baby purchases - any recommendations?

anyone have any recommendations for baby items -- things that you recommend and don't?

Thank you!:wave

Ocean wonders swing......couldn't have lived without it!

When I was PG, I just had to have the Boon Frog Pod (http://infant-bathroom-products.babycatalog.com/bath-toys/frog-pod-00401). I got it for my baby shower. Now we don't use it because (1) it's not big enough for all of Hannah's toys (2) it fell off the shower wall once and luckily it was when she wasn't in the bath tub! So, it looks really really cool, but IMHO, it is not very practical. HTH!

Must have for me was a sling. Logan lived in it for the first few months.

A wrap for carrying baby. I don't know why women still lug those car seat carriers around with a little baby in them...it is WAY easier (and better for baby) to put them in a wrap or sling and go about your errands. I used a 5 1/2 yard length of fabric and used the book "Babywearing" to learn how to do different wraps.

Things I spent a lot of money on that I wish I wouldn't have...a stroller (rarely used it and for those odd moments I did, I didn't really NEED it)

bottles (If you are nursing, bottles seem to only add to the chaos). I wasted a lot of money on bottles.

disposable dipes (I ended up switching to cloth at about 7 months and was much happier for it. Disposables are EXPENSIVE and stinky and they have too many explosions. Plus Indi got rashes with them. I love my Bum Genius)

If you have the money and not much help, I think the best thing to get is a Mother's Helpre to come help you and let you rest on occassion.

Must have for me was a sling.
:yeah Then we switched to a Beco.

A good support group (like DAM) is priceless!

There are a lot of cool things out there, but very few are *must haves*. And you won't know what works until the little one gets here. My first loved a bouncy seat, my second could do without it. My first loved the swing, my second is already bored of it. I got everything with my first and quickly realized most was not needed. We didn't even buy a crib for the second one since we co-sleep. I put together a list years ago. I'll dig it up.

Enjoy the ride! :lol And welcome to DAM. :welcome

The Practical Baby Shower

This list was born out of frustration of sitting through countless baby showers watching the mother-to-be (MTB) open expensive, yet truly worthless gifts. If you are a MTB in the process of putting together your gift registry, I hope this will guide you in making practical decisions.

For baby to wear - you can't have too many of these!
onesies - the workhorse of an infant's wardrobe
socks
t-shirts/undershirts
footed sleepers or sleep sacks (gowns that are closed at the bottom)
cotton receiving blankets
burp rags - flat cloth diapers work well
Often MTB will receive lots of 0-3 month baby clothes, so think ahead and choose clothes in sizes 6 month and larger.

For feeding
Boppy pillow
breast pump
Lansinoh breast cream
storage bags for breast milk
a basket full of supplies to make baby food including ice cube trays, food mill, storage containers, baby utensils/dishes and recipes
when thinking about bottles/nipples, this is another thing I think is best chosen by the MTB

For the baby's bottom
diapers (preferably cloth *g*) - newborn and the next size up
wipes
diaper rash cream
baby powder or corn starch
changing pad
lap pads

For sleeping
sleep positioner
baby monitor
crib or bassinet
waterproof mattress pad
crib sheets
blanket/comforter
bumper pads
of course, the crib and accessories are not necessary if the new family is co-sleeping

For bathing and other maintenance
baby body wash
shampoo
infant bathtub
baby washclothes or a wash mitt
hooded towels
baby lotion
brush and comb set
nail clippers

For aches and pains
baby tylenol or motrin
gas drops
teething tablets (Hyland's work great!)
saline drops
bulb syringe (aka the snot sucker)
vaporizer / humidifier
thermometer

For anything forgotten
gift cards from Target, Wal-Mart, Babies R Us
this is often the best gift!

Other ideas
sling or other baby carrier
a kit to set the baby's foot/hand print into plaster
BOOKS! (I'd recommend any of the Dr. Sears books)
a hamper with Allen's Naturally detergent, baby wash and baby lotion in it

Practical gifts for the new Mama
a movie rental gift card
pizza delivery gift card
magazine subscription (I'd recommend Mothering)
coupon for babysitting (a new mom needs to sleep SOMETIME)
grocery store gift card (so she can stock up on easy to make dinners, etc.)
bubble bath and candle
a favorite scented lotion
a photography studio gift certificate so she could get a "mother/baby" photo
Note: since a diaper bag is more of a personal item, unless the MTB has specifically chosen a bag, you may be better off purchasing a gift certificate so she can select a bag herself.

Additional items
stroller
car seat
changing table
high chair
playpen
swing
rocker/recliner
bouncy seat

Janie's list above is pretty comprehensive.

