Baby Essentials? Advice for 1st time mom

[marijo2480]

Hi everyone! Just wondered if you had some advice for me. I've already spent about $130 on our baby, buying onesies (6 so far for newborns) one 4 pk of receiving blankets, plugs for outlets, stain remover, a few 3-6 month outfits, burping cloths (2 packs), socks, baby boy blanket, nursing bra for me, and I can't remember what else.

 

What are the essentials, and how do you know how much to buy (ballpark of course)?

 

Thanks for your advice!

[annie24]

you should have a baby shower soon and have people buy this stuff for you! enlist the help of a friend who has had a baby. i don't think you need to buy more clothes, you will get so many as gifts really soon!

 

ballpark price? $$$$ really expensive! apparently you need a couple thousand diapers or something, lol! do you have a breast pump? baby bathtub? crib?

 

i think you should have a baby shower and have a friend plan it for you!

 

good luck and have a happy pregnancy!

[kellbell]

Hey,

 

I went back and looked at your other posts and you are Iceman's wife! He posted that you are having a little boy. And I noticed today is his birthday. Wish him a Happy Birthday from eNotAlone!

 

Are you having a baby shower? If so, you should be able to get all kinds of goodies. Also, have you bought bottles, baby shampoo, bottle brush, lotion, cotton balls? Do you have a baby registry?

 

Congratulations!

[melrich]

What are the essentials, and how do you know how much to buy (ballpark of course)?

 

Don't buy too much before the baby is born. You will find people give you a lot of stuff and you don't know how big the baby will be or how fast he/she will grow (for example, our daughter outgrew all the 6 month stuff in about 2 weeks. She was in 1 year old gear by the time she was 7 months old.

 

The things I think are essential (aside what you have mentioned already) are a change table, a bassinet and lots of wraps.

[annie24]

link removed

link removed

 

some ideas....

[BornToResist]

I bought entirely too many clothes while I was pregnant. I found so many people who just had babies were very willing to give me all the baby clothes their children outgrew, and I ended up with way more than I even have room for. So my suggestion is to hold off on buying clothes, but here's some things I definently could not live without (my son is almost 3 weeks old so I'm still a rookie...)

 

-Changing table - I didn't think I'd need it but I'm so happy I got one.

--Things to stock it with (diapers, wipes, cotton balls, alcohol pads for umbilical cord, antibacterial hand wash, diaper rash cream, gauze, etc.)

-Blankets - I recommend buying at least one "swaddle-me" blanket...look it up, they're lifesavers.

-Baby thermometer

-Pacifiers

-Baby bath, towels, washcloths, baby soap and baby shampoo

-Bouncy seat

-Baby swing

-Crib/bassinet/pack n play for baby to sleep in, plus bedding

 

I also couldn't live without my glider chair and ottoman, complete lifesaver for those all-night crying sessions.

 

And if you're breastfeeding, I recommend buying a few nursing bras plus as many nursing shirts as you can get. Other ones get all stretched out trying to pull your boob in and out all the time (sorry, that's a little too much info...).

 

If you're having a baby shower (recommended!), you can register for all this stuff and you'll be surprised how much people are willing to help a new mom out. I'd also suggest that aside from the essentials you know you'll need (place to sleep, diapers, etc.) you might want to wait a little because your baby will be different from any other one and might hate some of the big-ticket items people will recommend to you.

 

How far along are you?

 

Good luck! Buying for babies is so much fun.

[marijo2480]

Thanks ladies for all the advice! This is so helpful! I need to check out the links that annie24 provided. Thanks a bunch!

 

I am 5 months this Friday, but we found out the sex of the baby at 18 weeks. It is a boy! Due date is July 20th.

 

Iceman and I met here a couple of years ago. We wed last year, and now have a baby along the way. We both feel we owe the site alot, and it's great that this pregnancy forum has been added over the years. I definitely think it's a lifesaver for any mom, especially new ones. ; )

 

So when's a good time to register?

[rocio]

Check out this thread with lots of good advice from moms: