Tell me about baby gear

In My Humble Opinion
21

Lots of good advice here! The thing I would add that I didn’t see mentioned is to check out the Amby Baby Motion Bed as an option. We used ours for a whole year, instead of a bassinet which lasts about 8 weeks. At 12 months, we got one of those convertible crib/toddler bed/full headboard thingies, and she’s still in there in crib style. My husband thinks it’s time to change it to a toddler bed, but I rather like having her contained until I’m alert enough to supervise her.

The Amby bed is amazing. Read through the site - it can help ease reflux and colic and prevent SIDS and keep babies sleeping deeper and longer. Our doctors were a little nervous about it at first, so we brought it into the NICU while she was still hooked up to oxygen monitors and they were very pleased. Her oxygen levels were better in there than in a flat crib. One doctor tried to flip her over to see if she could suffocate on the fabric sides, but the design of the bed won’t allow for it, and it rolled her gently back into a face-up position. Its gentle bob and sway mimics being held in the womb or in a sling, and offers just enough movement when the baby wakes to lull them back into sleep or keep them amused until you pick them up.

Not gear, but just as important: have someone set up a telephone line or website with updates. You can leave messages on there when you can’t sleep at 3 AM and other people can call or log in for news, and you won’t have to answer the phone 20 times a day. If you know someone who’s good at organizing time and saying no, put him in charge of your social calendar for the first few weeks - set visiting hours and stick to them, just as if you were in the hospital. And don’t be afraid to put guests to work. Just having someone run a load of laundry through can be a huge help, and most people like to feel like they’re pitching in. Think about how you would feel visiting a friend with a new baby - talking is great, seeing the baby is even better, but you’d feel even happier if you got to help out in some way, right? Be generous enough to let other people feel that way, too. It’s not imposing, it’s making them feel important.

22

Argh! Missed the edit window:

The Amby bed is great for travel, too! It all breaks down and comes with its own carry case (sort of a custom duffel bag) and you can bring it to Grandma’s or the hotel room or wherever and the baby has her regular bed to sleep in! No disruptions caused by unusual beds or searching for blockade building materials to make a non-baby proof room safe to sleep in. We even brought ours camping and set it up in the tent!

23

Well, here’s what I’d recommend after almost 6 weeks of parenthood :slight_smile: :

-Get a baby carrier. I looooove my Moby Wrap, as does the baby. He sleeps the whole time he’s in it, and I can get stuff done.
-I have the Medela Pump In Style original, but I haven’t used it yet. I have used the manual pump that I got at the hospital. I’ll report back once I use the PIS, but it’s supposed to be great.
-Get lots of 0-3 month sleepers (the longsleeve jammies), and not too many cute 0-3 month onesies, since you’ll have a winter baby. The cute onesies will be covered up by the other layers, so just get some plain ones.
-Get one package of newborn sized disposable diapers. They’re good for babies up to 10lbs, so there’s a good chance your kid will fit that first week home. You can go up to size 1s after that if you need to. And get some wipes. You’ll go through them faster than you think you will.
-Get a Boppy. I love mine. Get at least one extra cover for it, too.
-Get 2-3 nursing bras, and a couple-three nursing tank tops. If you can afford it (or – you sew, don’t you? Find some patterns!) get some nursing tops. I wish I had more than the 2 that I do.
-Get a few sleep sacks, for those nighttime diaper changes. Snaps are tricky at 2am with little sleep under your belt.
-Get some Mylicon or other infant gas drops. We used those the first night home.
-If you’re planning to breastfeeed, get some Lansinoh. GET IT. That stuff is magic.
-Get some disposable breast pads. You can get permanent/washable ones later.
-Get some burp cloths. Don’t go overboard, because you might not have a spitty-uppy baby, but you’ll want to have some on hand in case!
-Get some flannel receiving blankets. Well, if you end up like us, everyone will get you blankets, so don’t worry about it too much.
-We love our Lands’ End diaper bag. It opens like a doctor’s bag and holds lots of stuff.
-Maybe don’t get it beforehand, but know about 2 things: the itzbeen timer and the Miracle Blanket. The timer is because your brain won’t work so well once the baby comes, and the Miracle Blanket is to keep the baby swaddled, if he/she likes that. Ours loves being swaddled, but he Houdinis his way out of regular blankets and then fusses. He can’t get out of the Miracle Blanket!
-Check out the book “Baby Bargains.” They are GREAT – they tell you what you need and what you don’t, and which one is a good one to get.
-If you’re planning to breastfeed, and you believe in pacifiers, get a couple of Soothies brand. They are best for breastfeeding infants. Get a pacifier tether, too, because newborns can’t keep pacifiers in their mouths very well.
-Get a bouncy chair or something you can put the baby down in. Our little guy is only just starting to tolerate being put down on the floor, so the little chair has made it possible for me to, y’know, go to the bathroom when I’m alone with the baby.
-For post-partum mom stuff: get a small package of Depends or other adult diapers for that first week. I loved not having to worry about bleeding through/around pads.
-Have people bring you food. And not just dinner: have people bring quickbreads (or make them yourself and freeze ahead of time). I ate a lot of pumpkin bread, because I could grab it quickly and eat it one-handed at any time of day or night, while feeding or calming the baby, and I didn’t feel that it was completely bad for me.
-Get a baby towel and some washcloths.
-A carseat, of course. A stroller is nice but may not be necessary for you. You won’t be able to use an umbrella stroller until the baby is older. Also for the car, I really like the little mirror I have that goes above the carseat so I can see the baby from the driver’s seat. Not necessary, but very convenient.
-Get some lap pads (those rubberized flannel sheets). You can use them for changing or for lining the crib or what-have-you.
-Get some Purell for the changing table/station and to have for people who come to see the brand-new baby. They have no immune system, and the Purell is faster than hand-washing for people who are just dying to hold the baby.
-Make sure you have a nice big water bottle, and drink a full one when you’re breastfeeding.
-Get a couple of baby care books! I’ve really used my Dr. Sears Baby Book.

