What is the first thing you do after finding out your pregnant and thinking of names? You think of what you need to buy of course! If it's a boy you think cute button up shirts and blue jeans, football bedding, a football, a jersey (wait.. was this only me?). If it's a girl you think tutu, head bands with ridiculous sized bows, ballet shoes, tea parties (still just me?). But what do you really need right away? Certainly you don't need footballs and ballet shoes for a newborn. Need and wants are definitely hard to separate, especially when it comes to the first child (from what I hear second children are severely deprived, just ask you little sister). So, I thought I'd do the best to write out exactly what I found I needed and what I didn't so I can pass my growing knowledge of mommyhood to my friends and relatives.
A crib. Is it wanted right away so you can set up the room, look at it, and go 'aww.' yes. Is it needed right away? Not really. Most people keep their kids in a bassinet in their room for a few months. Instead of buying a bassinet we opted to get a play yard with a bassinet piece you can attach. I figured that a play yard can be used later on through out her life, while a bassinet is used for just a short period of time. Haleigh slept in her play yard next to our bed for about 6 months. We got a play yard that had an attachable changing table and organizer with it. We never once changed Haleigh in the changing table part though, to be honest, it didn't seem to sturdy so instead it held my diapers. I thought it was a much easier place to hold my diapers, then the organizer was. Then again if you are using disposable diapers the organizer is the way to go.
The organizer held odds and ends, breast pump parts, my socks, Haleigh's socks, bibs, and hair bows. I love our play yard. It's easy enough to put up and take down. It can go anywhere with us. It's wonderful. Definitely worth the investment. Don't get me wrong, I had the crib set up months before her arrival but she didn't actually go in it until months later when we had moved.
Swaddle blankets. When you are in the hospital the nurses teach you how to swaddle the baby with the receiving blankets from the hospital. By the time you go home from the hospital you're a pro! Then you have to wash those blankets and realize that the receiving blankets you have are a different size and they don't work the same. AH! PANIC! Swaddling blankets like Swaddle Me's are amazing. I suggest having two at the very least. We got use to swaddling her with ours then she spit up all over it in the middle of the night. We felt lost. Luckily our hospital blankets were clean. Babies like to be swaddled. They are use to being in confined spaces and so when they are swaddled they feel relaxed. We learned quickly that we had a magical baby that escaped her swaddle in the middle of the night waking herself up. Thankfully Mama Momo lent me her Pea Wee Baby Swaddler and it was amazing! Haleigh slept all the way through the night. So my suggestion? Get at the very least one swaddling blanket.
I thought "if I keep my baby's nails short enough there is no need for her who have those mits" I was wrong. The first time I saw a tiny scratch mark on my baby's face I was convinced that baby mittens are a must. It's a pretty simple thing that sometimes you forget about but they are needed and more then just one pair.
You know those cute little sleepers that just have the elastic at the bottom of them? Yeah, well they are genius especially for the middle of the night changes. A baby is going to wake up if you are unbuttoning or unsnapping and moving their legs around but if you are just lifting up and changing the diaper, most of the time you will escape with a barely awake baby. So although they aren't very 'manly' they are practical - one day my little boy will rock them, yours should too!
For the first month don't worry about 'outfits' stick to sleepers, fleece pj's, and onesies. For the most part the first month you are hanging around the house anyway. Oh! Something I just remembered, when you are picking out an outfit for the baby to go home in, bring an outfit in a newborn size and one in a preemie. Despite what clothes labels say, most of the time they are lying to you. Haleigh was a 7lb baby and didn't fit in to her 'going home outfit' that said under 7lbs until she was 2 months old.
A boppy. I LOVE my boppy! A boppy can be used for nursing, to hold a baby, to help in the sitting up process later on, and just a wonderful pillow. Haleigh was a baby that spit up a lot when she was first born and I mean A LOT! So I did the unthinkable and laid her in a boppy at night time. Tada it seemed to cure her reflux problems. It's an amazing help with nursing a baby as well.
What I found very helpful was a Moby Wrap. Your baby is going to be the most at ease when they are in your arms hearing your heartbeat. I was lucky enough to have a friend who lent me hers until I was able to get one myself. Moby wraps seem complicated at first but I promise they aren't. I was shown one time how to use it and from then on out I was a pro. Soon I'll be doing a compare and contrast entry on all the carriers I have. I have a Moby, which is PERFECT for a newborn, a baby bjorn - which I'm not a huge fan of but can be used for newborns and up, a Mei Tai carrier that is great for I'd say 10lbs and up - baby can be worn on your back, and I have a Boba carrier which is good for 10lbs and up -
baby can also be worn on your back with this carrier. Out of all of these the
only one I don't really prefer is my baby bjorn. We used it more often when Haleigh was first born then now. I don't have a ring sling but have used them before and really like them. Ring slings are so versatile and can be used in many ways. This is also a good option for a breastfeeding mama. I plan on making my own ring sling as soon as I have the time to because Haleigh enjoys being carried on my hip.
