A few thoughts…before you buy ANY of this stuff, immediately register for it on Babies R Us. You’ll probably get everything on this list and MORE, so don’t spend any money on any of it until you have your shower.
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| why didn’t someone tell me?!? |
DIAPER AREA: This is the area where you change diapers.
• Diapers for newborns. They go through 10-15/day. Stock up.
• Contoured changing pad. This is what they lay on while you change diapers.
• Changing pad covers (2x). Soft covers for the changing pads. They pee on them so you need backup. I love the soft ones from Pottery Barn kids. http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/pk479/index.cfm?pkey=cbdgnbb%7Cb
• Barrier cream, aka Diaper Rash cream (3). We use Bordeaux Butt Paste. If diaper rash gets really severe, make a mix of Buttpaste and corn starch. I used about 2/3 buttpaste and 1/3 corn starch so that it was still creamy and easy to wipe on.
• Baby wipes (3). Some babies have super sensitive skin. If this is the case, you can use wet paper towels for the first few months. You will know if baby is sensitive because the entire butt area turns bright red. We use Pampers Sensitive wipes in the wipes warmer. Babies with super sensitive skin should avoid any with perfumes, scents, anything extra.
• hand sanitizer (4)– you use after changing diapers or visitors prior to holding baby.
• diaper champ (yes, this is the brand). Diaper Champ takes regular kitchen trash bags. Some versions require you to spend $$$ on special trash bags.
Just know by the time you give your baby solid foods (5-6 months) the poop starts to smell and you’ll have to take the big poops to the trash right away or dump the poop into the toilet and then throw the diaper into the diaper pail.
BATH TIME:
• Plastic bath tub. We really like Safety 1st Comfy Bath Center. It fits into our kitchen’s double sink and makes it very easy to bathe.
• Soft wash cloths
• baby towels with hoods for the head.
• shampoo. We love Johnson and Johnson’s lavender sleepy time (purple bottle).
• baby lotion – not needed for the first few weeks, but nice to have ready.
• baby comb/brush if your baby gets cradle cap.
BREASTFEEDING: If you choose to Breastfeed
• My Brest Friend. Yes, this is the name. It sits around your waist to help hold baby in right position. We also have the Boppy, but the Brest Friend is much better for smaller babies as it snaps around your waist and you can walk around with it. Genius! Boppy has come in very handy when doing tummy time and when baby is learning to sit up on his own.
• Lansinoh Lanolin Cream: It is in a purple tube. Used for sore nipples after breastfeeding. It is a lifesaver!!
• Comfortable chair to sit in. You can buy a Glider Chair. GREAT investment. If not, make sure you’ve got somewhere comfortable to sit and have lots of pillows handy to put under arms, behind head, etc.
• Nursing pads. These go in your nursing bra to keep in all the dripping milk. It took me awhile to figure out how to deal with leaky boobs, these are the answer! There are disposable ones and some that you can wash. I used both.
• Bottles – We prefer Born Free, which is BPA-free and has a good system to reduce air bubbles. There are different nipple sizes…be sure to use size 1 for an infant. After 3 months, you step up to size 2 with a slightly bigger hole. It also has other pieces that can be used as baby gets older…bottle holder (for little hands) and larger sippy cup style nipple.
• Burp cloths – we use Gerber pre-folded white diapers. They work great and can be rolled up to prop up heads, prevent baby from rolling over, and we use them in the carseat to prop little bodies. I’d get 24 of these to have all over the house and cars!
– Baby Bottle cleaning brushes: Munchkin bottle brush
– Bottle drying rack: First Year’s Spin and Store Drying Rack
– Medela quick clean micro steam bags (disinfects bottles and pump parts via the microwave) – not really necessary. As long as you’re washing the stuff in hot water, you’re fine.
– Breast pump: I got the newest Medela Freestyle, which is small and battery operated. It’s much more convenient than that typical “car battery sized” pumps that you often have seen people carrying. It’s worked great and all my friends were jealous that mine was so much smaller.
– Milk storage bags: Lansinoh works well for us as they have a ziplog top.
– Sharpie pen: to mark the milk storage bags before refrigerating or freezing
– Mylicon: great to give to baby when he/she has gas bubbles. helps coat bubbles so that they don’t become one huge bubble and hurt baby’s little body.
Additional breast feeding notes: be sure to take a breastfeeding class. It seems silly, but it’s not as easy as you’d think. Also, be sure to meet with the lactation nurse when you’re in the hospital. She’ll help you.
CLOTHES:
• onesies. Get 10 because they go through at least 2 a day. They grow out of the newborn stuff in the first few weeks!
• Dreft laundry detergent. This is special baby laundry detergent without all the dyes, perfumes, etc. Again, this may be overkill, but some babies have sensitive skin, blah blah blah. We used it because I didn’t want to take the chance. Your call. You will be doing a lot of laundry!
• Socks! Lots of socks for them to wear with the onesies. Best ones are a brand called Trumpette. These socks are cute (camoflauge, shoes, ballerina, etc) and aren’t easily pulled off. In fact, they’re the only socks that our kid has yet to pull off. Every other brand comes flying off within a minute!
• baby PJ’s.
• after the first few weeks, you’ll need pants, etc. People will buy you lots of clothes and blankets.
