As we s-l-o-w-l-y buy other things for Val, what is number one on your baby necessity list? What, looking back, was a waste and what was a lifesaver?
Monday, November 3, 2008
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I finally found my Sweet LJ and got married in 2007. Now we're a family of three.
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7 comments:
I have LOTS to say on this subject :) When I was pregnant with O, I kept asking the same question and no one would really give a good answer. So, if you really want to know, I'll tell you...
Here are the number one things:
1) an upholstered rocker- We've used this everyday since we bought it when O was a couple of months old. It is fantastic, and it's perfect for nursing. Luckily, O loves to "ock,ock" because I REALLY love to rock her.
2) Bumbo- You won't use this for too long, but it really is wondeful. I think O started using hers at around 9 or 10 weeks. I still stuck her in it occasionally if I didn't want her to crawl away at around 12 months. I didn't have the tray, but I think that would make it even better.
3) a sling or beco or both- I couldn't have lived without a baby carrier! We used a bjorn a lot at first before reading about how they are not so good for baby's hips. I LOVE my pouch sling, and the Beco is wonderful, too. Elliott prefers the beco, and O still fits in it and probably will for another year (so it's a much better buy than the bjorn which was getting tight at around 9 months). I'm sure we'll use the Beco A LOT when we go to Disneyworld soon.
4) kissy-kissy convertible sleeper/gown- One of Elliott's coworkers gave us one of these and O slept in it almost every night until she was around 6 months old. It can be a sleeper or a gown, and it is sooo soft and comfortable. They are a little pricey, but worth it :) You can get them from Young Generation.
5) Hippo seat- If you have a small kitchen, this is a must have. We don't have room for a highchair, so I uses the hippo chair which attaches directly to the table. It takes up no room, and she's sitting at the table with us. We still use this everyday (I love to have things that we use everyday for years.)
6) a jogger- no explanation needed! On ours you can lock the front wheel for running or unlock it to make it easier to handle at places like the zoo or anywhere inside.
7) bouncy seat- O LOVED her bouncy seat, and often it was the only place she would sleep other than my arms.
That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there are more :)
The things we didn't use often:
mobile, playmat, and changing table. I'm sure there are more here, too, but I can't think of them now :)
I 2nd everything Melissa said. Instead of a highchair, we used a portable booster with tray that clips onto any chair. I didn't really want to look at a big high chair in kitchen.
Also, I mentioned earlier the Ultimate Crib Sheet - hard to explain, look it up on babies r us.
We used (and still do) a regular dresser in the nursery and bought this wood frame that sits on top of the dresser to change it into a changing table - does that make sense? I can't remember the name of it. Basically, when we're done with diapers all we have to do is take it off and we have a regular dresser. It's awesome! However, I don't see me not having diapers in my future for a very long time.
I would buy a portable swing (smaller and easier to maneuver) instead of a big stationary one like we have.
Also, an exersaucer is great to have on hand, too. We borrowed one from a friend.
Oh, one last thing that I used a lot was a boppy pillow - great for breastfeeding, great for propping around the little ones when they are trying to learn to sit up, and good for propping their heads up when they can hold their own bottle and feed themselves.
One thing I wouldn't buy again was a wipe warmer. All it did was dry the wipes out.
I know it being your first baby you may want everything new. However, a good place to look for big ticket items are consignment stores. We bought our swing brand new for $150, I went to the consignment store to sell some things and the exact same swing was selling for $70 and it was in mint condition!
Thanks so much! I agree about buying used if I can find whatever it is. I really want a BOB jogging stroller and am on the lookout. If you think of anything else, let me know.
A couple more things...
a video monitor- We didn't buy this until O was probably 9 months old since we were cosleeping and didn't really need it, but I REALLY love it now. I like to look at her right before I go to sleep, and it's also great for naptimes and time-out :) It's definitely something I wouldn't want to do without!
