Maya Wrap’s website has instructions for making your own Maya Wrap sling! It’s under their “low cost options” button. What a cool company! It’s so nice to see a company commited more to getting a good thing out there than making money. I suppose they realize most people won’t bother to make it, and will pay for it anyway, but I’m still impressed. 
oooh, the Maya pouch looks neat. I’m getting one. Thanks WhyNot!
I did wear shoes as a baby (from a few months until I was four or so) because the doctors said I would never walk (no arches! and little tiny short femurs). Mine were prescription orthopedic shoes from my doctor, but still, shoes. I can’t wear mary janes or any black and white shoes because of the trauma of those. They hurt
So, sometimes, babies need shoes.
Before you get all freaked out, expectant mothers, I grew up nice and tall with few problems. 
Congrats!
Oh yeah, you need lots of hugs, someone to cook dinner for you, and sleep. You may not get these things, though.
Don’t forget to snuggle with the kiddo as much as possible +1.
I wasn’t aware that had brands…
Missionary.
Doggy.
Backwards cowgirl.
Woman on top.
Does that count?
If you can find a diaper service, use one. It is not more expensive than disposables from what I can tell and much nicer than washing pooey diapers at home. The diaper covers prevented leak through as well as disposables, which we use when we travel, and cloth seems more comfortable at least for my daughter, Loren.
Count me as another voice against keeping formula around just in case.
We used a medicine syringe instead of a bottle to feed Loren expressed breastmilk. It worked well, and she never liked it more than she did nursing, which I was afraid of. Plastic is better than glass for holding breast milk. The important cells stick to glass but not to plastic. You can keep expressed breastmilk that has never been frozen out at room temperature for several hours. We would have a syringe loaded with breastmilk ready for shopping trips and a plastic bottle of breast milk in an insulated lunch bag for refills. I had no objections to nursing in public, but it can be awkward. This way one of us could feed her just a bit if she got fussy and we all enjoyed being out more.
I used little plastic bags for expressed milk and we would warm them by setting them in water from the hot water dispenser, the kind that hold 5 gallon carboys. It was heavenly to have instant hot water ready to warm milk, but not hot enough to kill it. Never microwave breast milk.
Little onsies and receiving blankets are necessities. Toys that make crinkle sounds are too. Don’t cut the fabric content tags off of toys if they are well attached. Loren liked to play with the tags as much as she did the rest of the toys.
Oh, I still can’t get an ear thermometer to work on Loren. Nose syringes and little baby nail clippers are a must.
[teensy hijack] Does *anyone *know a diaper service that serves Evanston, IL? I’ve been searching and searching, and while there’s one I found on the internet, their phone is disconnected. I’d really like to use cloth, but I can’t afford $3 a load to wash them at our coin-op. [/th]
My daughter had to have formula-from-a-bottle right at the hospital, and than expressed breast milk for a few weeks before I was able to breast feed her. I was very lucky that she didn’t have any “nipple confusion” issues when I was finally able to just breast feed. That said, I like the Playtex nurser system. The nipples are very wide and slow-flow and somewhat similar to the breast.
I agree with the suggestions about a boppy (I use it every day and she’s 9.5 months old now), a bouncer, swing, exersaucer, and sling. We have the Fisher Price Hip Hammock and I’ve been happy with it (she likes it too).
I am not a SAHM so the #1 best piece of equipment, hands down, was the breast pump. I bought a Medela double-electric breast pump and while it was the most expensive piece of equipment we had, without it I wouldn’t have been able to breast feed at all (I had a yeast infection which caused such pain I wasn’t able to nurse for about three weeks -but the pump ensured that my supply stayed strong and that she was exclusively breast fed). I also pumped three times a day at work for about 5 months (just stopped pumping about two weeks ago).
I also second, third and fourth the suggestion about robeez. We’ve just discovered them and they are awesome They’re cute (they come in tons of colors and patterns), they keep her feet warm, provide some traction as she’s crawling and learning to walk, and they’re good for her feet, too (no heavy thick sole - just suede, like a moccasin).
The nightgowns/sleepers with the elastic bottoms (instead of legs) are great for newborns. They keep the drafts out but make it much easier to change the baby when it’s 3AM and you’re so tired you’re seeing double - no snaps, zippers or buttons to deal with!
Valium
But I don’t ever plan on having children so that is just my opinion.
congrats on your baby! That is good news. I think other people gave good advice about the necessities. Are you planning to have a baby shower? Thats probably a good time to get toys, etc. My friend registered at Toys R Us and got a boat load of things for her kids. I’m sure it was nice not having to buy all of that herself.
I have a five-day old son (welcome, Dylan Joesph!), so I’m pretty much in the midst of new baby chaos myself.
I’m using the Pampers Swaddlers diapers, and these things are great. The fit is super adjustable, and they’re made especially to fold down to accommodate the belly button stump. I’ll switch him to cheaper diapers in a few weeks; the Target brand is good, and only about $7 a pack. (I also have a 3 year old still in diapers, so cheap is good.)
