should i be running out to walmart?

[rocio]

LOL - Only 30? Many women do get caught up in buying every little thing that "might" be needed. Others do not. Sounds like you are pretty practical?

 

Can you scan the ultrasound pic? I'd love to see it but I've heard scanning can ruin them? (Didn't ruin mine when I scanned it.)

 

It didn't ruin my last ones.. I'll get them online soon. Thanks for your curiosity. it feels so good to show off the pictures and know that it's something I made. Such a miracle really.

[BornToResist]

Hey I just wanna let you guys know...besides consignment stores, you can get a lot of cheap stuff on Craigslist. They have a "babies/kids" section and you can go look at it before you buy it. I found some really great stuff on there and bought one of those glider chairs from the site for really cheap.

 

Anyways just throwing that out there.

[Tech Girl]

I've got a 15 month old. We had a ton of supplies. In reality, the only things we needed on hand for the first month when baby came home was:

diapers

wipes

receiving blankets (for swaddling)

sleepers

bottles & supplies (if not breastfeeding)

baby shampoo

alcohol & q-tips for the umbilical cord

 

The only "big ticket item" we wanted and used was a bassinet. Daughter slept in that next to our bed the first 2 months. Then I moved her to the crib.

 

Things we never needed or used:

pack & play

diaper genie

changing table

fancy diaper bags (just use the free ones...serioulsy)

 

Things to think about getting later on when baby is about 2 months old or as-needed:

bouncy seat

high-chair (4-6 months old)

swing

babyproofing things (9 months old)

interactive toys

 

Do NOT spend much (if any) money on a mobile for the crib. Waste. My baby could have cared less about dangly things over her head. I don't think she could see that far anyway. If you do get a mobile...get something that winds up & doesn't need batteries. Battery-powered ones that light up & play music drain batteries FAST. Complete waste.

[rocio]

Things we never needed or used:

pack & play

diaper genie

changing table

fancy diaper bags (just use the free ones...serioulsy)

 

 

Thanks for your input.

 

This is exactly what I'm afraid of - buying stuff that doesn't get used and takes up space. I like simplicity and don't want a bunch of useless baby stuff filling up my apartment. I would probably just throw it out (or give it away) in the end, and then feel wasteful.

 

Although I think I just might have to go out and buy a burberry diaper bag because I'm a sucker for designer bags.

 

My sister says babies are a girl's greatest accessory.. He he.

[justpaisley]

 

Things we never needed or used:

pack & play

diaper genie

changing table

fancy diaper bags (just use the free ones...serioulsy)

 

Do NOT spend much (if any) money on a mobile for the crib. Waste. My baby could have cared less about dangly things over her head. I don't think she could see that far anyway. If you do get a mobile...get something that winds up & doesn't need batteries. Battery-powered ones that light up & play music drain batteries FAST. Complete waste.

 

 

Tech Girl, you just named my and my son's favorite things. The Pack N Play was his bassinet for the first 2 months he was home and we use it whenever we have guests. We blow up an air mattress in his room and use that as the guest bedroom (we have a 3rd bedroom, but it's pretty much the cats' domain), then put the Pack N Play in our room and he sleeps there. He's also going to pretty much live in it over Christmas, since we're doing so much traveling. I went with a Diaper Champ instead of a Diaper Genie (you need special bags for the Genie and can use anything with the Champ) and I love how much it cuts down the smell in the room. (A covered waste basket would do the exact same thing though.) The changing table is an absolute MUST in my house, there's no way I'm changing my kid and his funky butt on any other surface. It's REALLY nice having a place to put the diapers, wipes, q-tips, lotions, creams, etc. for when he gets out of the bath and any time he needs a diaper change. I agree about the diaper bag, the free ones are fine, but my mom got me a diaper bag that matches our car seat. (Don't tell my mom, but I actually liked the free one better.)

 

And my son loves his mobile in his crib, he stares at it for a long time. When he's in his swing, he calms down fastest when it's playing music, and loves looking at lights, so I just got him one of link removed on eBay and can't wait for it to come in... it should make nap time a little easier. His swing goes through 4 D batteries every 2 weeks or so, but I think the swing is absolutely, without a doubt, my favorite baby item in the house. It calms him down so quickly and keeps him calm, even when he's at his grumpiest. I swear, I'd take it to bed and cuddle with it if it weren't so big.

 

Obviously, each baby is different and each mom is different. Fortunately, you won't need any of these things when the baby comes home, and as your time with him/her evolves, you can discover what you feel is best for your baby and for you.

 

Also, as far as the car seat goes, a lot of moms find that babies sleep very well in their carriers when they're first born, and it's a good way to keep them around you without waking them up. My son slept REALLY well in his carrier for a while - unfortunately, he was on an apnea monitor when he came home and sleeping in the carrier put him in a position that the monitor would have all kinds of false alarms, so we had to break him of it.

