Sunday, January 10, 2010
Moms Out There, I Need Your Help!
Ok, I admit it, I am a HUGE planner (probably why God loves to "change" MY plans, Ha!)! I am pricing furniture and already thinking about what I want and do not want to put on my registry (which I am planning to do around 20-21 weeks because I've had people ask if I already have one and being high risk, I want to get it out of the way in case there is trouble later and I need to be on bedrest). So, here is where you come in, I'm going to open up the comments for you to tell me what you loved and what you could have lived without. The biggest things I'm debating now is bottle brands, diaper genie or just regular trash can and monitors (movement vs video, leaning towards movement). However, I want to know about it all, so comment away! Tell me the registry must haves and must not haves!
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27 comments:
You MUST get a Boppy pillow! You can use it for more than just feedings. My youngest daughter is almost 5 yrs old and she still uses it. For bottles (if you are not planning on breastfeeding) I'd recommend Avent. They are a little more pricy than some others, but worth it. Never had an issue leaking or baby getting air bubbles. Trust me you do NOT want a fussy baby with gas!
You're probably going to get lots of views here! But here is my opinion!
- Diaper Genie - LOVE it. It is next to our bed and I've never smelled it. It fits into our routine and I dont have to go out into my ice cold garage when he has a #2 diaper.
- Bouncy seat - MUST have. I wouldnt have ever gotten to shower without it!
- Bottle - we use Dr. Browns because of his feeding issues (thickened formula, reflux etc). Otherwise, I had been planning on using Playtex drop ins.
- Monitor - We had a video monitor first BUT I started picking up the neighbors house and it freaked me out. We now have a Graco vibe I think it's called.
- Bumbo - NO! Get a superseat, because it has attached activities that they can pitch across the room when they are older!
- Wipe warmer - Nope. Not for us. Plus then, if you're out and about with a cold wipe, it doesn't scare them!
- Jumperoo - Must have. B lived in it and he adored it. And it certainly didn't hamper his development!
- You'll probably get tons of cute burp rags, but when you're at home, cloth diapers work great! And if you stain them it doesn't really matter because they are so inexpensive and no one will really see them anyway.
- Swing - We had both the Graco Sweetpeace and the regular Graco front facing forward swing. They apparently have a lot of problems with the motor in the latter swing. Ours died constantly.
- Paci's - You know I totally love the Gumdrops!
- Sling - I don't know if you're wanting to babywear, but if so, I love my Peanut Shell.
- Diapers - I recommend the Pampers Swaddlers for a newborn. They have a line on the front that tells you if baby is wet.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Just stumbled upon your blog. Congratuations on your pregnancy. I'm sure everyone will have a different opinion on this, but I recommend waiting until the baby is here to buy anything more than the necessities (i.e. a few bottles, diapers, crib, carseat). It is amazing how different each child is. I have 2 boys.
- The older one hated the swing, the younger one loved it.
- The older would stay in the exersaucer for hours; the younger stayed in it for 5 minutes tops -- and that was only if I took it outside on the porch.
- I used the cheapest playtex bottles with both and NEVER had any problems. I did use glass with the youngest - and I think we only broke one in the year that we used them, in case you are worried about that.
- We found Luvs worked great for both boys. I started out with Pampers but realized how much money we could be saving. Huggies tabs came apart too easily. I think your diaper preference has a lot to do with the gender of your baby and its build. Both of my babies were average to slender builds.
- We never used a baby monitor.
- I hated the diaper genie. It was a pain to use and I could not figure it out, especially in the middle of the night. I would always turn it the wrong direction and cut off the liner instead of twisting it. We just put the wet diapers in the kitchen trash can and bagged stinkies in a grocery bag before throwing away. We take out the trash every day or so. Super stinkies went straight out!
Hope this helps!
Congrats on your long awaited pregnancy/baby!!! I have three kids 11,3 and six months.
My must haves:
Chicco Key Fit 30 infant seat. LOVE IT!
Pamper swaddler, yes they are exspensive but they the softest diaper out there. If money is an issue than by all means get whatever works. My six month old is in size 2/3 and will soon move onto the cruisers.
Baby Moniter
Large receiving blankets to swaddle.
I love to hold my babies so we never had much use for swings, or bouncers.
Find a good sling to wear you baby. Darn if laundry and housework need to be done :)
Infant nightgowns are the best for middle of the night changings.
I breastfead so can't help on bottles.
