When I was pregnant, I spent a lot of my time researching the necessary items for successful baby rearing. Like, a LOT of time. I'm kind of obsessed with consumerrepots.com and making sure that any money we spend is on the absolute best products. I have a lot of friends who are pregnant, and I had created the following list for a friend, but wanted to share it with everyone, and lamented that I did not have a way to do so. Then I made a blog, and it seemed to just make sense.
So here
are some recommendations for baby items (It's incredibly long). Take them or leave them – I won’t be
offended. And please don’t be offended by my opinion/research if you disagree.
One of the beautiful things about motherhood is that there are as many ways to
be a good mother as there are mothers. There’s no one right way to do things.
I’ve
tried to write down the things I thought really
essential, but if I don’t mention something, then it probably isn’t necessary
(or important). One thing that I would HIGHLY recommend is reading “Secrets of the
Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with your Baby” by Tracy Hogg. This made such a difference for me in
the first couple months. After
about four months, I would recommend her second book “The Baby Whisperer Solves all
your Problems”. These are amazing books. She’s kind of judgey in her
tone, and definitely do what’s best for you and baby (you’ll know better than
anyone else what your baby needs – mothers’ instincts are amazing). But it was
helpful in dealing with the STEEP learning curve of being a new mother.
Infant Car Seats:
-Chicco Keyfit 30
Chicco
is rated number one for safety and ease of use. We’ve loved ours. It’s a bit
pricey, but we definitely got our moneys worth on this one. A car seat is one
of those items you DO NOT want to get used. It’s worth it to buy it new,
because you can’t be sure if the used one you’re getting has ever been in an
accident, and if it has, it’s not safe.
For
Chicco’s: I would call their customer service line and ask about which current
designs and fabrics are most breathable. I know some women have complained that
their babies sweat in Chicco, but there are some more breathable fabrics than
others. We’ve never had a problem with ours (Limonata) because I called and
checked, but I’m not sure if their making that model/colour scheme
anymore. Also, they have GREAT
customer care (1-877-424-4226).
Convertible Car Seats:
-Britax anything (Roundabout, Marathon, Boulevard, Pavilion,
Advocate)
Britax
has some patented safety features that make them the safest convertible seat
our there (like an extra metal bar or something, and honeycomb structuring for
impact protection). All of these car seats are essentially the same on a
spectrum increasing in features and price.
It’s
best to get an infant car seat first, and then a convertible once they outgrow
it (30 lbs or 30 inches). You can skip the infant car seat and just get the
convertible, but the infant car seats are MUCH safer for newborns. And you can
get strollers that attach to the car seat (a REALLY nice feature for letting
baby sleep).
Strollers:
-Chicco Liteway PLUS
Stroller
If
this would have existed when my girl was a newborn, I would have FOR SURE
gotten it for its immediate use (light weight stroller that snaps with my
infant car seat) and long-term use (nice umbrella stroller). I think this is
awesome. You have to make sure
you’re getting the PLUS version of this stroller, because there’s a non-plus
version and that doesn’t allow a car seat to attach to it. Here’s a link to it
on amazon.
- Chicco Snap n' Go
If you choose to not go the travel system route (they can be super bulky) the Snap n' Go is a nice alternative. It works only with the Chicco car seat (though there is another version that Graco makes that's compatible with more car seats). When baby outgrows their infant car seat you can get a nice umbrella stroller (we really like the First Years Ignite - goes up to 50 lbs.), or they come really cheap at walmart or babies r us.
- Bob Revolution SE
For
running strollers, it doesn’t get better than BOB (or Beast of Burden). They
are the best. We got the Revolution SE because it gave is a good option for an
around the town, sturdy stroller too. If you can time it right, you can get
amazing deals on these, on amazon, or babies r us. They’re wicked expensive.
Mattress/Crib:
-Sealy Soybean Foam
Crib Mattress
I
know this sounds weird (soybean?!), but it’s highly ranked, one of the most
affordable crib mattresses, firm, but still light enough so that you can change
sheets and lift it out easy. We like this mattress.
-Cribs:
Most
come standard size, so it doesn’t really matter. If you can get a second hand
crib, or one of KSL, this is an easy way to save a lot of money. Cribs are easy
to clean up, sand down, and repaint if you want to. And doing all that is much
cheaper than buying a nice, new expensive crib (although those do look really
nice). There are a few things that are totally okay to get second hand (NOT car
seats) and this is one of them.