[melrich]

The changing table is an absolute MUST in my house, there's no way I'm changing my kid and his funky butt on any other surface. It's REALLY nice having a place to put the diapers, wipes, q-tips, lotions, creams, etc. for when he gets out of the bath and any time he needs a diaper change.

 

I agree. Must haves - crib, change table, car seat, bassinet.

 

The rest you can easily do without. You could do without a change table too if you have plenty of flat surfaces around but the practicallity of having a place to store everything within easy reach I think outweighs the cost of the table (they're pretty cheap anyway and you can easily sell when no longer needed).

[Tech Girl]

For us, the reason we didn't use or need a changing table is because we have a fairly large house. If she needs her diaper changed, I hate taking her upstairs to her room and being isolated to that 1 place with all the supplies to change her pants. I keep diapers and wipes in a few places around our house, so I can change her wherever and just get it over with. Some people love the changing table...others don't. I just like the freedom to change her pants whenever and wherever I'm at. Kind of like relationships...I need freedom and don't like to be tied down. LOL!

[southerngirl]

2 kids and I have never had a changing table. I always used the couch, my bed, wherever I happened to be... laying a changing pad or just a towel under the baby.

 

This time though, I have a changing table..... mother in law bought it for us, not even sure how Ill go about using it this will be a new experience... ahhh shes my last may as well spoil me.

[ImThatGirl]

Something I just thought of that we couldn't live without!!

 

I couldn't find ANY diaper rash cream that worked well and quickly.

 

We used Resinol. You have to get it from the pharmacy but don't need a prescription. Around $6.00 a jar. This stuff worked wonders on diaper rash and everyone I know wouldn't go without it when having an infant!

[Dilly]

Something I just thought of that we couldn't live without!!

 

I couldn't find ANY diaper rash cream that worked well and quickly.

 

We used Resinol. You have to get it from the pharmacy but don't need a prescription. Around $6.00 a jar. This stuff worked wonders on diaper rash and everyone I know wouldn't go without it when having an infant!

 

 

Great advice. I want to stock up on practical items like this. Clothes, bedding, cloths, and blankets you can wash. My friend has a network of preggos at her workplace and is selling stuff at a reduced cost. I intent to make use fo that.

[southerngirl]

Wow, I will have to look for this resinol. I havent ever used it before. Always have used balmex. Also, vaseline (petrolium jelly) can take away mild redness, of course after whiping if you put it onto the baby it blocks the amonia from their wet diaper getting to the skin. So I use that regularly even when there is no rash.

[melrich]

Wow, I will have to look for this resinol.

 

Have a look at Lanisol too. It is more comonly used as a nipple cream but what I like about it is it's pure lanolin, nothing artificial, nothing medicated. We have found it the best for nappy rash and there is no limit on the time you can use it for because it is all natural. The other bonus of it is because it has a consistency similar to vaseline, it stays on unlike a lot of medicated creams which tend to get rubbed off by the nappies.

[Dilly]

I mentioned resinol and lanisol to my quasi sis- and brother-in-law last night. They were like, yeah yeah, nothing like desinide cream. These are people with lots of advise, yet they didn't want to even discuss other approaches. ...end of rant.

[ImThatGirl]

lol, Dilly! I assume there are alot of "diaper rash" creams that aren't marketed or advertised as "diaper rash" cream.

 

I only heard of resinol while my children were in diapers. It worked great. I'm sure the other ones work great too!

 

Under Arm Thermometer was great too! Something I used when mine were babies and still use today. The temp reflected on the digital reader is their actual temp, no adding needed (like if you use a regular therm under arm have to add 3.)

link removed

[ImThatGirl]

Also - Make sure you have "Baby Tylenol" on hand. Nothing worse than little one coming down sick and having to rush to the store with a sick baby.

 

Hazey - - - This one for you especially. Can't imagine having to catch a cab with a sick little one!

 

Trying to think of anything I could not have done without!

[rocio]

Hazey - - - This one for you especially. Can't imagine having to catch a cab with a sick little one!

 

Trying to think of anything I could not have done without!

 

Don't worry - I've been taking notes.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Dilly]

Thanks for the underarm thermometer and baby tylenol recommendations. Very good. I've heard some babies get sick and febrile as soon as they come home. What a nightmare.

[ImThatGirl]

I assumed you were. I'm feeling like mother hen here. Now, don't forget this. Don't forget that.

 

You are all going to be wonderful, wonderful mothers!

[southerngirl]

One thing that was a TOTAL waste of money, for me anyway.

