Item you can't live without?

[villanelle75]

I did a search and didn't find a thread like this.

I'd like to get a gift for Dh's niece-to-be. (SIL's due date is in March.) She hasn't registered yet but when we visted their house this weekend we saw she alread has a ton of clothes (up to size 3-6 mo). We have an heirloom type item for her and I bought some socks on the advice of a friend who told me you can never have enough baby socks, but I'd liek to get another practical item or two. So what are some lower priced necessity itmes, preferabely things that not everyone buys for a shower (liek blankets)? TIA!! (I'm clueless abtou babies!!!)

[Marisa]

A baby sling! My son lived in his for hours when he was a newborn, it makes them feel cozy and safe like in the womb, and they can be held by mom (or dad, or anyone) hands-free -- it was wonderful when he was gassy/colicky.

I actually make slings, but I'm not trying to sell you one ;) -- just wanted to let you know that if you look at my site you can see two different types -- a pouch (not adjustable) and a ring sling (can be adjusted to fit different wearers). You can follow the link in my signature to see more, or do a little searching on Google or somewhere to see what's out there. (The only sling you'll find somewhere like Babies R Us is the Nojo, I had one of those for about 5 minutes, didn't like it at all.)

[ShannonGH]

I bumped up a thread for you that may help. :)

[NYN]

this might be stupid to some moms (i notice that a lot of moms don't put shoes on their kids so i'm not sure if i'm weird b/c i put shoes on her everyday) but someone gave my DD these boots as a gift and i just ordered them in the next size up in two other colors for the rest of the winter:
http://zoomcc.richfx.com.edgesuite.net/zoomcc_robeez/largeImage/BOO3PINK.jpg
i seriously LOVE them and she wears them almost everyday. they are warm and easy to put on. i just bought her another pink pair and a brown pair for the winter from the robeez site but i know a lot of land stores sell them too.

[Ohana]

How about a baby toiletry kit? Or lap pads, I still use mine daily and DD is 2.

Cloth diapers (for spit up cloths, if she's not CD'ing), humidifier, binky leash, a sling, and toys and clothes for older babies were all things we needed but didn't get much as gifts.

If you live close by, making dinner would be great too. If you don't live close by, have dinner delivered from a local restaurant they like or from a meal delivery service.

[Candy]

All of my carriers, but especially my hotsling pouch!

www.hotslings.com

Can't live without it!

[MrsD108]

Mittens. They are less than $2 at Target and they are for a newborn to protect the babies face from scratches.

[kiki61872]

my DD hates the carrier. i got such a nice sling and she wants no part of it. i wish she did like it. it would make my life alot easier.

i'd have to say my dr brown bottles. we had tons of gas issues and these definately helped out.

[Renrel]

Baby med/care kit - nail clipper, baby tylenol or advil (I forget which is ok for babies), saline nose drops, gripe water, mylcone sp (gas drops), a few small tubes of different diaper creams to try. This way if she needs anything in the middle of the night it is already in the house.

Sassy polka dot rattle - inexpensive but IMO and that of a developmental expert I heard in a lecture, one of the best out there.

Nursing kit for mom - large water bottle, individually wrapped healthful snacks, easy to read baby book or magazine, a book light, lanoline cream, box of soothies, and such to keep by the nursing/feeding station.

bundle me ifor the car seat/carrier if she is in a winter climate.

If she is formula feeding a box of individual serving size power or premixed for easy travel feeding. These cost too much for general use but are nice for occassions when you really need to run or to keep in the diaper bag incase you forget.

a gift certificate for maid service or take out/delivery food or a dulah

[Tenny]

Another vote for a some sort of sling or baby carrier! I love my hotsling and also my mei tai!

[Daniel's Kitty]

Larger sized clothes, toys.

We love our ring sling too, although I made mine so it has a really long tail to cover up the eating machine who thinks mom is a great binky.

[jenjen0713]

I couldn't live without my sling either! Also, I love cloth diapers. I use them as burp cloths, hand wipes, you name it....one is always within reach.

Also, another thing I love is the dimmer switch we had put in DS nursery. It is awesome to have it in the middle of the night. You get just enough light to see and change a diaper but not quite enough to fully wake the baby up.

