Post by Nim on Apr 4, 2004 12:49:59 GMT -5
It's early yet, but since you are starting to look into this stuff already, I thought I'd drop a few hints as to what was useful to us when we had our first baby. The stores will give you lists of things that you 'MUST HAVE' but will never use. I was lucky to have my mom along to laugh at their list and help me out.
First off, the number one most useful thing we bought was a convertable play pen. (Oh. So sorry. Not PC. I mean 'play yard'. :
Anyway, the one we bought was from the John Lennon series and we use it still today. It has attachements that you put on top for the first few months, making it half a changing table and half a bassinet. It was at the foot of our bed for the first few months of Freddy's life and that is where he slept. (I was breastfeeding and wanted him close to us at night.) It has pockets on the side for all the diaper foo-foo too.
Once your baby is a little bit bigger, you take the top stuff off and it is a play-pen. But, better than that, it can be used as a portable crib! I took mine to my mom's and left it there. Now when we visit, Freddy has a bed. (It even has a little mobile, light and music box that was useful until he was able to stand and grab for it.) And it all folds up neatly into a convenient carrying case for storage.
Another very useful gadget - especially in those first six months or so - is a good bouncer. See if you can find one that vibrates at a flip of a switch. That really calmed Freddy when nothing else did. Plus, the bouncer gives him a place to be with us so he didn't have to be in his car seat all of the time.
A swing is a good thing too! We didn't get one at first, but Freddy was colicky and the nurses at the hospital told us right away that he responded well to swinging. It gave us much needed time off too. I like the battery operated ones because they don't make much noise and they swing longer without interruption.
And whether you have a swing or not, you might want to buy stock in a battery company too.
Oh, and here's one that the baby stores never tell you about: CLOTH DIAPERS! Buy a couple packs - at least two dozen of them - and you will never regret it. Freddy is almost two years old and I still use them regularly. They are great to keep in your purse or the diaper bag for cleaning up juicy babies.
I also fell in LOVE with slinging. I had read about it on the Internet and tried buying a store-bought "snuggly" but was terribly dissatisfied with that. Freddy didn't seem to be comfy either. What I finally did cost me a grand total of five dollars. Go to Wal-Mart and pick out some of their dollar-a-yard cheapy fabric. They have all different colors, so you can get more than one if you like. I had best results with stretch material. More comfy on your shoulders and Freddy seemed to like it better too. Buy about four yards of the stuff (YMMV). Basically, you fold it long-ways in thirds then tie the ends together FIRMLY. (If you are interested, I have a link SOMEWHERE with illustrated instructions). You wear the sling like a big purse, over your head and diagonal across your chest. Baby fits snuggly in the pocket you have made. This is great for breastfeeding too. Helps keep things private and you can get good at it and do it hands-free even!
If you get a diaper bag, get one with lots of pockets. Also look for something that will last. I got a really cute Pooh bag with a story book on the front that I just fell in love with. But the problem is (I later realized) that there are very few pockets. Also, after a year and a half, it's really very worn out. You can also get a backpack for a diaper bag. Chances are, you will also receive several free diaper bags when your baby is born. They are sort of plastic and they are from formula sellers. KEEP THEM! I use one for Freddy's meals and another for all of his various toiletries.
Try (I know it's hard) not to go too crazy on the itty bitty baby clothes. You will probably get quite a bit of that from loved ones and your baby will grow out of them before they even get close to wearing out. The best stuff for a brand new baby are onesies and sleepers. Those are one-piece outfits that are snuggly and comfy and easy to put on and take off.
You will also want some receiving blankets. Most babies like to be swaddled for the first few weeks after they are born. Later, those blankets can be used as towels.
Speaking of towels, get a baby bath that converts. I can't recall the name of ours, but it went from something you can put on the table for when Baby is brand new, to something that sits in the tub upright as baby grows. We used ours until Freddy was old enough to be in the bath without any chair.
Oh. And when you buy that new car ... make sure it has a lot of trunk space! Your packing for trips (even to the grocery store) is about to TRIPLE! ;D
I think that's enough for now. I'll add stuff if I think of it, and I'm sure other people have suggestions.
