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2nd Trimester
FTM/ Baby essentials- Please help
I am a FTM, and don't really have anyone to ask about the "necessities." Can someone give me a rundown of what I need to have/ should get for Baby Boy? Anything that may not be considered a necessity, but you have found you can't live without? Bedding (types/amounts)? Clothing? Accessories? Brands you love, or something that you have found that was poor quality? Something you thought you "had to have" and then found out you were wrong? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Also, in case it matters, I plan to breastfeed, and Baby Boy has his own room in our apartment.
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Re: FTM/ Baby essentials- Please help
Wow. Um....there is so much.
I'm too tired. I'll try to answer later.
Have you looked at registry checklists at all? Or Googled?
The only true essentials are a carseat, somewhere for baby to sleep, some diapers and wipes, and some clothes. We keep a cradle next to my side of the bed, but mostly bedshare for the first few months because it makes BFing so much easier. Whatever bed you choose (cradle. Crib, bassinet, PnP, Moses basket) get 2-3 sheets to fit the mattress.
As far as the extras, I liked having the My Brest Friend pillow around in the first few weeks. A carrier of some sort (moby, ring sling) for walks and keeping baby close while cleaning or whatever.
For BF, your boobs and 5-10 burp cloths. If you plan to go back to work, a pump and some bottles.
Everything else is truly icing on the cake. We were evacuated form our house shortly before DS was born and had very little with us in our temporary location. I didn't want for any of it and DS was totally happy.
I'll play, I am bored at work. My list may get long!
-Sleep and Plays, we kept DD in these most of the time and found the cute little outfits a PITA. I even liked the cheapy Gerber ones because I didn't feel too bad if she had a blow out and I just threw it away.
-SwaddleMes-She slept in these every night and nap. They helped keep her arms in when she was super young and kept trying to stick her hand in the way when I was trying to nurse her.
-The only bedding we had was a sheet (well a few sheets for washing and switching)
-A good pump I had an Avent Double Electric and a medela PISA, I loved them both and they worked equally. (The Avent is cheaper)
-Nursing tanks or stratchy camis-I loved the 2 packs at Costco, they are super long and have easy access without being an actual "nursing" tank.
-Snacks and easy to prepare food for mom!
-Rock and Play, obviously everyone is different but we loved it.
-Milk storage bags
-Medela Soft Shells, they are awesome for the beginning when the nips are a bit sore. They are kind of like an athletic cup for nipples.
Breast pads for leaky boobs. sleepers for baby, diaper rash ointment, lots of receiving blankets.
Walmart and Target clothes run wide, so if you have a skinny/tall baby, clothes won't fit as well, and of course the fabric quality is not like more expensive stores. Loved Gymboree, BabyGap and OshKosh.
Scented wipes and wipe warmers are not my fav.
I loved my diaper stacker and hamper and used my changing table religiously. My little ones loved the bouncy seat until 5 months or so, but didn't care for the vibration, and loved floor time with toys hanging over the top to bat at.
I'm glad my babies' had a nursery room we could close the door to and let them sleep, and I had them practice sleeping there during the day until I was ready to transition them out of the bassinet (or my bed!) in my room.
That's all I have for now
I'm so excited to have my new baby in the house!
Definitely check out the book "Baby Bargains". You're library may have it, but make sure it is the most recent copy. It goes through a lot of the necessities vs. things you don't really need, as well as provides information/ratings on different categories.
Here is a list of things we used quite a bit and necessities:
*carseat, 2 bases if you/SO plan to drive seperately
*snap n go
*bouncer
*swaddle me swaddles
*Itzbeen timer
*multi-use waterproof flannel pads
*sleep gowns (makes middle-of-the-night diaper changes much easier in the beginning)
*bottles (even if you're bfing, you might want to have some on hand)
*boppy
My little man at 0-1-2
This. I am a first timer as well, and recently downloaded Baby Bargains for Kindle. It's full of tons of information, but the best part is they rate specific brands and tell you what's necessary and what's not, plus what to avoid altogether.
Remember this:
Target and baby's r us and every other store in the world will be open and around after the baby is born, you don't need to overload on things in the beginning. Trust me on this! You'll find products and things that you/your baby loves, so sometimes it's better not to be stocked to the brim and wind up not using half of it
Essentials (for me at least) for the first three months:
Nursing tanks (glamourmom xtra long) were my go-to's. I also wore a lot of those dresses that are stretchy elastic on top, strapless, and kind of flowy. Super forgiving, super easy to breastfeed in, super comfortable, pretty cheap, and just one piece. I would throw on a jean jacket and actually look cute or at least decently pulled together
Moby wrap or similar for babywearing. This was my go to for getting baby to sleep. I would wear it around the house and be able to do at least a tiny bit of housework, and she would fall asleep. Keep trying if baby fights it at first, doesn't work every time for every baby, but most like it
Long baby gowns for sleeping, 3 or so, and a few one piece cotton rompers. I went overboard with fancy outfits and they are ridiculous. Baby hates them and they look cuter on the hanger than on the baby. A package of 0-3 white onesies and maybe a pair or two of cotton pants. No jeans, uncomfortable and silly.
Boppy or My breast friend pillow. Must have. Awesome for bf'ing, but daddy used this a lot too while holding baby. Some lanolin cream for dry/cracked nipples. The number of a lactation consultant/la leche league leader, just in case you have bf'ing trouble like I did
A nursing cover was helpful for me when i was getting the hang of nursing in public
Obv. diapers/wipes. We put a diaper changing pad on top of a dresser instead of buying a changing table and it has worked beautifully for us. Two covers for the changing pad
We used a package of prefold cloth diapers as burp cloths and all around clean up
Somewhere for baby to sleep. Moses basket, bassinet, crib, or something. We ended up co-sleeping, so you might want to hold off on any big purchases before your baby gets here. A moses basket by your bed will be fine for the first few months
I never used a breast pump, ever, so i'm glad I never purchased one. you can rent from the hospital if you need it, so I would maybe hold off on that purchase until you know if you'll need one.
I would focus on your needs for the first three months, which are honestly quite minimal. I wish I had done that the first time around. You live and learn