Tell me the must haves!!

[tgeorge0207]

I am pregnant!

No, not my first but its been 7 years. I would love to know opinions on the new stuff that has come out and of course since I am on this thread BUDGET is a priority too. Please tell me what you just could live without when it came to your baby! Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[adventure_woman]

Congrats!!!! 2 things I did with #2 I didn't with #1:

1. Baby wearing - not Bjorne or Snugli, but the good ones. LOVED it- started with a wrap at birth and then with an Ergo type carrier a little older.

2. Cloth diapering - I actually miss diapers sometimes. And I actually resold all my diapers for what I paid for them. I personally liked the one size pockets -I used Sunbabies (they were the cheapest). Love that I diapered for years for nothing $$!

 

[dpswift]

Looking back there are many things I would do without.

Many of the newer items are just gadgets. Baby food makers, formula mixers, so many types of bottles.

2 items that became popular after my kids were most likely there for yours that I would get.

1 shopping cart cover.
2 car seat covers that keep the child warm in winter.


Keep your eye out for clearance items.

Congradulations

 

[ellone]

Figured out with my second that a bouncer and exersaucer are not needed. In fact without them my younger daughter started crawling and walking sooner than my older daughter. I think it's because she was always just on the floor and all her older sister's toys were just out if reach so they tempted her.

 

[Megkel]

Congrats! I'm pretty much in the same boat as you! My first will be 8 when her sister is born.

SO much has changed and mostly for the better.

Things I learned I must have are

A swing: My daughter loved her swing. It was a god send when I needed to put her down and still wanted to keep her contained. She would often sleep happily in the swing.

Car seat and strollers: Strollers have come a long long way. I bought a Britax B-Safe car seat and stroller. The car seat snaps right onto the stroller frame. I love that there wasn't any conversion kit. Also with my first I went with a cheap stroller thinking it wasn't a big deal. I went through several cheap strollers trying to find one I was happy with. This time I learned a stroller is a spurge item.

Sleeping gowns are amazing! In the middle of the night you are not going to want to do up a million snaps. The gowns are great and help keep the baby warm so she doesn't fully wake up from being cold.

Subscribe to different clothing mailing lists. Everyday I have a code in my inbox for 15%+ for different places. I have found that if I find something I like I can at least get free shipping if I wait a few days.

I love Amazon! They are amazing and with Prime the next day shipping is great. I have found the best deals to be on Amazon.

BabysRus, Buy Buy Baby and other specific baby stores have coupons out all the time. Sign up for the mailers. There is hardly a time I go to either without a 20% off coupon.

Try not to impulse buy!! It's way easier said than done. Babies go through clothing insanely fast. I usually plan for two weeks worth of outfits in each size. After that it's overkill and you probably won't have the chance to wear it often. Try to leave clothes to be the last thing you buy. People love giving clothes as gifts and they usually buy newborn or 0-3 months. You might not have to even buy those sizes.

 

[aprilchem]

I have three, and we've gotten progressively more minimalist with each kid. If I were to have another the only things I would bother to buy prior are:

1. Baby wipes
2. A car seat
3. A sidecar cosleeper
4. A nursing pillow (my favorite is My Breast Friend)
5. A pack of onesies
6. A couple of blankets

We didn't even bother to purchase diapers with my 3rd because the hospital gives you so many; we switched to cloth once they were big enough to wear them. And my kids weren't fans of swings and the like, so we just used the bucket car seat in we needed to put them down for a second.

 

[MAJPLO]

diapers.com

I wasn't able to do cloth diapers and diapers.com made things so much easier. Wipes and diapers delivered to my door with no hassle whatsoever. They have a lot of other products on their site, sometimes a great deal, sometimes not. Usually diapers were less expensive unless there was a great sale at target. And when they weren't less expensive, the convenience factor was sometimes enough to outweigh.

 

[msmama]

I only have 1, but from friends I have, it seems as if swings, bouncer seats, fancy things for them to sit/bounce are more NECESSITIES for people who have other small children or pets. I, personally, just always laid my son on the floor on a blanket but there was no one else around to step on him, lol!

I second a GOOD carrier. Personally, I was a fan of a ring sling when he was little. I had some complications after his birth so it was nice to have him attached to me without me really having to do anything.