I don't know if you are the super paranoid type like me (I kind of doubt it), but we really loved the angel care monitor. You put the plastic thingy under the mattress and it senses if the baby stops moving for more than 20 seconds and sounds an alarm. Obviously, its to prevent death by SIDS. The only time it ever went off for O was after she started crawling (she was sleeping on a floor bed. She was never a crib baby), and she decided to crawl over to open the drawers on her dresser. She looked surprised and guilty when Elliott and I burst into the room :)
Also, the best burp cloths (IMHO) are cloth diaper prefolds. The little mesh feeders that you can put frozen fruit in are nice after the baby starts eating. I didn't ever use a boppy, but a My Breast Friend pillow was a help when O was tiny. Although, I doubt I would have bought one (it was borrowed). We also borrowed an exersaucer which I thought was great until Melanie (pediatric physical therapist) said they weren't good for baby's hips, etc. and I needed to just put the baby on the floor :) I didn't listen and O was a LATE crawler and walker. I bought a lot of HABA wooden toys (teethers, rattles, etc) off ebay shortly after O was born, and they were great...so much better than plastic and you don't have to worry about PVCs or BPA.
Mine would be the ultimate crib sheet, the bouncy chair, upholstered rocker with ottoman(you spend a lot of time in it), and the bear foam cushion for newborn baths in their bathtub. i would not recommend spending a lot of money on a swing (portable one is good) I also liked the baby bjorn more than my sling. oh, and pampers swaddlers are the best diapers! that's my two cents for now!
julie
I am going to agree with Boppy, upholstered rocker w/ an ottoman if you can find it and fit it into the room, there is nothing better than the kissy-kissy brand convertible gowns (You will totally get your money out of them.), I personally loved my swing b/c it rocked 2 different ways (one boy liked one direction and the other liked the other way - mine also folded up and fit in the closet) , BOB jogger is just the BEST (I do not have one, but they are super popular out here with all the running moms.) You can find Bobs on Craig's List used and REI new. A bouncy seat is good, but it doesn't have to be fancy. Melissa did not use her play mat, but we used ours ALL the time! If you get one make sure it is machine washable b/c we washed ours a lot! It was great to take to people's houses and let the boys use it without putting them on a dirty floor. I also agree with the changing table. We bought a dresser low enough that we could put the pad on it. Later, we took off the pad and just had a dresser. I used my bed half the time anyway. Multi purpose waterproof pads in various sizes and lap pads. I found lots of uses for these! I also liked my plain white cloth diapers for use as burp cloths. Basic receiving blankets for swaddling. If she has a pacifier those little keepers that attach to the shirt are a must for car rides! A pack n play. Everyone is different, but we used the bassinet in the top of the pack n play for the boys to sleep in beside my bed for the first few months. Mine also had a built in changing table. It was also fantastic for traveling. I recommend this over spending money on an actual bassinet b/c you get more use out of it.
I agree with Julie that swaddlers work best! I hated Huggies and most of my friends agreed that they leaked.
Also, if you breastfeed talk to your baby's pediatrician. There are ways they can write prescriptions saying the baby has issues or you have issues and some insurance companies will help cover the cost of a pump. Worth looking into!!
Ok, I know I have written a book. I'm sure I'll have more to say later! :)
As one person told me, "Remember, the only thing a baby really needs is love!" :)
Wow! You've gotten a lot of good advice, and I thought I'd chime in again :) After reading Becca's comment, I remembered how much we used the pack and play. Since our house is 2 stories, it was a lifesaver. We had it upstairs and we used the changing table and bassinet stored stuff in the bottom. She never really played in it once she was bigger, but it was nice to have a place to change her upstairs. We just used the bed to change her downstairs. Also, the waterproof pads (wet pads, I think) that Becca mentioned are a must. They are sometimes hard to find, but you can buy the fabric by the yard at places like Joann's and then just cut it to the size that you need.
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