All you moms and dads (I am sure there are a ton of dads reading my blog), I need your help! It seems the moment you tell people you are pregnant, you get all kinds of good, great, and not so great advice. I appreciate it all...but sometimes it can seem overwhelming. This weekend, Josh and I are going to start looking at baby stuff. We know it's a little early...but we actually have the time this weekend...so we figured it wouldn't hurt to get started.
This is where I need help. There are so many great and amazing products out there. I would love to know your top 3 favor tie baby items you think we should consider. Please also feel free to let me know things you thought you needed but didn't end up using, etc.
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ALL THE ADVICE!
You need: 1. A GREAT breastpump, if you plan to nurse, which I hope you do because it's so wonderful and you will love it! 2. Nursing pads 3. Pampers swaddlers. They have a line that changes colors when the baby pees and for those first few weeks, it's nice to know because they only go a little sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThings you won't need or might not need: 1. Pacifiers. Not every baby uses them. Just try the one they give you at the hospital first then buy some if you need them. Gavin has never once taken one. 2. Expensive outfits. Onesies and sleep n plays are all you really need. Maybe one night outfit for photos, but other than that, they wear it once and while it's nice, it's a waste of money that could be spent on other things. 3. Expensive strollers/carseat. You will only use the carseat that comes with the stroller system for the first 6-7 months and then you will want to move to a bigger nicer one (in which you want to spend a lot on that one because they will use it for a long time). Sure, you don't want a cheap junk system, but no need to spend $300-$400 on a travel system they outgrow before a year. Ours was $160 from walmart and worked great. We had the Evenflo Aura and liked it a lot.
Good luck shopping for baby Meadows. I have a feeling he or she will be one spoiled little baby :) More so than spoiled, insanely loved!
1. Moby wrap!!! Fave thing EVER!!!! Those first few weeks (or months in our case) when Baby doesn't want to be put down (and you want to soak up all the snuggles you can) this will save your life! It's great for taking walks, going to the mall, even cooking dinner. I like it better than a Baby Bjorn, because it's one piece of material; easy to travel with, because it folds right up.
ReplyDelete2. Pack n Play with a bassinet attachment. We had Susie in our room until Jan in her Pack n Play. She used the bassinet for about 2 months. It was nice to not have to buy a seperate bassinet or sleeper and Pack n Plays are great for traveling...or even for a safe, controlled play place.
3. Swaddleme blankets. We have one regular and one fleece in each size. WAY easier than swaddling with a blanket and harder to get out of! Susie still uses hers, but we don't swaddle her arms in anymore. That way she can get to her thumb (another story) but she's still covered when she wiggles around her crib (inevitable).
Have fun!!!! The first trip to Babies R Us can be pretty overwhelming! It's good you're getting a head start. Now, you can do a little at a time and not be so bogged down!
Hey Allison!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a mom (an experienced one at that) of 3 and I can tell you what worked for me.
Things you will probably need:
1. Boppy cushion with washable cover (esp. if you are going to breastfeed)
2. since baby will be here in the fall, all you REALLY need are onsies, sleepers, swaddle blankets.
3. Baby detergent. Yes, baby detergent (like Dreft) since baby skin is different than yours in the first few months, this detergent is kinder on the clothes but it does get spit up out just as well as anything else.
4. Get a baby monitor!!! We had one, it was a life saver when I used to sleep deeply. Now?? Ha!! I'm the lightest sleeper known to man.
What you probably don't need/would be nice/debatable.
1. Pacifiers - Only one of my kids actually took the darn thing. Waste of money.
2. Swing - I didn't have one for any of my kids and did just fine. Just be prepared to swing your arms back and forth A LOT.
3. Infant car seat - If you want to spend your money wisely, get one that can convert to a regular car seat as the baby gets older/taller/heavier. I got one as a gift with my 3rd child and used it until he was.. OH.. 7 months maybe? Then he went in a different seat as he was too long for the infant car seat.
Hope this helps. And congrats!!
OH and if you do a registry...register for diapers, wipes, baby detergent, etc. People don't think to register for these things and they are more practical than the 10th outfit that he/she may/may not fit into.
Kelly
Okay I am here to help you out!
ReplyDeleteThings you MUST have:
-a video monitor! Spring for the one that Kim has. It has a zooming option AND you can move the camera via remote. This comes in handy when the little one begins to wiggle their way around the crib at night and you cant find them on the screen anymore. We still use ours even though Ellie is 18 months because when she cries, I need to know if she's sitting up or still laying down.
-A Swing! Your baby will spend the first 4 months of it's life in the swing.
-A Bouncy Seat! This is great because it's a baby-holder (like the swing) but it's more "movable". For example, if you want to take a shower you can bring the bouncy seat into the bathroom and see the baby the whole time. But you cant drag a giant swing that easily.
-A Swaddle Blanket! These are so much easier to use than a regular blanket, and babies have a freakish ability to get their arms up and out of any swaddle. Get a swaddle blanket and you will get more sleep at night, promise.