I always preferred the Pampers brand wipes because they’re pop-ups, so easier to grab while changing a squirming baby. I’ve tried all the cheap brands, and most of them suck – like trying to clean up with a wet Kleenex. But the Food Lion brand is pretty decent, I recently discovered.
I have an excess of onesies and pajamas left over from my first, so I don’t have to wash as often, which is nice. I prefer the Gerber onesies, as they just seem to fit my kid better. Carter’s is good, too. I received a gift of “24 Baby Essentials” by Carter’s, with matching onesies, blankets, socks, pajamas, undershirts, hats, etc., and it’s a great starter set. No idea how expensive it was, though.
I’ve had better luck with A+D ointment rather than Desitin. You’ll also need Vaseline if you plan to have him circumcised. Infant Tylenol is a must.
I have the Evenflo carseat/stroller combo, which I got for my first, and that stroller is huge and heavy. It’s comfy for the baby, but too unwieldy for me. I do like the carseat with the separate base, so I can get him in and out of the car without waking him. It also doubles as an infant seat in the house.
The battery-powered swing was a must-have; I got a good deal on a 6-speed Graco with a timer and music at a secondhand children’s store. Only paid $15 rather than the $100 it would cost new.
I never bothered with a Diaper Genie; I just take out the trash more often. A changing table seemed a waste of space to me; I just change him on the bed or the sofa or the floor. (Hey, he can’t fall off the floor!)
That’s all I can think of right now.
And I misspell my own son’s name :rolleyes: . Make that Dylan Joseph. Can you tell I haven’t slept for a few days?
There’s lots of great advice on this thread already, but I have to say I’ve been dying to share my experiences so I’m going to rattle on anyway.
I have b/g twins who are 10 months old. Before they were born, I’d had very little exposure to babies so I didn’t know a doggone thing. Thus I read everything I could (with a twin pregnancy, you’re incapacitated pretty early on, so there wasn’t much else to do). Some of it helped, some of it was just confusing. Here’s my attempt to sort out what was useful:
First off, CONGRATULATIONS! And I hope your pregnancy is going well - it’s so tough to be pregnant, particularly when you start getting really huge. Rest & take care of yourself!
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Newborns are very weird little creatures. They’re nothing like the babies you see on TV. Mine looked like little shrunken alien chickens. All they do is eat, cry, sleep, cry, poop, and cry. Sometimes they’ll stare into space for a period of time - but it’s misleading, because they can’t see very well. So to start, you don’t need anything to entertain them - maybe a mobile. The only thing mine really needed was lots & lots of cuddling. Visiting relatives are excellent for this!
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For clothes we loved side-snap t-shirts (much easier to get on a newborn) and drawstring nighties (easier for changing diapers). Obviously you’ll need diapers (about 10/day) and I recommend big swaddling blankets. Those little receiving blankets are handy, but for swaddling you’ll need something bigger. Making them out of a sheet would work really well - and the “Happiest Baby on the Block” video my Hubby got from the library showed us exactly how to swaddle. My babies spent most of their days and nights in nighties and swaddled, so we didn’t need socks or many regular clothes. Also, hooded baby towels are nice, and baby washcloths are useful - it’s hard to clean itty bitty parts with regular washcloths. We have dozens of them.
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Your baby could be anywhere from 5-9 lbs. as a newborn, and could get up to 11 or 12 lbs. within two months. The 0-3 clothes will be too small once yours hits about 10 lbs, so you might want to purchase 3-6 clothes and let them be a bit baggy. It can also be handy to have larger sizes on hand - that way you don’t have to make an unexpected shopping trip. With my twins, it’s hard to run errands & I was glad I’d bought most of their first year’s clothes in advance & just stored them.
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A crib is really useful once the baby is rolling over and scooching around. Up until then, I just let mine sleep in the bed with me while Hubby rode the couch. It was much easier to care for them at night that way, plus they slept better. There’s lots of information out there on co-sleeping safely. Someone else mentioned you don’t really need a changing table - that is true, although I’ve liked mine. But at this point my son is such a wiggler, the easiest way to change him is on the floor w/one of my legs across his belly! I used a plastic baby bath for the first few months & loved it.
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I agree with those who say you might want to have a couple of baby bottles and some formula on hand, just in case. You can always donate or sell them later. Be sure you get the kind of nipple that’s appropriate for a newborn. I’d bought the wrong kind, so my poor Hubby was racing all over town on the night we brought our daughter home! Be sure you have some infant Tylenol, Mylicon drops, saline nose drops, a thermometer, sucky bulb thing, teething pain gel, fingernail clippers, some baby oil or vaseline, and diaper rash crème. Desitin smells to high heaven, but it really works.
