Baby Stuff

Soooo I thought I did a baby list of things I loved as a first time mom. But apparently I didn't. I know I emailed a few people but never blogged about it. I know I did a "things I've learned" blog at 7 weeks and I will probably add more "hindsight" points as well.

I guess I will skip some of the obvious things like having two kinds of pacifiers. Not caring the crap about nipple confusion. Give them that pacifier or bottle whenever you think it will help! I'm so beyond having every person tell you how you're going to screw up your child for doing this or that. Just love them and don't drop them or shake them even when it's tempting. 

#1 multiple pacifier clips. cute ones, because they will wear it with every outfit.

#2 I didn't use my Medula pump as much as others have due to the fact that I didn't go back to work BUT I really liked using it during the engorgement phase. that phase you think will never end and you can feed a small country. It would be awesome to borrow one and just buy new tubes if you're that worried about it. Make sure you don't forget about the milk storage part of pumping though…I honestly think this looks like the coolest thing because I hate having 5 million parts & pieces to keep up with and you will cry over your own spilled milk. We have all been there. PS the Medula bottles that came with the pump were plenty (no need for the others I bought) until they need a larger size.

#3 - I already mentioned the Soothie gel pads in my nursing post. Loved them. Went through 2 sets. Only went through one Lanolin tube and that was good too. But I did go through about 7 boxes of Lansinoh pads…but I may be an extreme case. Some hardly leak, I did a lot for a long time . . . obvi

#4 - I wish I had gotten a nice nursing cami

#5 - Invest in 9 month & 12 month sized clothes. She has lasted longer in those outfits. It seemed like she flew out of the younger sizes. I wish I had kept the tags on some of those smaller sizes.

#6 - The Rock Sleeper from Fisher Price was great for the first 3 months as a good bassinet that was easy to move from room to room and kept her elevated and tucked in on the sides.

#7 - we should have gotten a white noise machine. The teddy bear heartbeat was nice though.

#8 - I never used the boppy pillow for it's intended purpose, but I liked the Bumpo chair. I always got those names confused.

#9 - Lots of soft blankets, swaddle blankets & a couple velcro swaddles are a must

#10 - we went through a fair share of burb cloths in a day those first 6 months. Most were handmade. 

#11 - She loved the Ergo. She fell asleep anytime I went walking/shopping with her in it. It's expensive though so if you don't get it as a gift, good luck finding it on sale. Just make it last! Many people say it's better for your child's hips and maybe for you as well, not sure.

#12 - I love my big pocket Skip Hop diaper bag from Baby Depot for $30. It doesn't scream diaper bag. But the French Stripe design is even cuter.

#13 - I honestly think the car seats with the triangle handle are easier to carry, but I'm honestly not partial to car seats. Trust me, they'll all be too heavy. I liked that I had the option for it to go in the jogger stroller, but it's not essential. We liked ours because it has a larger weight limit. Our Graco jogger has worked great too. I think every jogger will take up your entire trunk though. So just keep that in mind . . .

#14 Oxiclean

#15 - For toys, I wish I had focused on things that were chewable. Easy to put in the mouth. Like this. For the first year. I mean really, her favorite thing to do it just pull stuff out of things. She'll chew on it for a bit and then toss it aside. She loves anything with tags. We stuck with wooden toys thinking they were more durable and well, nicer. I love the Lamaze giraffe & butterfly. I'm also a fan of the Sofia giraffe. It happened to work for us. Also toys that light up and make sounds are enjoyable as well. They just get old quick so choose wisely. This has been well liked. And so has this table. The door jumper has been great too - she can reach the kitchen cart and pull things out of the drawer and it's 20 minute entertainment. And then you can never go wrong with balls, especially if they are easy to pick up. She also really likes wind chimes. Apparently it's a baby thing.

#16 My glider. Love it. Use it morning and night.

#17 A lot of books. Variety is key. We can only use board books right now or ones with really strong pages. She tears the others. We especially love this one for the diaper bag. But these are also her favorites: The Going to Bed book (any of her books probably), Ten Busy Buzzy Bug book from Scholastic, A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon & Haiku Baby.

#18 Photo album. She loves pictures of herself. I want to make one that has her uncles & aunts & cousins too. Just pictures & names in a $1 album.

#19 Hobby Lobby has really cute bows, ones people sell on etsy as headbands. You can use girlie glue or make your own headband for a lot cheaper.

#20 Target diapers work great and are much cheaper. I also shop sales/coupons for diapers at the drugstores. Never a desire to try cloth diapers.

#21 Night lights. Don't forget that.

#22 Oh the big things - some sort of swing. Those are great. Until your kid hates it . . . then keep the receipt and try them out in something else? We passed on the activity center, but think a walker would be worth it. It's so relative to your budget, space & preference. We use the pack n play to visit grandparents and to keep her busy in the basement, but I could live without it. And we prefer the high chair that connects to the kitchen table. But they don't fit to all tables. And make sure all the big stuff is on your registry so that you can get an extra 10%-15% off - with coupons/sales - you can get good deals even buying new.

There's probably more I'll think of later.

The best questions to ask yourself when shopping are is it easy to clean, how long will the baby likely use it, is it easy to store away, and is it durable? It's kind of nice thinking that after the first kid, most things can be passed down and we only have to buy this crap once. That's why I didn't want a lot of pink.

UPDATE: I wish we had gotten this high chair from IKEA. So easy to clean and matches any room.