I waited to buy a lot of our baby stuff, and I almost wish I'd waited to buy MOST of it. :) Pretty much the only things you really need when the baby comes home are a car seat, something for the baby to wear, and diapers.

I agree with a sling/baby carrier. For our next baby, we're not doing a convertible car seat/infant seat at all--I found ours to be bulky and heavy, and Sofia was way happier when I wore her anyway. Some other things I loved having in the beginning were a Boppy (or other nursing pillow), a bouncy seat (since Sofia slept in it better than anywhere else), and some nice soft blankets to use for swaddling. Oh, and since she was such a small baby, none of the clothes I'd bought her fit (since I took everyone's advice and bought 3-6 months), so I had to run out and get a few NB onesies.

I didn't need my stroller until she was almost one, because she refused to sit in it and would scream and scream unless I wore her. And we didn't buy a crib until she was 7 months old, because she slept in our arms or the bouncy seat.

thank you, ladies! VERY HELPFUL!!!
Janie, thanks for the list! Will def refer to it!

I still really like a boppy. Low tech but highly practical for so many things.

Here is somehting I learned recently. Buy the carseat towards the end because they have expiration dates and you want one that you can use for the longest amount of time. Also I should add that we skipped the infant seat and spent the money on a really good convertable carseat a Britax. It goes from 5-65lbs. Its the only one we will ever need for him.

As far as the stoller thing went we bought an umbrella stroller and we do acutally use it when we go on longer outings now that he is older. Like to the zoo or seaworld. Even if he doens't ride in it the whole time its great to store stuff and when he does get tired it works. If you get a stroller I would not get the whole travel system to big defiantly a nice umbrella stoller is more usefull our is a macleern and we love it!

I skipped the infant seat too. Indi is still in his originnal seat and he's 2.

For sleeping get a good swaddle blanket, like a large square 42x42 or 44x44 if you can find one.

I got a TON of the STUFF that BRU sells with Jack, I didn't use a lot of it, it was money wasted. Now that we're expecting #2, I know exactly what I use and what I don't. Babies don't need all the STUFF that they make you think they need!

Craigslist! Avoid buying brand new whenever you can. I just bought a Baby Bjorn, gently used for $30! Same goes for the swing, pack and play (which you may or may not want) bassinette, toys, etc. As for cribs, I'd buy a used one and a new mattress. An exception to used stuff may be a breast pump and the carseat (I recommend Evenflow..the kind with a handle that has a curve in it makes for easier carrying). It is so tempting to buy everything new but you won't use it for long and it might turn out to be something your baby doesn't even like. One thing that I thought I had to have was a wipe warmer...with my second baby I haven't even used it.

Lots of people gave us Target giftcards which are perfect for stocking up on diapers/wet wipes, etc. I did buy a new sling from hug a monkey and love it! We bought some new clothes but used clothes are better!! Oh, and a really simple, light bouncy seat is a good thing to have..easy to move from room to room.

Don't waste money on new toys that advertising tells you to buy. Babies don't need special toys, just love, music, your voice and whatever is already around your house.
Just my two cents..have fun!

Ocean wonders swing......couldn't have lived without it!

I had heard and seen so many babies that loved swings so I picked one up ahead of time. It was a waste of money. Dante never liked it. You aren't going to need too much right after the baby is born besides clothes, diapers, bathing supplies and a nursing pillow. If you aren't co-sleeping a bassinet as well. I'd wait on everything else. We had SO much stuff we never used and never needed and I had only bought what I thought were necessities.

It's not on the typical buy for baby list, but I was so happy we purchased a CD player for the baby's room that we placed next to the glider. I actually enjoyed listening to the lullabye CD's myself.

I would say the things I could not have lived without were...
- Comfy glider/ottoman for me
- Boppy bouncer seat
- Activity mat for the floor (with the toys up above)
- A comfortable stroller
- Beco Butterfly (baby carrier)
- Swaddling blankets or large receiving blankets that you can use to swaddle
- Pacifiers, pacifiers, and more pacifiers
- Thick burp cloths. If you don't mind them not being decorative the old school white cloth diapers work the best! If you know someone who sews (or if you do) you can add cute fabric to one side to make them cuter :)
- Infant bathtub

Are you bottle feeding or breast feeding? That might help us give you some more ideas :)

Are you planning on using disposables or cloth diapers?

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the Ultimate Crib Sheet (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3188798). This was a lifesaver for me when Julian was soaking through diapers like mad. I could just unsnap it and snap a dry one on top of the crib bedding without having to change the sheet and a mattress pad and the whole shebang in the middle of the night. :thumbup

I absolutely agree with Julieann about Craigslist. Check out consignment shops like Kid 2 Kid as well, and I know there are several big consignment sales in the area for baby/kid stuff. I've gotten great deals for a dresser and bookshelves for Rhys's room on Craigslist.

