What do I need for a new baby?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve never really been around children, so I’m a bit clueless as to what I really need. A lot of places list a bunch of things as “must haves” but I know they’re just trying to get me to spend more money than I really need or want to.

What is it that I’m really going to need? What won’t I need but would really make life easier? Any particular product that you would recommend over another? What type of diaper? Anything you can think of would be greatly appreciated.

If it makes any difference, I’m having a boy. He’s due at the end of March. I’ll be a SAHM for a while and I’m planning on exclusively breastfeeding.

2

Cloth diapers (for spit-ups, burping and your other boob while baby’s nursing)
Bibs (these can wait but when he starts teething, you’ll go through several an hour)
Undershirts (don’t buy to many 0 - 3 mos size; they outgrow them very quickly)
Sleepers (see above)
Cloth diapers (you’ll use them a lot)
Regular diapers (they go through more than you can imagine, esp breastfed ones)

3

Congrats on your new baby!

4

You need to use the search function! There have been several threads in the past on this very question. I started one myself…fall of 2001 it must have been.

Congratulations on your impending bundle of joy!

5

You will need:

Simple Clothes—avoid excessive snaps, buttons, buckles, or pleats. Babies wiggle, and what goes on, must come off, often while covered in bodily fluids.

Receiving Blankets–they’re great as blankets, towels, pillows, etc. And once they’re worn you can tear them up and they make great dusting cloths.

Socks–buy twice as many socks as you think you’ll need, and then buy twenty more pairs. I don’t know where baby socks go to, but you’ll be amazed how easily they dissapear.

Nasal Syringe: Babies get snotty, a LOT. Usually the hospital sends one home with new moms.

Medicine Supply: Get infant’s tylenol, motrin, teething drops, saline (for dry noses), rash cream, and gas drops. Babies rarely give notice before they need this stuff, and the fewer midnight runs you need to make to the Rx the better.

You WON’T need:

Diaper Genie (you have a garbage can), Wipes Warmer (you have a hand), or other silly gagets. I never used a changing table, my floor was more than adequate and baby can’t wiggle and fall off the floor. Babies don’t need shoes, and they can harm the growth of the foot so skip them. Avoid getting lots of tiny clothes–they get big faster than you’d think.

If I had to recommend a single product, it would be a Boppy pillow, especially if you plan to breastfeed.
I’ll try to think of other unnecessary items and post back if I can…
Good Luck!

6

Here’s the one I asked about not that long ago, there are plenty of others too.

The stuff I found most handy:

Lots of sock and receiving blankets/cloth diapers (socks can also be used early on in place of scratch mittens)

A bassinet (mine is a playpen/bassinet, he slept in it until he was bigger and the playpen still comes in handy)

A bouncy chair, doesn’t have to be fancy but they can sit in it and wriggle around while you fold laundry and mak faces at them.

Several blankets of varying weights (heavier for winter months, lighter for summer) these can be used as sun shades, a clean place to set baby and usual blanket uses.

If you plan to use a soother be sure to have a soother clip that clips onto their clothing, it might not be much of a problem right away but as they grow they will spit ot out in such a way as it disappears if it’s not latched on…

Oh and a diaper bag that will fit at least half a dozen diapers, extras of all the clothes, bottles (if you use them), etc etc etc… pick one that you can live with as it will be your new purse for the next few years.

Oh and one thing I found. It’s great you are planning to breast feed but just in case have a couple of bottles and a can of formula. I was wanting to breastfeed but it just did not work for us and we had to run out to buy formula and bottles because I had none on hand at all. If you don’t use the formula you can give it to the foodbank or another worthy place, and the bottles can still be used for expressed breast milk.

Congrats!!

7

I would recommend a diaper genie, even though others have not.

Plenty of easy on and off onesies. . . baby will go through 2-3 changes per day.

We have these things I call “speed bumps” that she sleeps between that keep her from rolling over.

Grab as many blankets from the hospital that you can. . . they “hold the swaddle” better than any other blankets.

A microvaveable bottle sterilizer. . . stovetop was pretty big pain. I would also recommend that once you pick a bottle “system” you stick with it, so that parts are interchangeable.

A bit on the extravagant side, but we (I) were given a diaper backpack from Land’s End for father’s day. The thing is THE SHIT. . . three separate compartments, it’s own changing pad, the whole 9.

I would also recommend a good bouncy seat or swing for baby to sit in while mom does things like shower, change, etc.

I still don’t think we need a baby monitor, and we needed one even less 6 months ago when the baby was born.

8

What the others have mentioned, and:

Bottle brush - definite must-have. They even make them with nipple brushes in the handle. Wonderful things.

Alcohol and Q-tips - for the belly button stump.

Baby-sized washcloths - I cannot stress this enough: Keep them in the diaper changing area ALL THE TIME. When changing a boy, it is very much in your best interest to drape one over his penis. After the belly button stump falls off, drape one over it in the bathtub too. It is because of this practice that I NEVER got peed on. :wink:

Herbal scented bubble bath - you will need it, want it, and love it.

Tips:

Drape a washcloth over your index finger, and use that finger to clean baby’s ears. You do not need to go any deeper than that.

