From PAIF: What are your must-haves?

lisagab26 · May 2013

Happy (early) Mother's Day to all of you!

I'm trying to complete my registry and thought I would ask those for whom it is fresh-on-the-mind -- any suggestions for absolute must-have products that you recommend (aside from the obvious - an item or two that one might not think of if they don't know any better)? Or, any item(s) that you registered for/received but have found to be unnecssary?

Thanks!

kaf7 · May 2013

My halo sleep sack swaddles. I advise two in whatever size you need to allow for laundering. I am in a climate where LO does need to be in something overnight though. If you were somewhere hot without a/c I might skip on this item.

JBDamonM · May 2013

A boppy if you are going to nurse. A swing. A bouncy seat and some Aden and Anais blankets (they are breathable, lightweight and great for swaddling).

I registered for all the swaddle me blankets and washed them only to find that LO hates being swaddled...... So if you do register for these; I suggest holding onto them unopened until LO arrives.

BabyKsMommy · May 2013

I can't see your ticker so I don't know when you are due but the Aden and Anais blankets are something I want especially for a summer baby. They are so great for the summer because they are really lightweight so you can cover while bfing or cover the carseat but still get some good airflow. But I would get the 47" boutique ones not the ones from target that are 42".

I am also coveting the beco Gemini carrier. I really want this with my next LO. It can face forwards or turned in. It looks so comfy for mama and baby.

I also loved my rnp. It was fantastic. It's the right height for when you are sitting on the couch. It cradles the baby so they feel so secure and go to sleep.

pb_bride · May 2013

Ditto on the swaddling - we used the summer infant swaddlemes when M was a newborn until around 1 month old, then we switched to the larger size of Halo swaddle sleepsack. Agree with having multiples of them - M used to pee/poop so much that he'd leak and soak the swaddle. We had fleece ones b/c M was a fall/winter baby; I know summer infant swaddlemes come in cotton (they SHRINK), but halo ones are only in fleece? (halo makes sleepsacks in cotton, but I think swaddles are in fleece).

Otherwise, Rock n Play was super useful at the start, as M had a hard time sleeping in his crib. Other must haves are: burp cloths, some sort of white noise machine, BF pillow (if you're going to BF), nipple butter/cream, soothie gel pads, breast pads, infant bath tub, wash cloths. tho not a must-have, M really likes his activity gym. We have the FP Rainforest melodies and light gym and he's been "playing" in it since 2 wk old. He's now 6 months and he's about to grow tired of it now. We got ours on CL for just $10, it must have been one of our best buys!

If you're into wearing your baby, some sort of infant carrier will be nice. I had a K'Tan but M hated in when he was young. Now that he's older, I wear him in the Ergo and he likes it.

Some of the gifts we really love are:

Aden & Anais snap bibs (I love them so much that I bought another pack myself even though they are $$$$$. M drools so much and other bibs is too rough and chafed his cheeks.) The A&A burpy bibs are nice too and I have 2 of them. BTW, the A&A blankets are nice but I don't use them to swaddle.

Sophie the giraffe - you won't need it for a couple of months. I thought it was a hype but now when M has a choice of various teething toys, he always reach for Sophie.

Robeano · May 2013

I vote for a swing, we didn't register for one and we needed it. It was super helpful to put DD down and get some housework done.

Things I don't really use is the bouncy seat, I find I use the bumbo more.

And for us with a super spitty and drooly baby, bibs, lots of bibs and receiving blankets. lol

Saraevh · May 2013

If I had to pick one thing to tell you to register for that I could not have lived without for both of my kids I would say a nice carrier. We registered for a Baby Bjorn (which was excellent) but only until the kids got to be about 15ish pounds or so. Then I bought an Ergo (which actually has an infant insert so you wouldn't need to buy two carriers) and it has been worth every cent!

I have used it to grocery shop, get stuff done around the house, wear on walks, etc etc ... love it.