If you’re delivering at a hospital, try to find out what they give you, so you don’t buy them. Ours sent us home with a bulb syringe (aka “snot sucker”), the Soothies pacifier, and a couple of other things I can’t remember right now.

Very little is NECESSARY to have before the baby arrives, but these are the things we’ve really used. I imagine you’ll also need some warmer clothes and some hats. How many outfits is sort of up to you – I’d start with fewer, because you can always go get more. It’ll depend on your baby, too – we have a spitter-upper, so until we got some little bibs, we had to do laundry every other day just so he’d have enough clothes. Your mileage will vary!

You can also ask for gift cards, and make sure to ask for gift receipts! Good luck, and have fun. :slight_smile:

24

Dr. Sears’ Baby Book is awesome, just the thing at midnight when the baby coughs/sneezes/looks at you funny.

25

Seconded. This was the biggest headache reducer for us when we were registering.

I also just recommend going somewhere like Babies R Us and looking around at all the stuff – don’t start a registry that day, but look at strollers, for example, and figure out which ones look most appealing to you.

And don’t be afraid to ask for gift cards – in some ways, the more you can get after the birth, the happier you’ll be, and it’s an excuse to get out of the house.

26

You guys are awesome. I love all of you.

I had a big long post a few hours ago, but my computer ate it. To recap: we’re not getting a doula because I have a midwife. Actually, two midwives, covered by the Ontario health insurance plan. And they do house calls for the first couple of weeks. One of my best friend’s Mum is a former breastfeeding consultant and RN. I plan to attach myself and baby (known on the Boards so far as tinyninjachef) to her leg.

We’re still in the debate cloth vs disposable. We’re in an apartment, and it will be January, so line drying is out. We’re also getting a little combo washer/dryer, but I’m not sure it will be able to handle a baby’s worth of diapers all the time.

I want slings for both of us. I was thinking about making a changing pad, since I sew, and I’m not sure I have space for a separate table. I was thinking a mat that I can roll up, with pockets. I’m sure if I bought a sling I could copy it.

I’m planning on breastfeeding. I’ll be going back to work part time at six or nine months, if everything goes well. We’ll want a breast pump and bottles for foisting the kid on grandparents (my parents live five minutes away). And for when I’m working.

Going to do the volunteer-food thing. I’m planning on a cooking and baking frenzy in December, so I’ll have at least a few post-birth weeks’ worth of food, but I welcome food donations.

We live in a serious walking area, and don’t own a car, but we’ll need a carseat for the grandparents and taking trips. If we get a stroller, I’d like a really lightweight one. All the women in my area have these massive, thirty-pound baby SUVs. Don’t want that.

I just started looking really pregnant in the last couple of weeks, so I’m just starting the random-bonding-with-strangers-about-baby-stuff conversations. It’s fun.

This is great. Keep it coming. I’m compiling a list. I’m going to be visiting a mall tomorrow, and scouting stuff.

27

Before getting two, I would see how well the baby adapts to the sling. Number 1 loved it and we used it constantly. Number 2 hated it and we barely used it.