I love my diaper genie.
Have fun shopping.
Well, so many people always have such different opinions and it really depends on the baby, but here goes my two cents:
Monitor- ours is a video monitor and honestly we could NOT live WITHOUT it! It is the Summer video monitor. We can be outside and still know what is going on in her room. With movement- she moves constantly and even though she may be babbling, she is not always awake, so only the video monitor would be good for us!
Diapers- we loved pampers swaddlers and someone else commented on this, but the line on the front is very helpful when the baby is really young and you are still trying to figure things out like wet diapers.
Sling- I had one, but I only used it a few times at the grocery store. I tried to wear her at home, but it was ackward.
Bouncy seat- MUST have this. This helped me to take a shower, make up the bed, wash dishes. Emma Kate loved hers.
Bottles- We originally registered for the playtex drop-ins, but Emma Kate ended up having reflux and was on meds so we had to switch to Dr. Browns, which I loved. My hubby things the drop-ins would have been easier because the others are tough with washing, but worth it (IMO)!
Diaper genie- We have the elite. I do like it, but my mother-in-law just uses grocery bags when I am working and she seems to like that way....
Pacifier- If we could go back, we probably would not use one. (She woke up every 45 minutes the first couple of nights, so we gave her one). We originally got cute ones, but since I was nursing, we got the soothie and she loves it. It is her friend I think.
Breast Pump- Medela, but wait before you get anything else. I never leaked and had a ton of breast pads that I NEVER used.
Breast Cover up- Just something to cover you up while you are out and about (if you plan to nurse). And Lanolin Cream for your nipples because for me, this was the only thing that made me feel better!
Diaper Bag- Something that has organizers in it. My mom made mine, but the places to keep things apart is very helpful.
Diaper Changing System- this is an Amy Coe, but it is a bag that holds your diapers, place to put baby on diaper changing beds in stores, etc so that they dont have to lay down directly on the gross germy ones and holds your wipes. It is for shopping which I know you love to do! (you can even use it in your car and dont have to put baby on the seat)
Jumperoo- we have this and Emma Kate loved it, but not all babies do.
Floppy Seat Shopping cart cover- We use this to cover high chairs and shopping carts. Cant go anywhere without it! You wont need it until she/he can sit up.
Jogging stroller and convertible stroller- We have the car seat/ stroller combo and we have a jogging stroller. To get the weight off, I took Emma Kate for walks everyday in the jogger (better on roads) and she loved it. I use the other one at the mall because the carseat just attached to it when she was really small and that was great too.
I liked the nightgowns for when she was really small and I would have to get up in the middle of the night every three hours. It was easy to pull up and down for diaper changes.
Swaddle Me blanket and Dwell Studio (Target) receiving blankets. The swaddle me had velcro to stay in place and believe it or not, the swaddling helps. All receiving blankets are great, but the dwell studio are extra long and are better for swaddling like at naptime.
That is really all that I can think of right now. You know you can call or email me if you have any more specific questions. Good luck and I registered kind of early too and was so happy that I did. It took me and my best friend about 2.5 hours to register and was exhausting. I think it is harder to do if you wait longer because my ankles swelled really bad and it was easier when I was smaller :) Have fun!!
I forgot to say Boppy and mylicon drops. Emma Kate had gas and this really seemed to help her out! :)
Oh how us moms love telling what we think is best! I guess I will throw my opinion in as well.
- Dr. Brown bottles. The only kinds we used, other than NICU bottles, and the only kind I will ever use. Recommended by our pedi to reduce colic symptoms and gas. We loved them plus they don't have a problem letting thickened liquids through like when or if you use rice. We had to have thickened liquids so it worked great for that. They also sell a Y-cut nipple for them for the thicker liquids.
-Diaper Genie for sure. We have the Diaper Genie II, and love it. No problem with the smell of dirty diapers and very easy to use.
-You need a boppy pillow no matter what. They are great tummy time pillows for smaller infants, and support pillow for learning to sit up.
- my girls lived in their bouncy seat and swing for months. We just used the Graco travel take-along-swing and it worked great for us, plus didn't take up lots of room.
- we also lived in our jumperoo and excersaucer once they were a little older.
-I just have a motion/sound monitor and haven't had any problems with it, it is a Graco one. But now that my girls are 19 months old I really want a video monitor so that I can see what they are up to during naptime. They are beginning to climb out of their bed, and I would like to be able to see how and catch them in action to get onto them. One thing I have heard though is you can hear your neighbors, well with our sound monitor we can pick up our neighbors who have one too and they can pick up ours. When the base is turned off we can hear from our neighbors base through our receiver and viceversa.
