From TCsbride:
- Changing pad with two or three covers – we slid ours under the crib, not only saves from buying an extra piece of useless furniture, but don’t have to worry about baby rolling off which is VERY easy for them to do once they are about 6 mo old .
- Rocking chair – HIGHLY suggest, great for night waking and breastfeeding.
- Bottles – tried many different kinds – the cheap ones are perfectly fine - suggest getting the 8 oz from the start as 4 oz ones don’t last very long – but get a few “good ones” in case your baby has reflux/gas issues – both Dr. Browns (I prefer the skinny ones over the wide ones) and Born Free are my favorite and last the longest.
- Don’t waste your money on a diaper trash can – no matter what, they smell – it’s just as easy to put it in a plastic grocery bag – keep a trash can either in your garage or outside a patio door and toss the garbage bag in there – for pee diapers just toss in regular trash.
- Medela breast pump – don’t waste your money on anything else and don’t buy used – if you are worried how breastfeeding will go, you could rent on for the first month or so from the hospital (I think it’s $25/wk) and then buy it if you are still doing good, but worse case scenario, the resale on them, even used, it’s pretty high.
- Babygate with a door that swings open if you have stairs, regular gate for areas you just want to keep them from getting in – also something to buy later as you won’t need until about 6 months.
- Pack n’ Play – for us, this is a must – we bought one that had a changing table and a bassinet – we used the bassinet for the first couple weeks in our room, then we moved it out to the family room for changing diapers, and now we use it for tossing Brooke in there real quick if Luke runs outside or we need to run down to the basement real quick.
- Carriers – I honestly REALLY like wearing my babies – they sleep a ton in it and I can get so much done – a lot of moms can figure out how to breastfeed hands free with them too, but I’ve never been that talented – I highly suggest the Moby Wrap for the newborn stage and something like the Ergo/Beco Butterfly II for 15 lbs and u.
From Flgirl:
- Don't buy a bunch of cute newborn clothes.
- Babies grow pretty quickly and in the beginning, my kids were usually in onesies.
- Buy those white cloth diapers that they sell at Walmart. They make great burp cloths!
- I don't bother with a changing table. I never used mine.
- Make sure to get DH a manly diaper bag. ;)
- Wipe warmers are a waste of money.
From Pipergirlz:
- Crib –We're buying a convertible too. It saves on having to buy a toddler bed...
- Rocking chair – A glider is better. and get the foot rest too!
- Car seat/stroller – I buy the car seat that connects to the stroller, after four kids I have learned this is the best way for us.
- Baby bath: I used this all of the time. They do slip some but it wasn't practical for me to take a bath every time the kids needed a bath. You will need to drop them in it after they have an explosive poop.
- Diaper trash can – wouldn't trade my diaper genie for anything!
- Highchair – invest in a good one that is easy to clean and safe.
- Swaddlers – just a regular baby blanket will do.
- Car seat cover: a must if you live in a cold climate.
- Boppy Pillow: a MUST for breastfeeding and placing baby on the floor.
- New breast pump (must do both sides at the same time, trust me!) don't forget the storage baggies and breast pads.
- Baby monitors are a must so you can let baby sleep while you do other things.
- Mirrors in the car so you can see the baby in the backseat while you're driving.
- High Chair: waste of money. Instead buy the $20 Fisher Price Booster chair that buckles onto a chair. It's easy to clean and portable. My DD used it at 4 months old just fine.
- Swing: I wouldn't go out of my way to buy one. I didn't realize how little use we'd get out of it because by 5 months by DD was trying to climb out.
- Crib: I thought the convertible would be great because I'd hand it down to the next kids and then convert with the last kid. After one kid, that thing looks like it went to war. A lot of kids chew on their crib rails and it ain't pretty.
- Sound Machine: BUY ONE! It seriously helps them sleep AND reduces any other noise they'll hear while trying to do so (like your husband screaming at the football game)
- Video Monitor: When your kid "wakes up" and screams and you run in there and wake them up, you'll understand their importance. Or when your little precious learns how to climb out of the crib, you'll see them trying.
- 30in x 30in Receiving blankets: (aka the typical blanket pack from Carter's) worthless. You can't swaddle with them because they're too small. Keep in mind that you don't need the 10 million blankets you might receive at your showers.
- Changing Table: We didn't get a table, but bought the pad and put it on top of a chest of drawers. For my DD, it's worth its weight in gold.
- The best advice, if you think you received a gift you won't use, don't take the tags off. You don't need everything perfect and laundered before the baby comes home. We went to Babies R Us like 3x the first week my DD was born because she came early and we were trying to decide for ourselves what we still wanted and needed.
- A good stroller. I walked DS everywhere, daily, and could not have done without it.
- A good carseat.
- A crib. Although DS co-slept for 7 months. And right away you can probably just get away with a bassinet.
- Bedding. Especially for these winter babies. DS never got on with the sleeping bag things, so we used blankets from early on. I agree with bigger blankets - little ones are useless except to lay over them. We got and used probably 10 blankets of various sizes (not including swaddling, which DH was against for some reason). With sick, etc, you need plenty. The amount will vary on how regularly you do wash, etc.
- A good baby carrier - an Ergo or something unstructured. We didn't have a r swing. DS hated his bouncy chair. He liked to be held, end of. We needed a carrier to function.
From luckystarz:
- We NEVER used receiving blankets...they are still sitting in the box of clothes Ds never wore b/c he was almost 9 lbs and only fit into NB stuff for about a week, ha ha he fooled us.
- We used what is called a miracle blanket for swaddling, and it was amazing. You can buy them online and they are much easier than trying to make a swaddle yourself.
- Medela Pump in style breast pump...amazing.
- Changing pads with covers...so nice you can throw the cover in the wash if anything gets on it.
- Burp cloths...we got some with DS's name monogrammed on them..I still use them.
- Glass bottles...they rocked. We tried everything and HATED Dr. Browns. They had so many pieces you had to remember, and were just a PITA to me,
- I never gave DS a bottle warmed up..it came how it was cold or warm...and it was a lifesaver b/c I didn't buy a bottle warmer or anything like that. He took it as is and never complained about it.
- NEVER used a wipe warmer...they are a nice thought, but DS didn't care.
- We LOVE Mam pacifiers. They are orthodontic and now I am struggling to wean off of them, ha ha.
- We really love Gymboree clothes too, they are great quality but expensive so we get them on special and belong to their rewards program.
- BRU has a great rewards program...I have been able to buy a box of diapers for $20 before.
- Oh, Gerber clothes run a size smaller then what they say...super annoying.
