Coming from the opposite side of the spectrum as far as NB clothes go: if you get them keep the tags on until you know how big of a baby you're working with. Owen was huge and never was able to wear NB size. Not even in the hospital.
@Michellewfhs my daughter stayed in until she was 4 months old. At 4 months, she decided to roll both ways and the rnp became unsafe. We haven't slept since...
@cjs260 swaddles, I would say one of a few kinds. Babies are tricky little bugs, and you never know which will do the trick. E loved the swaddleme. As for Aden blankets, see how many you get as gifts. You can never have enough. The bamboo ones are AMAZING for cuddling (my daughter sleeps with them in her crib), but suck for swaddling. I always had 1-2 adens in my diaper bag. You can use them for a makeshift nursing cover it you don't want to nurse uncovered, cleaning up a blow out haha, making a fort, keeping the dog warm....
Yeah, nb clothing. Like @adorebella, my daughter wasn't in them long. She was a looooooong string bean. I had some nb sleepers from my nieces and my mom bought 3 new sleepers. That got us through the first 2 weeks when she actually wore them.
My kids wore nb clothing for a long time. My first was 5lbs 14oz full term, tiny peanut. Second was 7lbs 3oz and was still in nb for a couple months. With my first I only had a few nb outfits washed and ready to go because I was unsure if we would need them. I would recommend getting at least 6 or so to have at the start, just in case. When we realized we would need more we went shopping. It is ok to wait until after baby is born to buy more is you are unsure.
@MrsBrimstone you're welcome it was just my experience is all. I literally called up my BF who was adament on me not getting NB anything and yelled at her over the phone--I was very emotional after my son's birth. Lol I got a huge pack of NB diapers and a Venti decaf coffee at my door an hour later. It was just a horrible anxiety and feeling as a FTM to be completely unprepared. I don't wish it on anyone!
I didn't have enough newborn footie pants. We have a zillion onesies. Footie pants are the best. Tiny socks, not so much. We were gifted fancy outfit sets (onesie and pants) that were never used because I never really left the house, and when I did, I left my son with my parents (I think we went to dinner twice, that's it).
i was in sleepwear for weeks and so was my son. I'd shower and put a clean pair on every day. I didn't care about fixing my hair or doing my makeup. Nursing a baby at first takes a lot of one-on-one commitment that made me not really care about how I looked.
i made the mistake of staying up when visitors came. Then when my baby woke up every other hour all night to nurse for 45 minutes, I was losing my mind. I never thought I'd cry because I wasn't able to sleep when I was tired in the middle of the night.
...some visitors fell asleep while holding the baby on the couch.
Oh, zipper footie pajamas are the best. We stopped buying the snaps very early on. When you're bleary eyed, lining up the snaps seems like a torturous joke.
I third the sleepers, they were amazing! I plan on using them more as this one is due in the winter.
I also second the sound machine. DS would go to bed fine, then wake up crying randomly just a bit later. I realized he would cry when the AC turned off (the unit is outside his window and the return is near his door). Got a good, little cheapo one from Target, put it on "ocean" and POOF problem solved. We used it until last year when he got his fish tank (the filter makes noise) and plan on using the same one with this one.
Yes, yes, yes on the sound machine! We used a fan and a sound machine and even had one for travel that connected to his car seat. I think ours was from the clearance section at Target after our expensive one from Buy Buy Baby crapped out after the first month. Probably the best advice I received was to get your sleeping baby accustomed to noise. We could vacuum during his naps and he'd stay asleep. I miss nap time...
Zipper sleepers are are the way to go. Never used the A & A items but cloth diapers make great burp cloths and absorb anything! My son liked the SwaddleMe items but busted out at 4 months and then slept butt up in the air.
Now don't flame me on this next suggestion as we were gifted one but it was awesome...a wipes warmer! Yep, I said it out loud. Lol it gets cold in Ohio at night in the winter. My son loved the warmth on his bottom and anything that made middle of the night changes easier was a keeper in my book.