-I recommend not buying lots of paci's. My girls only used the kind the NICU sent home and then they broke themselves at 3 months.
-Our favorite diapers are Pampers Swaddlers. In fact we still only use them. They are so soft and keep the baby's booty dry.
Let's see...
Bottles - Dr. Brown's - really helps eliminate gas going into baby's tummy. A little bit of a pain to clean, but worth it.
Diapers - get Luv's, they work great and are so much cheaper than Huggies or Pampers. Don't buy the store brand, though. Every store brand I bought leaked. Not fun at 3 a.m.
Highchair - don't bother. Once your baby gets old enough to use it, you'll realize a booster chair works just fine and will be used much more in the long run. They are also cheaper and much easier to clean.
Breast pump - don't buy one until you know for sure you can breastfeed your baby. I was bound and determined to breastfeed only to find out my son couldn't latch very well and we never got the chance to. I tried pumping, but it is a HUGE timesuck, so we went straight to bottle/formula feeding after 2 weeks.
Diaper Genie - Love it! Worth the money to buy one if you don't want stinky poop diapers stinking up your house. :)
Bumbo - get one. My son loves it and it has helped him develop upper back strength to sit up on his own. Mine also had the tray attached for him to play in. I put this on the counter in our kitchen whenever I need to wash/make bottles, dishes, etc. He loves to sit in the room with me while I do this.
Burp clothes - cannot have enough of them! They are thicker and bigger than washclothes. I have at least 10 so I'm not constantly doing laundry.
Boppy - we really didn't get much use out of ours. My son doesn't really care for it either. We used it mostly to prop our arm up when we fed him when he was younger, but don't use it much anymore.
Bottle warmer - I love this thing. Heats up bottles really quickly and you don't need to worry about "hot areas" from microwaving. Can also store cold bottles in the back of it for those night feedings.
Detergent - go with a Free and Clear kind, any kind will do. Don't buy Dreft - huge waist of money.
Can't think of anything else off the top of my head. If I think of anything, I'll let you know! Have fun registering!!
My kids are older...9, 7, and 5 so there are a lot of new things out there.
1. I'd get a durable everyday diaper bag that isn't so huge (Lands End day tripper is awesome and lasted us years). Yes, I know there are pretty ones out there too.
2. I absolutely loved the Fisher Price papasan chair for my youngest. I'd get the swing one too if we were to have more. It's like a bouncy seat but it's wider and lasts longer as for being more secure.
3. Nursing cover up if you're going to nurse.
4. Bottles...every child is different. So I would get a few different kind of bottles and then see what the babies like. My favorites were the Avent, Dr. Bottle and Playtex...though my oldest hated the Playtex.
5. If you're going to do formula at all then I highly recommend getting a formula powder holder or two because you can put the right amount of formula in each divider and when you're out all you need is a bottle of water to shake it in. A friend recommended that when unexpectedly I had to give my 2nd some formula at 6 months. My first was formula fed but I was silly and spent so much time making it in advance.
6. I loved my baby b'jorn.
7. I loved my baby b'jorn potty seat (and I went through several brands).
Don't forget safety gates, feeding materials (spoons, gerber bowls (we still use them, etc).
I loved our britax car seats. Try out car seats and strollers and see what works for hubby and you.
I'd loved the jumperoo for my youngest.
Make sure you register for plenty of sheets, crib sheet protectors and hangers.
Congratulations.
OH you are going to get so many opinions :)
I'll just answer the ones you mentioned:
1. Bottle - Dr. Browns because of air flow. I hate that brown piece but I will wash it 1,000 times if it prevents air from getting to Lauren
2. Diaper Pail - 100% yes. I think it's nasty to throw diapers in a wal mart bag. Urine smells and if you have a lot in a week, yuck. Newborns have on average like 10 diapers a day. Id much rather have those hidden. Their poop doesn't stink for a while but still.
3. Monitors - 100% movement but that's because I'm paranoid. I would hate it if I couldn't see if Lauren flipped over or if I couldn't see her chest going up and down
Also, pampers swaddlers were the best I think. Parkridge East gave them to us so they were obviously a fan too
And this is random but the big burp cloths work best because they cover more surface on your shoulder. The thinner, as in width, are sold too and I don't even know why. They fall off your shoulder like there's no tomorrow .....just a pet peeve I learned after wasting too much money on cloths. I wish someone would have told me.
