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January 2020 Moms
kbrown2385
member
Product Spotlight 11/15: Nursery Items
kbrown2385
member
Share your favorite nursery items! This can be anything from furniture to crib sheets and sound machines.
STM: What are your favorite items?
What products did you not like?
Anything to add?
What products did you not like?
Anything to add?
FTM: Feel free to share any products you’ve been questioning and of course, all questions welcome.
Re: Product Spotlight 11/15: Nursery Items
- A plastic changing pad cover. Most of the covers you find are cloth, or plush like a rug, but I have two of these type from Target and they are so easy to clean. Just wipe with a baby wipe and a spray of alcohol and you only have to throw it in the wash every few weeks, instead of going through 5 a week.
- Black out curtains, any kind will do. I tried every trick of the trade to get my baby to not have any sleeping crutches, but she wouldn't sleep, so I ended up having to put her to nap/bed in a dark room with a sound machine.
- A diaper caddy. I actually found one at Ross (in the office section 😂) that was too cute to pass up and it perfectly fit a row of diapers on one side and a large container of wipes on the other. It also had stretchy pockets to throw Desitin and Aquaphor in. This was so much easier than keeping things in a drawer when I was dealing with a blow out or a squirmy baby.
- A diaper pail. This was one of the things that people kept telling me wasn't necessary, so we didn't buy it until DD had been home approximately 2 days. We overnighted one from Amazon. We ended up not enjoying the hassle of taking every diaper to the kitchen trashcan and DH has a very sensitive nose. Not everyone might need one, but we found we did.
What products did you not like?
- The cloth changing pad covers, obviously
- I didn't find the humidifier necessary since the humidity levels in our house were usually pretty high (Florida, ya'll).
- Any of the extra bedding for the crib. Just a mattress protector and a fitted sheet is all that's necessary until baby is 1.
- The lamp we bought. (similar) It ended up being too bright for DD to sleep with and too dark for poopy diaper changes. Now this lamp just kinda sits on the dresser as decoration.
Anything to add?
An extra FIRM mattress that's either organic or traditional coils. The more coils the higher the firmness. We went with the Sealy Ultra Firm with 220 coils...I think it has a soy foam core. Foam mattresses off-gas, and while the consensus isn't fully in, there is some thought it may contribute to an increased SIDS Risk.
Organic mattress cover. My sister went a step further and did organic sheets, as well, but I just went with cotton, washed well. Remember, for the first year of life, nothing other than baby should be in the bed. No covers. No bumpers. No toys. I hung the comforter on the wall until DS1 was a year.
Other nursery items I needed...A diaper stacker. Mine came with the bedset. Butt paste for every room in the house you find yourself changing baby, along with diapers and a pack of wipes. I never thought about the uber sensitive nose of SO, but a diaper pail may end up being something we need, too.
EDIT - I lied. We got a Serta Perfect Reset Ultra Firm Crib Mattress. With 242 coils. We bought it at the Exchange so anyone with Military or VA Benefits*** can find it here:
Shop My Exchange
***VA recipients can shop online during the holidays (like now), and beginning Jan 1 will be able to shop in store.
Dream Egg - White Noise Machine:
Ok so this sound machine is awesome! I just got it for DD now that she's on her own and it really is great. It has a 30 / 60 / 90 / or all night timer on it which I liked since many of the "baby" sound machines that are cute only run 30-60 mins which was useless.
Moonlight Slumber little dreamer's crib mattress:
https://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Slumber-Dreamer-Surface-Mattress/dp/B00P9RB0OE
I liked this a lot since the mattress is organic, very firm on the one side, and when DD was over a year old we flipped it to the "softer" side which is still very firm. She had been sleeping in it until she was over 3 and I do not notice any dips or warping of the mattress, it is still very firm and I can use it for the new baby. Also it is very light and also very easy to clean by just wiping it down. (I also had a mattress cover regardless
BONECO Steam Humidifier
I wanted a humidfier that was a hot/steam humidifier since it get's so dry here you need it. I found the cool air one's just made it so cold in the room at night and a benefit was we didn't need to have heating on so high at night. Also it has a self cleaning function as well as a protector that causes the steam to come out be safe (so not scalding) in case they put their hand over it.
Organic Fitted Crib Sheets:
Since we didn't find out what we were having with DD I did not put any crib sheets on my registry at the time. I bought 2 generic neutral fitted sheets as a back up for when baby was born (knowing they would be in the bassinet anyway) but once we know it was a girl I then splurged at pottery born and bought the "girliest" fitted sheet possible haha. Everything we had was more or less gender neutral so it was nice to have a pop colour etc to the room.
Woolino Baby Sleep Bag - 4 season
I love this item! All baby needs up until a year even is just a fitted crib sheet. Once they are out of a swaddle you can put them in this sleep sack. I loved this and DD loved it, it became a part of her bedtime routine and would automatically start getting sleepy once in it. Since its Merino Wool it keeps their body temperature at the right level so no over heating and not getting cold (works for all season's). Also if she had a peed through her diaper the wool automatically pulls the liquid away so it would never be a big mess, just would have to have sack for her to go into.
What products did you not like?
- a mobile, we never got one, I didn't want the distraction for baby
- crib bumpers...why even do they sell that...
- duvet - again useless
Anything to add?
not sure! I liked putting some wall decals above the changing station since it kept baby interested in what was on the wall and not focused on me changing the diaper
Unless you're in a situation where its nbd to run poopy diapers to the main trash every change, its pretty much necessary to control the smell. Our bedroom (where baby will be at first) is 2 stories above the kitchen trash, so there's no way I'm running down and then up 2 flights of stairs during every nighttime change. It doesn't need to be anything fancy or expensive, either. The no frills Diaper Genie we got for around $25 with DS is still going strong.
We used Gro company sleeping bags for dd from birth til she was just over 2. They come in a variety of togs for different times of year. I found the gro bags to wash the best & hold their shape better than any others we tried & theyre the only ones I will use this time round. They are expensive but I usually get them in tk maxx for half price.
We did use breathable mesh bumpers when she moved into her own room & out of the co sleeper cot as she always managed to get her arms & legs stuck in between the bars of her cot as I didnt use a sleeping bag for naps.
Sleep sacks and swaddles. My recommendation here is to WAIT. DS1 hated being confined, and would scream until he was freed. He could Houdini himself out of even the hospital nurse swaddle. All of my sister's kids, however, have LOVED them. Don't waste the money until you know if you baby will benefit from them
Mesh Bumpers - Again, personal choice. But, as @leprechaunlady said they're handy to have.
We did use a mobile, but I used it when he was awake and I laid him in his crib so I could pee or change laundry. He loved tracking the animals and taking to them. We never used it to soothe...only to engage.
For those of us in warm climates...don't spend a lot of money on ways to keep baby warm. Whatever you're comfortable wearing, baby will be fine in, too.
Anyways, the real point is to be flexible and keep trying things. Also, never swaddle with a blanket overnight. They can come undone so easily and then are a suffocation hazard.
Liked:
Dohm sound machine. DD still uses it at 3.
https://marpac.com/products/dohmclassic
Munchkin changing pad liners. Loved these. Could just throw them in the wash and replace without having to wash the whole changing pad cover.
https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Waterproof-Changing-Liners-Count/dp/B009UPUJIY
Diaper pail was a must have for us. We had a Dekor but I think I am going to get an ubbi this time since the plastic held the smell.
Didn't use:
mobile, mesh bumpers. Personal preference but just did not think they were needed.
changing table--we put the changing pad on top of her dresser.