Regardless of what you are told - YOU CANNOT SPOIL A NEWBORN BABY.

Actually, I’m going to recommend that you join here.

The most relevant sections:
Pregnancy
Children’s Health

9

I have been referencing “Baby Bargains.” It’s a great little manual (that someone gave us because I was clueless) that not only tells you what you need but also gives ratings (and rationale behind ratings) to everything from cribs to breast pumps. I like the fact I can take it with me when I go shopping and look up brands, etc.

10

Forgot to add…

Before you say “But I’m breastfeeding, I don’t need a bottle brush or bottles!”, let me say that many breastfeeding moms express milk on a regular basis so other people can feed the baby. Gives you a chance for a long hot bubble bath, and lets others bond with baby. If you don’t plan on using bottles right off, at least keep some around in case you change your mind. Been known to happen. :wink:

11

I don’t think anyone has mentioned a carseat yet. We got one of those carseat/stroller combination things and used both quite a bit. The carrier carseats also make a good place for napping.

12

They will also come in handy for when baby wants to drink something other than breastmilk. Like water. Eventually you do add water and juice to a babies diet - and that day comes fast. Unfortunately, breasts only supply breastmilk (though an apple juice spout would have been nice…)

Agree with pretty much everything - borrow what you can - babies outgrow things so fast that a used bouncy seat works great…

Do make sure you have the infant medicine cabinet on hand before you give birth…that first cold will hit and you’ll call the peditrician at 2am with “he’s running a temp” and be told “infant tylenol.”
And I’ll add one that hasn’t been mentioned yet - a good baby care book. Spend some time in the bookstore or library to find one you like (people must like the “what to expect books” they sell enough of them - but I don’t. Dr. Spock is dated, but classic).

13

Congrats on your baby! Aren’s you glad it’s nearly over? Oh, but wait–the last month or so is SO much fun!

You gotta have a bouncer. And at least one boppy, whether you breastfeed or not. We actually have 3 boppies now :slight_smile: When the wee one is a bit older, you might want to invest in an exersaucer–these things are awesome! They’re a bit pricey, so you might call around to the resale shops before you plunk down your cash at Babies R Us.

We have a Diaper Champ instead of a Genie–uses regular trash bags instead of those expensive Genie refills and honestly keeps the poo-smell down to a minimum (VERY important when you have both a newborn and a potty-training toddler as we do).

And you’ll need way more bibs and washcloths than you think. Baby washcloths are much nicer than paper towels for face-wiping when baby starts eating solid foods. Someone else mentioned a sleep-positioner–we actually use it because Baby Dax is a side-sleeper (she got used to it in the NICU and her doc approved it after we went home), and the positioner keeps her from turning onto her tummy.

If you are going to breastfeed, you might think about having some lanolin on hand (take it to the hospital too!) and these nifty warm/cool packs (scroll down the page, got mine at Target) were a lifesaver for me in the first few weeks.

Whew! It’s amazing how such a little creature can need so much stuff!

14

A baby book! If you’re like me, you’re gonna want to write down every little thing your bundle of joy does, from the first holiday to the first haircut to the first time Darling Baby spits up on a guest. There are many styles to choose from, may I suggest that you flip through the pages first instead of buying based on the cover design. There are different entry options from book to book. And make sure it comes with it’s own box, that book can only hold so many birthday and holiday cards.

15

Some kind of gift card for picture developing.

16

I second this. If you’re driving the baby home from the hospital you’ll probably need a convertable baby carrier/car seat. When my sister has her baby girl the nurse triple-instructed me on how to secure the car seat in my car. I’m happy they actually care since a lot of car seats are improperly installed these days.

Be sure to check if your car has child seat anchors or else you might need to install them.

17

Most hospitals won’t let you leave if you don’t have a car seat.

18

I don’t know if you’d call it a necessity, by I love, love, love our BabyBjörn. Ours was a gift from the stunningly georgous Sue Done Him. ( :wink: ) It’s quite comfortable, and I really enjoy having Jimmy snuggled all up against my chest. He usually sleeps when he’s in the carrier, and for me at least, it’s good daddy/baby bonding time.

19

My ex-mother-in-law was just HORRIFIED that I would bring the baby anywhere without shoes. They don’t need them until they start walking (well, maybe for the occasional photo). She thought that was about as white trash as it gets.

GET OVER YOURSELF, OLD WOMAN!

20

Diaper Genies are excellent for households with nosey dogs…

The best shoes for babies if they aren’t barefoot, are Robeez.

I went through an ungodly amount of wipes, so get lots of those.
I also had a leakage problem, so you might want to get a box of breast pads.
Yes, you can use a towel, but if you can afford them, get the pads.

The one thing I wish I had NOT listened to were people who told me not to get a lot of newborn clothes. Granted, you don’t want a lot but some is nice. They say, “Oh she’ll grow out of them in a few weeks”, so it’s up to you if you want those few weeks to be easy or a pain in the butt. I ended up sending Mr Baboon to the store to pick some up. IMO, spending 12 bucks on a couple of packages of newborn onsies at Target was worth not having to constantly wash the same two outfits.