Dear FTMs, Here are the NEWBORN Essentials. Love, STM & TTMs.

mrszoobear · September 2019

@ale9687 - no judgey here. That's a lot of the reason why I asked. I hate dishes and don't want to have to wash them every single use. Soaking in soapy water sounds more like something we would do.

g_gabs71016 · September 2019

@mrszoobear I had around eight 4 oz and eight 8 oz bottles. I didn't use them at all when I was on maternity leave, and then I think she went through 3 to 4 at daycare... I'd start with a few, you can always buy more as you figure it out!

@bookworm982 So this might be counter intuitive, but you could ask for a lactation consultant to help you figure out how to wean, if you decide to early on. One of my friends did that! She said it was helpful and that she did not feel "judged" for her decision and what have you. By the way, I found that bottles early on were not a problem, my daughter took whatever when she was little and only got picky at around 3 or 4 months. Not sure if anyone else had a similar experience!

In general another thing I would say that I loved having was a carrier to keep my hands free and still do other stuff.

bookworm492 · September 2019

@g_gabs71016 I hadn't thought of that! Perhaps I'll do that.

rjgmcmanus · September 2019

Okay, guys, I have a question: how essential is an infant carseat for a newborn really? We got the convertibles already (great deal at the NEX), but have not gotten the infant one yet. We're thinking of just forgoing it completely and going straight to convertible, since ours can hold babies as small as 4 lbs. Our thought is it would be something he'd only be in for a few months anyway before we switch to convertible, and instead of carrying him around in the carseat when we get out of the car, we'd basically wear him in the Ergobaby carrier we got as a gift. Thinking money/clutter, but want to hear people's thoughts and reasons to get or not get an infant carseat.

k_mama91 · September 2019

@rjgmcmanus I think it really depends on lifestyle. For me the convenience of being able to snap the infant seat into the stroller frame when running errands is a big plus. But I also have a school aged child and we’re in and out a lot. With ods we began leaving his infant seat in the car and carrying him around 6 months. You’re petite like me and the bulk/weight of the carrier is intense. We moved to a convertible at 10 months. I’m going to try to baby wear this time and may have a different answer when we’re all said and done.

CapricaAndrea · September 2019

@rjgmcmanus the main benefits I found to having an infant carseat was that if he fell asleep in it, I didn't have to wake him up to take him out of the car (*yes I know it's not recommended to let babies sleep in carseats, but if he was ever asleep in it in the house, he wasn't out of eyesight, and it was only for short periods of time*)
Also I used it directly on the stroller, which was also beneficial if we were going somewhere out of the house and he fell asleep in the car. If it makes any difference, he was in it for almost a whole year before we switched to a convertible, and are using the same infant carseat for this baby, so if you're planning more than one it might still be useful.
Oh, and if you're using multiple vehicles it's much easier to move an infant seat between them, either by having a snap-in base in each vehicles, or even using the car's seatbelt for one of them. Convertible carseats are much more involved with moving between vehicles.

rjgmcmanus · September 2019

@k_mama91 The bulk/weight is exactly another thing I'm concerned about! I like the idea of walking into a restaurant with him and being able to set him down instead of being on me--but I also HATE the idea of the carrying involved to get into said restaurant.

rjgmcmanus · September 2019

@CapricaAndrea Those are all good points, and we're trying to figure that out too...it's frustrating, because you just don't know what kind of baby you're going to have! I've had some friends tell me that their baby slept through anything, even being picked up, and others say theirs woke at the slightest sound or movement and were inconsolable. We do have two convertibles though, so at least we don't have to worry about moving the seat itself back and forth between cars.

ashorkey · September 2019

I'll echo what @k_mama91 and @CapricaAndrea said. Our daughter would wake up as soon as we tried to get her out of her carseat if she fell asleep so being able to carry her in it and let her sleep was a big deal for us. Also, while they are teeny tiny it is nice to snap into the stroller or just carry as they aren't big enough for most carrying packs yet.

Stac928 · September 2019

We used an infant carseat for about 10 months. He still fit in it...I couldn't lift it with him in it anymore. DH still uses it in his car though (although the that is a rare occurrence). I liked being able to snap it into the stroller. We will use it again with DS2 and got the double stroller it is compatible with.