Less is more! I agree with waiting and seeing what your baby likes/dislikes. I had three babies in three and a half years, and the ONLY things I used with everyone were the Diaper Genie and Graco exersaucer.
Also, if you have any interest in babywearing, The Peanut Shell is great, but in my experience, you must start wearing them soon. A six-week-old baby is not going to like being shoved into a sling if he/she has never been in one.
If I had a fourth, I'd make sure I had diapers, receiving blankets, sleepers, and my sling. That's all I really "needed" for awhile.
Having fun registering!
Two Things:
1) The angle care monitor
If your baby stops breathing, an alarm goes off. I have 3 daughters and it only went off one time. By the time we got in there, it had already stopped and she was fine. I would have hated to know what would have happened though if we did not have that.
2) A wipe warmer. In the middle of the night, it helps to not wake the baby so much.
As for everything else, I recommend waiting. As someone above said every child is so different and you really don't want to be stuck with a bunch of things your child will not tolerate. I would recommend putting one of a few different types of bottles, pacifiers, and diapers on your registry.
P.S. Love the name Annsley. I have one of my own! Good Luck!
Hi! Congrats on your pregnancy! I remember reading your blog right after Kelly's Korner did the prayer blog. I was also on that list and I am now expecting a baby on July 25!!! I just wanted to say Congrats!! I recognized your name as soon as I saw it on the praise list because I remember reading your blog a while ago. Hope you are doing well!!
Britni
britninicholson@bellsouth.net
I just came across your blog today. What an amazing journey you have had. Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!! YAY!!! I look forward to reading all about it. And, I SOOOO think you are having a girl! :-)
I know you will get a TON of opinions but I'm going to throw mine in too:
Diapers: I used Huggies when Hannah was litle but once she started crawling I switched to Pampers Cruisers.
Bottles: Playtex Drop-Ins..They are so easy! I did use Gerber bottles the first few weeks and I HATED washing bottles.
I HIGHLY SUGGEST getting a holder for formula powder...the one that divides it out.(if that's how you are going to feed)
I used cloth diapers for bottles and spit up. They obviously last forever because these were some that my mom used with me and my brother(only for bottles.
Hannah LOVED her Jumperoo and HATED her swing. I bought a bouncy seat at Ross and she was ok with it. I used it when I took showers and just wanted to put her somewhere safe.
I didn't have a diaper genie until Hannah was about 10 months and I WISH I had one sooner. I love it!
I just wrote a blog on what I use daily with my 2 month old: http://lisaorlandon.blogspot.com/2010/01/daily-baby-essentials.html
Whatever you do, Do NOT buy a crib from Babies Dream/ Cocoon- we waited over 6 months and still didn't get our crib, the replacement arrived just three days before he was born!
Here are the fews things i liked:
Boppy: yes for sure. great for feedings
Monitor: we just have a noise/motion monitor a Graco. Works great for us. Video seemed to be a waste of money since we were just down the hall
Diaper Pail: we have a Diaper Champ. you can use your own trash bags with it. with the Diaper Genie you have to buy the bags for it which can be costly. the diaper champ is the same thing, but you can use your owns bags we buy a big box of bags at walmart that last forver.
Pacifier: we use Mam's. Our lacation nurse told us not to use Nuk if your nursing. Mam's are shaped more like a nipple so nursing can be easier and smoother if the pacy is shaped more like it. Nuk's have a flat bottom.
Bottles: we used Dr.Brown's. great for less air in the bottle. only downfall was there are several parts to wash and put together. also the bottle rack was very nice to have by the sink.
Medela pump was great. also get the hands free bra for it.
bouncy seat: a MUST have
Bumbo: dont get. get a seat with the toys that can also convert into the bumbo type chair
mattress: we bought a mattress that vibrates, thought it would help with the sleep. no landon hated it.
pack in play: i would get that instead of a bassinette. We had a bassinette it was nice because he played music but that was about it. he grow out of it in a few months.
there are so many things babies need. you will figure it out when HE gets here.
I'm sure your will get tons of different opinions but this is what I liked...
