those first few weeks.
- Aden & Anais blankets from Amazon.com...they are breathable, lightweight blankets that are awesome for layering and, once LO gets a little bigger, swaddling at night from about 1.5-3 months. Before 1.5 months, use the blanket that the hospital wraps LO in. Those things are stiff and hold a swaddle really well on small babies.
- A quiet fan to keep air circulating. We have a small tower fan that we put on a shelf and it's great.
- play mat
- Boppy
- burp rags
- California Baby products
- one-piece footed sleepers. We found that we liked snap-up when DS was very small because the zippered sleepers always left a big bump right under DS's face and I worried that it was uncomfortable or blocked his breathing. Now we prefer the zippered sleepers because, at almost 6 months, DS is a wiggling fiend and the snaps take too long.
- Don't register for a Bumbo. Buy it from a second-hand children's store and let your gift-givers spend their money on something else. Bumbos are terribly over-priced and I ALWAYS see at least one at the consignment shop. They're easy to clean so I would be very comfortable going used with this item.
- at least two crib sheets
- baby thermometer. We have the Exergen temporal artery thermometer. It's under $40 on Amazon and there's a $5 rebate on the Exergen website.
- snot sucker. Don't register for this; take the one from the hospital that they use on your LO. The hospital ones are always better than what you can buy.
You should ask what you DON'T need. I could go on and on and on....but my Top 5...
1. Aden + Anais Swaddle blankets.
2. Yoga Ball for bouncing baby (while you hold).
3. A stroller that YOU love. I have a BOB and I do love it, but might not be right for you.
4. Clothes in bigger sizes. My 4 month old is wearning 9 month clothes. He barely wore the 0-3 month stuff.
5. A play yard.
My top 5, in order from most vital to least:
1. Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper. My baby slept in this exclusively until 12 weeks when she just would not sleep lying flat, and now she uses it to play in since she can't sit up yet. It was a lifesaver for sleep training because if she cried at night I could often rock her back to sleep instead of having to pick her up, which let her get back to sleep more quickly since my picking her up wasn't stimulating her.
2. Swaddlers and a DVD of The Happiest Baby on the Block. The swaddle alone won't calm most babies, which is why you hear so many people saying their baby "hates" the swaddle. If you haven't heard of the 5 S's or are skeptical that they work, get the DVD or at least try and find some clips from it online. In the first 2-3 months, the 5 S's had the power to get my baby to screaming her head off to nearly asleep or all the way asleep practically instantly, but it's hard to swaddle a screaming baby with just a blanket when you've had no practice. That's why the velcro swaddlers are a MUST.
3. My Little Lamb swing (I think it's the same as the snug a bunny but with batteries instead of plugged in). I couldn't have gotten anything done ever in the newborn phase without this. Put her to sleep every time and let me cook dinner.
4. Noise machine. I recommend the homedics one. I'm sure any white noise machine will do as long as it has a LOUD white noise sound (I use the "ocean" setting on mine). Not only did it help my baby to get to sleep in the first place (like MAGIC), but I still use it even though she sleeps fine without it because it drowns out all the other noise in the house for her so we don't have to tiptoe around while she's napping.
5. Some kind of breastfeeding pillow (boppy, my brest friend) if you're BFing, or Dr. Brown's bottles if you're planning to use bottles at all. I tried Playtex drop-ins, Avent, Evenflo, and Dr. Brown's. Avent and Evenflo were okay, Playtex drop-ins were terrible (took my LO an hour to feed from them for some reason compared to 15 minutes in the others, same flow nipples), but Dr. Brown's are like magic. My husband and I both noticed that our baby was significantly less fussy during the feeding, had to burp less often, and was easier to burp in general when we used Dr. Brown's bottles as opposed to any other. I can't recommend more highly.
Those are my top five because I really don't know how I could have survived without them. I also highly recommend:
-- If exclusively formula feeding (which I'm not advocating, but sometimes it's necessary): Dr. Brown's pitcher, to make large quantities ahead of time and minimize bubbles from shaking (the pitcher stirs rather than shakes the formula).
-- Bright Starts Start your Senses Activity Mat. At around 3 months this became an indispensable way for my baby to entertain herself while I got things done. The music is actually kind of cute and pleasant, and it has a constant setting and a "shake" setting that will make little musical sounds when you hit it. As soon as my baby figured that out, she was enchanted forever. All the toys (including the musical bee box in the middle) are removable so you don't have to have everything there at once overwhelming your baby, and you can switch things around to keep it interesting. You can also add other bright starts toys or really any stroller toy. The mat itself even has a couple of crinkly parts to keep baby interested during tummy time. I love this thing.