KTZ17 · September 2019

@rjgmcmanus last time we had the Chicco keyfit 30 and our daughter was in it past a year old I think. This time we got the Chicco Fit2 which is an infant seat that has two recline positions so they can use it until they’re 2. Like others said, I like being able to snap the car seat into the stroller base and when they’re really tiny and you’re not used to it yet it’s kind of scary putting them in a carrier in the parking lot. Once my daughter was bigger and I was more confident in my baby wearing skills I would use the ergo or Moby when going out.

ale9687 · September 2019

DS was in the nicu and I don’t think they would’ve let us take him without an infant carrier. We had to supply it to the nicu and they put him in for an hour and monitored him to make sure his vitals were stable in the car seat. I’m not sure what we would’ve done if we didn’t have an infant carrier. Just food for thought.

ktmaesim · September 2019

Yikes. Is the uppababy car seat an infant one? I assumed it was? Now I’m stressing about this! How many car seats do I need!

ale9687 · September 2019

@ktmaesim the Mesa is an infant car seat. It will click into the base that stays in your car and that one clicks into many strollers.

Stac928 · September 2019

@ktmaesim we will eventually end up with 5 total car seats. One infant that both boys used, we have several bases (one in my car, on n DH's car, and two sets of grandparents each have a base as well). Eventually both boys will also have a convertible car seat in my car and DH's car (so four total). The convertible we picked will likely last until they no longer need a car seat (fingers crossed). Grandparents are on their own to get convertibles...we aren't made of money (we did purchase bases for the ones we thought would regularly transport in the infant carrier).

ktmaesim · September 2019

@Stac928 very helpful. Thank so much.

i am feeling very unprepared lately, sorry for all the stupid questions everyone.

anniemarie887 · September 2019

@ktmaesim no stupid questions gf. I think I’m starting to have the oh shit, my due date is 87 days away wtf am I doing?!

k_mama91 · September 2019

@ktmaesim I think everyone’s questions are helping keep us all in check with our preparations. I did panic today about all the random things I still need. December is not far away at all 😬

McKBaby · September 2019

@rjgmcmanus I’ll echo what several others have said. The infant carrier is super convenient and I (personally) wouldn’t consider not having one. Both of my kids used theirs for a year each before moving to a convertible. (Our infant seat was Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 30/30 which is now expired, but both kids used it back to back, as they are only 19 months apart.).

Also, my kids are 5.5 & 7. We’ve had 7 car
seats and 2 high back boosters at this point. No grandparents have seats in their cars. That’s just between our 2 cars and babysitter’s cars.

cpk3535 · September 2019

@ktmaesim do not apologize for asking questions- isn’t that what this is all for?? It’s totally overwhelming at first.

Like others said, I had a Graco infant carrier with a base and bought something to attach it to my BOB jogger. Honestly, my BOB jogger was basically my stroller the entire time with DD. The Graco was nice, but DD got so tall so quick, that the size didn’t work beyond the first year. I upgraded to a Britax pretty fast, and I loved that one. Like @k_mama91 said, I’m planning to wear DD#2 everywhere, so taking her seat in and out of the car isn’t really going to be a priority for me this time. DD#1 did stay asleep in her car seat sometimes, but not too often, so I’m figuring we’re not going to be sacrificing much nap time by taking her out of her car seat.

Reaching out to my STM+ moms for advice, who has any good suggestions for bedside bassinets or co-sleepers? I need something to keep baby within arms reach, and at the moment I can’t put her in the bed with us. I also might just go pack n play with a bassinet attachment butted up next to my side of the bed. On a side note, @k_mama91 did you decide to keep your old pack n play after you washed it, or are you going to snag a fresh one? Mine washed up surprisingly well, but I’m still a little unsure if I want to reuse it.

k_mama91 · September 2019

@cpk3535 So it washed up great, I did 2 soaks and made sure the water was clean before I was satisfied. My apprehension comes from the material in the “mattress pad” bc it soaked in water for so long and dried really slowly. One corner, literally like a 6 inch section, seems flimsy but not enough to throw the whole thing out. And the support bars that go under it when using it in a raised position will reinforce it but I’m still on the fence. What’s your hesitation with yours? I need to make a decision soon.

