Must-haves for the 1st baby?

[GoofItUp]

Only 3 more month until DH and I lose our DINK status and welcome our new baby boy into the world! So, we have to start thinking about what we are going to need since we have bought NOTHING. I am getting an infant car seat/stroller/carrier from my SIL who's twins will be out-growing their's about the time my baby comes along. And I know that I will have a nice shower at church and get tons of stuff. So, what things are "must-have's" for a new baby and what things are just gimmicks that look neat in a store but serve no real purpose at home. I don't want to waste my money (or other people's!) on stuff that I'll never actually use!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

OK, I'll start. Mom of two-one of each. Stuff I used all the time:
Totally Toddler stain remover-gets out everything. Still use and kids are 6/8.
Flander's Buttocks ointment-for bad diaper rash. Heals it in a day. Not usually found on the shelf. Ask at Walgreens or Osco and they get it from the warehouse.
An ear thermometer (not for newborns but you'll use it forever)
A digital thermometer for your newborn. One that beeps when it's done taking a temp.
High chair or Tot-lock chair. (I had a Tot-lock and never used the high chair)
I used the car seat for feeding the infant. Better angle for feeding.
A bouncy seat for infant and a saucer or other non-walker type seat for older infant.
A swing can be priceless or not depending on the child.
A good breast pump if breastfeeding (or rent electric one).
Mattress savers so you aren't washing crib sheets daily due to spit up. They are longer than burp pads and tie to either side of crib.
Clothes in bigger sizes as babies grow fast.
Diapers Size 1(baby won't be in NB diapers long) and lots of them.
Easy on and off clothes. Gowns are great for sleeping. Those snap outfits can be really cute, but what a pain to change often, especially in the middle of the night.
I loved our jog stroller- bigger wheels and easier to take for walks in grass and pebbles.
Umbrella strollers are priceless for older babies. Easier to get through aisles in the malls.
cloth diapers to use as spit-up/burp cloths (later they make great dust rags or car washing rags)
Gift cards to Babies R Us are always great!!!

 

[MommyMouse]

LOTS of Baby wipes! (for his cute little bottom along with wiping off spit-up from your clothes when you are out )

Bottles and nipples if you plan to use them
Bath tub or bath sponge. IMO I loved the sponges. They are a few inches thick and you put them in the bottom of a regular tub.(only about $5.00) It absorbs enough water to keep them warm, and you don't have to worry about baby slipping out of your arms or slouching down like they can in the baby tubs. Also, you can throw them right in the washer!

Dreft or ivory snow for all that laundry

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Don'y forget Baby's First Christmas ornament!

 

[rantnnravin]

The book: "What to Expect The First Year"
I had this by my side for months and referred to it often

 

[ceiligh1]

I have a son who is 13 months old we had a few must haves that were different from the above poster.

-diaper genie or similar product if you are using disposable diapers, it cuts down on smell in the changing area.
-my son loved to be swaddled and recieving blankets just were not big enough for him and he was swaddled most of the time for several months. It was the only way he would sleep. This is the type we found worked best for us. http://shop.nurturecenter.com/ulswblbysw.html
-My son hated the swing, but loved to jump so the jumperoo from fisher price was a life saver. http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2004&e=detail&site=us&pid=27465 He would sit and jump for hours. He even fell asleep in it once.
-bouncy seat wonderful way for him to sit, play and just be when you dont want to hold him
-pack n' play- good for a temp crib when he is smaller my son slept in it in our room until we moved him to his own. We now use it for travel and when he was younger for outside play.
-when he was really little and still trying tummy time and that sort of thing a foldable activity gym with mat was nice. The crossing bars can usually have toys clipped to them that you can change out so baby wont get bored. http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein...m_fullview_prod_2/104-0815078-6599113?ie=UTF8
-I personally wished I had waited to get a breast pump until I knew what type I would need after the baby. I got a hand pump before and I needed a stronger one so ended up paying for a strong one later on, but the pump was a must have.
-there is the usuall clothes, blankets, towells ect.
-i had the bijorn but a hip carrier or sling makes more sence to me now as my son was too heavy for the bijorn by about 5 months.
-infant tylenol, myconex (sp?), diaper rash cream, size one and 2 diapers (my son grew out of size ones quickly and was never in newborn. baby wash

finally something for winter I used a fleece infant snowsuit for my son so we could walk outside but there is also a fleece blanket designed to fit around the car seat. Those work well if they are still in the infant size seat.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

A baby monitor, even if your house is small, it's nice to have to do yardwork and stuff during naps.