Congrats and have fun registering

TJ1979 · May 2013

Swing, sleep sheep, and swaddlemes were our must haves. She also really loves her FP rainforest jumper which she started using at 6 or 8 weeks and still uses. We also used tons of burp cloths. And easy sleep outfits like the gowns so you can change diapers without having to deal with snaps when you're half asleep.

kaf7 · May 2013

pb_bride:
Ditto on the swaddling - we used the summer infant swaddlemes when M was a newborn until around 1 month old, then we switched to the larger size of Halo swaddle sleepsack. Agree with having multiples of them - M used to pee/poop so much that he'd leak and soak the swaddle. We had fleece ones b/c M was a fall/winter baby; I know summer infant swaddlemes come in cotton (they SHRINK), but halo ones are only in fleece? (halo makes sleepsacks in cotton, but I think swaddles are in fleece).

Just FYI I have the halo swaddles in cotton.

Dragonfly1226 · May 2013

The Ergo! It is so comfortable for you and for baby. We wore DS in it all the time. The Ergoand the swing werevsometimes the only things that could get us some hands free time. The Ergo is also so useful when you are out and about. I really just stopped using it because I got pregnant again but DS is still below the weight limit at two. Ditto PPs who said A&A swaddle blankets. They are good for so much more than swaddling. DS slept in sleep sack swaddles instead of a loose swaddle blanket for safety reasons so those were essential for us.

CallMeAl · May 2013

I'll second the boppy. Get both kinds: the feeding one even if you will formula feed and the newborn lounger. Take the feeding one to the hospital with you and use it as a donut to sit on for the ride home.

hugmonkey · May 2013

Sleep swaddle sacks, swing, bouncer, and boppy are my must-haves. I use all of them every day, several times a day.

ccam · May 2013

I agree with the AA blankets, Ergo and RNP. The Moby wrap was also nice in the beginning, but I probably could have gotten away with just the Ergo. I also never thought I'd rely on it so much but I love our video monitor! I thought it was ridiculous at first but its so worth it. Love our city mini stroller too, its lightweight and easy to use.

Mrs.AmyDylan · May 2013

You have gotten really good info! I want to add some mommy stuff if you are planning to breastfeed. Breast pads (reusable like bamboobies) or disposable. Also a baby safe nipple ointment like earth mama angel baby. Omg, best stuff ever.

Congrats and happy shower!

PennyLane26 · May 2013

We love our Miracle blanket for swaddling. Also loving the Moby wrap and soothie pacifiers (she loves her Wubbanubs!).

We use the swing and bouncy seat a lot.

We go trough 20 or so burp cloths a day, the Gerber cloth diapers are awesome and wash well for that purpose.

Jenny935 · May 2013

We use our swing daily. We registered for the big snugabunny one and a Bright Starts travel one and didn't wind up receiving either, so it took us awhile to make a decision. We went with the smaller one and we've been happy. Also, instead of a bouncer we got the Fisher Price infant to toddler rocker. It has a kick stand that makes it flat instead of chair like so he could lie in it from the beginning. That's another daily use item. It's next to our bed so after he's done sleeping in the crib usually I get another hour or two while he "buzzes" away in that thing. And both are on their original batteries and he's 10 weeks old!

I feel like a bad mom listing 2 things that take him out of my arms, but sometimes it's necessary. Oh, and I second the "don't wash all your swaddles until you know if they like them." Our DS is much happier not swaddled so we already handed those down to a friend!

yodasmistress · May 2013

For us, almost all of the baby stuff turned out to be useless. DS never would take a bottle, only started taking a paci at 7 months because I went back to work, never slept in a crib, didn't use the cosleeper or the pack-n-play, didn't like the exercauser, hated the swing and outgrew it by 3 months.

The ONLY three items that we really and truly used were the car seat (obviously), bouncy seat and the jumperoo. Other than that, boobs, (cloth) diapers and a wrap/baby carrier are all we used. Could have saved a lot of money if I knew then what I know now. LOL

(Eventually we used the stroller but he wouldn't tolerate it until about a year.)

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