 

We bought one of those higher priced thermometers that is supposed to take temp by using the ear for 30 seconds (maybe less). Well, it never seemed to work when we tested it out on ourself...

 

yeah my hubby is like a big kid and had to play with it. But he would take his own temp using it and everytime get a different reading so I asked the pediatrician if I should even trust it, (Id been using a digital thermometer in his booty) and he wasnt very old at that time.

 

The doc told me do not trust the kind that measures using the ear at all, and that he doesnt recomend them to anyone. He said that the best way with a newborn is to literally use the booty... *sigh* what a waste of money.

[ImThatGirl]

I agree with about the ear one. Junk! The underarm worked well tho and is fairly inexpensive (@ $15.00?)

 

Another brand I loved for Cradle Cap and dry skin:

 

"Gentle Naturals" Can be found at your local pharmacy store (CVS, Osco, Walgreens, Walmart.)

 

link removed

 

Just noticed they also have a tummy soother. Never used it but I'd probably grab some of it too!

[ImThatGirl]

A friend of mine mentioned she would not go without Mylicon, Gas Relief.

 

link removed

 

Good thing to keep on hand:

Pedialyte for flu or diarrhea..

 

link removed

 

Another thing we LOVE are the nightgowns for girls or boys. They make night time changing so much easier!

 

Like these but (Walmart, Kohls, Meijer, any dept store much cheaper!)

 

link removed

 

Don't forget the infant/baby nail clippers!

[southerngirl]

As far as nail clippers, they sell a small kit that has clippers, brush, file, and other things in it.. Off hand I cant think of what that would be called. But the babies nails grow SO SO fast, and you dont want them to hurt themselves so you need to keep them things filed down. I never clipped with the clippers at first cause Ive always been afraid to hurt the baby.

 

Another thing that I found very useful is sleepers that had closed ends for the hands, and they even sell these mitton type things for newborns so they cant scratch themselves.

 

When my youngest was small (he is 22 months old now) I remember freaking out because he CUT HIS FACE when I didnt have his hands covered! bad mommy.....

[justpaisley]

A friend of mine mentioned she would not go without Mylicon, Gas Relief.

 

link removed

 

 

Sheesh, I can't believe I didn't remember that. THAT is a must-have. I saw some stuff in the grocery store called Gripe Water, which I felt more comfortable with since it was all natural, but it didn't work nearly as well as the Mylicon and it's a little harder to administer.

 

And I'm seconding southerngirl about the digital ear thermometer. That thing is crap. The NICU sent us home with a bunch of stuff my son had used during his stay, and one was an under-arm thermometer. I figure if it's good enough for the NICU, it's good enough for us.

 

As far as diaper rash cream goes, my son's actually never had a diaper rash, and he's 6 months old. Now that I've put that out in the universe, he'll probably have one this weekend, but I've never had to use any creams on him. I wouldn't be able to show my face in my family if I didn't use Boudreaux's Butt Cream on him though... but that's kind of a Mississippi/Louisiana thing. Apparently, it's magical.

 

One luxury item that was REALLY nice for me was the bottle warmer. It is light years faster than boiling a pot of water on the stove. I had to pump breast milk, so I always had to warm up the bottle out of the refrigerator. I couldn't figure out the bottle warmer at first, so I used the pot of water on the stove. Once I figured out the bottle warmer, in addition to feeling stupid, I was soooo happy.

[justpaisley]

When my youngest was small (he is 22 months old now) I remember freaking out because he CUT HIS FACE when I didnt have his hands covered! bad mommy.....

 

I HATE clipping my son's fingernails!!!!! He's got a big scratch under his eye because I let them get so long. It's so frustrating because right when I'll have the nail in just the right place, he'll jerk. I've cut his fingertips twice already and just wanted to crawl into a hole, I felt so bad. I try to do it when he's sleeping hard on my lap, but that doesn't happen often enough.

[scarew]

I didnt read all the replies, but FYI I am not going out buying a bunch of crap either. My cous is due at the end of feb and is going CRAZY. But thats mostly because she has no life right now. I figure the same, most of it will get given to me, and I will buy the rest of what I need WHEN I need it. Its the first grand-baby on both sides of our family so we figure we will get alot of stuff. If not, we'll get it later.

 

But there is one thing I am intrigued to buy that my cous got from walmart the other day. Its a bassinet that changes into a changing table and a playpen! Space saver! Maybe I will just tell my rents about it and they will get it for xmas hee hee.

 

The thing is too, you probably will run into alot of ppl that are done having kids and would gladly donate their stuff to you. And since babies grow out of everything so fast, its all practically brand new.

 

One thing I will make sure I have before I go to punch this baby out is a carseat so I can take him/her home, and something warm to wear.