Bassinet/Pack n’ Play
-Graco Pack n’ Play
If
you live in a tiny apartment, you might not have room for a crib and mattress.
This is a nice solution, because it offers a bassinet feature (also useful if
you want to have the baby with you in your room for the first little bit). So
the baby can have their own sleeping space without needing room for an entire
crib. Plus it doubles as a play yard when they get older. And this version is
really cheap. Other models have features like change tables and lots of bells
and whistles, but this was all we needed.
Monitor
-None (although
this depends on the size of the space you’re living in).
We
didn’t get a monitor until we moved into our current apartment, which has us on
a different floor than the baby. In most small apartments, a monitor is not
necessary. If the baby cries, you’ll definitely hear them. All the other
squirms, and coos they make (they make a lot of noise) don’t need to be heard,
and might over-stress you if you’re that
tuned in to every slight noise they make. But if you’re in a large home soon you
might want to get a monitor. We got a simple Graco one (I think the imonitor
VIBE but I’m not sure). It doesn’t have video, which I really, REALLY wanted,
but those can be super expensive. Look for ones with DECT technology. That
prevents others from tuning into your baby monitor’s frequency.
There
are a lot of monitors that really play off of parent’s fear of SIDS or
suffocation (like the angelcare ones that monitor their breathing, movement and
room temperature – it sounds an alarm if it doesn’t detect movement for 20
seconds). Don’t get this. They do not prevent or affect tragic deaths
associated with SIDS or suffocation, and they frequently sound the alarm when
nothing is wrong, causing parents to freak out all the time. I understand the
fear of SIDS and suffocation. You will go into your baby’s room several times a
night just to put your hand on their chest and feel them breath. This is
something we all do. Do it as much as you feel you need to, when you feel you
need to. But don’t buy into someone’s “solution” that actually makes you more
afraid, and doesn’t work.
Suffocation is something you can prevent by keeping your baby’s crib
empty. SIDS isn’t as preventable, but there are things you can do to decrease
the chance of it happening to you:
- Put your baby to sleep on their back
- Don’t be a smoker
- Put your baby’s feet at the base of their crib (for some weird reason, this helps).
Other than this, just trust your baby to the Lord’s care
every night with prayer, and check on them as often as you feel prompted.
Bottles/Breast Pump/Pillows
-Avent or Dr. Brown’s
Bottles
These
two brands are the best, but we got Dr. Brown’s Bottles because they’re
cheaper. They worked great. Even if you’re planning on breastfeeding, you’re
going to want to have at least a few bottles on hand in case you need to pump
(things can go wrong with nursing, or take a long time to get sorted out, and
you’ll need bottles for pumped milk, or formula). There are two sizes, but with
a newborn, you can just start out with the smaller size (4 oz.) If you continue
to use bottles, you’ll need to get some 8 oz. ones, but I didn’t need those
until like 2 months, and by that point, I wasn’t using bottles anymore.
-Ameda Purely Yours
Breast Pump
I
would highly recommend getting a breast pump before the baby comes. By the time
you’ll need one, you won’t have the emotional wherewithal to go out, pick one,
and buy it. Insurance will often help pay for a breast pump, so I’d look into
your insurance provider, and see how much of the cost they’ll cover. I prefer Ameda
to Medela (the other major breast pump company) because of cost. Medela is much
more expensive, and my Ameda pump was just fine. I do recommend a double
electric pump, just in case. I know that’s a lot of money to spend on a “just
in case” (which is why you should check with insurance), but it really was the
difference between me sticking with breastfeeding, and giving up. And that’s
worth a lot. Just a note about breastfeeding the first couple weeks: the colostrum
that your breasts produce is literally called “liquid gold”. The health
benefits for your baby are insane, and it sells for like $80/oz. on the market.
Don’t sell it, though! Make sure that everyone drop you can possible get goes
to baby. I was frustrated with nursing, and so I pumped one night to see if I
could get anything. The day after when I saw a lactation consultant, I showed
her what I had pumped, and told her I was just going to throw it away after,
and she almost passed out. I was so glad I saved it to give to baby girl. Every
drop of that colostrum counts! Pump if you have to!
Another
note about breastfeeding: after I
would nurse, I often pumped for a little (ESPECIALLY in the first two/three
weeks). This guaranteed me a healthy milk supply. The more you stimulate the
nipples, the more milk your body is instructed to make. If you maximize your
supply in those first few weeks, you’ll never have a problem maintaining or
supplying enough for baby. Sorry for the rant about breastfeeding – I just love
it! And it’s so hard!