cpk3535 · September 2019

@k_mama91 If I recall correctly, yours was pretty well sealed up in storage, right? We thought ours was stored pretty well, but it definitely looked like bugs had gotten in (and died in it) over the years. It looks good now- maybe I should just soak it one more time for peace of mind. I think I did it twice already. I don’t know why I’m just so paranoid about it, maybe because I’m going to have to put a fresh little newborn in this thing 😛. Plus it’s one of only a few items I plan to have for this baby, so I’m kind of in that mindset of “f it, just get a new one.” I don’t know 🤷‍♀️!!

k_mama91 · September 2019

@cpk3535 That’s kind of where my mind is too. I feel like I need a new one for this brand new baby 😂 Aside from what I think was chocolate milk it was pretty clean. His crib was not stored as well and I’m fine with using it after a good scrub so idk what my problem with this thing is?!

g_gabs71016 · September 2019

@rjgmcmanus I used my infant car seat (Nuna Pipa) until baby was 1 or so and then switched. I loved it because it was light and we could use it to take taxis and things. At the time we didn’t have a car and lived in the city. We ended up buying a car partly because our convertible weighs 30 lbs and it became a nightmare if we did anything that required a taxi.

I am going to buy another Nuna for this baby (I’m an idiot and it broke in storage because I put heavy things on it), even though now we aren’t in a suburban area because I like being able to click in and out and put baby in the car seat inside so it is a fast thing to get him in the car. My concern is mainly the weather though. It is so cold in the winter months where I am!

nsquaredlife13 · September 2019

Love 2 Dream Swaddle Up 50/50 is a game changer when transitioning from the swaddle!

cpk3535 · September 2019

I’m going to bump my question since it got lost in my long post- anybody have a bassinet or side-sleeper suggestion that worked for them? We’re going semi co-sleeper route, but baby can’t lay on the bed with us all night for the time being. Thanks!

Stac928 · September 2019

@cpk3535 we used (and will again) and Arms Reach Cosleeper. It can sidecar to the bed or just work as a bassinet. Last time we just used it as a bassinet because our room didn’t really configure well for the sidecar thing. We may try to sidecar again since we are in a new house and our bedroom is better laid out. It might work.

We used it until at least 6 months. Then we realized we were waking baby. Transitioned him to a crib in his room.

Spartanrd4 · September 2019

@cpk3535 we used the Halo bassinest but have also heard good things about the arms reach sleeper too.

@rjgmcmanus DD was in the infant seat until she was 1 year old when she maxed out on height. I liked it for all the reasons people mentioned- easy transition in and out of cars with the base, click into stroller, easy to have them in the car seat when you are at a restaurant etc. Also think about the baby in the winter- way easier to bundle them to throw a blanket over them in the car seat or have a car seat cover than mess with winter gear and jacket that you will have to put on and take off once you start using the convertible.

g_gabs71016 · September 2019

@cpk3535 I have the Guava bassinet. I loved it. Super light, converts into a playpen, and easy to travel with. Not a co sleeper though. I just kept it next to my bed.

bookworm492 · September 2019

I'm not planning on an infant car seat (just using convertible).

My car isn't parked right next to my house in a garage like most people. It's halfway down the block. I also have to go down three floors from my apartment, a tight staircase. Navigating that plus walking the half block with an infant carrier (which I imagine is cumbersome, like an animal carrier) plus carrying whatever else I've got that day just seems like a bad plan. We also won't be having our kid ride with grandparents or anyone else, and even with just the two of us the kid will barely be in the car we predict.

nsquaredlife13 · September 2019

@cpk3535 we're going with the Halo Bassinest this time around. I have so many friends who used one and just loved the ease of the entire thing. I found one of the more premium bassinets on marketplace for $100 so I grabbed it! I also have a dock a tot that I used with my DD, but I do know there are some mixed feelings on co-sleeping so I would only say just do your research on that one.

Want a personalized experience?

Dear FTMs, Here are the NEWBORN Essentials. Love, STM & TTMs.

Re: Dear FTMs, Here are the NEWBORN Essentials. Love, STM & TTMs.

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Want a personalized experience?

Dear FTMs, Here are the NEWBORN Essentials. Love, STM & TTMs.

Re: Dear FTMs, Here are the NEWBORN Essentials. Love, STM &amp; TTMs.

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Re: Dear FTMs, Here are the NEWBORN Essentials. Love, STM & TTMs.