I am due in May and am getting ready to start stocking my house with stuff for baby. We have an eight year old son but I feel that it has been so long since I have done the baby thing that I forget the necessities and I am sure they have come out with cool new stuff. So I was hoping to get some feedback on the essentials I need and new products you loved.
Do yourself a huge favor and get a hotsling (www.hotslings.com). They are comfortable for you and baby and make holding your baby (for the endless hours) so much easier and nursing a sinch even in public. Also, after your baby shower, take inventory of what you still need and look for it on Craigs list. There are so many nice used products listed and it can save you a bundle. Other things that I NEEDED (and didn't think of) were gas drops, nursing pads and take out menus. May sound odd but get the take out menus in your area so when you and your hubby have no want to cook, you have choices of where to order from. Enjoy your new little one. I was pregnant thru the heat of last summer so I am happy that you will have your little one before it gets too warm! TAKE CARE! :)
I have and 8 month old and the things that worked best for us were. The boppy newborn pillow, the baby papasan bouncer and the bumbo seat. For sure those three items are the cool new items! I loved them and we still use the bumbo for my baby to sit in at the beach, out to dinner, we pretty much take it everywhere. Its the best!
Im sure you know the rest...Those are just a few suggestions of the new things that are out! A few of the necessities I forgot when my baby was first born was the alcohol and cotton swabs for his belly button, dreft for his clothes and mittens so he didnt scratch his eyes out! haha hopefully I helped a little!
Marissa
I know how you feel. My son is 13 years older than my 3 month old daughter. I had no clue of what I needed for a baby. I looked at targets website for items to see what was out there & noticed they have a checklist for what you need for your new baby & cool things you need for you. This was great for me. Everytime I went to the store I tried to pick up at least one thing on the list. Everytime I bought someting I marked it off. Then when it was time to register for my baby shower I knew exactely what I had and what I needed to register for. Of cource not everything is a nessesity but you can decide what you would like to have. This helped me keep organized and sain.
Boppy, Bimbo chair, & swaddles are a must...
Cindy C
I completely agree with the other person who said get a sling!!! There are all different kinds of slings and some people like some better than others. My favorite was the Maya Wrap. I still use it with my 3 year old occasionally. I loved it so much that I actually sell them now!!! Just look on the web and see what you can find. I went to a conference with Dr. Sears and he advised against using a Baby Bjorn or Snuggly type carrier until your baby is old enough to sit on their own...he said it could actually interfere with proper spine developement. Other than a sling, my advice to mommies is get a king size bed...it gives ya more room when your little one ends up in there with ya!!!!
If your interested in a Maya Wrap you can check out my site at www.MamaRhythms.com
My sister and I just had babies within months of each other and our life saver has been the Fisher Price Papasan swing. For both of us this is where our baby has slept the most.
Also not sure if you are going to co sleep but for the 1st couple of weeks if you want your baby close to you I had a Arms Co reach sleeper which attaches to your bed. So they are right next to you but NOT in your bed. This was great for nightime breastfeeding
I know what you mean...ours are only 3 years apart and that was a long enough gap for there to be a whole bunch of new things on the market! Some of my favorites are:
Bumbo Chair
Diaper Champ - a simple diaper pail that uses normal kitchen garbage bags instead of the specific refills you have to use with the Diaper Genie.
Wipe Warmer - I swore I'd never spoil my kids with one of these - my son never cared about cold wipes - but then we had our little girl who screamed at diaper changes with cold wipes...especially great for middle of the night changes when you don't want them overly awake.
Our MUST have with the second baby was a great swing. The Fisher Price swings are terrific...they swing in two directions and have a rotating mobile above head and also play music.
Oh and one more HUGE thing I almost forgot. The Miracle Blanket. It is the BEST swaddling blanket on the market and is perfect for when they start getting strong enough to bust out of the receiving blankets. My baby went from waking every 1-2 hours to sleeping for a 6-8 hour stretch at night. I couldn't recommend this more! You can check them out at www.miracleblanket.com
Good luck and Congrats on your pregnancy!
There's a bottle called a Podee that I absolutely loved. It's great for car rides or for the stroller because you don't have to prop it up. All of my friends got one for their babies or to give as a gift at a shower,and whenever I'm out, I always get stopped by people asking what kind of bottle I have. Everyone always tells me "they didn't have that when my kids were young. I wish I would have invented that" Oh, and those little activity mats are great too! I got the rainforest one and my son still plays with it and he's 11 months. He mostly tries to knock it over, or pull off the little animals, but I've gotten great use out of it!
I have a 2 year old and an 8 month old and I could not live without the Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing. It was amazing! My second child slept in it for the first five months. It was a life saver. I also recommend the boppy newborn lounger......my son loved it also. Very comfortable. Good luck finding what you need.
The thing I needed most was a tub! They have some really neat tubs out there, that keep the baby on an incline so they don't drown... or in a mesh net above the water. The other thing we used the most was the swing. I would put my daughter in it and she would have a bowel movement within minuets. I would change her and then she would sleep. It was great. I just had a little takealong with batteries... You don't have to go really fancy.
Some of the new and cool things out now for babies just make me want to have another baby. Here's a list of new things I would get:
*Video baby monitor--let's you hear and see baby from anywhere in the house
*Bumbo seat--another place to put babies that can't sit up yet and prevents the "flat-head" syndrome.
*Self-Rocking bassinet--Fisher-Price just came out with this Zen line of products that is stylish and brillant.