(Sheesh. For a lurker, I sure talk a lot.)
First off, the number one most useful thing we bought was a convertable play pen. (Oh. So sorry. Not PC. I mean 'play yard'. :
Anyway, the one we bought was from the John Lennon series and we use it still today. It has attachements that you put on top for the first few months, making it half a changing table and half a bassinet. It was at the foot of our bed for the first few months of Freddy's life and that is where he slept. (I was breastfeeding and wanted him close to us at night.) It has pockets on the side for all the diaper foo-foo too.Once your baby is a little bit bigger, you take the top stuff off and it is a play-pen. But, better than that, it can be used as a portable crib! I took mine to my mom's and left it there. Now when we visit, Freddy has a bed. (It even has a little mobile, light and music box that was useful until he was able to stand and grab for it.) And it all folds up neatly into a convenient carrying case for storage.
Another very useful gadget - especially in those first six months or so - is a good bouncer. See if you can find one that vibrates at a flip of a switch. That really calmed Freddy when nothing else did. Plus, the bouncer gives him a place to be with us so he didn't have to be in his car seat all of the time.
A swing is a good thing too! We didn't get one at first, but Freddy was colicky and the nurses at the hospital told us right away that he responded well to swinging. It gave us much needed time off too. I like the battery operated ones because they don't make much noise and they swing longer without interruption.
And whether you have a swing or not, you might want to buy stock in a battery company too.
Oh, and here's one that the baby stores never tell you about: CLOTH DIAPERS! Buy a couple packs - at least two dozen of them - and you will never regret it. Freddy is almost two years old and I still use them regularly. They are great to keep in your purse or the diaper bag for cleaning up juicy babies.
I also fell in LOVE with slinging. I had read about it on the Internet and tried buying a store-bought "snuggly" but was terribly dissatisfied with that. Freddy didn't seem to be comfy either. What I finally did cost me a grand total of five dollars. Go to Wal-Mart and pick out some of their dollar-a-yard cheapy fabric. They have all different colors, so you can get more than one if you like. I had best results with stretch material. More comfy on your shoulders and Freddy seemed to like it better too. Buy about four yards of the stuff (YMMV). Basically, you fold it long-ways in thirds then tie the ends together FIRMLY. (If you are interested, I have a link SOMEWHERE with illustrated instructions). You wear the sling like a big purse, over your head and diagonal across your chest. Baby fits snuggly in the pocket you have made. This is great for breastfeeding too. Helps keep things private and you can get good at it and do it hands-free even!
If you get a diaper bag, get one with lots of pockets. Also look for something that will last. I got a really cute Pooh bag with a story book on the front that I just fell in love with. But the problem is (I later realized) that there are very few pockets. Also, after a year and a half, it's really very worn out. You can also get a backpack for a diaper bag. Chances are, you will also receive several free diaper bags when your baby is born. They are sort of plastic and they are from formula sellers. KEEP THEM! I use one for Freddy's meals and another for all of his various toiletries.
Try (I know it's hard) not to go too crazy on the itty bitty baby clothes. You will probably get quite a bit of that from loved ones and your baby will grow out of them before they even get close to wearing out. The best stuff for a brand new baby are onesies and sleepers. Those are one-piece outfits that are snuggly and comfy and easy to put on and take off.
You will also want some receiving blankets. Most babies like to be swaddled for the first few weeks after they are born. Later, those blankets can be used as towels.
Speaking of towels, get a baby bath that converts. I can't recall the name of ours, but it went from something you can put on the table for when Baby is brand new, to something that sits in the tub upright as baby grows. We used ours until Freddy was old enough to be in the bath without any chair.
Oh. And when you buy that new car ... make sure it has a lot of trunk space! Your packing for trips (even to the grocery store) is about to TRIPLE! ;D
I think that's enough for now. I'll add stuff if I think of it, and I'm sure other people have suggestions.
(Sheesh. For a lurker, I sure talk a lot.)
