I have friends call me constantly that are having babies and want to know about what products I liked. This is information I gathered over time from girlfriends in no specific order. I hope this helps.
1) Do not forget to keep the paper the day the baby is born for their baby book (laminate it later) My husband now has someone send us a UK paper on her birthday. We keep these all for her in an acid safe box.
2) If your bedroom is far from baby and baby won’t be sleeping in your room, you may want a bassinet with wheels. Please remember you may have the opposite sex baby next time around so you may want green, white or yellow bedding for the bassinet (2 sheets for bassinet)
4) 6 Carter’s starters waterproof quilted lap pads (use for changing table, changing on the go, bassinet, crib- everywhere)
5) 1 changing table or space on counter for changing pad- put mirror or art above it so baby can be distracted (my table has a mosaic wall) the older they get the LESS they like being changed- make sure nothing can fall on baby when changing (if your room is far from baby’s, you may want to set up a small changing station (with pad and diapers) in your bathroom for baby or downstairs in your house)
6) 1 Half moon shaped diaper changing pads/pillow – Boppy. Honestly, I heard so many fabulous things about the Boppy, but I cannot say I was a huge fan.
7) “Especially for Baby” wipes warmer- I have girlfriends that love it and still use it. Some say that there is no reason you need to warm babies wipes and they will only get used to being spoiled. I found the wipes dried out faster.
8) Covers for diaper changing pad/pillow
9) Make sure nothing above baby’s crib can fall and harm baby. Also make sure all blinds are secure and there is no loose cords.
10) Crib bed skirt- REMEMBER that as baby grows, your crib mattress lowers.
11) Crib Mattress- I think mine is by Simmons
12) Symphony in Motion Mobile- Our baby LOVES the BRIGHT colors and black and white- you will only use this for a few months – when baby can almost reach it, its times to go!!! It will be replaced by something more secure.
13) After we graduated from the mobile we got the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium- my little one loves it now when she wakes up at night she can turn it on. LOVES IT!!
14) A few Nightlights around baby’s room/ changing area- so you don’t have to turn on the room light and REALLY wake her up when you have to change baby – I use the motion sensor ones in various places
15) Fisher Price Soothing Motion Glider GREAT for Travel and equally GREAT for home. This was by far one of my favorite products. I think Sinclair spent more time in this sleeping than anywhere else.
16) Kick and Play Bouncer by Fisher Price- YOU WILL LOVE THIS AND SO WILL THEY!!!
17) Some of my friends preferred the Megasaucer activity center by Evenflo – my daughter did not go for it – she was totally a Jumperoo Princess – but some babies only prefer this
18) Infant car seat with base- YOU DO NOT NEED ADDITIONAL BASES FOR other cars. The car seat works easily without the base too
19) SNAP ‘N’GO –or- Universal Car Seat carrier –or Bugaboo base- ---this the small LIGHT contraption that your car seat snaps easily into. DON'T GET A BIG STROLLER SYSTEM THAT WILL BE SUPER HEAVY!!!!!
20) Stroller-- that you will use when the baby grows out of the infant car seat- I LOVE my Stokke stroller system. Once you practice assembling it does become easier. I also have a Bugaboo (that someone sent me) I am personally NOT a Bugaboo fan - if you are then go for it.
21) Jogging Stroller- mine is an Eddie Bauer and it is good to own if you will walk baby long periods of time especially on gravel paths. Other brands are good too and may be better. I honestly do not hardly ever use this.
22) Don’t buy in advance but if you need one once baby is born- try a Warm Mist Vaporizer by Evenflo
23) Thermometer- the one in the ear - medical grade works well
24) There is an electronic device called NasalClear that suctions the nose out really fast. Babies in general hate those blue nasal bulbs. I love this device since you can get in and do what you need to fast! I even bought one for my pediatrician since he did not know about it. I found mine on Amazon.
25) 10 Receiving blankets- The VERY lightweight blankets that you get at the hospital. These blankets work WONDERS when you are “swaddling” or “burritoing” the baby. They seem cheap but they are the BEST for what you are doing. Usually you will need 2 for a good swaddle.
26) That reminds me. Take everything that the hospital gives you (look in the drawers of your hospital bassinet). You will use all of that stuff including blankets, hats, etc. In fact, they will send you home with small 2 oz. bottles of formula -- these are fabulous!!
27) Baby’s Crib- When baby moves into crib OR if you use the crib from the beginning which TONS of people do, you will need 3 crib sheets. Crib sheets are VERY hard to change because of bumper pads etc. It is hard to get the mattress out. Here are some suggestions to make it easier: ***put 2-3 crib sheets on at a time so when the top one gets dirty you can just yank it off *** use the carters pads or any other crib pads on portion of crib that baby sleeps . They are easy to wash.
28) A: Bathtub- When baby is just born you cannot submerge baby because of umbilical cord. Use those $2.99 yellow teddy bear sponges or a pile of towels to lay baby on while cleaning.
B: When baby loses umbilical cord try to find a tub that is more like a slanted stand (HARD to find) for baby. I had a square sink installed in my nursery not even thinking (best thing I ever did) since the baby bathtubs are square and it fits in perfectly
C: I have been using the Eurobath for a while now and she LOVES the bath. I had to buy her TONS of bath toys because she could stay there all day!!! (I use Johnson’s bath products)
29) BOTTLES- only buy a few at first because baby may not like the ones you buy. Sinclair did not care and we used Avent at first (the nipples change spout sizes as they get older- start with newborn or 1 and graduate to size 4)-I have been flip flopping between Avent and Dr Browns – I have a slight leaking issue with Avent but its simplest to use. I have seem all kinds of funky bottles at friends house- you will decide on your own what baby likes.
