Ok all you pro mommies out there. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right about now. Sometimes I feel like we're getting closer to purchasing all of our baby gear, but then when I think about it we still have a loooooongg way to go. So here's where you step in. What are those newborn necessities that you couldn't possibly live without?
We have:
*crib
*rocking chair
*dresser
*A couple of bottles
(We have Dr. Brown's-which are your favorite? And about how many do you NEED?)
*binkies- again, how many is enough?
*burp clothes
*an endless amount of hair bows and flowers ;)
We still need:
*stroller/car seat
(recommendations? We're thinking of just getting the travel system so we have both)
*changing table
*breast pump.. Right? What kinds are the best?
*playard (I have it picked out, just need to go get it)
and.........
What am I missing?
Can't wait to hear all of your motherly advice....
So comment away and help a clueless mommy-to-be out!
Ok... go!
13 comments:
ok I TOTALLY know how you are feeling! I had no clue what to get, so i will give you my little advice- I have only been doing this for 2 months so I still have alot to learn ha! Lots of comfortable pjs. bows and cute clothes are fun but you will want her as comfy as possible! I have a Ameda breast pump and its really nice but I only pump because I went back to work- so dont buy one unless you are working because they are expensive. I have dr brown bottles too and she takes it good. Just know that breastfeeding sucks and is really hard for the first few weeks but you will get it! dont give up- its best for your babe! get hundreds of diapers- they poop about 14 times a day the first month so do the math. and just make sure where ever she is sleeping is withing arms reach of you. You will want that sweetie close to you at all times. last thing, get a watch or have clocks all over your house- they eat every 2 hours and you will always be watching the time. it will help you know when she is hungry or sleepy! sorry this is probably more then you want but I wish I would have known this stuff :) Just know you will never sleep but you will love that little girl more then anything. Congrats! Im excited for you!!! Sorry for miss spelled words, im burping her and trying to type with one hand haha
I think you learn things as you go along really. Everyone has their favorite brands. My advice is get the pampers newborn diapers because they are the smallest fit and are the softest. Have lots of diaper rash cream on hand because thats the worst when they get diaper rash. Also get the pj's for the baby that zip. You'll be changing lots of diapers and the ones with buttons are really cute sometimes but are a pain in the middle of the night! I'm so excited for you Roz! Having a little girl is the best thing in the world. :)
Don't buy too many of one kind of diapers until u know what ones work for her. I had to try every brand more than once to find one that she wouldn't leak through. loved the boppy. A swing... Preslee had to be moving constantly so that saved me. Binkys, nuk brand is my favorite. Make sure u have more than one sheet for her crib. Comfy clothes for her. It's nice to doll them up but u want her to feel good too. As far as a changing table I love mine I just wish I would hanightlight one with drawers so I could use it as dresses later. Its a learning process and only u will find what works for you! Good luck
I agree with diaper rash ointment! And for bottles/pump I highly reccomend advent! Their bottles are also designed so the baby isnt sucking in as much air. Burp clothes and bibs come in handy you will be doing A TON more laundry than you used to do :). And having a swing has been very nice at times!!
It is very overwhelming.. Things not necessarily for the baby I'm listing first.. Don't forget nursing pads!! & nipple ointment! For the little babe: pampers Swaddlers are THE best new born diaper out there! Aquaphor will also become your best friend. Diaper rash, dry skin, anything it will cure! Don't forget.. Mylicon Drops!!!! They are safe for brand new babies.. Their little bodies don't absorb it, but it helps with gassiness and come right out with their poop. As for brands for travel systems.. Read reviews online. I went with an Evenflo travel system and actually liked it tons better than the Graco my friends had. (It's wayy cheaper too) the wheels on the stroller are bigger and it seems much sturdier. But it really all depends on your preference. Medela is a very top brand Breast pump, wonderful! Talk with your ob/gyn or hospital they sometimes rent them out . Minus the cords and bottles and all the sanitary items.
Trust your instinct!! You will be great!!
Rozalynn, you are so cute. You'll be a great mom! I'm so excited for you. I have little advice because the journey is different for everyone so take it or leave it. I'll never know :) 1)A must have is a pump. I got mine at Toys r us, the brand is Ameda. I would recommend a electric one, not a hand pump. It is a little more but worth every penny. This is a must have!! You will find out when your milk comes in. And the freezer bags. There is a lot of milk at first so freeze as much as you can. It is liquid gold and so good for your little one. 2)When your baby is a little bigger and gets a diaper rash, use boudreaux's butt paste, the green bottle. It is miracle cream. 3)Do you have a wrap or baby bjorn? I didn't feel that my babies were secure in the wraps so I found a baby bjorn at a second hand mother/baby store. They are expensive new so if you find a brand name baby bjorn, get it. I wanted my baby close and this was a way to hold & get a few things done at the same time. I still use it even though my son is now 6 months. Hope this helps!
I love my Chicco Keyfit 30 carseat. It lasts until they are 30 inches/30 pounds, whereas most others only last until the baby is 25 inches/25 pounds. If your baby is like mine and comes out at 22.5 inches, she will be out of the others by the time she is two months old. Seriously. Plus it is rated as one of the safest seats and is really easy to use. Also, I would buy a snap'n'go instead of the travel system. You can buy the big stroller later, but she can't use it until she is six months old anyway, and it's just huge and in the way. We bought the travel system and then ended up getting a snap'n'go. Big stroller is great after you no longer have the carseat too. Lansinoh sensitive nursing pads were my favorite, as well as the nipple ointment for breastfeeding (ask for some at the hospital and they give it to you free).
You'll quickly find out that every mom is different AND every baby is different, so you might want to wait for some things until after you get to know your baby. Also you will get SPOILED at your baby shower(s) so you can hold off on lots of things until after to see what goodies people will give you. (I bet you will get lots of blankets, burp cloths, onesies, towels/washcloths, outfits, toys, baby wash/lotion, etc)
After my first I learned that you really don't need a lot of extras...babies really only need the essentials & of course there are some extras that really do make life easier, but a lot won't really get used that much. Here's the rest of my two cents...Bottles: Avri never took one but Emery & Claire have both loved theirs. I've used Avent, the cheapo ones, & just the ones that came with my breast pump. I can't remember what brand my 1st pump was but the one I have now is a Medela and I really like it. I say don't go too fancy/expensive with a breast pump unless you are going to use it A LOT. Mine is just a manual pump but it did the job & is easy to use. I pumped maybe a few times a week. None of my kids have been binky babies so we never really needed them (except for the 4 month window that Avri actually took one. haha). I've tried several brands though & I think it will really depend on your baby. I've never had a travel system but some of my friends who have one say they never even used it as a "travel system". I think it depends on what you think you'll be doing...If you won't take her out very much for the first few months you might not need the system, or if you think you'll take her out a ton (it will be summertime right??) it may be easiest--especially if she's asleep in the carseat & you can just attach it right to the stroller.
Also, don't go too crazy with the newborn/0-3 month clothes--babies grow fast! & it's nice to have some bigger sizes in the closet for when they do! And keep in mind what season it will be. :) I loved having a baby's 1st year calendar to track all of her milestones (but you might get one as a gift). Has anyone mentioned a Boppy? I think they're great & very useful! Pampers Swaddlers are my favorite for the first few months--worth the price. After that we usually switch to Luvs to save $$. Amazon mom & diapers.com have great deals on diapers & there are usually coupon codes for diapers.com to get them even cheaper. You will get lots of freebies at the hospital (breast cream, diapers, aspirator (booger sucker), samples, etc) so that's nice. Always remember that although it's nice to get other people's advice & input (& sometimes you'll get it without asking! ;)) YOU will know your baby best!! :) So happy for you!!
p.s. Sorry for the novel!
Everyone is so different, so get what works for you. I got a graco, and wish I would have went with Chicco. But if I could do it all over again, I'd just go with a jogger/all terrain. I got one with Ledger and use it way more everywhere I go. It is a little more annoying in stores because it's a little wider but I've found I'm outside a lot more and it's a lot nicer to use. But I also like to run, if you don't then forget about it :)
My breast pump is a Lansinoh double, and it works great. My favorite thing is the boppy, couldn't live without it.
I might not buy too many binkies, Pres couldn't live without one, and Ledger has never taken one. You'll find out at the hospital.
This time around I looked at bottles carefully. I finally went with Avent, they're rated just as good as Dr Browns, but you don't have to clean all the different little parts. They're super wide so very easy to clean.
Like I said, everyone is different, do what you think will work best for you! Good luck!
I would definitely go without the travel system, buy a car seat/base and a snap and go, then when she grows out of that just use an umbrella stroller. That's just my opinion :) but the snap and go is so much easier than the system. Neither one of my kids used binkies or bottles so don't really know there ;) a Bobby pillow is a must for a nursing first time mom, I didn't use it with jaxon but loved it with brynlee. We have never had a changing table, I don't think they are necessary though. Can't wait to see her!