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As newborns my babies would stare at the mobile and also the mirror in their crib (which I always used for daytime naps). At 6 weeks, I would put my babies in the bouncy chair or swing - they didn’t love them, but my daughter tolerated the swing ok (son would just bawl!). By 8 weeks I was walking them in our stroller (with towels to keep them propped in place). At 11 weeks, they started really liking the Gymini. When they were around 16 weeks I started them in the Exersaucer-type thing, which they loved; they also started really playing with their crib activity box toys. The doorway bouncer was useful at 20 weeks. The walkers have been fun for a while because they could sit (in a propper - like the boppy) and play with them, too, even before they could push them. At 7 months they both sat well enough to play in the inflatable pool. A month later they started pulling up on everything, so the play table has been a big hit. Now they’re all over the apartment and the playpens are great for keeping them contained for brief periods so I can pee!
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How does one afford all of this? RESALE SHOPS! THRIFT STORES! These are the key. Kids outgrow their stuff so fast, even used items look new - sometimes they are! I’ve bought plenty of thrift store baby clothes that still had the tags! And the toys are tough! The exersaucer my kids loved was a 9-yr-old Graco model I bought for $12! I buy formula and diapers and wipes at Costco, much cheaper.
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For brands, I love Graco equipment, vintage Fisher Price activity boxes, Little Tykes plastic toys, Tiny Love gymini and toys, and Infantino toys. Cosco and Kolcraft haven’t been as good for me. But I agree with Dangermom that it’s not as important as you might imagine.
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The tougher question is – how are you going to take care of your baby? There is so much advice out there & so many approaches that work for different families. That’s the part I was clueless about. And it varies so much depending on your temperament and your baby’s needs. Some moms are extremely regimented and it works for them - you may hear the hospital nurses recommending this. They gave my Hubby a big lecture on following a schedule and not allowing snacking. But I said bah! When my baby cries, I’m going to feed him - that’s why my nipples leak when I hear him! When they’re tired, they’ll sleep - not according to the clock, because they can’t tell time! I’m a fan of Attachment Parenting, aka the Dr. Sears approach, although I had to adapt quite a bit because of having twins. My method has been to respond to my babies promptly, as much as possible, and to anticipate their needs as best I can. I follow a general routine, but it’s not regimented - I hate predictability. For me this is working great. I’ve always fed my babies on demand and I think that’s why they are big, but not fat.
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Another thing to keep in mind - those formula manufacturers are very sneaky. Our hospital room was stocked with handy bottles of formula and nipples - just slap one on and away you go. Only problem is, once my daughter had tried a nipple, she didn’t want to breastfeed. If you’re going to breastfeed, don’t panic like I did when I wasn’t sure if she’d eaten enough & offer a nipple (unless your Dr. recommends it). Once I did that, it was all downhill. It’s not easy to respond to someone who cries for food every 90 minutes, so be sure you have people to help you as well as easy access to your baby. That can be an issue if you wind up (as I did) with a C-Section - they were far more relucatant to let my daughter stay in my room overnight, and one nurse outright forbade it. I was too exhausted to fight.
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Also, if you’ve ever been depressed, be sure and have some resources available in case you develop PPD. I had a debilitating bout of post-partum anxiety, to the point where I couldn’t walk or sleep because my heart was racing and I couldn’t breathe. Luckily I had plenty of resources and my Dr. gave me anti-anxiety meds right away.
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A couple of books I liked - “The Happiest Baby on the Block” by Karp (?), “Dr. Sears Baby Book”, “The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide for Birth through Age 5” and “The Girlfriend’s Guide to the First Year” by Vicki Iovine. And “Brain, Child” is a wonderful magazine.
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My last point, and then I will shut up – Whatever comes up, you’ll handle it. Take it one day at a time. The first months are difficult, but then it gets easier and more fun. For me, the first 6 weeks was about 95% hard work, 5% fun. Now it’s about 80% fun - amazing fun! But in between it was difficult, and sometimes depressing - I mourned the loss of my old life. It’s a big adjustment. However, you are designed to handle this, and you will!
WhyNot try Bottoms Up Cotton Diaper Service on North Greenbay in Waukegan. 847-336-0040.
Personally, cotton diapers didn’t work for us - too many leaks, even with the plastic overpants. But these people are really nice.
We use that service! No problems and very few leaks, but Loren let us know very quickly when she was wet.
That was exactly my fear and why we used a medicine syringe. My breasts were more comforting than the hard plastic syringe but it did do a good job of getting milk into her. It was not easy to nurse at first. Her mouth was so tiny and my nipples were so huge for her. In a few weeks she grew stronger and just enough bigger that it became much easier.
Loren did wear 0-3 month clothes until she was 4 months, but some 6 months close fit well enough right away. The variety packs of Carter’s onsies, tee shirts, and pants were inexpensive and great for everyday. We found the best price at Target.
Hmm. That’s the one I tried contacting in June for my friend’s baby, and the phone rang and rang several times with no answer and no machine, and then the fourth time I called, the phone was disconnected. But I’ll give them another try. Thanks!