*Swaddle-Me blankets
*Electric Swings--Many brands make this and they have an option to swivel the swing so it rocks like a cradle to, rather than the back and forth method. Also, the option to plug it in, will save you from having to buy those D batteries.
*Podee (Self-Feeding) bottles--great for traveling in the car or shopping when a baby needs a bottle. It basically is a bottle with a long tube at the top that attaches to a nipple/pacifier, which the baby sucks from.
*Remote-controlled baby mobile--some brands have the kind that project images on the ceiling too. The remote control saves you from having to turn it on manually and disturb the baby.
*Bath seats--a seat for a baby to sit in in the big bath-tub safely. This would have really helped me with my twin girls!
*Breatfeeding Cover-Ups --they make a wide range of stylish cover-ups for public breatfeeding.
The list could go on and on. Be sure to visit some of the baby websites to check out reviews on each product, too. Babiesrus.com, babystyle.com, babyant.com, babyzone.com, onestepahead.com, rightstart.com.
Good luck with this exciting time and have fun shopping!
A few things I would say that I have found over the 2 years I've had my son, is that you should buy a couple boxes of diapers now. I also found that those millions of receiving blankets that you get also work very well as burp cloths just keep 'em folded in half or fourths and they work awesome. One other thing I found that you will need is a couple of pairs of baby nail clippers, I was always forgetting where I left em, and man those finger nails grow FAST. :) And the last thing I have fallen in love with is Johnson's Medicated Baby Powder. It hb as the same stuff thats in the diaper rash cream, but without the goopy mess. Just put it on right after wiping with the baby wipe and the skin should still be damp enough for it to stick really good. I have found that for my son, it actually works better than diaper rash cream. I of course still have diaper rash cream on hand for when he gets sick....and gets that super bad rash from pooping so much. Good luck on baby number number 2! :)
Number one item is definitely a big yoga ball...I gently bounce on it while holding baby and he quickly goes to sleep. It also works great to get the burps out. Other wonderful items I have found: swing that goes side to side, bouncy seat, bumbo chair, playmat, mobile from babygenius.com with red/black/white (I call it the shower mobile as it entertains him for 15-20 minutes so I can shower), art cards for baby from uncommongoods.com (he loves these-I hang them on a clothesline in his room and switch out the pictures-he never tires at looking at them), childrens electric toothbrush for him to hold during car rides (don't know why but it calms him). I like the born free bottles, bebe au lait nursing cover (they have a website), zutano booties (they stay on & aren't too tight) and California Baby bathing products (now found at Target). Also found that the co-sleeper did not work for my son. Instead I ended up with a Snuggle Nest which can easily be taken anywhere. Hope this helps and good luck!
Hi my name is evelyn and i live palm springs ca.
This is not a new idea but new to the u.s.
Baby slings...i had one and it was a life saver.
I had a baby girl in may of 2006 and she lived in her sling right next to me..
Buy the book "Baby Bargains" by Denise and Alan Fields. It helped me out a lot when I was overwhelmed with all the products out there when I was a new mother. It gives ratings to the products that are out there listing them from the inexpensive to the most expensive. It also gives tips and advice of what you really need and what you really want to waste your money on.
Hi Marissa,
When my daughter (now 18 months old) was a small infant, I really liked having a baby sling.
It's an adjustable side sling that you wear, and the baby can sleep nice and cozy, while you go about your daily routine. I got mine at Target.
As my daughter got a little bigger, the sling was replaced with a Baby Bjorn.
Of course, a swing is a must have too.
The ones out today are much easier to put the baby into, and they have cool features like music and soothing sounds. My daughter took many naps in her swing.
Congratulations and good luck!
Melissa
Not much! Babies are easy...I just had my second son and I think we had WAY TOO MUCH with our first. This time around we have one chair that rocks, vibrates and plays music, a baby einstein set of blocks, a snuggley, a bunch of receiving blankets, diapers and wipes. Chances are your little one will want to watch what you do or what your older son does. Logan, our newborn, loves watching his brother Tegan play.
Good luck with your delivery and have fun with your new baby,
Shellie
My husband and I absolutely loved the DVD/book The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp. He recommends 5 S's (swaddling, shushing, sucking, swinging, etc.) to soothe your baby. The DVD demonstrates the techniques to make them work well. Our son was very content when we used Karp's methods.
hi.. i just had my second child but they are closer in age only 2 1/2 yrs appart but i can tell you that you will need a few blankets,a bathtub that you can use that will last till the baby can sit up on its own, a boopy if you plan on breast feeding ( they really help me) a few different bottles because if your baby doesnt breast feed or your milk doesnt come in then you need to use bottles and sometimes babies dont like one kind of bottle. also i suggest a can of formula incase your milk doesnt come in and you need to emergency feed your baby . a must have is a sling. any kind but i like a sling not a back pack (when they are older i like the backpack) .
one thing you really dont need is all those funky gadgets in the baby isle . i would reccomend taking a friend with you who has had their child recently to the babies r us and have them help you with the regestry or the shoppin because i made a lot of purchases that were not needed ..
Hi Marissa.
Just some thoughts...buy a few sets of crib sheets (you'll have to change them frequently if the baby spits up). I think having a lot of onesies is also important. They wear those so much in the beginning. Hmm, are you breastfeeding? If so, will you need a breast pump? I've been told that renting a hospital grade pump is the best idea. They work better and you can rent them for like $30 a month. Do you have a snap-n-go for your stroller? Those are so great. You can snap the carseats in and out of the snap-n-go so you don't wake the baby every time you get out of the car. Those are some of the ideas that come to mind. If i think of anything else, i'll let you know.