31) My girlfriend Courtney gave me “Neckwings” to adjust neck in the HUGE car seat for when baby FIRST goes in the car home. This will be traumatic for baby and mommy- Don’t worry if you cry- it is SCARY and JOYOUS bringing baby home for the first time.
32) 25-35 burp cloths/ cloth diapers- You will go through a lot of these each day.
33) Regular blankets- you will only need 4-6 of these for car, stroller, playing on the floor, you are NOT supposed to put blankets in the crib until they are older.
34) long sleeved onesies and day gowns with elastic at bottom( you will need about 10 when they are first born)- easy access to the diaper is best!!- I like SpaSilk (hard to find this brand - the more you wash it the better it feels) Petit Bateau and Ralph Lauren for both
35) Baby hats – you probably only need the cotton ones from the hospital plus 2 bigger ones- they are good to keep baby warm in a cold house and/or after bath time!
36) 6 pairs socks and/or soft booties to keep baby’s feet warm! You may want to wash them in a linen bag because they get lost! Try Trumpette socks – this brand actually stays on!
37) Glider chair for mommy- You will LOVE it! They are the two MOST comfy chairs in our home – tell hell with the Rose Tarlow – comfort overrides style when you become a parent
38) CD player for baby with soothing music!! I loaded a baby IPod just with her songs – it’s a great addition to the nursery
39) Baby monitor- You pick! I have never heard anyone raving about their baby monitor. Mine is various cameras on the TV built into the ceiling of her room. I can also go to Europe and watch my baby on the Internet – but some folks don’t want to invest that kind of money. I can never move her bed! My girlfriend in New York likes the one that she can talk back to baby through the monitor. She can also talk to a stranger that lives 2 blocks over- watch out!!
40) Plan for and order baby announcements in advance if you have time. You can call later with name, weight and date. Address envelopes and stamp before baby comes too!
41) Baby book for baby memories - save every little thing along the way.
42) If I could do it over, I would keep a weekly diary of baby goings on- what is she doing this week. It will help for baby #2. I found the "What to Expect" series is the Bible of information.
43) Dr. Smiths Diaper Ointment for rash or for bad rash AQUAPHOR- works like a charm – I also really liked Boudreaux’s Butt Paste
44) Antibacterial soap and gel at every sink in house
45) Mylicon drops for when baby has gas. You cannot hurt baby with this stuff . It is made of soap.
46) Portable baby wipes and antibacterial gel for diaper bag
47) Box of Ziploc bags for diapers so that you don’t leave nasty dirty diapers at friends house. When you go to the doctor’s office, you have to take dirty diapers home with you. It is illegal to throw away dirty diapers at the pediatrician’s office.
48) Infant Motrin and Infant Tylenol. Sometimes the Pediatrician will want you to rotate.
49) My girlfriend Lauri reminded me not to forget the Nursing Bras and Johnson & Johnson Nipple pads- YOU NEED THESE IN THE HOSPITAL because when your milk comes in you want to already have the cotton pads in your bra so that the milk does not cover you!
50) Button Down nightgown for hospital
51) Keep a notebook close by for jotting your thoughts....I found that my brain went to mush initially and this helped when I had so many things to remind myself to ask my pediatrician.
52) Moses basket -- this was great little snuggle place for her to sleep when I was on the go
53) Feeding/bathroom chart for the first few days or weeks- to remember when baby ate last, on what side, for how long and if baby’s BM’s are going OK
54) Someone gave me an ICrib – I just found that an Ipod loaded sweet nursery rhymes works great. Now we load her Ipod with different playlists and videos and she takes it with her everywhere
55) Diaper Champ- Some prefers this to the Diaper Genie (we have both) because it uses any bags and it is a cinch to change
56) Baby wipes- TONS, Baby Wash Cloths (4), hooded towels (3)
57) Crib Wedge for when baby gets a cold and the doc tells you to elevate the head, it goes under the mattress
58) Bottle drying rack and also the Avent bottle sanitizer for first few months- sanitize then every 2nd or 3rd use
59) Pacifiers- you decide- I like First Years and NUK – You may need up to 10 in different sizes
60) Dreft detergent for first few months
61) Baby Bjorn or Snugli both the same- good for a couple of months. Sinclair would immediately go to sleep when I tucked her in this and we walked around the house. I remember my girlfriend, Ryland called and she strapped hers on in the shower....from that moment on she was my hero!
62) Baby clothes hangers
63) Diapers- EVERYONE I KNOW USES PAMPERS SWADDLERS- The first size even has a cut out for newborn umbilical cord- otherwise you need to fold down diapers where umbilical cord is. They are THE BEST!!! I even brought some to the hospital because I did not like the ones they had. Their Preemie size was perfect when she was first born.
64) Baby Einstein’s DVD’s
65) Sleep Sacks to zip baby into while sleeping- LOVE THEM!
66) Ipecac syrup from Pharmacy- Let’s hope we never need it. It makes baby throw up if they swallow something awful!!
67) Car Seat- baby enters the car seat after a few months when they hit 20lbs Britax are supposedly the safest!! I realize as I type this we just graduated to a Toddler car seat. Which means, they grow up really fast enjoy every second!!!
Thanks to all my girlfriends that sent all their favorite tidbits!!!
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2 comments:
Thank for all the info!!!
this is super helpful I have copied it and passed it along to all my friends
thanks
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