[AndreaMMS]

I adore my Boppy pillow...

[mel7dog]

I am trying to find a place that has a list of things you will really NEED/would be very helpful to have during the first month or so after the baby is born. I know all the registy sites have lists, but all the ones I've see are things the baby will use in the first year and/or they include many "could be helpful" items. What are the things a new mom really needs to have when the baby arrives home? (besides the obvious food and clothes of course!) :)

[kmmommy]

Forgive me if many of these are obvious. I just want to be thorough.

diapers
Desitin (or some diaper rash treatment)
Body wash/shampoo
washclothes
Medical kit w/ nail clipper, aspirator, etc.
Thermometer
Boppy or My Brest Friend
burp clothes
pacifiers (if you intend to use them)
Dreft or Baby All detergent
humidifier (?)
lap pads for the crib
2 or more crib sheets (to double layer with the lap pads in case baby wets through clothes in the middle of the night - then you just pull off one sheet and don't have to redo the whole bed)
Lasinoh (for sore nipples)
lots of blankets
bottles

And my list of must-haves from my experience:

swing or bouncer
glider or rocking chair

I'm sure I'm missing a few things, but that's what I'm coming up with right now.

[Jaycee]

I'd say at a bare minimum, you need:

A changing station, with diapers, wipes, and ointment.

changing pad covers (2 should do)

Cloth diapers to use as burp cloths (You really can't have to many of these)**

Depending on the climate, some footed cotton sleepers, some onesies, maybe a gown or two.**

socks **

hats **

some swaddling blankets **

A place where the baby will sleep, ie..crib, bassinet, pNp.

A few washcloths and towels**

some infant shampoo/wash

A swing or a bouncy seat

A boppy or nursing pillow

***The quantity of any of these things depends on how often you are prepared to do laundry.

Thats really all you need immediatly. The rest you can as needed as the days/ weeks go on.

[srnka]

2 of my friends are currently pregnant, so I was putting a similar list of bare essential for the first weeks together for them. Here it is:
- somewhere for baby to sleep (crib, co-sleeper, PnP,...)
- sheets for crib/co-sleeper, PnP...
- a changing pad (don't need special covers - we never did - and used old hand towels to make the pad more comfortable for DD)
- swaddling blanket ( a life saver)
- burp clothes / cloth diapers (as PP mentioned, you cannot have too many of them)
- onsies (a lot of them), sleepers, socks, hats
- something to carry baby in - Bjorn, sling
- diaper rash cream
- diapers
- infant scissors
- blankets

[aprilshowers]

If you have a car, you'll need a car seat.

[nettreefrog]

More importantly, you'll be surprised at what you don't need. With my DD, I nursed, but did not have a boppy pillow. We never had a swing, and though I have heard some find it useful, it is not necessary. If you plan to co-sleep, you will not need a crib, crib sheets, etc. A changing table is not necessary either --although I did find that a plastic changing pad does make clean-up easier than not having one. Not everyone uses special detergent for baby clothes --but if your child has sensitive skin, it might be a good idea. Blankets, onesies, an aspirator, socks, a hat, and some kind of soap/shampoo are fairly standard. Most places in the US require that you have a car seat if you are driving a baby home from the hospital. However, there are many parents who take public transportation, and do not use a cars for transport--. It is hard to know what kind of diapers to purchase --and it depends on whether you are opting for cloth versus disposables. Virtually everything you "need" is debatable --and you needn't fret about not having everything on day 1.

Things that are truly indispensable: You will need to get as much sleep before the baby as possible, savings in case of emergency, and patience.

[mel7dog]

Thanks for the replies so far ladies!

[PLNUBRIDE]

bump

[Pookie]

I agree with Nettefrog about not needing alot. I bought into BRU list of what you "need" and since this is our first baby we got TONS of gifts. (Not that I'm not grateful.) I'd just stock up on the diapers and some place for the baby to sleep, carseat and go from there. The hospital sends you home with SO much stuff. I think what you really needs depends on your baby. When I was pg I went to lunch with 2 friends who had 1 year olds. They totally disagreed on what you needed. I think they both agreed you didn't need a diaper genie. You know what, I also disagree with them on what was helpful, mostly because they exclusively bf'ed and bfing didn't work out for us, though.