Personally I think baby towels are a nice gift, but a waste of money to buy for yourself, we always just used a regular towel, they were easier to wrap the babies in.

receiving blankets, at least one nice warmer blanket

Some of the crib sets are beautiful, but really unneccessary since you can't use that quilt for a long time so if money is tight you might just want to stock up on a few crib sheets for now. Also baby pillows are a waste since you can't use them.

A very comfortable rocking chair is great to have. Also some nightlights so you don't have to turn on every light you come to when the baby wakes up for night feedings.

If you want to plan ahead, you might want to look at some babyproofing options, like outlet covers.

 

[ceecee]

Moniter, they do have video moniters as well. My swing was a blessing with colic! I loved the Dreft stain remover.

 

[poohj80]

We lost our DINK status 6 months ago today. When we registered, we went for all the cute Pooh things - some have been great and others not so much.

My suggestions from what we have used most:

LOTS of pacifiers with rings to attach pacifier clips. We highly recommend the Playtex orthodonic type as that is what our DD prefers most.

LOTS of burp cloths - a friend gave us a package of cloth diapers to use as burp cloths and they have been the most absorbent.

LARGE receiving blankets to swaddle the baby. Most packages of cute receiving blankets are too small.

Toys that make noise and light up. These still fascinate DD. One tip - if you have a musical toy, make sure it plays more than one song as you'll get tired of hearing the same tune over and over again much earlier than your son.

I second the monitor, bouncy seat and swing! Techno DH had to have a video monitor but it has been a great investment and has saved us many trips up and down the stairs.

Things we got that haven't been as great as we had hoped:

Receiving blankets - too small to really wrap baby and too think to be a burp cloth

Pacifiers that don't have a ring to attach a clip as they tend to dissappear when DD spits them out.

The umbrella stroller we registered for since it lacks function, but we didn't really know what we needed yet. We recently ordered a Combi EX which is awesome!

 

[Vickie46]

one of those cloth covers for babies to sent in grocery carts with!

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

Two things I tell every pregnant mother that will listen...........

Dr. Brown's bottles
Angel Care monitor

Dr. Browns bottles http://www.handi-craft.com/index.shtm saved my sanity with DS#1. DS#2 was on them from the day we came home from the hospital and they are a Godsend. They are pricey---I'd be willing to pay double.

Angel Care monitor http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/ honestly helped me survive the first year!! I was literally sleeping with my head in the basinet, terrified of SIDS. A friend of mine suggested this to me----is wonderful!! I buy them for all my close friends that have babies. It's pricey, I think about $100, but again, I would have GLADLY paid twice (or more!!) for it.

best of luck to you and your new baby!!

 

[Tjaleks]

My boys are older (10 & 11) however the best thing I received at my shower was a small rubbermaid tub with medical stuff in it. Baby tylenol, gas drops, vaseline, alcohol wipes, cotton balls, a bugger ball (sorry don't remember the name), a medicine spoon with topper, thermometer, etc.

So basically everything you will need but don't think about until you need it. It was truly a life saver.

 

[Destination Disney]

I just had my baby girl in march, I have a Ds 4 also . My must haves are

If you are NOT breastfeeding....a formula dispenser. Holds power formula in three separate compartments for easy mixing while you are out! It's about 4" round if that.

Keep a Tide Pen or TWO in your diaper bag!

Pacifier holder to attach to the little guy, (if you will be using a pacifier). There's nothing worst then losing the pacifier when the little guys is scraming

Gowns, gowns, gowns...I swore by these in the first two months for both of my little ones to sleep in. So easy to change at night. Just pull it up, change, and done. No snaps to worry about in the wee morning hours.

My little one LIVED in the bouncer during her first two months. Especially at night. She'd wake up for a bottle then just be UP! That bouncer soothed her back to sleep.

Burp cloths! (You can NEVER have enough of those) as well as BIBS and diaper rash cream!

 

[bjscheel]

I second the formula dispenser! Even if you are just supplementing while you are out and about.

No need for a changing table, I changed them in the crib or on the floor. A must-have is an absorbent pad to put under their bottom while you change diaper. Keep some at home and one in the diaper bag. I don't know where to get them, my mom got a big one from the nursing home and cut and hemmed it into 4.

