aka: Navigating Through All the Baby Stuff (Part 1)
Adleigh is 3 months old! I have had 3 amazing months of
seeing my beautiful daughter face to face - talking to her, laughing at her,
kissing her, enjoying her. I have had 3 amazing months watching her grow (like
a weed!), watching her change, watching her learn and explore. I have had 3
amazing months to parent her alongside my husband (trying not to get my
feelings hurt because she totally likes him more than she likes me!). And, I
have had 3 months to accumulate baby stuff!
When David and I started talking about being parents, we
often discussed all the STUFF that comes along with babies… and then toddlers…
and then kids… and then before you know it, teenagers! We always said we would
prefer to keep it all to a minimum (as a new mom, I will try not to use the word “never” – I
wanted to say David and I will never let baby stuff overtake our home –
but I have already learned…). Since I only have a 3-month-old, let’s talk
specifically about baby stuff.
There are so many super cool things available for babies
now! Honestly, I feel like I could easily have a house full of things for
Adleigh to sit/lay/play in/on and just pass her around from thing to thing to
keep her occupied. There are swings, bouncers, rockers, vibrating seats, play
mats, Boppys, DockATots, bassinets, cradles, cribs… and there are so many
different varieties in each category! To be perfectly honest, I think every
single one of them is super cool and I’d love for Adleigh to have them all. BUT,
as I constantly try to remind myself about adult “stuff”, she doesn’t need
them, nor do I.
David and I tried to be very mindful of “needs” vs. “wants”
when making our registry for Adleigh. If we are totally honest, she doesn’t need anything beyond me and
David, a safe place to live, and food to eat (also me :) ). So, please hear me
when I say I understand there are huge cultural differences between raising
babies in America
vs. other areas that have no “stuff.” So, note, when I use the word “need” I
use it very loosely. Not knowing much about what babies like and need (turns
out babies have preferences, so what my baby likes/needs, yours might not care
about) we asked for a lot of help from our friends with kids to determine what
we should and should not include on our registry, always keeping in mind that
we want to try really hard to be minimalists (trust me, I’ve already failed at
this – Adleigh has a shoe box full of hair bows, and I just ordered 19 more…
yes, 19!).
Based on my “research” (i.e. asking mom friends) and my
ENTIRE 3 months of experience – here are the things I think your house needs
for baby, with commentary:
Blankets: totally
personal preference. My mom gave me the 2 baby blankets I had when I was a baby.
My mother-in-law made a beautiful blanket for Adleigh. Several people gifted us
blankets. But, you could get by with just 2 blankets (1 spare when 1 is in the
wash).
Quick note about receiving blankets: I haven’t really found
a use for these yet. The ones I got, which I think are pretty standard size,
were too small to swaddle Adleigh. I keep one in the diaper bag, just because,
though I have only used it once. Turns out, I do use them to cover the hassock
in our living room because Adleigh is constantly laying on it – so it helps
protect her from dirty germs and protect the hassock from dirty Adleigh spit up. Other than this, though, which most people don’t have, I don’t see the need for
receiving blankets.
Swaddles: most
babies won’t sleep well unless they are swaddled (I’m not sure when to transition
out of this - Adleigh still gets swaddled every night, but not often during nap
time). I tried to use a muslin Aden & Anais blanket/swaddle, but this chic
broke free of that no problemo! So, we started using the ones with velcro
(SwaddleMe). Those hold her pretty well, but occasionally she can also break
free of them – either wiggling her arms to the top or, like this photo, somehow
wiggling the bottom of the swaddle above her arm???
Now I just use the muslin swaddles as blankets, stroller covers, nursing covers, etc.
Burp cloths: there are sooooo many to choose from. I chose strictly functionality (read: plain jane, not cute at all). Per my mom’s experience and recommendation I use Gerber Newborn Prefold Diapers as my burp cloths. They’re white (can bleach!!), super absorbent (ummm… made to be cloth diapers), and inexpensive. I have 20 of them and go through at least 2 (usually 3) a day – plus I keep one everywhere: by the changing table, on my nightstand, in the living room, in the diaper bag, and wherever she is at all times.
Towels: your baby
won’t care if you use a super cute, hooded baby towel or one of your regular
bath towels. Either is fine… just make sure you don’t care if it gets poop on
it. We have 3 hooded bath towels we rotate through. We also use a towel more
than once (assuming Adleigh did not poop on it, of course). 2 towels would be
plenty.
Bottles: even if
you are breastfeeding, there will probably come a time when your baby has to
take a bottle. As with everything baby, there is a wide variety of bottles
available. We went with the cheapest (literally 98 cents for a bottle) and she
takes it with no problem. This is not the case for all babies. You may have to
try a few different bottles before finding one your baby will take, or you may
have to have a special one if your baby has issues with reflux or other medical
conditions. Since I am mostly staying at home, we don’t need a ton of bottles.
We really only use 2.
Diapers & wipes:
everyone knows you need diapers and wipes. The hardest part is determining how
many. When we first brought Adleigh home I changed her diaper before every
single feeding – partly to help try to wake her up and partly because I was a
new mom who didn’t want any pee/poop to sit in her diaper for any length of
time. So, we are talking 8 to 12 diapers a day for the first couple weeks to a
month. After that, you start to become more comfortable as a parent in deciding
when you need to change your baby’s diaper and when it’s just “a little wet” or
“a little poopy”. Also, after the first few weeks, most babies start to poop
less often. Note: I only have experience with a breastfed baby, I don’t know
anything about potty habits of a formula fed baby. Wipes- assume an average of
2 wipes per diaper change.
Brands of diapers and wipes will be totally parent and baby
preference. As a parent you will see which wipes you like best (are they too
thin or too thick? are they too wet or too dry? do they come out of the
container easily one handed?). We have already used 5 or 6 different brands.
There are some I don’t necessarily love, but I could use any of them. Honestly,
once I go through all those gifted to me, I’m sure I will determine wipe choice
by price. Diapers can be partially your preference, but baby’s body type may
also dictate which brand you want to get, and it will likely be trial and
error. As of right now, we have only had issues with one brand of diaper, and I
think it was just because they were too big. She does totally fine with generic
store brands vs. big brand names.
Butt
cream/paste/ointment: most babies will get diaper rash – some more often
than others. I have Flanders (I believe it has
to be special ordered either online or from your pharmacy), Desitin and A&D
(have not yet used A&D). Personally, I think Flanders
is the best! I’ve used Desitin (max strength) once when her diaper rash was so
red and not getting better with a few applications of Flanders (that’s usually
all it takes to clear her rash - 2 or 3 diaper changes with application of Flanders ). Occasionally Adleigh will get a small spot of
what our pediatrician called “erosive” diaper rash. It’s hard to explain, it’s
usually just a little rawer than a typical diaper rash. When she gets that, I
put some Mylanta (yes, liquid adult antacid) on a Q-tip and dab it on the spot.
It needs to dry a little before putting the diaper back on (my pediatrician
recommended using a blow dryer… but that would never work cause she would
pee/poop all over her clean diaper if I did that) so I usually just blow on it
for a few seconds.
Changing Table/Dresser
or some form of a changing station: I am using a regular dresser as
Adleigh’s changing table. It’s great because it’s full-size so I have all the
drawers to keep everything organized (see later blog about organization with
baby). Plus, she can use it forever since it’s not infant specific. If you
REALLY wanted to minimize you can totally just use a flat surface and a blanket
or changing mat - but that does become difficult when baby starts to roll
around. I have found that Adleigh LOVES to be changed on just the changing mat because
she can slip and slide all over it and she loves that! However, we do use a
changing table with a changing pad when we are at home. Most changing pads are standard. Changing pad
cover is parent preference – they come in all different materials and colors,
etc. I also recommend getting waterproof changing pad liners to place on top of
the cover. That way when your baby has an accident you can just put the liner
in the wash, replace it with an extra and you don’t have to take off the whole
cover.
Diaper bag with
changing mat: oooooh the diaper bag. Let me tell you, I went back and
forth, back and forth, and back and forth again about our diaper bag. And, for
the first 2 weeks or so I just used a tote bag (not a huge deal cause we hardly
ever left home). Seriously, though. This is 100% parent preference. I will tell
you how I landed on mine. I originally registered for a fairly expensive one
that my friend had. It was super cute (didn’t look like a diaper bag
necessarily, could be used as a travel bag post baby) and functional. But, as I
said, it was expensive! Had someone gifted it to me, I would have kept it. But,
as time drew nearer to Adleigh coming, I had not yet received it, so I started
thinking more about it and asking my friends questions. The friend who had the
diaper bag said she liked it a lot, but honestly did not think it was worth the
extra money. Another friend told me to get something inexpensive and later in
life buy a purse I like instead of an expensive diaper bag J.
Ultimately I decided to go with inexpensive. I went to Target’s website (because
I had lots of gift cards) and looked at pretty much every diaper bag <$50
and read all of their reviews. I also didn’t want a super colorful one or one
with characters or anything on it. I found the Fisher-Price Fast-Finder Deluxe
Diaper Bag. It’s plain black. It had good reviews. So I ordered it. It’s been
great. Again, not the most fashionable bag, but it is SUPER functional, and
functionality is key when you’re holding a baby in one arm and trying to find
fill-in-the-blank with your other hand – bottle, blanket, burp cloth, etc. I’ll
include more information about my diaper bag in a future blog about
organization with baby.
