Congratulations!
There are a lot of responses already but for me I wanted the minimum because I don't have a lot of space (and he still took over the place!) Here is a list of what I couldn't live without:
- a couple of newborn PJs, towels/wash cloths
- blankets - receiving & soft ones for warm weather & big cushy ones for the floor
- like 3 dozen cloth spit up diapers that are also good to put under his face in bed (I had to buy them online at http://www.doodlestextiles.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=DD&Product_Code=CHFFGZ2140&Category_Code=DIAP ) I use them for everything!
- swing
- excersauser for when he got a little bigger
- car seat (carrier and then a convertible) My son is already too big for the carrier.
- high chair
- bibs
- I got one of those bullets to make my own baby food
- baby room furniture
- baby monitor a sound one is just fine and mobile compared to video
- gate for once they start to move around
- stroller (big one for long walks and Little baby and then a nice umbrella stroller. the $80 umbrella stroller is a great investment!
- I love my nice glider/rocker for night times, but it isn't really necessary if you don't have the space
- diaper genie
- a tub is so confining and HUGE. I got one of those sponges for $1 that goes in the regular tub. if it gets gross, replace it
- stock up on diapers/wipes/formula (or buy breast-pump)/lotion etc.
There really is SOOO much you could get but I think the sling, "tummy time mat", shopping cart cover and other such "new" things are a waste of time. I know that some people can't live without them but for the amount of money you will spend on stuff they can only use for the 1st 1-4 months is crazy! Not only that, a lot of it is made to look good rather than for practicality purposes (ie. high chairs with fabric instead of easy-to-clean vinal). I actually registered for a lot of the supposed must-haves and ended up returning a lot of it after my showers because I realized that some of it was just silly.
Of course this is just an opinion. I hope this helps!
I have 2 kids. The first one, we had EVERYTHING - I mean everything. We waited forever to have kids and people were so generous and I had lots of people telling me "You've just GOTTA have XYZ product." Between kids we moved to Maui and brought nothing with us from California. So my second daughter was brought into the world with a pack-n-play and a bouncy-seat. There is lots of cool stuff out there, but most of it is really not needed. When starting from scratch, what I used were:
an infant carrier carseat and a snap-n-go for a stroller (that is a great lightweight and remarkably sturdy stroller),
a baby Bjorn carrier
a high chair
That is really all I had for the first year of my baby's life and it was so freeing to not have my house overrun by very large baby items. Have a great time with your baby!
There is a lot of stuff out there you don't need- but you've had a kid before, so you'll have an idea as to what you don't need. Most of the big crazy toys are not necessary, as with the DVD's and any major tech item (other than a baby monitor if you have a big house).
Things I couldn't live without:
Swaddle Me baby wraps
Happiest Baby on the Block, by Dr. Harvey Karp
peanut shell sling carrier
baby gym
onesies
Besides that and diapers and a crib, I didn't really use much of the other stuff I bought.
I had a child 20 years ago and I had a child 3 years ago. Nothing has really changed. The basics are all you need; diapers, wipes, baby bottles, pajamas, and comfortable clothes that your won't mind the baby spitting up baby carrots on. I could not live without a swing, baby carseat or the sitting jumpers to feed the baby, and a playpen for the livingroom to put the baby in for a nap because for the first couple of months my baby did not sleep that long for a nap so I kept him close while I was trying to do something like start dinner or even watch a tv show. Don't forget the stroller for those days you want to take a walk and get out of the house.
Marissa, Are you going to be having a baby shower? If so wait until that's over then go get what you need. The things I can reccomend are: Newborn and size 1 diapers, Pacifiers, Aspirator, Humidifer, Nail clippers, thermometer (for rectal temps) Infants Tylenol, Boppy (for breastfeeding), swing, Bumbo chair, burp rags (lots and lots), Diaper bag (Petunia Pickle Bottom makes cool ones), Lanolin breast ointment (if you are planning to breastfeed), Bassinet and a glider. I know there is more but it's hard to think of everything. I suggest you go to Target or Babies R' Us and take a look around.
