My wife and I are expecting at the end of April and we’re going to register for showers this weekend. This will be our first. Thusfar we’ve completed painting the baby’s room. We’re getting new funiture for our bedroom and moving my wife’s kids’ funiture into the baby’s room – it’s still in rather good shape.
I know some of the big stuff we need yet: crib, changing table, car seat. But I’m not sure about everything we need to buy. So, what do we need and what would be helpful to get??
[ul][li]Dr. Spock’s book.A rocking chair. [/li][li]A diaper pail with a tight cover. [/li][li]Plugs for all the wall sockets. [/li][li]A backpack/frontpack to carry the little fellow.[/li][li]One of those baby bags if it is cold where you live. [/li][li]Plastic cover for the floor after he/she starts to eat solids.[/li][li]A high chair.[/li][li]Baby thermometer.[/li][li]A dozen or so bottles if you are going to use them, nursing pads if not. [/li][li]College fund.[/li][li]A good night’s sleep.[/ul] The last one is the only one you won’t be able to find.[/li]
You do not need clothes, you are going to get a bunch of them from everyone. Used is better than new, they outgrow clothes like you wouldn’t believe, so everyone has closets full of practically new stuff.
Congratulations. Be prepared for big changes. Also be prepared to ignore most advice if it doesn’t sound right to you.
A BOPPIE pillow. It is shaped like a horseshoe and will serve many functions. It helps with breast feeding, bottle feeding, and an aid in learning to sit up.
I 2nd this suggestion. Baby diapers are the absolute grossest smell in existance. Surprisingly, you can use any garbage can with a lid that is opened by a pedal at the base of the can. Just make sure it does close tightly, and don’t over fill it either.
If you haven’t already bought a changing table, I wouldn’t bother. The top of a dresser, the crib or the floor work just fine. (Since, of course, you are always going to keep one hand on the baby anyway.)
You don’t need a changing table. The floor is fine, and plus you will not have time to rush the kid to a changing table every time he/she makes a peepee.
You do need a Snugli (a baby backpack). You pretty much can’t touch a newborn baby too much and the kid will outgrow it very quickly. Cuddle all you can while they will let you!
Try out offbrand diapers first and see if you can get away with them before you go for the brand name ones. We used Dri Bottoms (from Wal Mart) and never had a problem and they’re cheaper than Pampers. You may have a kid with rhino skin, like mine, who is not susceptible to diaper rash and you can use cheap diapers
Don’t buy new clothes. Go to yard sales. You will find brand new stuff with the tags still on it. The only clothes a newborn baby needs are onesies and socks, and a couple of “nice” outfits for church and whatnot. They’re just gonna throw up on everything anyway so don’t sink a lot of money into a wardrobe. There will be times, I promise, that the baby puke will be so foul you’ll just throw away the onesie rather than contaminate your washing machine with it
(You’re lucky because your baby will be born in spring, and you won’t have to worry much about keeping them warm.)
One thing you absolutely must have: go to Wal Mart and buy their version of cloth diapers. They look like plain white dishrags. (Unless you’re snooty then just buy plain white regular dishrags that you’d use in the kitchen.)
Those things are AWESOME. You can use a clean one as a light blanket. They can be burp rags, barf rags, rags to clean up projectile vomiting, etc. Get 2 or 3 packages. The beauty part is you can just throw them away after they get crusty because they’re cheap.
No one has mentioned a bath tub. Actually, what works great is a nonskid baby holder. I can’t remember what its called. You put it in the tub or sink. It keeps slippery baby parts from going down the drain. (kidding, of course.) Don’t use baby oil or powder. The oil blocks pores and only makes for a slippery babe. The powder can get into little lungs (or, for that matter, big lungs)
You should have Vitamin A&D ointment, or other diaper care ointment. something to protect baby’s bottom from pee, poo, and bad diapers. You’ll also need baby shampoo, and baby wash. Get house brands, but avoid any with scent. The scent can induce a sensitivity reaction, leading to allergies.
Get a sign for your door saying when its nap time. Not so much that a knock on the door will wake the baby, it will wake mom, and she’ll need her nap too!
Oh I miss those! Once the baby doesn’t need them, they’re great for dusting, polishing and …you’ll think of lots.
The carseat – Make sure you have one before the baby is born. Many hospitals won’t allow you to leave with the baby if you didn’t have a carseat to put him in.
Dr. Sears’ Baby Book – More up to date than Dr. Spock. My wife and I treated this like an owner’s manual.
A Bouncy Seat – It’s like a wire “U” with a cloth cover. Google “bouncy seat” to see a picture. The high-end versions have a battery-powered vibration attachment. My kids liked being in the bouncy seat almost as much as being held.
A Baby Monitor – Depending on how far away the baby will be sleeping from you. When we moved our son into his own room (after he had slept in our room for a few months) my wife discovered that she couldn’t fall asleep without being able to hear him breathe.
Syrup of Ipecac – You probably won’t need it, but if you do you need it RIGHT NOW. We only used it once. (While my wife was giving my son cough syrup my daughter grabbed the open bottle off the counter and took a big swig. We called poison control and they said give her ipecac.)