 

[Egdisney]

Any thing you actually used for your older child will be the same thing you use for your baby. My kids range in age from 1-9, the only thing I didn't have for my 1st that I used and loved for my other 3 was a bassinet. With my last baby I did get an infant to toddler rocker(he was a big baby,
bouncers felt flimsy) and I loved it, as did he.
I bought a shopping cart cover, used it maybe twice. Just not necessary for me. Congrats on your new baby!!

 

[wiigirl]

Just wanted to say CONGRATS!

 

[LJSquishy]

Congrats! I just had my 4th miscarriage but am still holding out hope that I will get to announce a healthy pregnancy in the near future. In planning for each of my pregnancies, I've done a lot of research!

-Moby wrap for baby wearing. You can vacuum, eat, cook, clean, etc while wearing your baby...and they love it.

-Sophie la Giraffe teething ring (and/or the big Sophie). My newest niece started grabbing onto the teether at 2 months old and now she's 5 months with 2 teeth coming in and uses it to teethe on. It's all natural.

-Cloth diapers! Green Mountain Diapers prefolds are the best, paired with Thirsties Duo Wraps (waterproof cover) and a Snappi. Cheap and foolproof.

-Nosefreida...OMG best thing ever! Seriously.

-Aden & Anais swaddling blankets are better than other brands. They are worth the price. Get 4 or so because you will use them to nurse in public (if breastfeeding), as a stroller blanket, to swaddle, and to cover the car seat when carrying it if it's cold or hot or raining.

-Fisher Price Deluxe Rock n Play ...most babies love it. Very few hate it. A lot of newborns will only sleep in this because they like the slight incline.

Things to not buy:
-Mama Roo swing; it's way too slow for most babies to enjoy. If you want a swing, the Fisher Price Snugabunny type are the best...make sure you get one that can be plugged in! I would wait to buy one to see if your baby might even need a swing, and if so, buy used on Craigslist because they are typically hardly used. Same with a bouncer...just wait and see.

-crib bumper; they are not safe and raise the risk of SIDS.

-full crib bedding set; Your baby can only use the fitted sheets so just buy some fitted sheets! They can't use the quilt or bumper so why buy them? By the time they can use the quilt they will be big enough for a toddler bed or twin bed.

-Personal care/medical/hygiene kit; Assemble one yourself with the necessities. These kits are usually low quality so you can pick out higher quality individual items.

-Baby cereal; terrible for them in the sense it has no nutritional value. It's basically a filler food.

-Baby food; those jars are not necessary and not that good for your baby. Make your own quickly and freeze into ice cube trays or small containers. Super easy, super cheap, and super healthy!

 

[maplevale]

I am expecting # 3 (DD6 and DD2.5). I always felt I was pretty minimalist with my first two. Most of the 'unused' things were things people told me I couldn't live without!

1. Baby Wearing - I love it. Love having my hands free. I have a few carriers (NOT something like Bjorn they are bad for babies backs and hips). I have a Moby (learning curve but very flixible) and a Beco (low learning curve) and a sling (meh)

2. Stroller - Think about your lifestyle - for most people the 'travel systems' are really a waste of $$. They are HUGE and heavy and won't push great on snow, ice, sand, gravel or grass! I havea big 3 wheeled stroller (we live in the country) but if I lived in the city I would look at the Quinny Buzz or equivalent (in a million price points by different brands) that lets you use it for the frame and infant seat, rear facing, forward facing. I actually have a bassinet (got with #2 born in the summer) for my stroller and I LOVED that because I would take it in and out of the house and DD could sleep flat. Keeping an infant in a car seat is not great for hours at a time

3. Diapers - I love my cloth. But if we had disposable diaper delivery here (Canada) I would love that too!

4. Bouncy/vibrating/rocking seat - I liked it because it was somewhere off the floor to put baby but was still small. We never had a Bumbo/Swing

5. Clothes - I am basic. Sleep gowns, sleepers and onsies for the first 4-6 weeks. My summer baby lived in diapers and onsies (#3 is due in July and will too).

6. I do love theaden + anais blankets - probably my biggest splurge

7. Didn't buy any toys (got some as gifts) until they were much older

8. I have never had an infant thermometer (judgement and my lips!), infant nail clippers (use my own), infant snot sucker (lucky?). I figured if I had a safe place for baby to sleep and diapers (and I BF'd) then I could bring baby home with no worries and just get additional things as I needed them - turns out I never needed a lot!

