One Essential Baby Item

[_Asti_]

The rock and play is heaven sent. We had our little one in a bassinet in the pack n play and were given the rock n play from a fellow preemie mom and OMG... She slept 7 hours the first night she went into it! Amazing.

 

As for swings, it's hard to say. We were gifted the MamaRoo, which is a crazy swing but she loves it. Worth $300? No but it was a gift. We put a few different things on the registry not knowing what she liked yet and have tried them out.

 

I don't know if there's one single item or two.

 

I'm thankful for breast pump (as I'm exclusively pumping)

 

Muslin swaddle blankets. Soft, lightweight, we use them for eveything... Haven't even used any of those cotton receiving blankets.

 

Leave tags on clothes. My little one was given all summer newborn-3mths clothes and she's just wearing that size now and it's fall. I returned them all and she's got a full wardrobe for fall now.

 

White noise things are good. Babies r us has the lamb (and I think other animals) that have various white noise settings. The minute it goes on she goes silent and eyelids go heavy (she also falls asleep when I vacuum or blow dry my hair!) but it's good to take on the go too!

 

Don't register for a specific brand of bottle. I put on a full starter set from one company (that everyone said was a must!!) and when we tried a bottle from it and she didn't take to it we were stuck with the full set. It was trial and error with various bottles to find one that works for her. Just put singles on.

 

I've also enjoyed having a carrier for her. Knowing she would have been small I would have done a wrap style sling as well, but she's finally heavy enough for the Ergo carrier (with insert) and I can easily walk the dog, do groceries etc without lugging a car seat or stroller around. She's not a clingy baby and doesn't care to be held, but I've heard from many people that there are days when their baby doesn't want to be put down

[Seraphim]

I think the one essential item will be different depending upon the age and stage of your infant/toddler. Newborn infants oh my goodness I just loved the baby swing for a few minutes of peace and quiet.

[Cheetarah]

Yep, my son didn't like the bouncy seat. I thought it was cool. I wish they made adult sized ones. It was like a very plush papasan chair that made nature sounds. He sat in it but not for long and he wasn't ecstatic over it.

 

You know what I had though, and it actually worked - I had a fetal doppler and I read somewhere that if your baby is fussy, make recordings of your own heartbeat through it and play it for them. So I did that, and he really liked it. It's all whooshy and womb like sounding.

[littleL_RN]

We made a lot of progress with the baby item/registry list this weekend. Thank you girls so much!

 

I wound up registering for both the Rock'n Play and Pack and Play and honestly, no matter if someone else buys it or we do, we'll probably end up with both. Especially now after hearing about how it can really help a baby with reflux. I had and still do have a good deal of reflux issues, as does my mom. If little lady follows the genetic line, better to be safe than sorry.

 

With the exception of towels, burp cloths, and a couple blankies, I steered clear of any clothes. My whole family knows it's a girl so I'm expecting to be a tad overwhelmed with carefully selected wardrobe.

 

Right now, I'm weighing out my car seat options. I originally picked the Britax B Safe per a recommendation from my sister-in-law, but I just saw a commercial for the new Graco 4Ever, which is more expensive but expands to fit the baby all the way through childhood.

[Seraphim]

Just watch for the expiry dates on the car seats because they have expiry dates. And allow for having to get a different car seat. When my husband was involved in an accident even though my son was not in his car seat you still can never use that car seat again. We also had to get another car seat after I was rear-ended even though he was not in it. I think my son had four different car seats. So try not to plan for having one car seat from birth till five years old.

 

My son was also in a booster seat until he was 10 because he did not meet the weight limit for going without one.

[littleL_RN]

Thanks, Victoria. That's a really good thought. I'll stick to my original pick then!

[tattoobunnie]

Having the link removed (our brand was Graco) was so helpful! We could take the carrier out of the car, and clip him right into the stroller that went on top. Then when he got older, he used the stroller without the seat. We still use it, and he's two.

 

Although, beyond a certain weight and height, you'll may still need a rear-facing to forward facing one, depending how tall and fast the baby grows. Our kid was in the 95th percentile up until 18 months, so yeah, that mini-crib we got did NOT work out for very long.

 

We also got two car seats initially. The other one is a link removed in like Velvet, and wow, you really get what you pay for. Recaro is what racecar drivers use. It's the mack-daddy one we leave in hubby's car.

 

And with Liam now being two, in my car (he's also 36" tall and 30 lbs), he got him a transition one that turns into two levels of booster - but you've got plenty of time for that. Everyone will says how fast it goes, but you will get the time to enjoy them!

[littleL_RN]

TB - We settled on the City Mini stroller which fits the Britax car seat with a $20 adapter. I really wanted a jogger, and the City Mini is supposed to be practical for everyday activities, too. Although I'm definitely intrigued by this Recaro car seat now, too!

[Cheetarah]

When are you due?

 

I got an infant seat having had my son in December, because I wanted to not have to take him out of the seat in the cold. He outgrew it at about 6 months and I got a convertible. If I were due in the summer/spring months I think I would have skipped the infant and gone straight for a convertible. However, the Britax B Safe has higher height and weight limits than my infant seat did, so you will get more use out of it.

[littleL_RN]

I'm due January 17, so we'll be in the midst of the freezing temps!

[Seraphim]

I'm due January 17, so we'll be in the midst of the freezing temps!

 

Then yeah you probably want a car seat you can carry inside. My son was in an infant carrier for 8 months and then went into one that was permenantly mounted in the car.

[IAmFCA]

I'm due January 17, so we'll be in the midst of the freezing temps!

 

The warm toasty sacks that zip up and keep baby warm. I am sure they have a cuter name.... We found them in the Netherlands before we saw them in the US. Invaluable for sleeping and going about in the cold air.

 

The next thing I loved was the sling. Carried both children in the sling, everywhere. Around the house, out on walks with friends, everywhere.

 

Once baby grows enough to have a strong neck, then we loved the baby carrier that their dad would wear - a Snugli. Ours was a front carrier that could convert to a backpack when they were older.

 

Finally, and again for an older baby... we found a chair that could be attached to a table, two clamps and a metal frame from which a nylon chair would hang, so that baby could sit at the table with us when we eat out. Better than a high chair, and not everywhere has a high chair.

 

SO FUN!

[littleL_RN]

IThinkICan -- I actually have both of those items picked! The car seat cover is basically like a fleece-lined sleeping bag that goes right around the car seat. It looks like an Ugg boot. Haha.

 

And we decided on the Ergo Baby carrier. The baby can be faced into your chest, forward, and placed in backpack position later on. And it's just manly enough looking for my husband's taste!

[Batya33]

IThinkICan -- I actually have both of those items picked! The car seat cover is basically like a fleece-lined sleeping bag that goes right around the car seat. It looks like an Ugg boot. Haha.

 

And we decided on the Ergo Baby carrier. The baby can be faced into your chest, forward, and placed in backpack position later on. And it's just manly enough looking for my husband's taste!

 

We did not like the Ergo -it did not feel solid enough when he was an infant so we returned it and got the black Baby bjorn carrier which I loved but I used it far more than he did.

[Cheetarah]

Oh, the sleep sacks? Yes, those are great(in lieu of blankets)!

[_Asti_]

I think carriers are tricky. We have the ergo but not the one that faces forward. We can finally use it with the insert since she's over 8lbs now and we like it but I am debating the bjorn (which may get second hand for $40) since she is so nosy and keeps turning her head to see outward and around her. What's tricky is she's pretty much an 8lbs baby that can hold and support her own head...but requires a newborn insert to fit!