Now that we know the gender of our little Razz, some awesome, generous people want to throw us a baby shower in the coming months. It's time for us to start thinking about registering for soft, squishy baby things!! This thrills me to no end as just the size of tiny baby shoes puts my brain into absolute orbit.
We have already been blessed like crazy with people giving us baby stuff, so we probably won't have to register for everything under the sun. We have a crib, a bassinet, a Boppy pillow, and some various boy clothes. A friend of mine is actually bringing me a carload of things tomorrow, so the list will most likely go further.
However, I've still been trying to compile a list of must-haves... except that I have no clue what I MUST HAVE! I mean, I know the obvious - crib, car seat, diapers, etc. - but is there anything that you have found to be indispensable for any baby that you have or know?
Please let me know! James appreciates it. :)
9 comments:
Let me make you a list of the things that I had to have!
1. LOTS of burp cloths, benjamin didn't spit up a lot, but there are many other uses for them.
2. An electric breast pump! A MUST! especially at first when your milk first comes in and the baby doesn't know how to nurse well.
3. breast pads
4. I would recommend a swing or bouncy seat (or both) they also have a swing that is made so you can put your carseat in it and use that as the seat for the swing.
5. bottles! This way you can pump and let Jim feed the baby (this also allows the dad to take part in feedings at times)
6. An absolute MUST: The Ultimate Crib Sheet (I would get 2 or 3 of them) they snap over your sheet and if there is an explosion at night or throw up etc. you don't have to take the ENTIRE CRIB apart to change everything.
I also have 1 item that is awful the wipes warmer. Don't bother with it. They just make the wipes really wet, take the good smell out and it is just pointless to be honest.
Ok there is my start.. I am sure I will also think of more later.
First and foremost, a good carseat. You won't be allowed to leave the hospital without one. I recommend an infant-only seat to start out with. Besides the convenience of the stay-in-car base, most newborns don't fit well enough in convertible carseats to be safe. Also, be sure to have your seat checked(around week 37) by a certified technician(https://ssl13.cyzap.net/dzapps/dbzap.bin/apps/assess/webmembers/tool?pToolCode=TAB9&pCategory1=TAB9_CERTSEARCH&Webid=SAFEKIDSCERTSQL).
I'd hold off on the electric breast pump until you know if you'll need it for sure. Most babies latch just fine during the first few hours of life, and it's actually not a good idea to pump 'extra' during the first few weeks of establishing your supply. If you find you DO need one, you can rent one from the hospital you deliver at. Or, you can buy a manual pump for alot less money if you only plan to use it occasionally. I liked my Playtex one. :)
If you plan to breastfeed, one bottle and no formula. It's oh so tempting to have hubby give baby a bottle during those early days/weeks, but it will take it's toll on your supply. For the first six weeks you should concentrate on nursing your baby so that you establish enough supply to feed him. I say one bottle, because there may actually be a time where you'll need to express milk to give in a bottle.
A good baby sling or carrier. I'm not talking about Baby Bjorns. Those things suck. Some to google: Baby K'tan, Babyhawk, Hotsling, Kangaroo Korner.I still do alot of babywearing(even with an almost 20 month old!) so if you have any questions just ask. :)
You won't need alot of equipment at first. I'd try to borrow things like swings, bouncers, Bumbo seats, etc. They don't get used for very long and they can be huge investments, and you'll find yourself loathing the fact that they take so much space eventually.
Best advice? Keep it simple. He won't know what he does/doesn't have, and he's not going to care. Now or ever. All he needs is two loving parents to love on him, feed him, and change his diapers.
Sara, a friend referred me to this link from Consumer Reports: http://www.consumerreports.org:80/cro/babies-kids/new-baby-basics-1105/overview/index.htm. We printed the list and used it to register when we were pregnant with Judah, and looking over it now, I have to say I don't feel like there are any superfluous items on there. I agree with the above advice to keep it simple. My must-have "extra" though is a swing.
ultimate crib sheets, i'll second that vote.
I didn't use a ton of baby gear. Such as swings, bouncy seats etc. So I don't have a ton of must haves.
I was a big fan of:
-Washable Breast Pads
-Avent Sippy cups. Their bottles are pretty good. My boys only had a bottle a hand full of times, but they worked well.
-Food processor, for homemade baby food.(easy and cheap thing to do) A small inexpensive one works just fine. Mine was $10.
-Homemade baby wipes. I can tell you how to make these if you want. Easy and super cheap!
-Avent manual breast pump. I was home and with the boys, so I didn't need an electric. I barely ever pumped.
I really wanted a mya wrap sling, but couldn't afford one. They are really neat. You can nurse discreetly in it, and as the baby gets older and into toddler hood you can tie them to you in different ways.
We had a tiny room in seminary when Rainy was born so we really tried to keep it SIMPLE!
A swing was a must-have for Zeke. Doesn't need anything fancy but I'd make sure that the seat can be raised up for when they get older and want to SEE the world around them.
We never had a crib or bassinet. We just used a pack-n-play that had a changing table and bassinet all-in-one. Very convenient when you travel because they are already used to their bed in a different environment=)
I agree with the wipes warmer. It's pretty much a dud.
We never have had a highchair either. We just got a portable chair and stuck in on one of our already existing chairs. Cheap, portable and storable=)
You def. don't need a lot of shoes (and socks for that matter) since babies hardly ever keep them on for more than 3 min. at a time.
burp clothes and receiving blankets are a must-have too. Zeke had reflux and Areyna spit up a lot so these came in VERY handy.
That's just what worked for our first 2. Who knows what #3 will need=)
I don't know if Jim told ya or not, but we got ya covered on bottles... If he'll ever call me back I can get them to yall! Hey! Maybe our kids will be best friends... ha!
Okay...I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out. Cloth diapers. They are very economical and Earth friendly! We have already saved over $500 and Marley is only 7 months old. Don't go for the cheap ones you get in the store. Those just make good burp cloths. DiaperPin.com will be very helpful. Do some research. We use an organic hemp cotton blend called Baby Kicks Hemparoos. They are much more absorbant than just cotton. We also use Snappies instead of pins(awesome!) and the covers are called Thirsties(they are velcro). It is a little extra work (washing), but trust me it is so worth it! It will make things a lot easier for everyone if you get your hubby to help you out with this. You will also need a hypoallergenic mild detergent to wash them in. This will also be great to wash the rest of the baby clothes in. Ivory worked well for us, but we can't find it anymore. We now use Charlie's soap that Brian found online. It is super cheap too! And when the time comes there are some daycares out there that will use the cloth diapers. Your baby will be a lot less likely to have diaper rash too because there aren't any wierd materials, chemicals, or who knows what else? Marley is a heavy wetter so we got the doublers too. The way I look at it is I need to do my part while I'm here so that our kids and grandkids will have a nice place to live.
I have found that I love these special pampers diapers..they have a yellow line down the front of them that turns green when the baby wets the diaper. This is so helpful!
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