28

I don’t have kids so this may be a bit out of line (sorry) but stock up on reading material - both silly baby stuff and stuff you want to read. Read to your baby. When you carry him up and down stairs, count the stairs to him. My mother read to me from the day she brought me home from the hospital and I credit that for my reading so early and loving to read so much. And mom told me I could count to 13 as soon as I could talk, because there were 13 steps up to her apartment.

29

In regards to toys: I know it’s still early yet, but garage sale season is ending. I had no idea what toys our baby would react positively to, so I bought a bunch of cheapies at garages sales, cleaned them up, and let him choose. The ones he has zero interest in went to Goodwill. I just didn’t want family spending $30 on toys he’d never like and saved the baby showers registry for the necessities.

I will say that one of those flat vibrating seats with hanging toys (as opposed to the angled upright ones) was a godsend. It’s how I showered and went to the bathroom for the first three months until he liked being upright better.

30

How about advice from a big sister/older cousin and veteran diaper changer? I’m jumping on the cloth diaper as wiping rag bandwagon. They’re awesome. Another great use for them is putting them over your shoulder/arm/leg to catch spit-up when you burp him.

Someone else mentioned it, but those bulb syringe things are great for either sucking out boogers (and boy will this piss them off) or a bit of spit-up as necessary. For newborns, those small blue syringes that come with those ear wash kits are nice and small, and can fit in their tiny little noses. A word of caution, though: my mom had multiple ones for my brother, and one rolled under the bed (before she’d cleaned it) and she didn’t find it until months later…it wasn’t pretty.

For the baby shower, in addition to meals, depending on how close you are to the crowd at the shower, you could add offers to baby-sit to your list of gift ideas, so a few months down the road you and your husband can have a night out alone.

31

Can I ask the masses here what the attraction of cloth diapers is (aside from cost, though I’m not sure that’s even true given the cost of soap, water and labor)? Why wouldn’t you automatically choose disposable unless they proved to be irritating to the baby?

32

SCL, we have tons of books. We’re a book-heavy household. I’ve started reciting A. A. Milne to him already. Poor boy will be hit with reading aloud from the first moment after birth.

This is a perfect excuse to buy a bunch of Sandra Boynton, though. I don’t have any Sandra Boynton, and I love her.

33

Depending on what kind you buy, and whether you buy them new, cloth diapering your first child can be about the same expense as disposables. But then you can use (most of) them on subsequent kids, and/or sell them when you’re done.

The environmental impact was part of what inspired me. Yes, you use some water, soap, and electricity to wash diapers (bleach and superindustrial measures aren’t necessary though), but it takes loads of water, electricity, and fossil fuels to make, package, and transport disposables, and they then wind up in landfills (along with all their poo). Frankly, I would also rather be able to do a load of laundry than have to run to the store if I run out of diapers at short notice.

Also, some children truly are sensitive to the chemicals in disposables, and regardless there is no way they are as comfortable as cloth. Cloth diapers with a separate cover are also much better at holding in poopsplosions.

Some people also embrace the fact that cloth forces you to change promptly. How many times have you seen some poor toddler with a swollen diaper as big as he is? Even if is doesn’t leak at that level, it isn’t good for their skin to do that.

Finally, when you’ve used cloth and disposables, you come to realize that disposables STINK when they get wet. Truly, a properly washed cloth diaper is pretty much odorless, but some chemical reaction in a disposable makes it reek quite quickly after being peed in.

(Oh, and an honest cloth diaper addict will admit that they are so cute, it’s a lot more fun to use them than disposables!)

34

re: cloth diapers, there’s also a possible link between disposable diapers and asthma. Probably not compelling enough to be the sole reason for someone to cloth diaper, but something to think about if your child has other risk factors.

And they’re really, really cute (my favorite are cotton fitteds with handknit wool covers).

35

When we were in the baby-making business, the one thing my wife and I absolutely agreed on was that MacLaren (Britain) made by far the best strollers. Light, maneuverable, easily collapsible, and tough.

36

We used an umbrella stroller pretty much exclusively. It lived in our car. But some time before the second baby I found one of those stroller/buggy combination things at a garage sale for about 5 dollars. Mostly we used it as a movable nap bed when she was very small. She was clingy and slept better with lots of contact, so frequently I put her down for a nap in the buggy in the living room. I also helped when I had to take her for a walk and carry stuff.

The best diaper bag we ever had was just a backpack. I could carry it or it could hang on the handles of the stroller. Occasionally it was heavier than the kid in the stroller and the whole thing fell over backwards. But in that case it also served as padding. There was the little one, staring up at me, waiting to be set back upright. I don’t think it ever really bothered them.

