Lately, I have been barraged with this question. Weirdly, I know a lot of soon-to-be moms who are expecting their first baby. So, I have been making list of the things they really need, as opposed to what the websites, baby registries and baby gear marketers say. Here is my short list:
A place for the baby to sleep. If you are bed sharing, get a rail for your bed. If not, a bassinet for your room. A crib can come later. Personally, I have an absolutely lovely crib that has never once been used (other than for a playpen, on occasion).
A few clothes. Babies don’t care what color they wear. They outgrow newborn stuff really fast – so a small layette works. I didn’t know the gender of my children before they were born and they both like green and yellow just fine. It’s not like you can keep people from bringing ruffled underpants for your daughter or Thomas the Train t-shirts for your little guy.
Diapers and changing stuff. One pack of newborn diapers (you can get more easily if you need them but some kids hardly wear them) and some non-scented wipes are great. If you have a boy, your going want petroleum jelly (trust me). I put all that changing stuff into a basket, because I normally just change them on my bed or wherever we are at the moment. I also like those wipes that have the baby soap in them, but you don’t need many.
A car seat and/or baby carrier of some sort. Of course you need a car seat to get your child home from the hospital. Some moms like the stroller that the seat hooks into. I like a sling. Some like the front carrier. A carrier (especially hands free) is an awesome thing to have.
A few feeding accessories. If you are nursing, you’ll need nursing pads, lanolin and should consider a pump. Manual if you don’t think you need it often, and consider a good, electric one if you will be returning to work. I have a Pump-In-Style by Medela and it was worth its weight in gold. If you are not nursing, a few bottles, but not too many, some kids won’t take different kinds of nipples and you might have to try a few before you find one that works.
A swing. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t hold my firstborn 100% of the time. She loved the swing. Plus, Harvey Karp (The Happiest Baby On The Block guru) is right about the swing. It’s very calming for a fussy baby. I really love a swing. In fact, I now have 3…all from garage sales and thrift stores and my kids loved them!
What won’t you need? A bulb syringe and a pacifier (they give you those in the hospital), a themed nursery, definitely a crib bumper (they are not recommended due to SIDS) and a mobile. There are a TON more baby items that you really don’t need but might think you want. You can wait on those. Really. New babies need you, not stuff.
All right ladies, let me know, what else would you add to this list?
(To be honest, I had an ulterior motive to putting up this post today – I was embarrassed that a post about my underpants had been up for so long!)
6 comments:
I was surprised to see another lovely Bryssy post today until I read the note at the bottom! I thought the underpants post was brilliant. In fact, we might have to dub you "Miss Smarty-Underpants" from now on.
Just kidding.
Another must-have when expecting your first baby is a great baby care book. Just get one. Don't confuse yourself with too much advice and differing opinions. I liked the Dr. Sears books a lot. The Baby Book has all the medical, nursing, diapering, and growth/development info you need.
I also breastfed my babies, so a nursing cover came in handy. Some people can use a blanket, but my babies got squirmy after the first few months, so it was nice to have a cover designed to stay put after that point.
Our babies did NOT use bouncy seats much, but Baby #2 really liked her Bumbo seat. I would set that up on my small kitchen counter so she could see what I was doing in the kitchen and I could talk to her about it. Buy these used...new ones are about $30, which is way too much in my opinion. She enjoyed this for quite a while once she could sit upright with support.
Thanks, Donna. :-(
I am afraid I scarred a couple husbands with that last post. I'm glad my own husband doesn't care to read Motley Moms, he would be scarred for sure!
I like the Dr. Sears book, too. However, my go-to is good old Dr. Spock. You can also get the American Academy of Pediatrics book free if you join the Publix Baby Club. I agree with you, KOTJ loved the Bumbo! I wish they had been around when THE Princess was born. I picked one up with a tray at a consignment sale and it was super!
I can't think of anything else, except maybe 10 or 12 sheets for all the changing you have to do when they're newborns. My babies both LOVED their bouncy seats. In fact, the first summer Micah went to the beach, he slept in his bouncy seat down by the ocean every day for at least one of his naps. :)
And I think "Miss Smarty-Underpants" is a fantastic new nickname for our Bryssy! Heh heh heh!
Thanks for joining in on that, Liz. I can always count on you!
Plus, I had 3 emails asking this question today, alone. I think because I teach the "baby class" they must think I am an authority....they don't know me that well! LOL
I think the one thing to learn about having a new baby is that no two babies, or mommies are alike. I never used my bassinet (they were in their crib from day one). I never leaked so I didn't need nursing pads. I didn't have nearly enough 0-3 months clothes, because my babies were small, and I had to take back diapers because I cloth diapered, and we never used pacifiers because they sucked their thumb/fingers.
My must haves....my crib, a swing, a sling, my nursing cover, a nice diaper bag, some clothes, the Miracle blanket (swaddler) some cloth diapers, and that's pretty much it. :) Oh and a pack-n-play with #3, we spent lots and lots of evenings away from home with her either at my parents house or my friends house so I needed a place to put her down at bedtime.
The only thing I would add is...some other "new" mommy friends! So you have some other people to commiserate with during those tough times of adjustment to motherhood.
That and chocolate or anything with sugar. I totally craved sweets when I was nursing!!
Wait, I guess you are asking about the baby aren't you? I am always more worried about the mommies. The babies are going to be fine. They won't even remember any of it. They are just going to be sleeping most of the time. But the mommies...they ain't gonna be sleeping. And that's when a little chocolate comes in handy! :)
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