*I LOVED the Bumbo seat
*We didn't bother with a diaper genie...we just had a small trash can that we kept my the back door and took out every few days
*Wipe warmer - they will not always have warm wipes and they get cold by the time they get to their bottom anyway
*bottles - we used playtex drop ins and avent...we did have some trouble with the avent ones leaking...i think the key is don't try to get them too tight
*i loved the long gowns that you don't have to button...perfect for night
Okay, this is probably way more info than you want/need, but I have an 8 week old so it's all pretty fresh to me and I remember having the same questions.
The first piece of advice I have is don't buy a bassinet, instead get a pack and play that has the bassinet in the top. Someone told me this and at the last minute I decided to buy a bassinet anyway. $150 for something he slept in for about three weeks.
The second thing I'd say is don't break the bank on any one product. For example, I wanted to get a really expensive swing because it looked so comfortable but it wasn't in our budget and we didn't get it as a gift. Instead we got the swing that is only a travel swing but we use it at home, and we use it several times every day and baby loves it. I had also hoped to breast feed and spent probably around $600 or more between the expensive Medela pump, nursing bras/tanks, Medela bottles etc. and my milk dried up after a few weeks and baby started losing weight so I had to give up breast feeding. I'm so glad I tried and plan on trying again when I have another baby, but I wish I hadn't spent so much $!
Skip the wipe warmer. Like Jenna said if they don't get used to it you are better off. If you bottle feed I was also told to serve room temperature bottles rather than warm bottles that way if you are in a situation when you can't warm the bottle easily the baby won't have any issues. This has worked wonderfully for us.
You CANNOT go without a bouncy/vibrator seat. I take it all over the house with me so I can get things done.
If you formula feed we have had great success with the Avent bottles. Baby has HORRIBLE reflux so the bottle has been very important. They also have a variable stage nipple so that if you have to thicken formula it's no problem. I've also been recommended Dr. Brown's if reflux is an issue, but they have several more parts, and it's all I can do to get our bottles washed some days!
Diapers- someone suggested this to me and I half heartedly did it and so wish I had been better- buy a package a week NOW. It might sound crazy, but they are expensive and sometimes it's just hard to get to the store with a newborn! We used Pampers for a few weeks, but baby started to soak through those quickly. We've had better success with Huggies, but from what I've heard it all depends on the baby. I'd say if you are going to stock up buy all one brand of several sizes but if they don't work, you can always exchange them!
Sorry if this is way too much information. Like I said I had so many questions about things when I was pregnant but no one really to turn to for advice, so I hope it's been helpful!
Oh so sorry, one more thing I forgot. GAS DROPS! Buy the off brand (they are the same thing) and have them on hand. If baby is fussy after a bottle these almost always solve the problem.
I would be more concerned about something happening to your baby than something happening to you. Thus I would be hesitant to start buying a lot of stuff for the baby so early on in your pregnancy. Enjoy this time of being pregnant. You'll have more than enough time to plan later on when you have a better idea of where your pregnancy is going. So many things will change when the baby comes that there will be many things you prematurely buy that you will not need. You'll have a better idea of what to get for many of the baby items when the baby arrives. Relax and enjoy just being pregnant! Keep your life simple and uncomplicated.
You must have a boppy pillow!
We have an Angelcare Breathing Monitor, and I wouldn't go without it. Our daughter had RSV when she was 10 weeks old, and was on a breathing monitor. After 8 weeks, the doctors took that off her, but I needed peace of mind at home, so we bought the Angelcare. It senses all movement when she is sleeping. Totally worth the money!
Our daughter loved her bouncy seat, exersaucer, and swing. Our swing was a Graco Papasan Swing, and it was GREAT! It holds up to 25pounds, and she loved swinging in up to 12 months! She would read her books while swinging. It was a more expensive swing, but completely worth every penny. (and it had an ipod hook up with it)
I like our diaper genie, but the refills can get kind of spendy.
I don't think wipe warmers are worth the money ... I actually never used it and returned mine because I was told they dry out the wipes.
Bobby- must have! We have a 2 story house and actually had 2 so I didn't have to keep taking it up and down the stairs. This came in real handy after birth too b/c I was so sore (2nd degree tear and rhoids) that I actually sat on it for about a week.
Diapers- We love Pampmers and I am starting to use a few cloth (good mama are my favorite) here and there to try and save a little money. Whatver you do, DO NOT but Luvs, they leak like something awful.
Bottles- we went through a ton of different ones. Landon HATED Dr. Browns, and the Avent ones leaked like something awful. We loved the Playtex glass ones, they have covers that come withthem so they don't shatter, are super easy to use and all parts go into the dishwasher.