A few other must haves are thermometer, hats, extra bottles, extra pacifiers, and if you can swipe more then one of those gross nose sucker things I suggest you do. They are gross but will save your baby the first time they have a really bad cold.
Some things that I feel you definitely do not need right away are baby monitors - for the first month at least you are pretty much attached to your baby, newborn bathrobes, a ton of newborn clothes, try to ask for a lot of 0-3 and 3-6 month clothing for your baby shower, shoes - although they are cute you most likely will not put them on the baby, toys, fancy outfits, burp clothes (some people use this religiously - I've still never used one). I'm sure there are more but for right now this is all I can think of. I will come back and add to this as I remember.
I hope this has helped at least a little. I am always open for questions! Remember, no matter what anyone tells you FOLLOW YOUR GUT! No one knows better for your child then you do (and some times your mom).
I will eventually be doing a blog on what is in my diaper bag. :)
A crib. Is it wanted right away so you can set up the room, look at it, and go 'aww.' yes. Is it needed right away? Not really. Most people keep their kids in a bassinet in their room for a few months. Instead of buying a bassinet we opted to get a play yard with a bassinet piece you can attach. I figured that a play yard can be used later on through out her life, while a bassinet is used for just a short period of time. Haleigh slept in her play yard next to our bed for about 6 months. We got a play yard that had an attachable changing table and organizer with it. We never once changed Haleigh in the changing table part though, to be honest, it didn't seem to sturdy so instead it held my diapers. I thought it was a much easier place to hold my diapers, then the organizer was. Then again if you are using disposable diapers the organizer is the way to go.
The organizer held odds and ends, breast pump parts, my socks, Haleigh's socks, bibs, and hair bows. I love our play yard. It's easy enough to put up and take down. It can go anywhere with us. It's wonderful. Definitely worth the investment. Don't get me wrong, I had the crib set up months before her arrival but she didn't actually go in it until months later when we had moved.
I thought "if I keep my baby's nails short enough there is no need for her who have those mits" I was wrong. The first time I saw a tiny scratch mark on my baby's face I was convinced that baby mittens are a must. It's a pretty simple thing that sometimes you forget about but they are needed and more then just one pair.
You know those cute little sleepers that just have the elastic at the bottom of them? Yeah, well they are genius especially for the middle of the night changes. A baby is going to wake up if you are unbuttoning or unsnapping and moving their legs around but if you are just lifting up and changing the diaper, most of the time you will escape with a barely awake baby. So although they aren't very 'manly' they are practical - one day my little boy will rock them, yours should too!
For the first month don't worry about 'outfits' stick to sleepers, fleece pj's, and onesies. For the most part the first month you are hanging around the house anyway. Oh! Something I just remembered, when you are picking out an outfit for the baby to go home in, bring an outfit in a newborn size and one in a preemie. Despite what clothes labels say, most of the time they are lying to you. Haleigh was a 7lb baby and didn't fit in to her 'going home outfit' that said under 7lbs until she was 2 months old.
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| Moby Wrap |
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| Mei Tai |
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| Boba |
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| Ring Sling |
A few other must haves are thermometer, hats, extra bottles, extra pacifiers, and if you can swipe more then one of those gross nose sucker things I suggest you do. They are gross but will save your baby the first time they have a really bad cold.
Some things that I feel you definitely do not need right away are baby monitors - for the first month at least you are pretty much attached to your baby, newborn bathrobes, a ton of newborn clothes, try to ask for a lot of 0-3 and 3-6 month clothing for your baby shower, shoes - although they are cute you most likely will not put them on the baby, toys, fancy outfits, burp clothes (some people use this religiously - I've still never used one). I'm sure there are more but for right now this is all I can think of. I will come back and add to this as I remember.
I hope this has helped at least a little. I am always open for questions! Remember, no matter what anyone tells you FOLLOW YOUR GUT! No one knows better for your child then you do (and some times your mom).
I will eventually be doing a blog on what is in my diaper bag. :)
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I've been buying baby gifts for so long now I feel like a genius lol. I mean, look at all the stuff I got you. I knew those mittens would come in handy lol. And none of the clothes were under 3 months cause some babies are giants and you just never know lol. The pink boots couldn't be helped though.. they were too cute.
ReplyDeletePS- why can't I comment as me? grrrrrr. -J