@cjs260, I have always used the Halo sleep sacks, which have a top swaddle you can use, or it can be just a sleep sack if you decide not to swaddle. I had one baby that did well with swaddling and one that did not need it at all, so love the Halo because you can use it in either situation. I would get 2 minimum in each size. Have a backup for when the other is in the wash. As for onesies/outfits, it depends on the baby. My second spit up all the time and went through about 4-5 outfits a day. My first only went through 2 outfits a day on average. Imagine the worst case scenario of 4-5/day and then how often you want to be doing laundry. If you do laundry every 4 days I would have around 16 or so onesie/pants combos or footie pjs.
Definitely get zip-up sleepers. Try to avoid the ones with snaps, and whatever you do, do not buy one of the ones with buttons, no matter how adorable it may be.
Rock N Play people, how many months can I expect my baby to be able to fit in one comfortably?
We also used ours about 6-7 months. We took it everywhere with us too. It's so nice to be able to put baby down to nap when visiting people and not have to hold him or her the whole time.
I definitely second @BrennansMom2012 on the NB clothing. Everyone told me my baby would be too big for NB diapers and clothing from birth. He was 7.4 so not even that tiny and he was absolutely swimming in 0-3 month sizes. I had to go out when he was a few days old and pick up a bunch of NB onesies and sleepers. Even those were a little big on him at the time. I think he probably wore NB for a good 1.5-2 months.
I definitely think that having a few newborn things on hand is a good idea. Most babies (unless you have a 10 pounder) will fit in them for at least a couple of weeks. My son was unusually small and we actually needed premie clothes for the first few weeks. He didn't move into 0-3 month clothes until 3-4 months old or so. I would definitely at the minimum have someone on hand that can go pick up a few things for you if you need them to. My mom went shopping for us. Because you probably won't feel like getting out and going shopping.
@BrennansMom2012 mine was so used to noise during the day (he napped out in the living room where I'd have the tv on, vacuum, clean, dogs barking ,etc) so a sound machine at night was a must! He had no idea what to do with quiet. I used the Ocean setting and that way, any time we traveled I could just use a sound app on my phone or pad that had that as an option.
And yes on the zippered footie pajamas. You can get packs of them dirt cheap and they make life magical and easy.
Oh another tip that I used last time--get a gift card from your favorite store you're at all the time (for me, Target) and each time you go in, put $5 or $10 on it. By the time you have the baby, you'll have a loaded GC you can use yourself or give to someone to run out and get you something. I think by the time I had DS I had like $250 on it that we could use on diapers or anything for the house. I just started it again!
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20 DS born 9/4/12 MMC July 2015 MMC January 2016
@AlabamaRedhead that's a great idea about the gift card! DH and I had just talked about buying a pack of diapers each time we go to the grocery store, but now you reminded me that I read a similar suggestion of putting the cost of a pack of diapers on a gift card instead, so then you can use it to buy the size/brand you need at the time.
DS: June 2008 Married: July 2015 BFP: 5/20/16 | EDD: 1/28/17 | Twin boys born 1/16/17
If nursing, skip the boppy and look in to a My Brest Friend pillow or the Luna Lullaby. They are bigger and more supportive for those early weeks/months of breast feeding. Also suggest the white noise machine and halo sleep sacks (both with the swaddle for when they are little and without as they get older).
Edited to add - Even if bottle feeding (breast milk or formula) I recommend the Luna Lullaby. It helps prop your arm up to get baby in a good position for giving a bottle. My Luna Lullaby was awesome. I purchased it (actually had my mom pick it up) the day we got home from the hospital because the boppy was not cutting it. We did use our boppy for propping baby up and tummy time so there are benefits, I just didn't like it for breast feeding.
@AlabamaRedhead that's a great idea about the gift card! DH and I had just talked about buying a pack of diapers each time we go to the grocery store, but now you reminded me that I read a similar suggestion of putting the cost of a pack of diapers on a gift card instead, so then you can use it to buy the size/brand you need at the time.
