This is the list of everything I found necessary for baby-rearing. I think it's quite a comprehensive list; I hope you find it useful for preparing for the big day so that when you bring your baby home you can focus on him rather than shopping for all the things you didn't know you needed!
If an asterisk appears next to an item, one of those items belongs in your diaper bag.
If two dashes appear next to an item, one of the items goes upstairs and one goes downstairs.
- 6 Newborn outfits
- 6 0-3 month outfits
If you'll be having the baby in cold weather time, get a pack of long-sleeve onsies--they allow you to layer and use all those cute short sleeve shirts you'll get even if it's too cold to wear them by themselves! I love kimono-type onesies because it can be tricky to get a shirt over a newborn's bobbly head. Onesies are so nice to have at this stage (rather than regular shirts) because it's so easy for baby's shirt to ride up and expose her little tummy since she's laying down all the time.
- 6 sleepers
I LOVED little sleeper gowns with hand covers. Carter's brand at Kohl's usually has them.
- 10 pairs of socks
I use them as hand mittens, too. The actual hand mittens always fall off!
- * 4 pacifiers
Only open one at first, to make sure he likes that kind. My son never liked a pacifier at all.
- *-- 3 nasal aspirators (snot suckers :)
- Boppy pillow
"My Brest Friend" is the other name brand option, but the Boppy style is better because you can use it while nursing but also you can lay the baby in it. I think Wal-Mart has a generic Boppy-type pillow that's probably just as good.
- 3-4 hats
One of those, at least, should be really warm.
- 1 Jacket
- Car Seat/Base
You have two options: An infant car seat that pops in and out of a base, or a convertible car seat that stays anchored into the car. The advantages of the type with a base is that you can get a car seat that fits into your stroller, and this type of car seat can be put in and out of a shopping cart or taken anywhere as a carrier or a place for your baby to sleep. The advantages of a convertible car seat is that they work for newborns through toddlers, which eliminates the need to buy a second car seat when your child grows out of the infant kind.
It's also nice if the car seat fits in your stroller.) You could get a car seat that works for newborns through toddlers, which is a great money saver, but keep in mind that you can't just pop those out and put them in the shopping cart or stroller (a sling would help a lot with that issue, though! ;)
- Stroller
Try Craigslist for the stroller--I got a REALLY good deal on mine!
- High Chair
Craigslist again!
- 5 burp cloths
I say 5 because it's a good number to start out with. Some babies hardly ever spit up, and in that case 5 will be enough to keep you supplied in between loads of laundry. But some babies spit up all the time. If your little one turns out to be the latter, just go buy another 5, or just use washcloths if you run out. The shape of actual burp rags is nice, though, because they sit on your shoulder nicely for when you burp the baby.
- *-- 3 Hand Sanitizers
The one for your diaper bag should be a little one (available at the checkout line at Wal-Mart or at Bath & Body Works).
- About 150 Newborn diapers.
I'd get one or two big boxes of them, and the rest as packages of like 40, just in case he grows out of them before you use them all :) Target brand diapers ROCK! They're not as soft as Pampers or Huggies, but they are by FAR the best of the cheaper brands. Don't even bother with Parent's Choice. They're a waste of the little money you spend to try them out. Lots of my friends like the Kirkland brand from Costco, as well. I think their price point is somewhere between Target and Pampers/Huggies.
- 5 or 6 canvas bins
This was my organizing solution. I used one for diapers (one upstairs and one downstairs), and a couple each for toys and books. This way they're contained and organized but readily available no matter what part of the house you're in. If you have dogs, you might want to get something that closes for the diapers. Our dog got into the diapers at first. :)
- Bassinet
We only used this for about 3 or 4 weeks before we started putting our son in his crib, but I liked it for that period of time because he was eating constantly, and with the bassinet in our room I didn't have to walk so far in the middle of the night to feed him.
