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Expectant and Postpartum Moms
What is your crucial accessory?
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Anonymous
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I've seen several posters lately say something to the affect of "don't buy too much" and wait and see what you need. Like the post on bottle sterilizers - not that necessary, but some perks. Just wondering, but what are the things that you could NOT live without. If you were telling an expectant mom on a tight budget how to get the essentials, what would you say has made all the difference for you?
What have you never used and kick yourself for buying? |
Anonymous
| 2 essentials: 1) a place for baby to sleep in (crib or bassinet) since it's way too dangerous to have the baby sleep with you in your bed, and 2) car seat since you can't leave the hospital without it! |
Anonymous
| It's really hard to answer this question. What really helps one person doesn't necessarily help another. I think the best thing is to borrow stuff from people who've kids have outgrown it (excluding crib mattress). Before baby can sit up, I remember wanting different places I could 'put' her. But it's really not worth paying all that money for a short period of time (for swing, exersaucer, bumbo, etc.). Pick up as much as you can from others, from Craigslist/DCUM, etc. Then pass it on! |
Anonymous
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Get some sort of chair that rocks and reclines -- you'll do a lot of sleeping in it. Doesn't have to be new, doesn't have to be fancy but it must, must, must be comfortable.
For life with a newborn, my sling rocked. Baby would only sleep in arms, and after a while I wanted/needed my arms back for other things. A few weeks/months later, the Tiny Love mobile routinely gave me 20 minutes all to myself. Well worth the price. Get a $20 Fisher Price booster seat w/ tray instead of a $100 high chair. Easier to clean, easier to store, easier to take on trips. |
Anonymous
That's exactly it. I think the point is, it's smart to get the bare minimum and then buy what seems helpful once you realize you want it. One person's must-have is another person's dust-collector. So get: some simple baby clothes, some blankets, some diapers. A carseat. A thermometer. A stroller (though even that can wait til you know more of what you want). A place for baby to sleep (though again, that can wait -- our baby came early and ended up sleeping in a laundry basket for a week until my friend could loan us her co-sleeper, and then we went and bought a crib a few weeks later bc I hated the co-sleeper -- that's another story, but you see what I mean). A baby bath (though you can do baths in the sink for a while if you want). LATER, when you figure out what kind of baby you got, you can add stuff. Mine was colicky, so around one month, I ran out and bought (off DCUM, actually) a bouncer and swing -- total lifesavers for us, but I know other families who did great without them. All of these things are easy to buy if you decide you need them. It's not like you're going to realize an urgent need for a swing at 3 a.m. and not be able to survive until the stores open at 10 a.m. I know it feels good to feel prepared when you're pregnant and apprehensive, but you will do just fine with the wait-and-see approach -- I promise! |
Anonymous
| Another agreeing with the wait and see approach. Also, you never know what you'll be able to get/buy second hand. My neighborhood has a list serve where moms will sometimes post to borrow something to see whether their baby will like it. When my DD was in a colicky stage, I used the listserve to borrow a papsan swing - sure it would make all the difference. DD hated it. I returned it to my neighbor, thanking her for saving me $$$. Another neighbor has given me a hand-me-down swing, jolly jumper, and activity center. These have been really helpful, but I don't know that they would have been worthwhile to buy new. Even a bouncy seat, which I used a lot, wasn't something I really used in those first few weeks. |
Anonymous
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Nap Nanny
Fisher Price Swing Video Monitor Sponge cushion to put in plastic baby bath |
Anonymous
| The thing is, I'm not sure what was really essential since what I learned is that you will make do with what you have. For instance, I liked the bouncer, but I'm sure I would have done fine w/o it. A couple things that were not hits for me: boppy pillow (ended up finding a regular bed pillow worked much easier w/ my body) and the bumbo (my daughter put up with sitting in there only a handful of times). But, some people surely would add those things to their list of "must haves." The only thing that I can say I truly loved were the mesh feeder bags that I popped an ice cube in when my daughter began teething. It also helped get liquids in her when she had her first sore throat. And a dust buster. |
Anonymous
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A sling so I could nurse hands free and discreetly wherever and whenever I choose to do so - honestly, I would have given up the whole nursing thing if I hadn't been clued in to the way a sling can revolutionize a new mom's life. It's not something you should get before, but you should really explore getting one after the baby has arrived (that way you'll know what fits and what works for you and the baby).
And even if you don't nurse - a sling or comfortable carrier is really key when the baby is fussy and just wants to be held all the time. |
Anonymous
| I sort of skimmed the answers but did anyone say a bouncer seat? I could not have taken a shower or fixed a thing to eat without one. My son loved the Fisher-Price Rain forest one so much that he 'killed it' by the time he was 6 months old and I now need to buy another for my next baby. |
Anonymous
| Boppy pillow was a must for me. I had a c/s so it really cushioned the incision, and then even once it healed, the boppy was so much more comfortable than a regular pillow. |
Anonymous
| My Avent bottle warmer is indispensable. We never used the Diaper Genie. |
Anonymous
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What did I buy/receive and never use? Bottle warmer, wipe warmer, fancy diaper bag, sling, combo swing/bouncy seat (db hated it!), and the cute, fake shoes for infants. Also never used: teething rings and pretty much any toy intended for <4 mos.
What was essential? Carseat with universal stroller base. High-quality crib with those zip-off top fitted sheets - a lifesaver. Miracle blanket. |
Anonymous
| Don't forget cloth diapers - we used them as burp cloths. You can buy them at target, walmart, etc. |
Anonymous
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If you want to get really basic:
Infant car seat Diapers Place for your baby to sleep (we got a crib or whatever you decide) As for other things like clothes, blankets, and bath stuff we ended up with so much of that stuff as gifts we didn't have to buy any of it. OP How far along are you? If you haven't had your baby shower yet and are worried about getting things ready for the baby I understand. I was the same way. Was worried at 2 months about having everything ready for my DD and didn't think about baby showers (ended up having 4). Personal reccomendation is getting an ItzBeen timer. http://www.itzbeen.com/ It's soo soo worth it. You press a button and the time starts so you can see when was the last time the baby was changed, fed (even a button for which boob you last fed on), how long they've been asleep, and a miscellaneous one. It takes the guesswork out of blurry 2 am wakeups (after just feeding newborn at 12) where you're left wondering which boob did I feed baby from or how long has the formula been out. |