Exactly! We ended up doing Honest Co. Diapers so we didn't need it for that, we used it for other stuff...like when you have a baby, shit's going to happen, as in you'll need something non-baby related and with that, you can just run and get it and not take out of baby-budget. I may even do another one this time for Publix, cause we'll always need food (and wine post birth!! WHOOT!)
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20 DS born 9/4/12 MMC July 2015 MMC January 2016
@KRB22 I loved them. They worked great with my son. I loved even more that they, and a ton of wipes, were delivered to my door and I never had to go out searching for his size. Prior I was using Seventh Generation which I also loved, but not everyone carries them and when I needed his size, there would be several times they were out. I put my HC account on hold for a few years and will be restarting that bad boy up in February!
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20 DS born 9/4/12 MMC July 2015 MMC January 2016
Just a little word of advice from the Mom who listened to every other Mom before her first came---have a good sized handful of newborn stuff available. My son was 6lbs 14oz and stayed in Newborn items for over a month. We had 3 newborn sleepers and 2 small packs of newborn diapers (1 one of those from the hospital) because everyone said we would never need newborn stuff. After our two day checkup with the pediatrician I was at Once Upon a Child getting newborn sleepers. We were completely unprepared for that first month!
DD was 5.9lbs right away and even dropped to 4.13lbs (I remember that because I cried thinking that she was way way too little & we were having a hard time with breastfeeding). I will be getting newborn clothes as well. They grow out of them quick but that's because it's a small part of a size vs a typical 3 mo (0-3mo, 3-6mo, etc.). It was worth it though because poor DD drowned in 0-3mo right away.
BFP #1: DD born on 08.25.12
BFP #2: 09/08/15 miscarried at 6w
BFP #3: DD2 born on 02.07.17
I swear by the amber teething necklace. It's kind of a hot topic because duh, baby wearing a necklace, but honestly teething was such a minimal problem in our house. Does the stupid necklace work? I have no clue, but I am definitely getting one for this baby.
I loved the halo sleep sacks. A&A, swaddleme, and other blankets I wasn't a huge fan of for swaddling. I could just never get them tight enough. I do recommend cotton ones though, because the fleece gets hot really quick. And we live in Minnesota where it gets to -20 sometimes.
Last but not least, a sound machine. DD will be 4 soon and we've had two from target that have been amazing. Makes tons of noise and helps them sleep like a charm. It seems kind of backwards to me, but when you think about having a random loud noise in a quiet house, that would be more likely to wake me up than if there was continual noise going.
Those are my top 3 things to buy this time. A lot of stuff like swings, bouncers, RnP, and the like, you'll have no idea if they like. We bought a swing and bouncer for DD at the recommendation of one of DH's relatives. Turns out DD hated the swing but loved the bouncer haha. Every kid is just so different so maybe this next baby won't even like any of what we used with DD.
BFP #1: DD born on 08.25.12
BFP #2: 09/08/15 miscarried at 6w
BFP #3: DD2 born on 02.07.17
@fionnualajane oh yes and this reminds me, a push present.
My H and I regularly go over this conversation this pregnancy: Me: "I'm pinning diamond necklaces for my push present" H: "I thought you said push presents were silly and you didn't want one" Me: "That was years ago. It was the first time and I didn't know any better. Now a diamond necklace please" H: "Don't hold your breath"
Most of my go-to items have been mentioned. RnP, A&A swaddlers, halo swaddles/wearable blankets, sleep sheep/sound machine, gas drops. I agree with the concept of having a few NB items on hand. Just keep the tags on in case you don't need them. We skipped buying NB sizes with our first because people said we wouldn't need them. Our daughter was 7 lbs 4oz and still wore them for quite awhile. I also agree with the zippered sleepers. So much easier than snaps!!!
A couple warnings... The Gerber clothes that take up an entire aisle in Target are ok (definitely not great) but they run small. Just be aware that the sizes printed on them won't match up with other brands. We were gifted a bunch that were never worn because we took the printed sizes too literally.
I'm not sure about the others on here but we have had TERRIBLE luck with thermometers. We have bought $25 thermometers that have crazy readings and the batteries are dead whenever we need them. Get yourself a good one. I heard the Braun Ear thermometer is a good one. That is the only thing on my registry right now!