And just for what it's worth, here are some things I didn't use or Julian didn't like:

~Wipes warmer - I never saw the point in getting him used to warm wipes at home and then having him scream bloody murder when a cold wipe touched his little bottom while we were out and about.

~Bottle warmer - Julian was more than happy to take his stone cold from the fridge. Warming it would have wasted his precious eating time. :lol

~Bottle sterilizer - I washed ours in the dishwasher and every so often boiled them in a pan of water on the stove. No fancy equipment needed.

~Swing - Julian just looked perplexed by it, like he couldn't figure out exactly what this was supposed to be doing for him. It wasn't mama, so he wasn't interested.

~Bouncy seat - He wasn't interested until he was so big that his butt touched the ground when he was in it.

~Baby Bjorn - He flat out HATED this. I think it vexed him because he couldn't be facing outward at first, and he couldn't see where he was going.

Sling
Bouncy Seat, we really liked the Papasan Bouncer at first he slept in it the first 3mo of his life
Boppy
Receiving blankets to swaddle with
burp cloths, lots and lots of burp cloths
small lingerie wash bag to put all his little socks and etc in so they werent lost in the washer or dryer
bassinet

the biggest waste of money was the diaper genie. I could not have lived with out my breast buddy it was the best breast feeding pillow ever!

Must have for me was a sling. Logan lived in it for the first few months.

:yeah Then we switched to a Beco.
:truedat

Good carriers are essential. That plus a boppy, nursing cover if you want to nurse in public and are concerned about privacy, and diapers (I prefer cloth, better on my DD's sensitive skin, and cheaper) plus some clothes (which I was given more than enough of for the first few months) would have been plenty. Plus a cradle, glider/ottomon and small dresser which doubled as a changing table, and carseat of course. Everything else was superflous and basically unused.

I never used my stroller, my DD never wanted to sit in a bouncy seat, bouncer, swing etc...all those were a huge waste.

I wish we would have gotten a sling/ wrap but I just did not think about it at the time. I can say that we never once used the newborn robe and matching slippers I registered for! :lol (and we did a PRACTICAL registration) The things I find most helpful are the little things:
Hand sanitizer- yes, it has it's critics, but with a newborn you need it on the changing table. Sometimes you just can't get to the sink within the next few minutes and I can't stand to have my hands feel that dirty.
For mommy- thick pads. Nobody told me how much I'd bleed after having a baby or how long.
Alcohol wipes if your pedi suggests using them to dry out the umbilical cord. Some just recommend water.
I would defintely have a boppy or My Breast Friend (the latter worked best for us)
Also, I would have some gas relief on hand for those first few months. Oh, and I can't forget our newborn savior.... Our papasan chair was our favorite item EVER! DD would not go to sleep in anything else the first month or to!
And I did/ do use our stroller, particularly b/c I didn't wear DD. We still use it on walks/ in the mall/ places she would have to walk alot. But we also got all those things (stroller, bedding, car seat) uni-sex (in green) so they could be used for future babies :thumbup

The best advice from me...for most things...borrow once the baby is here and try things out. First son loved swings and bouncy seats. 2nd one hated them. I used a boppy with both but not for long.

A good glider.
A good breast pump.
A good coffee maker.
Costco or Sams membership.

i used to have a very detailed list that i shared with friends, but then i talked to too many people with different experiences who disagreed with what i thought was great and worthless. :-) so my final word of advice is to read lots of online reviews for every item you consider. babiesrus.com and amazon.com both have plenty of reviews for nearly everything. the reviews can help you decide if 1) a product is made well and 2) whether it will be useful for your particular situation.

When I was PG, I just had to have the Boon Frog Pod (http://infant-bathroom-products.babycatalog.com/bath-toys/frog-pod-00401). I got it for my baby shower. Now we don't use it because (1) it's not big enough for all of Hannah's toys (2) it fell off the shower wall once and luckily it was when she wasn't in the bath tub! So, it looks really really cool, but IMHO, it is not very practical. HTH!

We have or I should say had this too and it's junk! Ours fell off of the wall and hit Ellie.....Trashed it!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the Ultimate Crib Sheet (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3188798). This was a lifesaver for me when Julian was soaking through diapers like mad. I could just unsnap it and snap a dry one on top of the crib bedding without having to change the sheet and a mattress pad and the whole shebang in the middle of the night. :thumbup



:yeah

wow! thanks for all the great responses, ladies!