[jenjen0713]

I would totally agree with the other PPs. One thing we can't live without is a wearable blanket. DS always kicked his blankets off and we never swaddled him, so we always worried about him being cold. Also, I think having Baby Tylenol and gas drops is important to have on hand. If baby is sick, the last thing I want to do is run to the store. Also, if you have a little boy and have him circumsized, you might need some gauze and Vaseline for the first week. We love the cloth diapers as we use them for burp rags. Also, I got a lot of use out of bibs as DS is a major spitter, so it helped in keeping his clothes dry so I didn't have to do so many outfit changes a day.

[Mrs U]

Just wanted to add that you may need breast pads.

[kiki61872]

everyone told me that i NEEDED a boppy - its a must have. i got one and hated it.
the only time i used it was to sit on when i first came home (had ALOT of tears and 'roids -ewww);)

[nic]

Bump, anyone else?

[helen22]

I agree with most of the other posters, a few additions/notes:

- a good diaper bag - even if you don't go out much at first, you will need to go to the pediatrician, possibly a lactation consultant, etc. Stock it up before baby is born and be sure you can carry it and baby at the same time before you go out with it :)
- the phone number of one or more good lacatation consultants, if you plan to breastfeed - the first few days/weeks of breastfeeding can be really tough, and a lactation consultant is an invaluable resource
- breast pads were mentioned already, but wanted to add I think the lansinoh extra-gentle first-days pads are great for when the baby is first born
- again for breastfeeding (clearly this is what I personally was least prepared for!), I would recommend renting a hospital-grade pump and having a few bottles on hand, sterlized and ready to go - it can be such a relief for your husband to do one feeding at night and give you a break. However, do this only if it feels right to you - a lot of people don't want to introduce bottles before one month.
- medela steam-clean sterilizing bags - much easier than boiling for pacifiers, pump parts, bottles, etc
- q-tips & rubbing alcohol to clean the cord stump
- a notebook to write down all the ped's instructions, keep track of questions you have, note what baby is doing, etc. - my short-term memory was totally shot due to sleep deprivation and I had to write down everything the second I thought of it or it was gone. It's also good to write down the stuff baby is doing so you can answer the ped's questions (like - what are her diapers like, how many a day, etc.). It's nice to buy a cute special notebook for this since you will probably want to save it.
- good books for when you need help at 3 AM - there are tons out there of course but three I found v helpful: Nursing Mother's Companion, What to Expect the First Year, and American Academy of Pediatrics: Your Baby Birth to Five. Apparently a lot of peds hate "What to Expect" because they think it's alarmist, but I found it helpful...

[Wilsmom]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned are sidesnap shirts. DS lived in these for the first couple of weeks when his belly button wasn't healed. They are very easy to get off and they don't rub against the scab. They were a lifesaver for us!

[Cali_Katy]

What about a baby nail-clipper? They are born with such long nails... though truth be told I was a huge wimp about clipping them at first and tried the baby emery boards which I found completely useless.

[kayak]

Two things I found enormously helpful were

-a thermometer shaped like a pacifier
- my sling. I just had a simple pouch sling at first, and my baby would only sleep while in our arms or on our chests for at least a month. The sling saved our lives - we could get on with things while the baby cuddled and slept against our chest.

[marchfamily]

More importantly, you'll be surprised at what you don't need.

I completely agree!

[Daniel's Kitty]

The things we did need were.
Clothes in 3 months size
diapers
wipes
breast pads (lots of them)
swing (I tried to go without this but I was tired since he always wanted to move)
crib
sling
carseat (if you drive)
lap pads to put on sleeping surface so you won't have to change bed as often since it is really a pain to change the sheets so often while you are figuring out diaper size and fit. You can buy this by the yard at some fabric stores.

washcloths I use these for almost everything anymore, I just bought a bick pack of white ones at Sams, you can use them instead of wipes too.

I also kept the pack and play downstairs so I could have him close by while I was doing laundry.

For me the Boppy has been great.

A well packed diaper bag with several extra outfits and lots of extra diapers. They pee and poop so often at first that if is a huge challenge.