Get several baby nail clippers since they always seem to get lost. The Safety 1st ones with the big white handle are great because adult hands can use them.
I always see people registering for tons of infant towels. Do yourself a favor and register for a couple infant but also a couple child sized. The infant towels don't fit very long and my 5 year old still uses the child sizes!
Very general question: do you all have a preference between Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us? I've had a slight preference for Buy Buy because of the coupon issue, but I truthfully haven't done any real research into either yet. There's a BRU very close to us, and the BBB is not as convenient - probably an hour away. I'm assuming if we wanted to do BBB we could try out a lot of the products at BRU anyway and do everything online for BBB. I'm not concerned about people having access to BBB because where my friends and family are from has plenty. Thoughts?
@LoneStar21416 I preferred BBB over BRU to physically shop in and do their online registry. That may be because BBB always smells good and the workers have always been so helpful and pleasant. Our BRU closest to us is always kind of run down and finding someone to help you is few and far between. Returning items at BBB has always been quick and easy as BRU was a hassle but I think the teenage staff was partially to blame. I also felt the online registry at BBB was easier to navigate. BRU I feel has a lot of restrictions on their coupons which you have to be vigilant of and prices are a tad higher than BBB. That's just been my experience.
Having said all that, I did both registries mainly to take advantage of the registry close out coupons. I watched my registries carefully and deleted duplicate items from one if I saw it was purchased on the other. I ended up with just a few duplicates but I just returned them for store credit which was turned around and used immediately--plus, I got things I wanted after the baby was born.
I will say one advantage to BRU is when you go to buy your "big kid" convertible car seat (if you go infant carrier first like we did first) is to wait until their promotion deals. Spend over xxx amount and get something for free. We ended up getting a free umbrella stroller and a free digital video monitor (2 cars, 2 seats). We would have paid slightly less at BBB with coupons but the video monitor is awesome and practically indestructible despite it being "free". My Mom went with me and I gave her cash to get the stroller.
I feel that BRU is less expensive when you want to buy a lot of the things . BBB has coupons, but it's 20% off just one item. So, unless you or your baby shower guests buy a big ticket item, 20% off one item isn't much of a deal. 3 years ago , BRU had a much better rewards program for parents and much better sales. It's a shame that they aren't as helpful with their savings as they used to be.
What are your feelings on car seat savers? I went to my cousin's shower on Sunday and she got one. I honestly didn't even know they existed.... is it something I should get??
What are your feelings on car seat savers? I went to my cousin's shower on Sunday and she got one. I honestly didn't even know they existed.... is it something I should get??
What are your feelings on car seat savers? I went to my cousin's shower on Sunday and she got one. I honestly didn't even know they existed.... is it something I should get??
I could be wrong, but I was always under the impression that you shouldn't put anything under the car seat. I haven't really done research on them but I tend to side-eye them. I never used one with my son, and yes my car seat is permanently dented, haha, but oh well. He's still in a booster anyway, so you can't see it.
DS: June 2008 Married: July 2015 BFP: 5/20/16 | EDD: 1/28/17 | Twin boys born 1/16/17
What are some of the websites that allow you to put various products on a registry from places like Etsy? That is a thing, right? My friend mentioned "oneregistry.com" to me, but said she doesn't really love it because it doesn't show pictures of the products. Is there another?
@LoneStar21416 check out babylistregistry.com It lets you link to store registries and also add individual items from anywhere. I started a secret registry on there just to keep track of things I've seen and liked, but haven't decided yet whether I'll share it.
I was just shopping for a baby shower gift for someone who use babylist and found it a little confusing. It doesn't list out the items from the store registries so you still don't see everything in 1 place. But it seems like a good option if you want to register for stuff that's not sold at the big baby stores.
@LoneStar21416 I just put my registries together on MyRegistry.com and it was super easy. I love that I could customize the link that people can put on shower invites.
I'm definitely team cotton swaddle me! I used it all winter with DD and it was so cold here in the midwest! I never worried if she was warm enough at night.