-- Lots and lots of flat cloth diapers to use as burp cloths for spit up. Those cute little terry cloth things don't quite cut it if you really have a spitter. Thank you mom for that one.
Peg Perego Switch Stroller and matching car seat (it's own snap n go (save $50), turns from pram into stroller, too! Baby can face away or face you.)
Baby Bjorn or carrier of your choice
Baby bath sponge*****
Small fan, honeywell & homedics sound machine (both already had)
Pack N Play (we got the chicco and love it)
Aiden and Anais swaddle blankets (now is his blankie)*****
PREFOLD gerber cloth diapers - the best burp cloths in the world!!
Diaper Champ - no buying bags for us! *****
Luv U Zoo Space saver swing
Sophie ****
CRAP as far as we are concerned:
Any diaper pail that requires you to buy their bags (especially Genie)
Wipes warmer, baby bath tub, Mesh teether, Large swings, bassinets, nap nannies,
OMG this. We managed to get 3 of them - one for nursery, diaper bag and the living room
1. boppy pillow
2. calmoseptine (for diaper rash/irritation) - it's OTC but usually behind the pharmacy counter
3. zipper pajamas
4. sleep sacs
5. cloth diapers (for burp cloths)
Rock a Play of some sort. It was wonderful until he learned to roll over and wanted to sleep on his belly. A lot easier to travel with than the Pack and Play.
A ring sling, wrap, or carrier of some sort
I have the FP Luv U Zoo swing and I love it, but any swing that has an outlet and not a battery.
Bassinet/co sleeper/pack and play with a newborn napper (he slept in his PNP with the newborn napper in our room for 3 months. It was awesome because it was the same height as our bed, so similar to a cosleeper, but less expensive.
Swaddleme blankets. He learned how to wiggle out of the regular swaddle pretty quickly and LOVED being swaddled.
Snap n go stroller, we used with chicco keyfit 30. Great because once baby falls asleep in carseat you don't want to wake her if you are going in a store or whatever.
Ergo carrier with infant insert, our baby loved this, calmed her every time
Swing, wish I had one on each floor of our house, best thing ever. We have the Fisher Price Little Lamb one.
Swaddles with velcro (summer or halo were nice) miracle blanket was way too complicated for us
Video monitor, we got a motorola from amazon, even though we have a small house, I am so glad we have a video monitor, just gives you peace of mind when you can see little one.
1. Rock N Play Sleeper
2. Bouncy seat (FP ones are great because they are colorful and most have the "kick" function which turns the lights/sounds on and helps them learn responses...)
3. JJ Cole Diaper Caddy.....I have 3 of these all around the house
4. Boppy Pillow
5. Burp Cloths
1. Sophie (baby loves it)
2. if you plan on Formula, the formula pitcher from Dr. Bronners, a life saver
3. Prefold cloth diapers to use as burp rags, diaper changing pads, spitup rags just about everything
4. Automatic battery powered snot sucker. It doesn't do great on small hard buggers, however, when they are running with a bunch of mucus from a cold you cannot beat that thing. It gets EVERYTHING out.
5. Boxes upon boxes of gas drops if you formula feed.
bouncy seat or rocker
play gym
boppy
i use dr. brown bottles 4oz and 8oz and the dishwasher basket... i have 2
humidifier/vaporizer
1) Boppy. We use it for feeding but it's great to lay him on it or prop him up with it.
2) SwaddleMe swaddlers. We used these constantly until 3 months.
3) Bouncy seat. I park DS in this thing all the time!
4) Gerber prefolds for burp cloths. DS once threw up a whole 7 oz bottle and one cloth contained it all!
5) Bibs. Way more than you think you need. We have 25 and we still run out! We got 2 10-packs from BRU. The cutesy ones that come with the layette sets are crap.
(Obviously, you also need a car seat, that's a given. We have the Chicco Keyfit 30.)
BFP#1: 01/10, M/C 6w
BFP#2: 06/10, M/C 5w
BFP#3: 09/10, DS born June 1, 2011
BFP#4: 07/12, M/C 5w3d
BFP#5: 12/12, EDD 08/18/13
My Blog: Decorate This
-a carrier of some sort. I wish I knew about this... I started with a ring sling when he was about two months. I wish I had of gotten a Moby or K'Tan to use with him from day one.
-sleep sacks
-a stroller you love (dont cheap out, get the one you want the first time). I ended up with two because the one I love is big and bulky. But its amazing for our long walks. We ended up buying a very nice umbrella stroller for quick mall trips, etc
-sleep sheep
-what to expect the first year book
-an electric mobile for your crib (not the wind up kind). From about 2 months on, the only way I can have time to myself if when he is watching his mobile. I use it when I shower, and we still use it every night at supper time so we can eat in peace