So I’m new to this whole mommy thing. Yup, totally clueless! A while back, I wrote about how overwhelmed I was. I’m doing better now but I’m still kinda clueless with some stuff.
We already have a ton of stuff for our baby girl, but it’s the neccesity items we don’t have…and that’s where I’m lost. I picked out stuff at the store that looked good to me and registered for it, but not sure what is best.
Bottles, pacifiers, swings, bouncers, breast pumps, etc, etc, ETC!
What are some must haves and any tips you can give me?
HELP!
karakaejames is the author of this blog: a pastor's wife & soon-to-be mommy! Click on the "about me" link on the side to learn more or send over an e-mail by clicking the e-mail link below...
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December 7th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Pacis and swings are wonderful. Most babies will take them, some won’t. Depending on if you are breast-feeding or bottle feedeing, will depend on your choices there. My suggestion is find a friend that is already doing what you decide and ask her advice on what equipmqnt to get. For newborns, RECEIVING BLANKETS!!!! Learn how to swadle a baby, it’s invaluable (the tighter, the better!!)!!! Also, they are great for modesty during breast-feeding, picking up spills, a host of uses!!!
There is so much stuff you’ll need or think you’ll need. I think the best advice I can give you is to find a reputable Thrift or Resale shop. Baby things can be expensive and you’ll find that they will VERY QUICKLY outgrow the clothes, equipment and toys. You should be able to find items at a fraction of the cost of new, and most of it will be hardly used!!!
I hope I helped. I’m so excited for you guys. I can’t wait to see pictures of her when she gets here!!!
December 7th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Swings are all basically the same. But I do suggest getting one with the vibration in the seat. Those things rock! Bottles, I would get Dr. Browns. They are expensive but AMAZING if your little one gets a little bit of colic. Ive breastfed three kids, and each time I had a different brand of pump. This time I got the Medela Swing. It is the best pump ever! No joke. Its fast, doesnt cause pain. And did I mention it was fast? You wont be sitting with a machine attached to you forever, which is nice. And pacifiers, I suggest getting several different kinds. Its basically whichever brand your baby likes best. When Tatum was a newborn she loved the soothie ones. And they are most like the breast so there is no nipple confusion. I LOVE Pampers. Ive used them on all three girls now. But again, its another one of those things that depends on your baby. Kim had extremely sensitive skin and I could use nothing but Pampers with her. I dont recommend Loves or Walmart brand diapers. Unless you enjoy being soaked in whatever fluids come out of your babies bottom
Although, Costco brand Kirkland diapers worked great. Not a single leak.
Ok, I think thats enough hahah hope it is helpful.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Hey girl it’s been awhile but I read this and thought I would give a little help. As far as bottles and pacifiers go every baby is different but my baby girl only takes AVENT on both and we have tried a lot. We have a swing that is battery operated and I hate it, I wish we would have got one that plugs in the wall cause we have changed the batteries a lot. Breast pumps- medela, know they r expensive but worth it! Everyone I know who didn’t get the medela to begin with ended up going out and
buying one later. Oh also boudreauxs butt paste diaper cream is awesome, my girl had diaper rash and I went and bought every cream I didn’t have and that was the only thing that helped. Hope thus helps! Congrats by the way!
December 7th, 2009 at 11:53 am
MUST HAVE: Swaddler! You can buy them and don’t have to worry about getting a blanket tight enough!
MUST HAVE: At Mardel or ebay you can get “Praise Baby” DVD’s. These are kind of like the Baby Einstein movies but it plays praise and worship music from “our days.” They are awesome! Jackson will be crying for no reason and I can turn that on and BOOM…he is fine! They are really great!
You will be a great momma and learn everything you need to know as you go!
December 7th, 2009 at 11:54 am
I agree with the swaddler- Kathryn wouldn’t start sleeping through the night until I started using one of those. They are a lifesaver.
Kathryn hated all the pacifiers I tried to give her except the soothies- I believe they give them to you at the hospital. The are the ridiculous round rubber ones. She loves those.
On the breast pump- I would wait until after you have her and make sure you are going to use it. As long as you are registered for one you can still get the 10% off after you have her at Babies R Us. If you have any friends willing to let you borrow theirs that would be great (just to see if you like it). I tried one of the double pump ones and didn’t like it so I’m really glad I didn’t waste all the money on it!
You should start (if you already haven’t) getting samples of formula and bottles in the mail. I saved those and when I was ready to introduce her to it I tried the different ones out. That helped me in choosing the bottles I wanted to buy. She ended up loving Avent and Playtex and didn’t like Dr. Browns too much so I think it just depends on the baby. I wouldn’t buy or register for too much of one kind b/c you might end up not liking it in the long run.
Good luck and you WILL learn as you go, I learn something new every day!
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December 7th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Ok, there was a book that I got that really helped me understand what I NEEDED and what was just for fun. It’s called “Baby Bargains” and it’s AWESOME. It has reviews for different products and will help you sort through the MESS that is BabiesRUs and etc. You will figure a lot out as you go along. I couldn’t do without baby blankets (you use them for things you never thought you would), lap pads (layer them on your changing table and it saves you the hassle of washing your changing cover all the time), and pacifiers (which you will lose in your own house). Hope that helps!
December 7th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Kae Kae,
I have no real advice to give you, but what I do know is that it will all come to you! Your baby will be totally different from another’s. God made you to be a mommy and you will be a perfect mommy for your little baby! Be confident! Take the advice from all the mommy’s, use it, and don’t worry!! You’re great! Love you!
December 7th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I saw your status on facebook and had to give you a few tips!! Plug in swing is for sure a great idea. Our’s eats batteries like known other. A floor gym is a great idea too. It’s important to let them play on the floor so they can roll over and learn to touch and play with objects!! We got a pretty pink and green one at Target. Swaddling is important and our life saver is a velcro swaddler (target) because after a month they can get out of blankets. One important tip is to move your baby into their room by 6 weeks! Once we did Ellie started sleeping through the night!! Honestly, we had no issues with bottles or pacifiers. She loved the pacifiers from the hospital, which they will give you a handful of if you just ask!! Now at 4 months she likes the larger, basic, cute ones because they’re easier to hold in their mouth.
You for sure need a pump with dual bottles so you can pump both breasts at once. It only takes 5 minutes to pump with a dual pump!! I have a cheaper brand pump and it works great but I really believe breastfeeding and pumping is painless if you prepare yourself. I “roughed up” my nipples in the shower every day for a couple minutes starting at 7 months!! I just used a washcloth. I’ve never had any pain with breastfeeding or pumping because of that. Pampers Sensitive diapers are the best. If you’re not already having one you should have a “Man Shower” where your husband can have all his friends bring diapers!! We haven’t paid for diapers yet and I don’t think we’ll have to for months. I think a diaper genie and wipe warmer are real nice to have!! You’ll also want a wedge in her crib and bassinet with some elevation to the mattress. Other SIDS prevention items are a fan and humidifier.
Most importantly you need to be as calm as possible with your baby, especailly while you learn to breastfeed. Babies feed off your emotions. The calmer you are the calmer your baby will be. A baby never died from crying…when they cry stop and think about the only options it could be (hunger, sleep, or dirty diaper). Ellie never cries from a dirty diaper though so we only have two options when she’s upset.
Babies sleep a lot so just be aware of that. Ellie’s four months and she still takes a morning, lunch, afternoon, and evening nap!!
Last but not least. Once you move them into their crib don’t let them rely on anything to fall asleep. We gave her a pacifier at first but every time it fell out she’d wake up….so we just put her to bed and let her cry herself to sleep for a while (5-15 minutes for about 1-2 weeks). Now she knows it’s bed time when we put her in her crib with the fan and humidifier on.
WOW, that’s a lot of info. Hope it help!!
December 7th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
You have no idea how much I wish I could get all this baby stuff to you.. ALl of MOllys stuff.. is in such good cont.. I got mostly new stuff for her. and of course you only use it for a bit.. I agree with the swaddler blanket.. I have a great pink one.. my sister bought me.. saved my life, that and of course the pump,… I have a double one and it is a life saver.. oh and the sling… my babies live in their sling for the first couple of months..
miss you guys..xoxoxox
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December 7th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
One thing I did wrong with Madison when I brought her home was walk on egg shells while she was sleeping….don’t do that she would wake up so easily. When I brought Logan home I put the bassinet in the living room so he would get used to all the noise. He can sleep through anything!!!
I agree with Amy on the breast pump-dont buy anything until you are 100% on breast feeding. If you can borrow someones that would help.
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December 7th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
You can also rent really good quality breast pumps from the hospital for a very cheap price….don’t waste your money on the cheap ones…either that or if you plan on having multiple kids, invest in a really good one (usually in the $250 range).
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December 7th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
This website might help. http://babystuffreview.com/
You will find that your baby will help you decide what she likes. You may like one type of bottle and she may decide she hates it. Diapers are all in the wearing. What you like, how well it holds liquid, how it fits, and of course price.
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December 7th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Here’s another one. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/index.htm?EXTKEY=SG72K03&CMP=KNC-CROBABIESG&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=babies_kids_product
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December 7th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Dr brown bottles, buy just the kit that attaches to the breast pump and then rent the one that is hospital grade from the hospital some insurance will pay for it though. I will keep thinking for you.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I agree with keeping baby girl in the living room or wherever you are. We borrowed a moses basket from Laynie and it was awesome because I just him with me from room to room and he actually slept in the basket at night in his pack n play. When we moved him to his nursery we had a fan in there to create white noise so that we could still watch TV at a normal level and do other things in the house – i can vacuum the hallway to his room and he never wakes up! but when it got cold we bought a sound machine instead of the fan – don’t buy one, just sayin
one thing i wish we had bought is a video monitor. i didn’t think it was necessary at first but now that Braden is more mobile and standing up in his bed it would be nice to see what he is doing in there when he is supposed to be napping!
In the first couple of months my Boppy pillow went with me EVERYWHERE! It was great for breast feeding especially but i also would lay a blanket over it and prop up Braden’s head and he would fall asleep. Now i KNOW that they say NOT to do that, but he did just fine
And just so you know – don’t always go by the book/internet or whatever. You will get the hang of it and stop reading everything you can get your hands on! Just have fun with her and learn about HER – not every baby does what the books say!
You are going to be the best mommy ever so just have fun! No worries!
December 8th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
My advice is toys. I love toys, I’m just a big kid.
I also love Snuggies, I bet a Snuggie would be good for you and Brook, but wear it like a robe or coat so you can snuggle with you girl and keep both of you warm!! 
Blanket + sleeves = awesome.
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December 8th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
If a lot of people are throwing showers for you… see if one of them can be a diaper and wipe shower. I had one and it was great. My daughter is 5 months old and I have yet to but any diapers!
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December 9th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Ha! Snuggies.
December 18th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Good question! Wished I would have thought to ask this when I was preggo.
Breastfeeding-I like my “My Brest Friend” nursing pillow a MILLION times better than my boppy pillow. The boppy you can also use during tummy time, but for nursing, I didn’t like it AT ALL.
Pumps-I have the Lansinoh double electric, and love it. However I’ve heard awesome things about the Medela Freestyle handsfree. (but way more $$)
~MUST HAVE~ Hands free pumping bra..bought it at Downtown Harris Hospital. This made pumping A MILLION TIMES EASIER! Easy Expression Bustier-I”m sure you can find it online.;
Bedding/Room Decor-I wish I wouldn’t have registered for the “online only” bedding that was more expensive than the just as cute/cheaper in store stuff. Honestly up until 10months Hendrix had only slept in his crib TWICE and that was during nap time. I’ve heard the “co-sleeper” is great product.
Carseat-The Graco Snugride 32 carseat I thought was the best deal (after MUCH debate) because it goes to 32 inches or 32lbs. (actually I think now they have a 35) Others we looked at would have him in the big boy seat sooner. The big boy seat we will be buying is the Safety 1st AirProtect (inlaws are getting the Graco MyRide 65 for their vehicle), it is supposed to last until Kindergarten!
Babywearing (if you plan on wearing Baby A.)- I have/have had: hotsling, ring sling, moby wrap( http://www.mobywrap.com), babyhawk. Out of those, I recommend the hotsling and babyhawk. (the baby hawk isn’t sold in stores that I know of, just http://www.babyhawk.com ) You are more than welcome to come over and try them on and see if you like them. Both are very easy to use, the babyhawk holds baby upright (especially good for babies with reflux and colic).
Toys- Don’t forget to register for toys that are a little bit older. Hendrix LOVES his rainforest jumperoo http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2508003
He also loved this playgym (great for back and tummy time) http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266983
Any of the play gyms that have things on the mat itself makes it great for tummy time.
Health- I had the little kit that comes with a thermometer, hairbrush, medicine pacifier, etc…not worth the money. We just bought (per rec. of our pediatrician) the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer and I LOVE IT! It takes like 5 seconds to take his temp, where the under arm took FOREVER.
*****Sleeptime- The Kiddapotamus swaddleme sleep wrap WORKS MIRACLES
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265540
OK that is all I can think of right now. Hope it isn’t information overload!