She was in newborn clothes for at least 2 months. So I was also out shopping when she was a couple days old because I didn't have enough. We actually stayed in each size much longer than expected. She's 18 months and we're still rocking 9-12m clothes. So leave tags on for sure until you know what you'll use.
Our RainbowBaby H arrived at 37 weeks on 12/20/16!
Baby E arrived at 37 weeks on 01/31/15!
Married my Marine 05.23.14
*TW* TWIN LOSS 7.2.15 BFP 9.7.15 CP BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16 BFP 10.14.17 CP BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
Random point based off of recent purchases in our home. If you are looking for high chairs, something to consider is clean up and how many kids you want to use it for. We ended up just buying a new one because I couldn't stand our old Chico seat. It was super cute and functional but I hate any kind of fabric or pad for clean up. The seams rip and food gets stuck in little crevices. I know you can purchase new pads and put them in the washer but I have found it a million times quicker and easier just to wipe down a wooden Ikea seat several times a day.
Additionally, its smaller and more easy to move around the house, kitchen and dining room. I like to bring the baby in to eat with me while I'm cooking or doing the dishes so I tend to move him throughout the day. A smaller chair that easily fits through doorways helps with that.
When you are cooking, cleaning and laundering a million things and times every day, every little bit helps. I definitely recommend keeping clean up in mind when choosing which seat works for you.
Re: Registry - Any must haves?
DS2: 11/5/14
i was in sleepwear for weeks and so was my son. I'd shower and put a clean pair on every day. I didn't care about fixing my hair or doing my makeup. Nursing a baby at first takes a lot of one-on-one commitment that made me not really care about how I looked.
i made the mistake of staying up when visitors came. Then when my baby woke up every other hour all night to nurse for 45 minutes, I was losing my mind. I never thought I'd cry because I wasn't able to sleep when I was tired in the middle of the night.
...some visitors fell asleep while holding the baby on the couch.
Zipper sleepers are are the way to go. Never used the A & A items but cloth diapers make great burp cloths and absorb anything! My son liked the SwaddleMe items but busted out at 4 months and then slept butt up in the air.
Now don't flame me on this next suggestion as we were gifted one but it was awesome...a wipes warmer! Yep, I said it out loud. Lol it gets cold in Ohio at night in the winter. My son loved the warmth on his bottom and anything that made middle of the night changes easier was a keeper in my book.
@cjs260, I have always used the Halo sleep sacks, which have a top swaddle you can use, or it can be just a sleep sack if you decide not to swaddle. I had one baby that did well with swaddling and one that did not need it at all, so love the Halo because you can use it in either situation. I would get 2 minimum in each size. Have a backup for when the other is in the wash. As for onesies/outfits, it depends on the baby. My second spit up all the time and went through about 4-5 outfits a day. My first only went through 2 outfits a day on average. Imagine the worst case scenario of 4-5/day and then how often you want to be doing laundry. If you do laundry every 4 days I would have around 16 or so onesie/pants combos or footie pjs.
DS2: 11/5/14
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
And yes on the zippered footie pajamas. You can get packs of them dirt cheap and they make life magical and easy.
Oh another tip that I used last time--get a gift card from your favorite store you're at all the time (for me, Target) and each time you go in, put $5 or $10 on it. By the time you have the baby, you'll have a loaded GC you can use yourself or give to someone to run out and get you something. I think by the time I had DS I had like $250 on it that we could use on diapers or anything for the house. I just started it again!
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
Married: July 2015
BFP: 5/20/16 | EDD: 1/28/17 | Twin boys born 1/16/17
If nursing, skip the boppy and look in to a My Brest Friend pillow or the Luna Lullaby. They are bigger and more supportive for those early weeks/months of breast feeding. Also suggest the white noise machine and halo sleep sacks (both with the swaddle for when they are little and without as they get older).
Edited to add - Even if bottle feeding (breast milk or formula) I recommend the Luna Lullaby. It helps prop your arm up to get baby in a good position for giving a bottle. My Luna Lullaby was awesome. I purchased it (actually had my mom pick it up) the day we got home from the hospital because the boppy was not cutting it. We did use our boppy for propping baby up and tummy time so there are benefits, I just didn't like it for breast feeding.