A Humidifier – When babies get sick they can get croup, which is a cough with a distinctive barking sound. If the croup gets bad enough it can close off their little throats and kill them. Dry air makes croup worse, humid air helps. Our son is susceptable to croup, so we always run a humidifier in his room when he’s sick. If it gets really bad we take him in the bathroom and run the shower to make it steamy.
Changing tables are a real back saver. I suggest getting one that doubles as a dresser. We got one from IKEA that we love. It has a book shelf that goes on top after you are done with using it as a changing table. Put an unbreakable mirror so the baby can see him or herself.
Baby grooming kit with nail clippers is something you want right away. we loved the take along swing we had. It packed up for travel and was nice.
If you can find one in your area, a diaper service is the way to go. Cost seems to be no more than disposables, maybe less. Don’t underestimate the value of having stuff delivered at least those first few months.
A subscription to consumer reports. It is good to read about baby stuff pitfalls before going shopping. Also a travel system, which includes carseat and stroller is wonderful to have.
Lots of receiving blankets and onsies. Also a little baby hat or two. My daughter was born May 1st last year. The cotton onsies and receiving blankets were her default newborn outfit. At first they like to be bundled, but you don’t want to let them over heat. Baby wash cloths and hooded towels. The terry is softer than adult towels. Ivory snow to prewash all clothes before they go on baby.
A baby swing. Forgot to mention that one. Wait till the kid is about 6 weeks old before you try it out, though, before then and they might get scared. If your kid turns out to like it, they will probably sleep in it quite a bit so it can double as a bed
It’s a great thing to buy at yard sales and such, or get as a hand-me-down, because honestly, how much does even two or three kids do to a crib? Also, as somebody else already mentioned, baby clothes are always easy to get brand new secondhand.
But.
If you do go yard-sale shopping for cribs and suchlike, make sure that anything you buy folllows current standards. For example, some older cribs have slats far enough apart to get the baby’s head stuck between them. Read up on these issues before you go shopping.
Has anyone suggested a portable crib yet? They are great; DangerBaby slept in hers right next to our bed after she grew out of the bassinet (in about 5 minutes) until we were ready to actually move her into the crib in her room at 5 or 6 months. Very handy for trips, and they are also good playpens. You can get one with a bassinet insert, so you don’t need a real bassinet, and that can be used as a changing table too.
Also, make and freeze a bunch of meals in March. You will be glad.
See if you can get hand-me-down swings and jumpy chairs and so on too; your kid may not like them, and then you’ll have a $50 useless item.
For a lot of things what works for some won’t work for another.
For some reason Loren hates the portable crib. We got one, it seemed like a great idea, but she hated it. If you do get one, make sure there is no recall on it. A lot of infant deaths have been caused by poorly designed and poorly set up baby furniture, especially portable stuff. Make sure you read and understand the directions!
I found the best nursing pillow just to be an appropriately sized pillow with an soft cotton pillow case. A medium throw pillow at first, to a kingsized bed pillow now. The best thing I found was a chair that was comfortable for me to nurse in, but until the baby gets here it is not easy to determine what kind of chair that will be. I had difficulty nursing sitting up until I tried in the nursing room at IKEA. What I thought would work before hand did not. When I found the chair there and it worked for me, I bought one that day. That was the best money I spent.
A lot of babies skip newborn sized clothes, Loren did not. Don’t get too many things in nb size, but have some.
Has anyone mentioned a diaper bag? We got one at the hospital, a freebie from a formula company, never needed another.
Toys that make crinkle noises were Loren’s early favorites.
If you do decide to go the used route for furniture and clothing, here are a few things to remember:
First, talk to the hospital’s pediatric safety nurse (there should be one) and get the current guidelines for baby furniture. The slats on a crib should be no further apart than 2-3/8 inches apart, that sort of thing. Make sure that everything you get meets all current safety standards.
And, as tempting as it may be, DO NOT buy a used car seat. It’s better to go to Sears or Wal-Mart or Target and buy a new car seat in the box with a registration card so the company can reach you in case of a recall. Buying/receiving a used car seat can be dangerous because you don’t know what you’re buying. The seat could have been in a crash, thereby rendering it unusable. Also, the hospital may offer classes in car seat installation and install the seat for you. Take advantage of this; it’s worth it.
If you buy or receive used clothing, wash it in plain water to make sure whatever soap/detergent is completely washed out. Not all babies respond well to all detergents. In any event, you’ll get so much clothing as a gift that you won’t need to buy anything else, except as daily “okay to mess up” wear.
I would suggest a bassinet or a cradle for your room, until s/he sleeps through the night. I found it easier to nurse my daughter if she was sleeping in the same room with me, then pop her back into bed. I didn’t have to get up, pull on a robe, and stumble to her room. Plus, if she was fussy, I could just drop my arm over and rock the cradle or rub her back until she went back to sleep.
You may not need an actual crib for a couple of months. LilSnoopy slept in a stroller (the kind you can lay down in) for the first 2 months or so. Putting a little squirt in a big crib can make them feel too “exposed” sometimes. In short, don’t panic if you don’t find the perfect crib right away.