Hangers: baby
hangers for the tons and tons of clothes people will give you! I hang up
everything except onesies, leggings/pants, and sleepwear.
Bassinet/crib
waterproof mattress cover and sheets: I would suggest at least 2 sheets for
baby’s crib and bassinet. A lot of mattresses now are made with a plastic top
in order to be more waterproof. If this is the case for yours, you may not need
a waterproof mattress pad. If not, you definitely need one to protect the mattress.
Baby book/calendar:
you will want something to document everything going on with your baby. With technology
now, you could probably get away without a physical book or calendar, but I
love my baby calendar. I keep it hanging on the wall and write all her “firsts”
on the days. I use it kind of like a scrapbook, too. I have included photos,
ticket stubs (her first football game), hospital tags, etc.
Books: put down
the iPad and pick up a book! I love reading to Adleigh. She is starting to get
to where I feel like she is actually listening to the story.
Nose suction: I
just use the bulb syringe they gave me in the hospital. I actually really like
it. I also have the Nose Frida, but have not used it yet.
Car Seat: you can
go with a convertible car seat or an infant car seat. There are pros and cons
to both. I think the majority of people choose an infant car seat right away.
The convenience of clicking the car seat in and out of the car, in and out of
the stroller, and being able to carry your baby inside your house, or stores,
or whatever without removing her from the car seat is a huge advantage. Another
advantage is 1 car seat for multiple cars if you just buy and install
additional car seat bases in multiple vehicles. The advantage of a convertible
car seat is its length of use. Many convertible car seats are approved for
birth to 60+ pounds – so potentially the entire time a child needs to be in a
car seat. So, that’s one car seat for your baby’s whole childhood. There are
LOTS of things to think about when making this decision. Bottom line, you need
one, so just pick what’s best for you and your family.
Stroller: if you
choose an infant car seat, you’ll want the stroller that goes with it.
Otherwise, find a stroller that meets your needs. I honestly didn’t research
strollers that much (it was far too overwhelming to me). I went to the store
with a friend of mine, she showed me the one she had for her daughter, we
played with it, I registered for it, done!
Comb/Brush: I use
the cheap black comb they gave me in the hospital.
Camera: whether
it’s your phone, a small inexpensive digital, or a top of the line DSLR camera
– have something handy all the time to document your sweet baby growing up!
Baby Monitor: another
thing that was super overwhelming to me. I passed this to David since I
consider it technology and that’s his department. We ultimately picked one that
a friend recommended. You just want to consider your priorities. Audio, video,
or both? High definition? Black and white or color? Night vision? Two-way
communication? Ability to view from your cell phone while not at home? Size of
the handheld monitor? Battery life of handheld
monitor? Auto-off? Motion/sound activated lights? Etc. etc.
Baby Clothes:
little girl clothes are ADORABLE. And, people LOVE to buy babies clothes!
Needless to say, we got a TON of clothes at our baby shower. What you keep in
the closet for your child is up to you – personally, I felt wasteful to have
soooo many clothes for her. I wanted to have enough clothes per size for her
that we could always carry an extra outfit with us just in case, and so I
didn’t have to do laundry every day or every other day but also not too many
where she only wore an outfit once before she grew out of it. I still haven’t
figured out that magic number. See more information about her clothes in a
future blog.
If you’re a nursing mom you will need a few additional
things. I have so much to say about breastfeeding. Stay tuned for a separate
blog.
So, baby stuff definitely adds up – but, if you truly get
only the things you need, it’s not really that much. It looks like a lot in
this blog because I put so many comments :) BUT, we still have a lot of other stuff that is not
listed above in the “you really need” list.
So, part 2 of this blog is coming and I will discuss the stuff I have
that I really enjoy, but could
most likely live without.
Also, the following are some things I have that I haven’t
used yet – so I can’t really say if they are a “really need” or an “enjoy but
could live without”: (I plan to discuss all these things as she grows into
them)
- Portable high chair
- Bath mat for inside the tub (Walmart InterDesign Pebblz Bath Mat)
- Playyard: Kick ‘n Play Piano Gym, Baby Einstein Play Gym
- Teethers
- Safety Plug Protectors
- Thermometer: note, I have used the plain oral thermometer the hospital gave me a couple times under her armpit. I have not yet used the fancier one – I don’t think it’s accurate until babies are a certain age.
- Shopping Cart Cover
- Loveys
- Bibs
Please share your comments! What am I missing on the "really need" list?
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