Here is a list I made at the request of a friend a while ago and I have been sharing ever since. I am by no means an expert! I just really didn't have anyone to help me figure things out. No girlfriends who just had babies so I made a list of the things I wish I had known before. Of course every baby is different and every mom is different so take it all with a grain of salt! Feel free to add your comments and tips or share this with anyone. I know things change very quickly right now. Most of these things were bought from Craigslist, garage sales or on sale since all things baby are so expensive!
Things I wish
I had known!
“The
Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy” great
book!
Hospital – I
heard some people take depends! Take
loose clothes that are comfortable for you.
Take make up because you won’t feel so fresh for pics after having a
baby! If the nurses offer to take the
baby to the nursery so you can get a couple of hours of sleep – do it! You won’t end up reading magazines or books
or watching DVDs. It is a personal decision but when your
doctor offers you pain medication after delivery I would recommend taking it,
you can be a better mom and more patient if you are not in terrible pain! I had a complicated c-section and lots of pain so not being in pain helped with breast feeding.
As for a hospital bag, the hospital gives you
most of the stuff, I would not take much at all, you don’t want your nightgowns
or underwear with stains so just use theirs.
Chapstick, snacks for husband, a headband or hairbands, a brush, camera
with extra batteries, comfortable maternity clothes for leaving, two sizes of
outfits for baby and you really don’t need much!
C-section –
definitely use a product called Scar Away, it really protects the area once the
incision is closed, it is soft and acts like a big band aid so nothing rubs
against it or irritates it. Target brand
Gilligan OMalley seamless boy shorts are great, no seams or anything to push
against incision. Cotton washcloths work
really great under the boy shorts while incision is still open, some suggest a
pad but I didn’t like it that it stuck to the underwear and moved around my
incision.
Newborn
clothes: we had a ton of 0 to 3 months clothes and never thought that at 8lbs
3oz he would be too small for them! So
take some newborn clothes and be prepared with some small clothes, take
different sizes to the hospital. Don’t
buy too many baby clothes since you will get a ton as gifts!
Diapers – we
found Pampers swaddlers to be the best, no diaper rash, Target has the best
prices here.
Rocker – a
must have! We got the Shermag Oak glider
at Babiesrus and we love it to this day!
Diaper bag –
make sure you get one with lots of compartments and pockets to keep things from
going all over the place, get something neutral that your husband won’t mind
carrying! Diaper Dude is a good one your husband won’t mind carrying! I even still use one of our diaper bags as a bag since it is so practical!
Sleeping –
our baby used to get awaken by moving his arms too much, they say babies don’t
know it is a part of them and get startled, we would hold his arms together by
his chest and he would calm down and go back to sleep. When swaddling opt for Halo sleep sacs, if
you swaddle the baby’s legs too tight it can cause hip dysplasia.
Burping – we
also would sit him on our lap and hold his chin with one hand and pat him with
the other, that position worked better sometimes. It is better to try and burp them than to
have them have gas…
Motherhood
maternity has great sales online, buy a little bigger cause you will get
there! They also have great nursing tops
and bras. A great nursing top was glamourmom’s, very
discreet, Target Bravado top was really comfortable and practical.
Aimee
Nursing gowns – are great and comfortable with some support.
Changing pad
for traveling – get the biggest one you can find, they grow fast and most are
too small! I also carried Clorox wipes
in diaper bag for those yucky places, Munchkin makes a disposable pad that is
big enough to put under changing pad, Target has them - big size for changing
in yucky places like airplanes.
Hand
sanitizer – you want to avoid getting a cold when pregnant or having your
newborn get a cold, I used it everywhere and did not touch my face with dirty
hands and used those when touching shopping carts, I never got a cold while
pregnant and our baby only got a cold at 8 months! Also don’t be shy about telling people to
stay away from you when they are sick! Really I can't say this enough, don't worry about hurting their feelings, they need to stay away from you!
Thermometer
– we got the fancy ear thermometer only to find out it doesn't work on newborns
so you have to get the digital thermometer and the hospital gave us some clear
gel. Make sure you know what the
difference is in temperature for under arms vs rectal, your pediatrician should
tell you when to call, also they say in the start to take the baby’s temp twice
a day regardless. They now told us to take under arm temps.