• baby hats are a bit over-rated. We never used them.
• bibs. babies start to spit up around 2-3 weeks. Lil G had a bib on during all waking hours until about 10 months. when he was teething, the drool was non stop and he’d go through one an hour. i’m sure we’ll be getting those bibs on again in no time when more teeth come in. there are so many cute bibs. the best we’ve found are by carter’s. they’re lined and clothes underneath don’t get (as) wet. it’s a shame, though, b/c cute shirts and onesies with fun graphics don’t ever get seen…the bib covers it all day long. 🙂
• bibs. babies start to spit up around 2-3 weeks. Lil G had a bib on during all waking hours until about 10 months. when he was teething, the drool was non stop and he’d go through one an hour. i’m sure we’ll be getting those bibs on again in no time when more teeth come in. there are so many cute bibs. the best we’ve found are by carter’s. they’re lined and clothes underneath don’t get (as) wet. it’s a shame, though, b/c cute shirts and onesies with fun graphics don’t ever get seen…the bib covers it all day long. 🙂
CAR SEAT:
• I really like the one we have: Graco Snugride. It snaps into a base that you install in your car, then you can remove the carseat and snap into a stroller. This is great b/c most likely the baby will fall asleep while you’re driving, and you won’t want to wake baby when you’ve arrived home. This is for use from birth to about 25 pounds. After that, you’ll need to buy another car seat. You need to have it in your car in order to leave the hospital. The Sheriff’s office and some fire stations will show you how to install properly. Our hospital also had free clinics.
STROLLER:
• The one we bought goes with the car seat above. It is called the MacClaren Easy Traveller. We love it as it’s light, easy to collapse with one hand, and has a HUGE storage area below!
• You need another one after baby outgrows the infant car seat. We’ve got another MacClaren that is small and light. We’ve tried a few different jogger strollers. We’ve netted out that the BOB Revolution is the best (though VERY pricey). Most of our friends have the Bob after having bought several other cheaper ones.
MISC:
- baby monitor. We just got the audio one. You can get fancy with a video monitor, but I don’t think you need it.
- special baby finger nail clippers. Their nails grow like crazy and they scratch themselves. You’ll want these handy.
- baby bjorn- very useful
- toys – not needed the first few weeks.
- diaper bag for outings. We were recommended the JJ Cole bag and it’s GREAT. It’s small, easily connects to the stroller, and has many compartments. It also has a portable changing pad, which is great when you’re on the go.
- Nasal bulb, thermometer, nail trimmer, brush/comb. These all come in one package by Safety 1st.
- Fisher Price aquarium. We learned about this about 2 months after lil G was born. It’s a fish aquarium toy that attaches to the crib. It plays sound and/or music, and has bubbles with plastic fish swimming around. Works like a charm to soothe baby and induce sleep.
- Have a camera and video camera ready!!
POST DELIVERY
• Gigantic pads. Get the biggest bag of the biggest size available. They’ll provide these for you at the hospital along with fancy mesh panties. They’ll also have a water squirt bottle there for you. Take everything that provide you. It’s yours, you paid for it!
• Big granny underwear. Just past your first trimester, you’ll start to notice that thongs just aren’t comfortable anymore. You start to wonder what you can do…then you realize that that’s why granny underwear were invented. Hanes. After delivery, I doubled up to hold the big pads in place.
• Prep H wipes. Don’t ask, just get.
• Bottled water to keep near when breastfeeding. I was always thirsty.
• nursing bras from Japanese Weekend. http://www.japaneseweekend.com/hug_nursing_bra_p/08-315n-032.htm
• Ice packs (for boobs, buns, and other places you didn’t know would need it)
• Heating pad (for boobs, buns, and neck!)
BOOKS:
– Baby 411 (from Hoag Hospital). This has been a lifesaver for us. It’s like an encyclopedia. http://www.windsorpeak.com/baby411/default.html
– What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
• What to Expect in the First Year.
• DVD Video of “The Happiest Baby on the Block”
You will use all these books as reference on feeding, sleeping, random baby questions (i.e. when does the umbilical cord come off? What is this rash? Should the poop be bright green? Etc.. ) I recommend you start reading them NOW.
SLEEP:
• bassinet or crib
• sheets for bassinet or crib
• water proof mattress pads. I have a sheet, mattress pad sheet, mattress pad. A few layers. So if you need to change in the middle of the night, you just whip one off, and you’ve got a clean one underneath.
• large receiving blankets for swaddling
• some kind of white noise maker – we’ve got an ipod and player in the kids’ rooms. i know…so spoiled.
- Pack-n-play – We used ours day one as we kept lil G in the family room for the first week. He had to be on Jaundice lights, and it was easier to do it where we all were sitting and watching, rather than his room. After a week, we transitioned into his nursery crib. We used the pack n play for travel, beach, pool, etc. Very convenient.
These items you might not need immediately, but should register for…
- Soft baby toys – the Baby Einstein gift set is great. lil G loves these and the quality seems much higher than others that we rec’d
- Cool mist humidifier – used when babies are stuffed up.
- Vibrating chair / bouncer. This saved us on many occasions and we even took it to Charleston and Hawaii with us.
- Car seat protector — this goes under the car seat to make sure the baby car seat doesn’t tear up the upholstery.
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