I used my boppy constantly. Made nursing much more comfortable for me. We never had a changing table either. Sometimes I thought it would be nice but we did without it just fine. I also had a graco car seat and a snap and go stroller- the stroller is really easy and convenient because it is so small. It's easier to maneuver around and then when she got big enough we just bought a really cheap umbrella stroller. That worked great for us. But if you do like to run you might think about going another direction. I used a Lansinoh double electric breast pump. I liked it a lot- it worked great for me. I didn't get it for awhile though and actually just borrowed it from a friend. I didn't want to buy one because I didn't use it that much because I wasn't working or anything. It was nice to use to keep some back up milk just in case we had a long drive or were out for a long time or something like that. Also I didn't have any bottles at the beginning because I didn't give her a bottle for quite awhile (we gave her a couple at 6 weeks because I heard to introduce one every once in awhile so they will take one if you need them too) But I also used Avent and really liked them. They are nice bottles and really easy to clean. Hope that helps! Oh ya Pampers Swaddlers are the very best for newborns in my opinion! They have a sweet little smell and are just so soft! That reminded me- we had a swaddle blanket with velcro (they are like $10 at walmart) that we used constantly with Charlotte. It helped her sleep really well right from the beginning. The velcro is nice because they can't bust out of it. Good luck Roz!
Lots of great advice from so many moms. Now that I have had three I have learned a few things. You don't need every baby entertainment toy out there, borrow them. We only bought a play yard (the one they lay underneath and play with the hanging toys) We borrowed a swing, bouncy seat, and exersaucer. They are all huge and I didn't want to store them plus they out grow them too quick for them to be worth the money. Save your money and don't buy a diaper genie or diaper champ, no matter what kind you get, if you leave dirty diapers in the babies room it is going to stink! Just take them out to the trash. I only and will only us A&D diaper rash (the yellow kind) I promise there is nothing better. We used the Pampers Swaddler diapers too, then switched to Target's brand when they got to size 2. Put Lanolin on your nipples after every time you nurse, then they won't crack. Boppys are great! I also have discovered with this last baby the Aiden & Anais swaddling blankets, they are AWESOME for nursing, especially in the summer. One last thing, get a white noise machine, or sound machine or use a fan. My kids still sleep to the sound of rain every night :)
You are going to be a GREAT mom Roz! Congrats!
Hey Roz, I know Im a little late commenting on this post, but I thought that I'd give my 2 cents.
Breastpump:
I recommend renting the hospital grade breast pump for just the first month to really help your milk supply, then you can go out and buy one. I have the Medela Pump in Style Tote and it works great. It was what the NICU recommended after I used the hospital grade for about 3 months. You really want Lanolin cream, storage bottles or bags, and then breast pads. I was using the disposable ones and got a yeast infection on my breasts, so my doc said to use the washable ones or if would just keep occuring. Luckily Tanner never got it, but I would rec'd those instead.
Pacifiers:
The Avent Sooties are the very best for when they are just little up until around 2 months then you can start other ones. We got a few from the hospital and then we bought two. Four is a good number. 1 for the living space, one for the diaper bag, one for the crib and another for the mouth. :) Make sure that you have little clips to hold the pacifier.
Diapers:
Pampers Swaddlers are the best and most soft. I am still using pampers.. I tried to switch to huggies just because they were a little cheaper, but I don't like them so until I feel like he'd be fine in cheapys I will be using Pampers.
Diaper Cream:
DONT BUY ANY!!! Make the recipe from my Mom's blog. It's One thing of Petroleum Jelly, One bottle of Vitamin E oil, and then corn starch. You'll mix and mix until you get the right consistency! It works WAY better then anything you can buy, lasts forever and costs less over time.
Changing Table:
I didn't get one. I either change diapers on the floor or in the crib with a pad underneath Tanner. I just didn't feel like it was worth the money.
Bottles:
We use Dr. Browns and I think they are awesome. Tanner is SO SO gassy and I cannot imagine how much worse it would be without those bottles. We have 3 and that seems to be enough. By the time that we used 3 bottles my sink was full of other things that I needed to wash of his anyways.
Blankets:
My favorite swaddler of ALL TIME is the Miracle Blanket. It is incredible and has by far helped Tanner sleep through the night more then anything I've done. A little pricey, but worth every penny. It seriously is like a straight jacket, but it helps them feel secure. Im a huge believer in swaddleing. You can get them at Babies R US. I also like the Woombie and the Aiden and Anais blankets as well.
Alright I'll be done, but one last thing is when you are at the hospital, DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR EVERYTHING... pacifiers, diapers, everything!! When you get close to leaving start asking them to bring in more diapers and put some in you diaper bag.
GOOD LUCK!! Dont stress! You are going to be great!!
Post a Comment