 

[coolbeans]

My 2 cents..

Must haves...
* if you are bottle feeding they sell little divided containers that hold powdered formula, those are awesome when you are out and about and need to mix a bottle in a hurry. The formula is pre-measured by mom into the container just pour into the bottle and add water.
*I second those mattress pads that tie to the crib, they are a lifesaver!
*Those little plastic packs of travel wipes. (Huggies and Pampers make them, but they also sell just the empty packs you can fill with your own wipes) They are perfect, one or two for the diaper bag, and I always leave one in the car.
*Burp cloths are a big necessity. I use the Gerber ones (I think they are actually cloth diapers) I also love the Carters washcloths to use as burb rags.
*I think a crib mobile is a huge must. I received the Flutterbye bird mobile as a shower gift and LOVE it, so does DS. The only catch is that it will not fit on our crib (the top railing is too thick), but since it stands free I have it sitting over the changing table.
*Target and Wal-Mart both sell these little plastic case things (about the size of a shotglass) that hold little rolls of plastic baggies. They sound like a gimmick, but I love ours. It never fails that if I need to make a diaper change in a parking lot I never have a bag to put the used diaper in.

Gimmicks..
*wipe warmer, never really understood this one.
*I'm also not a big fan of hooded towels, I would rather snuggle DS up in a big old soft towel.

I guess I haven't run into too many gimmicks... Most of the time it's trial and error with baby stuff. Things that one person will swear they can't live without you will never bother with. Good Luck!! and Congrats!!!

 

[treboats]

It all depends on the child with my first he loved the swing my second hated it we have put the new baby in it and she loves it. The bouncer has been great with all three. We used the diaper genie when we had our first because we lived in a two story and in the middle of the night we didn't have to run the poopy diaper out to the garage. I will second Dr. Brown's bottles we used them with both boys when I was done breastfeeding what a difference in the amount of spit up. We used bibs like crazy with the first but our second once he could grab it there was no way he would keep it on. We do use our baby monitor all the time when one of the kids are napping and we want to do something in the basement or outside. One thing we can never have enough of is wipes.

 

[IDoDis]

I don't know if this is still around, but a wipe warmer was priceless for me, especially when having a winter baby! The wipes are freezing out of the box (especially when you are doing a diaper change at 2:00am), but the warmer keeps the wipes nice and warm. Sometimes you have to add a little bit of water to the box of wipes.

Also, take a pair of tweezers to the hospital with you. Babies are often born with long fingernails and they will easliy scratch their little faces when you change their clothes. The hospital won't clip their nails for you. I brought my first born home from the hospital with a scratched face!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Recieving Blankets, and lots of them. Initially you'll need several for wrapping new-born to keep him warm. But later you'll find all sort of uses for "cheap" ones.

Some examples: Changing table protector. We have a terrycloth type cover for our changing table pad. But it's a pain to change out (tight fitting). So we lay a recieving blanket on top of it. If we get any spillage while changing a diaper, just quickly replace the recieving blanket on top and save changing the main cover for major accidents. We also use them as liners on public changing tables, as well as liners for changibg diaper on the bed or floor. We also use them as a soft surface for DS to lay on rather that laying him directly on rough or dirty carpet (MIL has an indoor dog). They can also double as a burp cloth when one of the cloth diaper isn't handy. Now for the cheap ones, I'm talking the something like 5 pack for less than $10.

I'll double the suggestion on cloth diapers for burp cloths. There are two types, unfolded and prefolded. The unfolded ones are simple thin sheets. The prefolded ones have an extra thick section down the middle. The prefolded are the ones you want.

Don't waste time getting the baby's room all set up. I would suggest getting DH to get the room painted ahead of time. But you are not going to need a full size crib at first. You'll want a pac-n-play with a bassenet attachment to keep beside your bed at night.

 

[PaulaSue]

Lots of Love, a sling, clothes, a place for baby to sleep, a few blanket and LOTS of diapers.
(figuring you will be BFing or bottles and that kind of stuff)

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Quick follow up on getting a bunch of cheap recieving blankets. We just had a huge blowout and got lots of poop on one we were using to protect the carpet. Because they are so cheap (and pretty much permanently stained once poop get on the, get just tossed the blanket rather than trying to wash it.