No, seriously. Baby stuff. I had no idea babies had so much _stuff_ available for them: clothes, blankets, bedding (which is more than blankets), changing pads, wraps, carriers, car seats, nasal aspirators, humidifiers, wipes, wipe warmers, diapers…
It’s all making my head spin. How did humans survive as a species for so long without all this stuff??!
Well, I know the answer… but undoubtedly, some of this stuff is helpful and some of it is utterly useless crap. If you have any stories of “must have” items that are time/sleep savers, please let me know. I’m trying to figure out as much of this stuff as I can _now_ because with the bar exam over the summer, and the baby due in September, I have a feeling that I need to use my spare time now, while I still have it.
My essentials:
– Arm’s Reach co-sleeper. If you are into that sort of thing.
– Some sort of carrier or sling (baby bjorn, moby wrap, hotsling, etc.) Invaluable for getting stuff done while the baby sleeps.
– My Brest Friend nursing pillow – stupid name, but useful for newborns.
– A few good swaddling blankets.
Add newborn one-piece PJs, diapers and wipes, and a giant supply of burp cloths, and you’ll be good to go. Also, in terms of toys, a play gym (mat with the arches over it and toys dangling down) is perfect for newborns up until they’re 6-7 months old. You can get one used for about $10.
For the carseat and stroller, we got the Graco SnugRide, which everybody has, and the stroller frame that the carseat snaps into. Super convenient. Again, you can get these used (I know everyone is paranoid about buying a used carseat, but just ask to make sure it wasn’t in an accident — you can only use an infant carseat for a few months so I don’t think it’s a big deal).
Hm.
You’re having a girl, so the wipes warmer isn’t as tremendously essential. Girls. Let me think.
Well, if breast feeding is going to happen, you’ll need beer on hand for the day you bring baby home. Beer brings in the milk.
You’ll need lanolin, because the tits get really raw.
(Did you want these details?)
Are you debating cloth verses disposable? I’m planting lots of trees this year to make up for all the landfill damage our two children’s worth of diapers caused. If you’re going disposable, don’t get very many newborn. Stock up on the next couple of sizes. In fact, register for the next couple of sizes. By the time your kid is six-18 months, she’ll be old news (sorry for the harsh reality). Somebody else will be knocked up, and only the dearest childless friends and grandparents will be pouring on the random gifts.
Where was I?
Johnny Jump Up! Excellent.
Baby tub was useful.
Shoes were kind of a wasteful thing.
Video equipment needs to be state of the art. Cannot stress this enough!
People will get you cute clothes and strollers and things of that nature. They won’t get you a breast pump or anything related to the breasts.
Especially because you’re a man.
My advice, register some place great…go crazy. My SIL was taking back swings. She got five swings. I was so miffed. Didn’t have a shower for Eleanor, and even still had plenty of left over stuff from Jack, so yes, kids can live off a lot less.
Don’t I wish I’d registered for college tuition savings accounts!!
I’m sending people over here to be more helpful.
Hi Dave, came by from Ange’s site. I’m due in November, so know what you’re going through, I also have a ten year old, so I’ve been there before. Thought I’d offer some help here.
Tip 1: They don’t need all that stuff.
Tip 2: They absolutely need an infant car seat, hospitals won’t let you take the newborn home without one.
Tip 3: Blankets are essential and you can never have too many because I guarantee there will come a time when they are all in the wash.
Tip 4: 10-12 diapers a day is what newborns go through, so stock up unless you plan on midnight runs to the store for them. (or midnight washes for cloth diapers) And you’ll need lots of wipes to handle the mess of meconium.
Tip 5: Sacks. You know, those little baby dresses with the drawstring in the bottom? Great for newborns that crunch their legs up into the crotch of their pajama legs anyway. (Oh, and no matter what, DON’T buy baby clothes with snaps or zippers in the back, trust me, you’ll regret it)
Tip 6: Onesies. The ultimate in underclothes, not sure why grownups don’t have onesies.
Tip 7: To save on sleep and stress for the first few weeks, co-sleeping is the best for parents and newborns, every study has proven that this is true. If you aren’t willing to try it, at least keep a bassinet next to the bed, it’s much easier to nurse or bottle-feed a baby 4 or more times a night if they are next to you. They will cry less and sleep more this way than if they’re in a separate room.
Tip 8: Honestly I don’t think a stroller is useful at all until the baby is 4 months, just keep a soft carrier or sling for when you head out of the house, and after that they can hold themselves up just fine and can be taken out in an easy to carry, easy to store, and inexpensive umbrella stroller.
Tip 9: CHOCOLATE, buy it, keep it on hand at all times, when the wife gets cranky shove some at her. It’ll help keep you both sane for those first few weeks, after which things are much less hectic. And be sure to find ways to spoil yourselves during that time, it will help.
Tip 10: Nasal aspirators were mentioned above… they are cool, get one, booger-suckers make it much easier for the baby to breathe when they’re congested.
So many other things I could add, but that’s about the gist of it. Just don’t get caught up spending a ton of money on stuff you won’t really need right away, save it for later and for things that will last longer. They grow so fast that you’ll totally regret buying newborn sized clothes brand new, when they’ve outgrown them in 2 weeks. just keep it simple, babies don’t really care about what cool stuff you bought for them anyway, so long as they’re warm, fed, and clean.
Hey Dave. Also came here via Ange’s site.
What was helpful for me with my little guy:
– coffee. Especially within those first few sleepless months. Don’t like coffee? Learn to like it or take up Red Bull.
– a book called “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” by Marc Weissbluth. This book has great suggestions to help your little one through all the various transitions of sleeping. It was a godsend for me.
– I ditto the need for a sling. It was the one thing that allowed me to get stuff done around the house sometimes.
– swaddlers. Kiddopotamus makes swaddlers for those of us (like me) that couldn’t get the swaddling folds right. They have velcro on them to make it easy.
– make an Excel spreadsheet that you can make copies of that will show the times (and amounts, if necessary) that the little one has eaten. Because trust me – you’ll sometimes get so tired that you won’t have any idea when the last feeding was.
– fill up the freezer with lots of healthy, easy to reheat foods now. For those nights that you’re too exhausted to cook a meal.
– buy lots of different brands of diapers. They’re all different and some are differently shaped than others. Some worked great for me…and some didn’t. (if you use Pampers, you can collect points to save up for toys and books that you can get from their website)
Hope this helps a bit!
Kim
It’s because I used the ‘t’ word, isn’t?
Sent here by Ange 🙂
I’ve got a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 month old (both girls).
Unless you’d like to tons of laundry, I’d suggest getting as many diaper shirts as possible, these are the one piece, short sleeve outfits. You’ll be surprised how often they’ll just poop right on out of those diapers. I’d suggest getting 3-6 months ones because you can put a newborn into one and it won’t be that big, and then they’ll last until the kid is 7-8 months…big time usage.
The thing I’ve found the most essential for my sanity (and I’m a stay-at-home Dad) is a little baby lounger chair that vibrates (I’m not sure who makes the one we have…I’d turn it over and look, but at the moment little Charlotte is IN it so… You need something like this to put them down in that they’ll enjoy and not fuss because they want to be held. It’ll save your mind (not to mention your arms)
Enjoy the ride 🙂