- Monitor with 2 handsets, one for upstairs and one for downstairs (or just one handset if your house is one story)
From my experience they ALL sound static-y, no matter how "nice". You'll get used to it. :)
- Diaper bag
Find a cute bag you actually LIKE. You don't need an actual "Diaper Bag." They're expensive and I thought it was really hard to find a cute one! They advantage to an actual "diaper bag" is that it has lots of compartments, but you'll probably end up just throwing everything in the big part anyway!
- SLING! :)
- --2 plastic wipes cases
Make sure the lid pops open the way the Huggies brand cases do. Some of them (like Parent's Choice) are hard to open and are really loud in the middle of the night!
- As many refill wipes boxes as you want! You'll end up using thousands anyway :)
I love Target's store brand, Up and Up, for wipes! They are soft and moist and cloth-like, the way Pampers wipes are, but they actually grab the mess you're trying to clean up, the way Huggies wipes do. But they are really inexpensive, unlike Pampers and Huggies!
- Travel wipes case
You can get a wipes case that has a little flip-open part on the lid so you can just pull one wipe out at a time (like Kleenexes do), just like the wipes cases I recommended for having around the house. These are way more convenient than the kind that just open like a book; it takes longer to separate all the wipes by hand... especially when your hands are kind of messy.
- * 2 travel changing pads
Get plasticky ones you can easily wipe off because diapers are REALLY messy at the beginning (that's why just a towel or something won't work)! The one that doesn't belong in your diaper bag is for downstairs, because although you'll have a changing table upstairs in his room, you don't want to truck him all the way up there every time to change it!
- Trash can for his room
I got a little cheapie one from Wal-Mart and my mom and I spray-painted it to match my son's room.
- Laundry basket for his room
- Changing table or dresser with a changing table pad on it (pad is purchased separately).
If you get a dresser to use as a changing table, you can get a guard-rail to put on it, too. But I think those are kind of pointless because you're not going to walk away from your baby anyway! Just make sure your diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, and hand sanitizer are on the changing table so you don't have to leave your baby to get your supplies. A word on a changing table pad... a cheaper option is to create a comfy spot by folding up a couple of those baby blankets you have way too many of and covering the homemade pad with a receiving blanket that you can replace and throw in the wash when (not if ;) it gets dirty.
- *-- 3 tubes of diaper rash cream
Vaseline works, too.
- Tube of Vaseline (if you circumcise)
Get a tube, because it's so much easier to squeeze it right on there... you don't want to be touching him to spread it all around while it's so tender.
- Diaper Genies are a waste of money in my opinion. Following this post is a video of how to use a Wal-Mart bag to seal away the stench :)
- 1 baby lotion
- 1 baby wash
- 2 soft towels and one pack of washcloths
- Baby bath tub with newborn sling
- 10 receiving blankets
They will get dirty and need to be washed, that's why you need so many!
- 3-5 warm blankets
- Glider for his room WITH ottoman
If you're nursing, the ottoman is REALLY important for your comfort! If you're not nursing, please ask a friend who did formula whether or not she recommends an ottoman.
- * 2 things of gas medicine
The name brand is Mylicon, but the Wal-Mart brand is way cheaper! Get the non-staining, non-dyed formula because it WILL get on the baby's (and your) clothes!
- Thermometer
- Little hangers and/or a dresser
- Crib
- Crib Bumper
- 2 Crib Sheets
- Optional: Wedge for him to sleep on.
It props him up so he's not flat on his back- that way if he throws up in the night he shouldn't choke on it--yikes! It's effectiveness is debatable though. Study it out for yourself; it might be a waste of money or it might give you some peace of mind. To each his own!
- "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" by Tracy Hogg
This book is, in my opinion, the most fabulous, practical book on parenting. It's helpful at any time during child-rearing, but I recommend reading it when you're expecting, if possible. It has great techniques for teaching your baby to sleep through the night and shows you in great detail how to get your child on a schedule. I love it because it totally worked for our little family, and it really matches my parenting style (teaching your child skills so issues get solved from the inside-out rather than just using a "Band-Aid solution" that is easier at the time but really inconvenient and sad for the skill-less child in the long-run). It gives you very specific answers to parenting problems and helps you trouble-shoot along the way, as well, which really sets it apart. Give it a read to see if it resonates with you, too! Don't fret if it doesn't do it for you, though; there are lots of other books and websites out there!