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
I loved the halo sleep sacks. A&A, swaddleme, and other blankets I wasn't a huge fan of for swaddling. I could just never get them tight enough. I do recommend cotton ones though, because the fleece gets hot really quick. And we live in Minnesota where it gets to -20 sometimes.
Last but not least, a sound machine. DD will be 4 soon and we've had two from target that have been amazing. Makes tons of noise and helps them sleep like a charm. It seems kind of backwards to me, but when you think about having a random loud noise in a quiet house, that would be more likely to wake me up than if there was continual noise going.
Those are my top 3 things to buy this time. A lot of stuff like swings, bouncers, RnP, and the like, you'll have no idea if they like. We bought a swing and bouncer for DD at the recommendation of one of DH's relatives. Turns out DD hated the swing but loved the bouncer haha. Every kid is just so different so maybe this next baby won't even like any of what we used with DD.
My H and I regularly go over this conversation this pregnancy:
Me: "I'm pinning diamond necklaces for my push present"
H: "I thought you said push presents were silly and you didn't want one"
Me: "That was years ago. It was the first time and I didn't know any better. Now a diamond necklace please"
H: "Don't hold your breath"
A couple warnings... The Gerber clothes that take up an entire aisle in Target are ok (definitely not great) but they run small. Just be aware that the sizes printed on them won't match up with other brands. We were gifted a bunch that were never worn because we took the printed sizes too literally.
I'm not sure about the others on here but we have had TERRIBLE luck with thermometers. We have bought $25 thermometers that have crazy readings and the batteries are dead whenever we need them. Get yourself a good one. I heard the Braun Ear thermometer is a good one. That is the only thing on my registry right now!
Get several baby nail clippers since they always seem to get lost. The Safety 1st ones with the big white handle are great because adult hands can use them.
I always see people registering for tons of infant towels. Do yourself a favor and register for a couple infant but also a couple child sized. The infant towels don't fit very long and my 5 year old still uses the child sizes!
Having said all that, I did both registries mainly to take advantage of the registry close out coupons. I watched my registries carefully and deleted duplicate items from one if I saw it was purchased on the other. I ended up with just a few duplicates but I just returned them for store credit which was turned around and used immediately--plus, I got things I wanted after the baby was born.
I will say one advantage to BRU is when you go to buy your "big kid" convertible car seat (if you go infant carrier first like we did first) is to wait until their promotion deals. Spend over xxx amount and get something for free. We ended up getting a free umbrella stroller and a free digital video monitor (2 cars, 2 seats). We would have paid slightly less at BBB with coupons but the video monitor is awesome and practically indestructible despite it being "free". My Mom went with me and I gave her cash to get the stroller.
Married: July 2015
BFP: 5/20/16 | EDD: 1/28/17 | Twin boys born 1/16/17
It lets you link to store registries and also add individual items from anywhere. I started a secret registry on there just to keep track of things I've seen and liked, but haven't decided yet whether I'll share it.
I was just shopping for a baby shower gift for someone who use babylist and found it a little confusing. It doesn't list out the items from the store registries so you still don't see everything in 1 place. But it seems like a good option if you want to register for stuff that's not sold at the big baby stores.
I also agree on not getting infant towels. Child size are definitely the way to go!
Due 1/21/17
She was in newborn clothes for at least 2 months. So I was also out shopping when she was a couple days old because I didn't have enough. We actually stayed in each size much longer than expected. She's 18 months and we're still rocking 9-12m clothes. So leave tags on for sure until you know what you'll use.
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
Additionally, its smaller and more easy to move around the house, kitchen and dining room. I like to bring the baby in to eat with me while I'm cooking or doing the dishes so I tend to move him throughout the day. A smaller chair that easily fits through doorways helps with that.
When you are cooking, cleaning and laundering a million things and times every day, every little bit helps. I definitely recommend keeping clean up in mind when choosing which seat works for you.