Bouncy Chair- Landon's vibrated and it was a must. The only way I took a shower for months, and the only way I was able to get online too. He loved to nap in it as well.
Jumperoo- Must have Landon loved to jump..ours was fisher price (as was everything in the rainforest theme).
Carrier/Wrap- I had the Moby when he was really young and loved it, but once he got older I bought an Ergo and absolutely love it. They have an infant insert for the Ergo, and it is the best for them developmentally. Trust me we tried a ton of them, and talked ot numerous moms and our pedi about them, and fell in love with the Ergo. It holds them up to 65 lbs, and you can put them on your back once they get older..Landon LOVES this.
Swing- We had the Fisher Price one, it was a lifesaver let me tell you. Landon would nap in it and everything.
Wipe Warmer- Not for us, Landon never cared.
Beaba Baby Food Maker- My mom got me this and it's the greatest. I make all his food now, and it's easy and simple and can all be done in the same apparatus. You can find it at Williams Sonoma.
Books- Happiest Baby on the Block was a lifesaver for us. Everything in it works, and saved us a lot of stress and heart ache in those early days.
Pacifiers- The Mam brand is the only ones Landon will take, and he loves them. I love them too they are cute and orthodontic so I don't have to worry about them messing up his teeth or anything.
Bumbo Seat- Landon refused to use this. He sat in it once and that was it. Not worth the $$ to me.
Diaper Disposal- we just use a trash can and take it out once a day. This works best for us, but i never liked the Diaper Geenie or anything like that. The refills are pretty pricey from what Ihave seen.
Monitor- We use just a basic noise monitor from graco and we love it. I got it at Target for a great price and I can take it outside and down the street if I want too, but I don't.
Carseat- I really want a Britax and would reccomend them to everyone. They are convertible and can be used starting at 5 lbs. My hope is to replaced Landon's with one really soon.
Travel System- We loved out Gravo one, but had to replace it when we were hit. The Eddie Bauer one we had after that was very difficult and Landon out grew the infant car seat so quick, that with the next one we are going to just get a Britax convertible. We donated the EB one as soon as we could, it was just bad.
Breast Pump- Without a doubt the Medela Pump in Style is the best. I loved mine, and it was so easy and has a car adapter so if you go on a long car ride or something you can pump in the car...a lifesaver when we drove to Dallas and San Diego. The adapter is about $20, but well worth it.
That's all I can think of. If you have any ?'s or need clarification feel free to email me!
We've had two kids. Used Diaper Genie with the first - it's pricey for refills. Used Diaper Champ with the second and love it. You can use regular trash bags with it so it's more economical and works just as well as the Diaper Genie.
Our daugher, Anniston, is four months old. We got TONS of stuff at our baby showers and I thought we would use it all, but we only use some of it. Here is what has worked best for us (but every baby and family is different, so you just have to do what works best for your family and your baby!):
-Dr. Brown's bottles. They work really really well. Anniston had some tummy troubles in the beginning which we were afraid was the bottles, but we switched her to soy formula and she has been so much better ever since. These bottles work very well and she doesn't have a lot of gas!
-Diaper Genie II. We started out using this for all diapers, but now we only use it for the stinky ones. We throw the pee diapers in the trash can.
-Pampers! We started out using the Swaddlers and now we use the baby dry. The only problem that we have with them, is Anniston has chubby legs and they are a little tight around them. I've heard that Huggies work better for chubby babies, but we haven't actually bought any to try yet. We've rarely had a leak in them!
-Soothies Pacifier. They gave this to Anniston in the hospital and since day one she won't take anything else. She only has ever used it when she is going to sleep for naptime, she doesn't want it during the day. If you decide to use a pacy, then my suggestion is to get a bunch of them! That way if it drops on the floor, you already have another waiting!!
-Anniston loves her Jumperoo. She is still a little small for it, but she still loves it!
-Anniston HATED the swing. Most babies love it, but you get her anywhere near a swing, and she screams!
-She likes her bouncy seat sometimes. Not all of the time though.
-She loves her baby gym floormat. She loves to lay on her back or stomach and play with all the toys. She talks to them and plays with them all the time (so cute!).
-Bumbo seat. Anniston is trying to sit up and this really helps her learn back control. We put her in it and use the tray that you can buy with some toys on it and she loves to play, play, play!