Hats – great
for newborns but they are hard to fit and stay on, the ones that are long with
a little knot on top stay on better. We
did not use them past one month.
Nose bulb –
great for colds since they can’t blow their nose
Temperature
– I found it very hard to gauge temperature and how much clothes to put on him,
the rule I found best is one layer more than you (thin layer). I kept the house around 70 but you don’t want
to heat it up too much because then it gets too dry for them. Overheated babies have higher risk of SIDS.
Boppy pillow
– a must for breastfeeding and rocking the baby, get different covers so you
can always have one clean. There is a
waterproof one now.
Blankets –
have some thin blankets on hand also. Layers are the key!
Burpy/mouth
cloths – you cannot have enough of these with the amount of spitting up they
do, go for nice soft ones and at least 6” to 8” square, some can be like
sandpaper.
Bibs – I
thought bibs were only for when they ate, but having a bib on a baby sometimes
saves you from changing outfits 5 times in a row when they spit up!
Crib –Don’t
rush on the crib, chances are you will end up using a bassinet or co-sleeper or
your bed for a while! If you use your bed be very safe and read lots on co-sleeping, Dr Sears has great advice.
Baby clothes
– size means nothing, I organized the closet by size and found out the bigger
sizes did not fit L
0 to 3 mos can be bigger than 6-9 mos!
So instead of going by labels, measure them against each other.
Desitin –
you can buy big tubes at Costco great for preventing diaper rash
Calmoseptin - This is huge! For really bad diaper rashes this cream is amazing! You can find it in the pharmacy at Target, you have to ask for it, not prescription.
Washcloths –
we only needed a couple, used the rest for burp cloths
Baby bathtub
– we had a hard time with those, find something that keeps baby upright and
secure, they are so slippery! We got the
Leachco foam safer bather and it works great!
Baby Trend
Diaper Champ – great disposal system, you can use regular trash bags! (Target
has them) and they are doggie proof! Our dogs were never able to get in.
Nursery – I
found that getting furniture in white was much easier than trying to match
different colors or wood stains.
Baby towels
– we found them cute but not absorbant and just used regular towels
Baby wipes
warmer – we skipped that due to reports of it starting fires
Breathable
crib bumper – since because of SIDS they don’t recommend the cute fluffy
bumpers, Babiesrus has a mesh one that is breathable “breathable baby” by Trend
Lab
Alcohol –
for the belly button, our doctor said to soak a cotton ball and drip it on so
it would fall faster
Pacifiers –
our doctor recommended just letting him suck on his thumbs instead this way if
he loses his thumb he knows where to find it but losing a pacifier will make
him/her cry. I actually have seen that
at daycare with younger babies, they have a meltdown as soon as they lose the
paci. We finally got him some for teething and we liked the BPA free Nubi.
Changing
tables are great, especially with a curved pad and a safety strap, we also got
covers for the pad and on top of it we put small waterproof Boppy pad liners –
lifesavers! This way you can change the
liners when you have an explosion and not have to change the cover! Also get some waterproof pads (more like
cloths), they are great for when you have the baby hanging out on the bed with
you and they have an accident or throw up!
But make sure you have something like a thin cotton sheet or blanket
over them, otherwise it might make them sweat too much just laying on the
waterproof mat.
Bottles –
buy BPA free, same for pacifiers. We
made the mistake of only offering too few bottles with breastmilk and he got
opinionated and now refuses to take a bottle, so I would introduce a bottle after
he/she is 6 weeks old and then do a bottle a few times a week so he/she does
not refuse it later. Slow flow in the
beginning otherwise they might not want the breast.
Car seat –
we use the Diono Radian that came highly recommended, good for
infants up to toddlers and up to a booster seat so you only have to buy one. They are a good size and fit side by side nicely. When they are very little the travel system by Graco
with a carrier and bases and it worked great.
Baby shoes –
cute but also not practical, I read that it is best to wait until they are
walking to use shoes or it could deform their feet. We used the leather ones from Target when he
started crawling and standing up but always barefoot at home.
Plastic
interlocking rings – hours of fun for young baby!
High
contrast baby books – black on white, he has loved books since one month old
with Dad reading them to them.
Swing – they used to fall asleep in it and loved it
Activity mat
or tummy time mat – keeps them busy when they can’t move around too much and
helps with tummy time, something they both hated.
Fisher Price
aquarium mobile – the only thing that saved us when changing diapers! Since they would stare at the fish, made it
easier!
Costco wipes
– buy in bulk, you will need tons of wipes
Swallowing
things – as a rule if it fits in a toilet paper roll, they can choke on it
Sleep and
plays – great for colder weather since you get all those cute onesies but they
don’t really work, so Gerber and Target have 3 packs for around $10, that are
great jumpers with feet. We found some
Costco’s sell Carter’s jumpers for cheap.
Newborn
socks and mitts – mitts and socks don’t stay on and are a pain even if they are
very cute, outfits that have a sleeve that can turn into a mitt are much better. We never used the little socks!
Sleep sacks
– are wonderful because of all the diaper changes in the middle of the night
and fussing with snaps most also have a sleeve that turns into a mitt You can also buy blanket sacks. They look like a really long dress.
Moby wrap: http://www.mobywrap.com/ great for newborns up to toddlers also the
baby ktan is great. Baby Ktan is also very awesome!
Baby Bjorn:
the best carrier!
Medela Pump
in style with hands free bra (I would not buy one until you are sure you will
breastfeed or have milk)
Gel pads for
sore nipples – hydrogel pads
Breastfeeding
– it is wonderful and it can hurt like heck!
But it does get much easier! Also
our nurses said to have him latch right in the center. We went to a lactation consultant after I had
so many issues with it hurting and she showed me to bring him to the nipple not
the other way around, wait until he opened his mouth VERY wide like a yawn and
actually have him take in more of the lower part of the areola then the upper
part – voila! It was much better after
that! I also found that after a
c-section, it was easier to feed him while having him lay down next to me or
the “football” hold. Once they are older
that 2 mos it gets much easier with latching and also feeding laying down. Stick with it if you can, it does get easier!
Avent comfort
Breast shell – this is great if you have sore nipples or engorgement
Silicone Lilipadz was awesome to prevent leakage once your supply is more regular
Disposable
breast pads – great for going out but not for home, Lansinoh are the thinnest
and best that I found
Cotton
reusable breast pads – better for home since cotton is breathable, cuts down
risk of yeast infection.
Bumbo seat –
great for that in between stage where they don’t sit yet but don’t want to lay
down at about 5 months
Jumperoo –
rainforest – highly recommended, very fun for when they are 4
mos plus and can hold their head very steady
Arm’s reach
co-sleeper – great size, fits next to bed, can lower one side, large enough to
last more than 2 mos. I think we used it
until he could pull himself up at 5 mos
Fan in the
room – studies show it cuts down SIDS by 70% by circulating air
Warm mist
humidifier – while baby is not mobile, a warm mist humidifier provides more
humidity, since they don’t produce much mucus early on. After they are mobile it needs to be a cool
mist humidifier but we found that the warm mist releases much more moisture, after trying many we found this is the best one with a timer and warm/cool mist from Costco.
I really enjoy Dr Sears book on Night time parenting and for sibblings.
Foam tiles
are great for when they start sitting and can play without hurting themselves
if they lose balance
Water pals
swim diapers by Finis – best swim diaper, reusable, much better than
disposables, easy to clean
Nightlight –
most nightlights are fine when they are not mobile but once they are, they can
pull it apart and the tiny bulbs are dangerous, if you get one now, get one
that is baby proof and will not come apart.
Honey –
babies should not have honey until after one year.
Ask for a
stool softener after delivery, trust me!
Target has a great little decorative grass and flower looking rack for drying baby's things and it is BPA free
Update: My friend let me borrow her Ergo baby and this thing rocks for a toddler! Especially through airports!!!