 

[pittsburghmom]

My favorite baby accessory that I wish I would have had when I had my first, but didn't get until my 3rd (and last) is my Summer Slim & Secure video monitor. I got mine used on ebay with 2 cameras (it can scan up to 4 cameras). I am seriously in love with it. Wish I would have had one with my first 2! We have one camera in the boys room and one camera in the baby's room. I can see me using it for many more years to come.

Also, a previous poster mentioned the nosefrida....awesome!

One more thing, if you are planning on breastfeeding, finding a local LLL or other bf'ing support group is really nice "tool" to have as well.

Congrats!!

 

[Mouseketeers4]

Congratulations!

My must haves were:
1. Good Carriers - I started with a Moby and then switched to an Ergo.
2. Boppy Pillow for nursing
3. SwaddleMe wraps - so much easier for middle of the night diaper changes and you don't have to worry about a blanket getting over baby's face if the swaddle comes loose.
4. Halo Sleep Sacks
5. Fisher Price Seahorse
6. Fisher Price Bunny swing - make sure you get one that plugs in so you don't have to buy batteries.
7. Graco PnP with bassinet - I kept both babies in our room for the first 6 months. It made nighttime nursing easier and room sharing decreases the risk of SIDS.
8. RoSK Sun Blanket - great for stroller, infant car seat, and baby carriers.
9. JJ Cole Car Seat Cover - must have for our brutal winters. Make sure you get a shower cap style cover that just goes over the seat. You don't want one that puts a layer behind the baby and has you thread the straps through it.
10. Undercover Mama Nursing Tanks
11. A diaper bag with stroller straps - I really like my Skip Hop Studio Tote.
12. NoseFrida and saline drops

Watch BabySteals.com, Zulily, and Amazon for deals. Check places you might not normally think of too, like Kohl's. They have a lot of baby stuff online and I've gotten quite a bit from them with their 30% off plus Kohl's cash and Ebates.

 

[Alexle2007]

A lot depends on the individual baby. My son hated to be swaddled or in anything that his legs weren't free to move around. I should have known that since he kicked and moved around all the time (morning, noon and night) in my belly. He liked the bouncer when he was a few months old but that was because he wanted to be on his feet. (He started walking at 10 months.) we have purchased lots of gadgets prior to his arrival and many were brand new when we gave them away. Best purchase- getting higher end furniture that would grow with him.

 

[shelly3girls]

My DS loved the Swaddle Me blankets then moved onto the Halo sleep sacks. Most things I could have lived without except for...
Sling
Fisher price inclined chair that rocked front to back (DS had reflux so we couldn't have him flat on his back after eating)
Miracle sheet that snapped over crib bedding for quick changes
Face pad that tied over miracle sheet, quick change without having to change the whole sheet
Burp clothes
Carseat cover if winter baby
Good quality stroller and carseat (I used the stroller frame for the carseat because I wanted different brand seat and stroller which were not compatible)
A nice blanket used for many purposes

 

[kfeuer]

We were just surprised with our third child this past March--my now middle child is 10 so it had definitely been awhile since we'd had a baby!

Some things haven't changed that much, some have. A few thoughts:

Love SwaddleMe blankets. They stay securely fastened and the baby slept so well with them. We've since moved onto the Halo sleepers, and they're wonderful as well. The fleece version is very thick and warm and the baby can't kick it off.

They've improved the Diaper Genie in my opinion. It does a much better job of containing the odors. You have to buy the refills, but it's worth it.

Bumbo chairs were new to us. I would never pay retail for it, but I picked one up at a garage sale for a couple bucks and we've definitely gotten our use out of it. It's very helpful when they can't quite sit up on their own but want to be sitting up.

Got a Snug-A-Bunny bouncy chair and it was awesome for the newborn stage. It's very cozy and he napped in it often.

Another new thing is the Jumperoo--totally recommend it! My little guy loves it.

Congratulations! It can be hard starting over, but it's also a lot of fun.