-We got one of the highchairs that you strap to a regular chair. That way she can sit at the table with us and if we go anywhere that we need one (and they won't have one) we can easily take it with us! It's been wonderful!!
-We love the sleep and play outfits. On days that we are just at home, she stays in those. They are easy to change her diaper, they are warm, and look very comfortable (I almost wouldn't mind a pair for myself! :) ).
-Leg warmers!! LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! They look adorable with onesies and they make diaper changing so easy!! You can get them off of etsy for around $8/pair. We LOVE them!
-Trumpette socks! They are adorable and no need for shoes!!
-For burp rags, we use the cloth diapers and just had them monogrammed. Super cute, easy to wash, and very cheap!
That's all off the top of my head that we use. We'll all be praying for you during your pregnancy!!!
I loved reading all of the comments. I know it has been a longggg time since I had a new born but some of the things the new mommies recommended were my "must haves" too.
So here is my list that seems to have met the test of time:
Cotton receiving blankets: while Baby is little, in a days time you will go through almost as many as you will diapers. Uses: swaddling, bed liners, and the NICU nurses taught me a lot of uses for them that I will share later. I have been eyeing the Swaddler product that would be nice to have.
You will need several fitted mattress sheets. Keep extras close by for those middle of the night leaks.
Nightgowns are great. Changing a diaper at night is soooo much easier when baby has on a gown. I like ones that snapped or had elastic in the bottom hem.
Diaper Genie was not for me. I used grocery bags and bought an additional trash can that stayed on the back porch and would get those nasty diapies out of the house after every change. My husband and I would argued over whose turn it was to empty the Genie and since you have to use thier brand of bags it is just another thing to have on supply at all times.
Here's the thing about disposable diapers: anytime I used the cheap brands, my three girls developed diaper rash! I always used Huggies.
Don't buy a breast pump. I followed the advise of the NICU nurses and I rented one from the medical supply store and it was SO much better than the store bought Medula one I paid big bucks for. The rented ones are much more powerful and the time it saved me was priceless. Also, since Vanessa had jaundice she had to switch to formula until she was over it and would never take breast milk again. So while I strongly advocate breat milk, sometimes it just doesn't work out.
My most used baby item was a bouncy seat! I concur with all other bloggers comments.
On of the strangest gifts I received at a baby shower was a tub of homemade wipes. I soon learned it was the BEST gift I ever received!!!! I never, repeat NEVER bought babywipes from the store. I followed the instructions taped to the lid of the baby shower gift and made them out of paper towells with water and baby soft soap. I know sounds weird, but they are so much fresher, have more moisture, and are a fraction of the cost of store bought wipes. About 50 cents for 200 wipes! Considering how many diaper changes and messy clean-ups I used wipes for, I figured this gift saved me hundreds of dollars!
Also, a plastic bottle organizer used to put all of the baby bottle parts in the dishwasher is very helpful. Just don't ever tell my mother that while I boiled every bottle I used for the twins (yep in a pan on the stove, every day for at least a year~using sterilized tongs and a stainless bottle drying rack), I used the dishwasher for Vanessa's bottles.
Much, much love to you, Michael, and Baby from Mimi.
Hey Manda, you already have so many comments, I don't know where to start so I'll go with what I know from my experience.
Boppy pillow-must have, especially if your nursing. Makes a great nap spot too.
Playtex Drop-In's for the bottle. I tried others and they just didn't seem to work like these do. They are so easy to use (and clean).
Wipe warmer. Helped so much in the middle of the night. I felt using a warm wipe didn't wake baby as much during a changing like a cold would did.
Mylicon drops were wonderful. I always had those around because I never knew when what I ate would bother my little man. The generic walmart brands work just as good too!
Diaper Genie II- not one. The II is much more user friendly and easier to use, and blocks out smells much better.
Pampers!!! I used swaddlers and now am on to cruisers. I have tried other brands and none of them did the job like pampers.
Britax Diplomat car seat. It can be used 5 lbs up and is great for a 2 year old too! I wish I would of known about it before hand. The travel systems are good when they are young because you can pop them in the stroller without waking them up. That's the only downside to the diplomat, you can't do that. But in the end, it saves you money to just go ahead and get the diplomate.
Bumbo, bouncy/vibrating seat, gym/playmat were all wonderful in keeping the baby occupied at various times during the day.
Nursing supplies ----there are a bunch, lily pads, nursing pads, medula pump, etc. i can tell you more if you're interested.
Hope this helps.
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