We had a seat that hung on the kitchen table instead of a high chair. It folded up so we could take it along with us if necessary. And it kept the little ones right there with the rest of the family. At first I put a chair underneath it, just to be on the safe side, but after the first one learned to push on the chair and move the seat off the table I decided it was safer without it.

There are all kinds of patterns for bags and changing pads and such. I sewed two bath towels together down the sides and put that on the top of the baby’s dresser. The hospital sent a whole raft of those pads they use under people in bed home with us so I used those until they ran out. I put one under the towel pad to protect the top of the dresser. After that I used a lap pad.

For us lap pads were indispensable. The first one was both a spitter and a pooper. Every time I fed him he leaked from both ends. I learned never to sit down to nurse him without a pad on my lap. You can buy that stuff by the yard if you want bigger sizes or just want to cut it up to make your own.

I liked the sleeper things that snapped all the way up from the foot. The best ones were lightweight terry or some kind of knit like that. Used them all through the winter, day and night. Just make sure you have a bunch, since you could go through several a day sometimes. Don’t bother with newborn size. They’ll be too short in no time.

37

I agree on the cute factor, and I really wanted cloth to work for us, but we couldn’t stop the leaks.

There’s really nothing in a disposable diaper that should be reacting chemically with urine. There are super absorbant polymers that can lock away up to 800x (IIRC) their own volume of water, but that’s more of a physical process than chemical. Experimentation has shown me that you can pour 1300mL of water into a size 3 diaper without overflowing! (this is without a baby in the diaper, of course)
Some people get wigged out about the supersorbers, but they’re rather inert. The upshot to them is that they reduced the amount of paper/fluffy absorbing bulk necessary in the original disposables, reducing their size/heft/raw material needs/landfill footprint by 2/3rds. (caveat - this is what I remember from doing a demonstration on supersorbers and diapers for “Take Your Child to Work Day” a few years ago)

Anyway, if you find your disposables are smelly, it’s probably the nasty perfumes some of them have. Mmmm, floral scented pee. I can’t stand the scented diapers.
Lissla Lissar, if you want a sling and you’re handy with a sewing machine, there’s great patterns/instructions on the web. I like this page in particular.

38

Velly intellesting…I think I only had one cloth diaper on my kid. This was back in the day before the super-absorbent stuff was inserted. I didn’t have my own washer and dryer, either, so it would have been a huge drag to haul the diapers upstairs to the machines in the building. My husband recalls hauling the diapers of three of his sisters – a couple blocks! – when he was a kid. I’m convinced that’s part of the reason he never wanted children of his own. Diaper trauma.

39

Even though you will be breastfeeding, you should still invest in some baby bottles and a sterilisation system (either cold water or steam are easiest - cold water is the cheapest and probably the best if you will only be doing a few bits and pieces now and then). I recall from another thread that someone here recommended Breast Flow bottles as being ideal to use if you are breastfeeding, as they apparently most closely mimic the way a baby gets milk from the breast.

And don’t freak about buying sh*tloads of toys. A few soft brightly coloured toys are all you need to start with, followed by anything that baby can generate a noise from - an expensive music making Fisher Price toy will usually be discarded for a small plastic bowl that can be banged like a drum or a small cheap plastic rattle that fits easily into her little fist! Right now, HRH loves shaking a container filled with empty pistachio shells, or banging on the small plastic footstool at Mama’s house! Apart from that, my daughter also loves when I play with the finger puppets I bought on the cheap from Ikea.

As for keeping warm, especially at night, I recommend a sleeping bag or GroBag - much easier than trying to keep the blankets on when baby starts to wriggle. Another point on sleep clothes - both my sister and I found that the full length jumpsuits/onesies (with feet and all) were a monumental PITA when you’re trying to do a quick change on a sleepy baby in semi-darkness in the middle of the night - too hard to strip baby out of to get to the diaper and too many clips to do up wrong, particularly when you are sleep-deprived and not at your intellectual best!!!

There’s probably more, but HRH is teething, so I am sleep-deprived and not at my intellectual best right now! :wink:

40

Nope. I can’t speak to the exact cause, but I can tell you that I never bought perfumed diapers, and yes, I could smell the stink of a wet diaper. Others have had the same experience. I think if you use disposables all the time, you might get inured to it, though.

Actually, there is no need for sterilizing bottles. Obviously if your baby has health issues, you would want to ask the doctor, but generally washing in hot soapy water or the dishwasher is fine. Also, you shouldn’t introduce a bottle to a newborn until breastfeeding is well established, so by the time you do bottles the kid should have built up something of an immune system anyway.