Things you can wait to buy until after the bundle arrives:
-A breastpump. First you need to figure out the whole nursing thing. Once you get used to it (2 weeks maybe?) you can send Josh out to buy the pump. I wouldnt buy one yet because they are very expensive(!) and your baby may not even be able to nurse. Ellie was a non-nurser. BUT- if you do buy a pump, buy the most expensive one you can afford. It makes a HUGE difference!
-Pacifiers. The hospital will send you home with a couple of paci's anyway, and your baby may or may not like them.
-Some type of baby wrap/carrier. If your baby is the type that loves to be held, you can always go buy a carrier later. But you may have a freak like my child that liked her independence and hated being cooped up in the wrap.
Things you DO NOT need but will probably buy/get anyway because they are cute/fun/exciting:
-newborn sized fancy clothes. Yes they are tiny and adorable, but you will not use them. Your newborn will live in onesies and footed sleepers and that will be okay because they are so soft and cuddly and squishy!
-any type of baby shoes. They dont need shoes until they can walk. Except for baby uggs of course. Those are completely necessary!
**But most of all, dont stress over all of this too much. After the baby gets here, you can always send the hubs out to get what you need. Like the time I sent Josh out to get bigger nipple flanges for my pump. Good times :)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm writing with my newborn in his Moby wrap -- it's really the best. And my husband has been wearing it all the time as well. Get it in a color that your baby daddy will be happy wearing :) We have an Ergo carrier for after 6 months.
A big expense for the first year is diapers -- we registered for a diaper service. Friends gave us a "month of diapers".
I have a soft-spot for baby animal hats. Etsy has a bunch or crazy adorable knit animal hats.
I run a website http://babyli.st -- it's a baby registry where you can register anywhere. Please check it out and consider using it for your registry.
Congrats!!
Natalie
Here ya go!
ReplyDeleteMust haves (for me, at least):
-miracle blanket. best swaddle blanket ever. buy one (or register for it) and if baby meadows likes it, buy 1 or 2 more. Sloane totally calms down as soon as she is wrapped in that thing. I dread the day I have to stop swaddling her.
-bra pads! have those ready at home after you get home from hospital.
-i REALLY hope you nurse and if you do, invest in a good breast pump. i dont know what to compare it to, but I love the medela pump 'n style.
-glider/rocking chair for the nursery
-disposable changing pad sheets. Yes, you will have a cute changing pad cover, but unless you want to be throwing it in the wash on a daily basis, these disposable sheets are the best! lots of mid-change sprays and squirts, especially at the beginning.
-a swing. we have the little lambs swing and Sloane loves it.
-a bouncy chair. like someone said above, it's great because you can move it around the house.
-my brest friend. it would be awesome if you could borrow this from someone. i absolutely LOVED this thing the first few weeks, but havent used it since and won't until baby #2. Just taking up space now.
-tommee tippee bibs. No, they aren't the cutest, but they are the best bibs and yes, babies need bibs!
-a cute diaper bag! I don't care what anyone says, you need a nice and cute diaper bag. you want to feel good carrying it because you will be carrying it everywhere!
-* diaper caddy (cute little boxy tote that keeps wipes, diapers, and a little drawer for small items and it comes with a good changing pad. we have one by j.j. cole. Sloane's room is upstairs so it has saved many trips up and down the stairs to change her diaper. Rule of thumb- if the baby is in the room so is the diaper caddy.
Things that can wait:
-like all of the posts above, pacis! We have about 20 different paci's and Sloane will have nothing to do with any of them.
-don't buy blankets. you will get SO many blankets as gifts.
-wipe warmer. Some people like them. you will be changing that baby all over the house that you don't want him/her to not know what a cold wipe feels like...ooh that reminds me of something you need. (see above)*
Hope this helps. I could go on and on. I love talking baby stuff :) Email me with questions or anything at all related to baby/mommyhood :)I now feel like I should go buy the moby wrap again. I had one but then got afraid I would never use it so I took it back. They really are great. We have a baby bjorn that we just got but haven't used it much yet. Love, Rikki
one more piece of advice!! (ok maybe 2)
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and make an envelope titled "Baby Receipts". KEEP ALL RECEIPTS. Baby Meadows will have his/her own preference on things so you don't want to be stuck with something. Oh and when you buy or receive diapers, you might want to mark them very small with either a "T" for Target or "BRU" for babies R us, etc with a sharpie depending on where they came from. You will have leftovers and want to exchange them for the next size up and it helps to know where you got them instead of loading up a grocery cart FULL of diapers and pushing that, along with a stroller, into Target, only to find out only 2 of the many boxes you have came from there. NOT that I would know what that's like or anything. haha. -Rikki
My fave things were the Swaddleme swaddle wraps, an activity gym playmat, and a mirror in the baby's crib (Holden loved looking at himself from the very beginning).
ReplyDeleteIf I were going to buy baby things again I wish I would've gotten a jogging stroller instead of the one that matched my car seat and the Baby Bjorn baby carrier instead of the Chicco one I got. The Baby Bjorn is a million times better.