 

[sweetdana]

Congrats! I just had my 4th miscarriage but am still holding out hope that I will get to announce a healthy pregnancy in the near future. In planning for each of my pregnancies, I've done a lot of research! -Moby wrap for baby wearing. You can vacuum, eat, cook, clean, etc while wearing your baby...and they love it. -Sophie la Giraffe teething ring (and/or the big Sophie). My newest niece started grabbing onto the teether at 2 months old and now she's 5 months with 2 teeth coming in and uses it to teethe on. It's all natural. -Cloth diapers! Green Mountain Diapers prefolds are the best, paired with Thirsties Duo Wraps (waterproof cover) and a Snappi. Cheap and foolproof. -Nosefreida...OMG best thing ever! Seriously. -Aden & Anais swaddling blankets are better than other brands. They are worth the price. Get 4 or so because you will use them to nurse in public (if breastfeeding), as a stroller blanket, to swaddle, and to cover the car seat when carrying it if it's cold or hot or raining. -Fisher Price Deluxe Rock n Play ...most babies love it. Very few hate it. A lot of newborns will only sleep in this because they like the slight incline. Things to not buy: -Mama Roo swing; it's way too slow for most babies to enjoy. If you want a swing, the Fisher Price Snugabunny type are the best...make sure you get one that can be plugged in! I would wait to buy one to see if your baby might even need a swing, and if so, buy used on Craigslist because they are typically hardly used. Same with a bouncer...just wait and see. -crib bumper; they are not safe and raise the risk of SIDS. -full crib bedding set; Your baby can only use the fitted sheets so just buy some fitted sheets! They can't use the quilt or bumper so why buy them? By the time they can use the quilt they will be big enough for a toddler bed or twin bed. -Personal care/medical/hygiene kit; Assemble one yourself with the necessities. These kits are usually low quality so you can pick out higher quality individual items. -Baby cereal; terrible for them in the sense it has no nutritional value. It's basically a filler food. -Baby food; those jars are not necessary and not that good for your baby. Make your own quickly and freeze into ice cube trays or small containers. Super easy, super cheap, and super healthy!

I am very sorry. I cannot imagine 4 times.


I would change/add. 1. Baby food jars on the go are better, and they stay longer. You don't have to re pack n unpack every time you go out. Frozen baby food is fantastic for around the home, but sometimes using say spinach n potatoes in a jar to try a food before making 24 of them isn't terrible. I used both together.

They also have crib bumpers with net type. Worked great!! Dd1 kept getting her legs outside the crib and stuck. I'd wait and see on it though.


Dd1 loved her swing and used pacifiers for 3 yrs and went off bottles easy at 9 months. Dd 2 is 20 months and cannot give up nightly water bottle and hated pacifiers from day 1. And would never swing for more than 5 mins and could have lived without. Kids are different.


Both liked their rocking/vibrating/ singing chairs. I got the 1 that grows with both. Older used hers for yrs, and I am betting it will be the same with now dd20 months.

Ps. Congrats!!!!!!!

 

[kateheartsdisney]

A good baby carrier so you can wear baby. Lots easier than a stroller in most places. My fave is Boba carrier. But I think Ergo is really good too. Don't be cheap about it and buy a bjorn or something, they are no good and baby gets too big for them really fast. A sling or wrap is nice when they are infants, but if cost is a matter and you can only get one, get the real carrier.

The excersaucer. Even when your kid can crawl and move around it's still helpful if only for a safe place to put baby if you need to leave the room. Buy this used craigslist/garage sales if you don't need it before spring... We bought ours for 20 bucks and it's lasted three kids and still nice. Glad I didn't spend 100 for a new one!

I would say the bumbo, but lots of people think it's silly. But once you can sit them up in there man they love it ! Again, buy used.

Buy a miracle blanket. They are the super swaddle of swaddle blankets they do not get out of them and there is no noisy Velcro and you can just pull the bottom part down to change baby. They are fantastic!! The company also stands by their product and has great customer service. They replaced my three year old blanket no questions asked because it got holes in it as that is their policy there is no time limit on it. I am sure it was just wear and tear and this was by my third kid, but I saw that listed on their page and I called them. Saved me money because I was about to buy another.

A boppy. Weather you will breastfeed or not, doesn't matter! Even bottle feeding it is an awesome help to hold baby while you feed them (especially at 3 am when you are half asleep !) and on that note, dont be fooled by the silly bottles that look like ****s to use in alternate to breastfeeding just use a regular bottle!

And last but not least I'd say aden & anais swaddle blankets. They can be used as light layers, swaddling during the day, burp clothes, a place to change baby on, whatever! They are great and the more times they get washed the softer they get!

 

[sets14]

Miracle Blanket!!!!!! A lifesaver for baby #2

Fisher Price Rock and Play chair- baby slept in it until about 6 months

Ergo Carrier

Pacifiers

Video Monitor- helped me judge baby's naps/sleep while dealing with older son

Aden and Anais blankets, lovies

Sound machine- blocked out the noise during naps/nightime. My son is now 3 and can sleep through anything.