As everyone knows, I am having our third baby this May. I have everything I need for a baby and then some.
But as you may NOT know (or you might) my dear friend Joan is having her FIRST baby also in May.
I've been thinking that my experienced mom and pop readers (and friends) can help me come up with a Must Have list of items that Joan well, must have for her new baby. Also a list of items that are less than necessary, as tempting as they might be.
I know you moms and pops out there have your opinions on this topic.
So tell me and Joan, what baby items could you absolutely NOT live without and what ended up a big disappointment or went mostly unused??
I'll start.
Must Have
Boppy pillow for nursing
Basket full of diapering items for quick changes
When bottle feeding - a bottle brush
When nursing - Lansinoh and a breast pump!
In the beginning - pacifier clips (can't lose em!)
Once you lose the pacis - teethers!!!! and Anbesol
Snap in pillows to support wobbly baby heads in the carseat
Mostly Unused
Diaper Genie, believe it or not!
Those clip on vibrating/music machines for cribs
Those giant carseat covers that wrap over your whole carseat. I always thought they would suffocate the babe :)
Microwave Aveda bottle sterilizer (I used it all the time with Elizabeth, but by Dylan, eh, I got over it)
Newborn sized shoes. Never used them.
OK experienced moms and pops! Now it's your turn!
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11 comments:
Oh, I'm good at this. I agree with your lists. Adding on:
Must Have:
A swing (one that goes front to back AND swivels to go side to side)
WAY more burp clothes than you ever think you will need (like 30-40) -- and get the ones that are just plain cloth diapers... not the ones with the weird lump in the middle, and not the expensive ones that are actually called "burp cloths." They suck.
A booger sucker (the hospital will probably give you one)
Good receiving blankets for swaddling. You can get those "swaddler" blankets, but to do it right (keep their arms in), you will probably still need the regular blankets.
The green J&J Baby Wash. The one with a little menthol in it. When the baby is stuffy, it's awesome.
The purple J&J Baby Wash. When the baby is fussy, it's awesome.
A front-pack carrier. I didn't use it terribly often, but when I did, it was great.
A good-looking, fashionable diaper bag. If you only have the free one you get from the hospital, it can drag you down.
Baby Einstein videos.
Car seat/stroller toys
Sleeping gowns. They are the bomb for late night diaper changes. Even for boys. (They'll never know... unless you take pictures...)
A stylin' UNC Tarheels onesie.
A good babysitter. :-)
Mostly Unused:
Baby brush or comb. They have no hair. And if you have a Suri Cruise, you can go get one.
Baby nail clipper. Chris has used the regular one almost the whole time.
Ear thermometer. The doctor will make you do it "the other way" anyway, so don't bother.
Excellent recommendations Elizabeth! She's obviously an experienced mother of two!
I can't agree more with booger sucker. My word! I had three or four!
And sleeping gowns, my gosh yes!
Not sure about the necessity of the Tarheels onesie, but school spirit is appreciated!
We HAD an ear thermometer we got as a gift. In theory, great, in practice, not so much.
Takes forever to get baby still enough to use it and even then you have to shoot it in there just right...poop.
I have one of those temporal scan thermometers now. Vastly superior. AND what they used in the PICU on Dylan too.
I just wish you could still get the kind they use on you in the OR. You know, the rainbow strips. Those are bomb.
My favorite.. a bedside crib. You know, the kind that was like an extension of your own bed. That way baby was sleeping next to you, but not 'with' you! If they woke up you just had to slide them over to bread feed. Very nice for those winter newborns.. it was too cold to keep getting out of bed.
and for those 'second' or 'third' time mommies... get a leash! Seriously!! For your toddlers that want to be a big kid.. but not quite ready to be.. they sell leashes that look like back packs with a tail! Your kids will love them and you wont have to go chasing after them with baby in hand! It saved me every time I had to go grocery shopping with both kids!
bread feed??? hmmmm, I think I meant breast feed! LOL
Must have
Somewhere comfortable to sit when up in the middle of the night comforting/feeding the baby.
A sturdy stuffed animal that is safe for the baby's mouth and can be machine washed.
Not so much
Corner covers (those rubber things on furniture)
Bottle heaters (heat up stored milk, etc.)
Thanks for the advice guys! Here's a question for you, one of my coworkers offered me a jogging stroller, but we live in the country, not sure if I would use it. Do they colapse? I've seen them on the street and they look really huge.
Those things are usually really big! They're probably no good for country roads either. I can barely push a regular stroller on our country roads out here.
Advice to Joan... always worth trying the hand outs but let them know prior to borrowing that you're giving it back! You don't want to be a dumping ground (and folks want to give their stuff away when their done with kids and no longer want the stuff... for some reason we just hold onto it until we can find someone to take it... strange). Anyway, I am the believer you should try a product before you buy it... you may like the jogging stroller...than again maybe not.
Okay my MUST HAVE (I will attempt not to repeat others):
A drying rack for all the bottles/breast pump stuff/etc. If you plan to use your current pots/pans drying rack you will realize you don't have a lot of room.
Baby comb... yup I needed one for my girl. She had a ton of hair (think Suri x 2). It was a mess and she would spit up a ton so I was constantly washing her hair or combing it out. So if you have a cue ball... comb will do you no good but if you have a kid with hair it comes in handy.
I agree with Elizabeth... you need a TON of burp clothes. I think I had 40 and I went through 10 a day. My daughter had a bit of acid reflux so she was constantly spitting up...
Bouncy seat is a great alternative to the swing. I had it on the 2nd floor so I always had a place to put the baby (swing on 1st floor, bouncy seat on 2nd floor). If you're dealing with muliple floors its nice to have options.
MUST NOT:
Diaper wipe warmer... I never had one but my sister did and felt it was the biggest waste so I never got one.
I remembered the stroller thing, came back to post, and see it's already under discussion! Maribeth is right. Try before you buy. My recommendation is Combi strollers as they can be as light and compact as umbrella strollers but have additional features that many big strollers have. No cup holder, but there's a bag in the back that works find for a water bottle. If you have lots of disposable income, of course, your choices go up... but I'm sticking with the brands you can find easily without hitting the boutiques.
We had a big GRACO stroller that some friends gave us. I used it very few times, especially once I got the Combi.
When you are ready for baby two, we can discuss double-strollers... :-)
Oh I want to hear about double strollers. I've been polling folks and look at them BIG time. I have a 2 year old and I am having my 2nd in March... need/want advice on the doubles!
Want to make note... I need to think light weight. I hate heavy strollers so lightweight and easy to manage have been my main focus. I've looked at some pricy ones (b/c it fits my criteria) but am more than willing to look at anything...oh and ease of use (opening/closing).
Maribeth and all,
I think you are right about being a baby dumping ground. All kinds of people are trying to give us sooo much stuff! I have tried to preface with, maybe I can pick through and take what we need?
Also, today my grandma chastised me for not having a crib yet. I am only 5 months along! Isn't there still time?
I have seen many double strollers, and they are interesting. It seems like the stacked ones, where the little kid is kind of under/behind theo other one would be boring and scary. Can they collapse?
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