I'm not going to pretend like I can give advice on bottle-feeding a baby--my son never ever took a bottle. Please find a friend you can trust to give you good advice if you're going the formula route :)
Nursing Supplies:
If you are planning on nursing discreetly in public, you will need a system for coverage as well as accessibility, and you have some options. Keep in mind that if you use the sling to nurse hands-free, you are free to walk around while nursing, so you'll probably want an undershirt to cover up your belly and back which will be exposed once you lift up your shirt. Here are your options:
- Nursing bras combined with an undershirt of some kind. (When you're thinking about nursing bras, keep in mind that you might want to stay away from underwire; they cause plugged ducts in some women and are just uncomfortable for others.)
1. You can use a tube top as your undershirt. It works because after you lift up your shirt you can just pull down the tube top on one side to expose the feeding machine. I did this for a while, but stopped because the elastic at the top was too uncomfortable for me.
2. MY FAVORITE: You can use a nursing tank top as an undershirt. It works because after you lift up your shirt you just unclip the nursing clasps and flip down one side of the tank top to expose your you-know-what. You can buy nursing tank tops online or at some brick-and-mortar stores, but they are all expensive/boxy and short. See my other products section for my favorite solution to this tank top problem. My nursing bra conversion kits can be used to convert any comfy, reasonably-priced, well-fitting tank top into a nursing tank top. This same kit can be used to convert any comfy, reasonably-priced, well-fitting, supportive bra into a nursing bra. This is fantastic because I searched and searched without finding any nursing bra that wasn't horrificly ugly, and many women find them lacking in support. You can even use the kit to convert lingerie to nursing apparel for all those late-night feeding interruptions ;)
- 3-4 Nursing bra tanks. These contraptions are nursing tank tops with a built-in shelf bra. They're a nice all-in-one solution, but I only used them for a while because the bra was too tight for my liking and, to be honest, I didn't want to smash myself and hide one of the best side effects of nursing ;) If you decide that this is the route for you, http://www.glamourmom.com/ has the best ones because they have long versions that aren't short and boxy. Their long nursing tanks are $39 each. My GM code is JEMC48 -- Enter it in the GM code box at checkout :)
Whether you nurse in public or not, I think a ring sling is indispensable. Even if you only use it at home and discretion is not an issue, it allows you to walk around and stretch your legs, get things done, and tend to older children while nursing.
- Nursing pads!
Some women don't leak, but if you're not one of them, don't try to go a day without nursing pads! Bring them to the hospital when you deliver, just in case! And splurge on the Lansinoh brand (available at Wal-Mart) every time--they're WAY better than the others and you'll regret it if you try to save money by getting a cheaper brand (please learn from my painful mistake!).
- A little tube of Lansinoh cream.
It helps to heal you up during the first couple weeks of nursing. It's also great as lip balm for the baby. Because it's used in a place where baby will inevitably ingest it, it has to be non-toxic.
- Robe and slippers
These are for your nightly nursing treks to his room. Keep a couple pillows within arms-reach of your late-night nursing station to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Keep a blanket for yourself at hand as well, just in case you get chilly.
- Breast Pump
I strongly recommend pumping and getting him used to a bottle after about a month and a half or so of straight nursing so you and the daddy can go on a DATE! The Medela Pump 'n' Style (a double electric breast pump) has worked great for me-try craigslist for a better deal because they're pretty expensive. (For the record, though, Medela says you should not buy a used pump or share the pump with others for sanitation reasons.) You can also use a pump to try and increase your milk supply by pumping a bit after nursing.
- Pumping accessories:
If you pump, you'll also need breastmilk storage bags so you can freeze it, 4 or 5 bottles with newborn-flow nipples (yes, there are different types of nipples! And you can buy different ones when he gets older and grows out of the newborn ones) and a bottle brush.
How to seal away the stench with a grocery bag:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment