Fortunately, I had some help with the cleanup. Our laundry room has a new resident -- a much-needed washer to replace the cantankerous 15-year-old one that came with the house, one that refused to drain every third use and would only take loads half its capacity because it was so badly unbalanced (broken ball bearings may have been the culprit). In one day, I did five rounds of serious laundry that would in the past have amounted to thirteen -- ten initial loads plus about three rewashes for the ones that didn't empty during the rinse cycle. And we wonder now why we didn't make the replacement sooner ... ! Forgive me for going on about this, but I'm in love.
The baby gear industry, I suspect, would like me to fall equally head over heels for about 10,000 other products it's been informing me of daily. (You don't want to see my inbox.) When the influx of ads and offers began, we'd already started the process of researching the items we'd need to have ready for February -- a place for baby to sleep and a car seat are the only large-scale absolute necessities -- but the lists of other stuff the industry would have us believe we can't live without are a bit overwhelming. I'm doing my best to ignore the propaganda, but I do take recommendations from anyone who's actually a parent. What did you find was really worth having around in those first months? What, in the
Feel free to go into as much detail as you'd like. Of course, the name of the product with a simple thumbs-up like the one we got from our baby at Tuesday's doctor visit will also suffice.
6 comments:
The four things that saved my life in the early months were:
1. a vibrating bouncy seat (in my experience, kids either love the swing, the sling, or the bouncy seat; mine all loved the seat);
2. the Snap N Go stroller (you can move the infant seat from the car directly into the stroller without waking the babe);
3. the My Breast Friend (if you're thinking of nursing); and
4. a glider with ottoman (I spent many an hour in mine...and I still do).
So exciting!!!
Thanks, Kristen! Exciting indeed. Lucky you that all the kids loved the bouncy seat -- D's brothers responded very differently to various soothing tools so his parents had to reinvent their system each time around. (Not surprising, but still ...)
Yes to the glider and ottoman. We just passed ours along a couple of months ago. It was kind of sad to see it go.
Video monitor: They didn't have these yet when my kids were born, but I've seen parents with them and they are so cool. I would have been great to have one.
Moses basket: Instead of a full-on co-sleeper thing, we used a moses basket with a stand. It was easy to move it around from room to room. This was key since I liked to put the baby down during its naps (so he/she wouldn't be dependent on my body for sleeping), but I like to have the baby sleep in whatever room was best.
Combi stroller: I think my favorite stroller was a combi. It was kind of convertible since I could either have the baby sitting in it, lying in it, or I could snap the car seat into it. I really liked this brand because it was light and the wheels had great action! But I also imagine strollers have come a long way in the past decade.
For You: nursing bras and button up shirts (if you plan to nurse)
For the hospital: nail scissors or baby socks. The Boy was born with fairly long nails, and he kept scratching himself. The nurses said they weren't allowed to cut his nails (?), and I wished we'd had nail scissors (these little baby nail scissors are better than clippers). As it was, cut up a onesie and used tape to cover his hands. Baby socks might have worked, too.
Baby sleep sacks with drawstrings at the bottom so middle of the night changes are easy.
:) If I think of more I'll let you know!
Terrific list, GEW. I've seen those video monitors too. D, being the tech junkie he is, is considering how to wire something up himself with inexpensive cameras rather than buying the monitors on the market ($300 in some cases!).
We are also lucky enough to have D's dad, who is a basket weaver in his spare time. He's making us a basket just as you described. How did you keep yours stain-protected?
As for nail scissors or mitts for wayward hands, good call, especially if we don't get the swaddling thing figured out right off. And sleep sacks with drawstrings at the bottom -- would never have thought of that!
Swaddling! That reminds me of the "Miracle Blanket"! We never got swaddling down very well for the Boy. But we got a "Miracle Blanket" for the Girl, and it was awesome! She loved it! Well, she loved it until she was a few months old and, no matter, what was strong enough to get an arm out. She would get so pissed off about the flailing arm that, at that point, we stopped swaddling. But for the first few months? She was a perfectly swaddled baby burrito in her Miracle Blanket.
And I just remembered some thing actually called a sleep sack. It goes great with the drawstring thingys or any jammies. We used it with the Boy to keep him warm, and we used it with the Girl once we weren't swaddling. Look up "HALO Sleep Sac." It's great since they can't have loose bedding and we live somewhere cool (as do you!). :)
I am all about simplified swaddling! Receiving blankets are great, but I don't trust myself to tuck them in tightly enough. The Miracle Blanket sounds like a great option.
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