i will share a few of my favorites with you. a stroller with a large area underneath for your diaper bag etc with a snap in car seat. go to the store and try them out because they have different height ones. Get a tiny love symphony n lights mobile. they are the absolute best. your baby will actually kick his feet to the music. They are wonderful. a tot block playpen. forget those little pack n plays. they are useless. no room for the baby to crawl around and roll over. the tot block by graco was reintroduced and it is a full size playpen. fantastic! I have one other thing that i swear by. Get some old fashioned white desitin. it works in less than 3 hours to relieve red bottoms. I have tried all of them and the old white paste is still the best in my opinion. In the hospital they will give you pacifiers if you ask for them so ask. deceide if you are going to breast or bottle feed. If you are going to breast feed and are going to be away from home from the baby then rent a pump. do not bother with a medella home unit. they are not powerful enough. you can find rental places on lists at the hospital. Best to you and your new little one
My favorite fun item (car seat, diapers, etc... are obvious) is my Boppie pillow. I am small breasted so for the first month it was a life saver to breastfeed with. Now I use regular pillows but I still use the Boppie everyday for other uses. You can use it as a great back-support pillow, under your knees when laying on your back, between your knees for side sleeping, and I set my laptop on it when I am in bed so it can breath and doesn't get too hot!
The best things I can recommend are the Snap-N-Go stroller frame for your infant car seat (much smaller, lighter, etc than any stroller system) and a cradle swing that swings side-to-side and the co-sleeper. As far as I know, the last 2 were not available 8yr ago. Also, if you plan to breastfeed, the Nursing Mother's Companion and a Boppy pillow (one up and one downstairs if you have a 2 story house, same with a bouncy seat) and a good breast pump to start using by 4wk of age if you want to use bottles at all. Talk to friends with babies/toddlers and borrow all you can!
You've got a lot of great responses. Here are a few things I leaned from a L&D nurse with 3 young kids of her own. 1) Get a padded stroller instead of using the snap in car seat type for infants. The car seat is not very padded so it's not ideal to have them in it for long periods of time. Spend the money on seperate products. 2) Get a baby sling for the first few months. The Bjorn is not good on a newborns hips and the sling swaddles the baby as if they were still in your womb. Very confortable for your little one. 3) Moses baskets are great for newborns because they are so portable. 4) Noisemakers can really help babies sleep since they are so accustomed to hearing your heartbeat, etc from the womb. One with ocean sounds or white noise would be great...or I've heard CD's that have a heartbeat in the background that are really soothing. Hope these suggestions help!
Boppy
Nose Aspirator
Humidifier
Diaper Depot
Diaper Duck (with refillable poop bags)
travel diaper changer with pockets for diapers, wipes AND cream
Hanging Highchair (the kind that suspend off the end of the table)
Exersaucer
Swing (depending on the baby)
Disposable Bibs
Insulate bag (for bottles and for food later)
And extra info:
Start collecting any and all coupons related to baby items, you never know when you might need them.
Go online and register on baby sites and product sites.
small blankets for swaddling. vibrating bouncy chair. bed that will fit next to your bed or connect to your bed or even better if your crib can fit in your bedroom. changing table with drawers. a rocking chair with a foot rest. socks. cotton long pants for sleeping. long sleeve oneses for sleeping. infant car seat and stroller to attach. breast pads for you. modela breast pump. boppy. nail file (very fine) for babys nails. after baby is born you might want to take her/him with you to pick a baby carrier that they like. my daughter is two months old and i have not used one yet. hopefully that helps. there is probably more but this is all i can think of for now. have fun!
i'm assuming that you will be having a shower. it will be good to register at your favorite store - target, babysrus, walmart, etc. true, there are so many new stuff for babies, kids. starting with feeding bottles, diaper bags, infant carriers, car seat, etc. try to go down to the store you want to register and look through their products. i suggest register for things you will be needing up till your baby is about 1 year old. i'm for pegperego carriers and strollers. very easy to manuever and really light. medela pump is really good. congratulations on your new addition to the family.
There are lots of new products available now in market…You can take help of google or other search engine…I m Jeff and we have more awesome collection for baby gift ideas you can check - http://www.babygiftbasketstores.com
All I can say is WOW. I am really new to Mamasource and I am so surprised by the number of great responses I got. Thank you all sooooooooooooo much you have no idea how much you have helped me. THANK YOU!!!