-Boppy Pillow
These
are great. You can get covers that help you keep track of which side you
started on last time, but those aren’t really necessary (I haven’t really used
that feature). It’s nice to have a pillow designated to breastfeeding. And the boppy
really enables you to try different breast-feeding positions (cross-cradle,
football etc.) It’s especially useful when establishing breastfeeding, and even
though you get to the point when you can breastfeed without any pillows, it’s
still nice to have. I still use mine when we breastfeed at home.
Pacifiers/Binkys
-Philips Avent 0-3
Month/ 0-6 Month Pacifiers
I
call pacifiers “Soothers” (because I feel ridiculous as a grown woman saying
“binky”). So we didn’t use soothers at all for the first like three weeks.
Often doctors recommend to not use them until breastfeeding has been well
established because it can cause
nipple confusion. That was one reason we didn’t have baby stay in the hospital
nursery when she was a newborn – they often use soothers there. So when we did
start using soothers, we used these:
After 3 months we used these:
They never interfered with breastfeeding, and baby never
became dependant on them. She never really liked them, though. Some babies use
them for a long time. Whatever you end up getting, just make sure it’s BPA
free.
High Chair
-Fisher Price Booster
Seat
This
seemed to make the most sense to us, because it’s very portable (for going to
relatives or road trips, and it doesn’t take up too much space in a kitchen
(just a chair). We didn’t buy this until 6 months (when she started eating
solids for the first time). You don’t need it before then.
Fisher Price makes pretty good stuff.
Bouncer/Swings
-Fisher Price Bunny
Bouncer
We
got a bouncer on sale at Babies ‘R Us. It was helpful, but I didn’t use it as
much as I thought I would. I’m sure I’ll get more use out of it with a second
kid, but I still did like having it.
-Swing
We
did not get a swing. Eventually my sister in law leant me one, but we rarely
used it. Babies should for the most part sleep only in their cribs, so we never
had her sleep in the bouncer or the swing. For some parents, these items are
essential to get their babies to fall asleep, but the danger is they can create
bad habits. And they’re expensive. So we didn’t get one.
Carriers
-ERGObaby
Bedding
I
would recommend having three sheets. You’re going to be doing a lot of laundry.
Also, avoid bumpers or even blankets, or giant sets of coordinating bedding.
Babies don’t need all that, and most of that is a suffocating hazard. All baby
needs is a bed sheet, and some swaddle blankets. After they can learn to roll
over, we got something we call the “starfish” (actually called the Zippity-Zip)
to help her transition to a sleeping sack. I’m including some links just for
reference.
-Swaddle Blankets:
We used these first: http://www.amazon.com/aden-anais-Swaddle-Blanket-Friends/dp/B002USE0Q0/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1395616716&sr=1-1&keywords=swaddle+blanket
And then these when she started to break out of the first
ones: http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-SwaddleMe-Adjustable-Woodland/dp/B007XL658K/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1395616764&sr=1-2&keywords=swaddle+blanket
-Starfish:
This thing is weird but we NEEDED it to transition at around
4 months: http://zipadeezip.com/
-Sleeping Sac:
Clothes
You’ll
probably get most of your clothes from baby showers, so this most likely won’t
be something you have to buy (or something you have to buy much of). Here’s a
list of the clothes I used the most:
-Fuzzy sleepers (5-7)
We
had a lot of these, and baby lived in them. She slept in them, and then stayed
in them most of the day.
-Onesies +Pants (3-4)
I
used these less often, mostly when going out (which isn’t frequent for a
newborn)
-Shoes (0)
NOT
NECESSARY. Socks and Booties are all you need to keep their toesies warm.
Though those baby Converse are adorable.
Toys
- Play Mat
We
loved this. Like, we LOVED (and continue to love) this: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rainforest-Melodies-Lights-Deluxe/dp/B000FFL58Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1395618064&sr=1-1&keywords=Fisher+price+jungle+mat
Humidifier
-Crane Adorable 1 Gallon
Humidifier
It’s
nice to have a humidifier ready for when baby gets sick (which they will). This
is just a cute one that works well. Worth it.
Sound Machine
-Get One!
Doesn’t
matter what kind. Ours was a hand me down. Sound machines are necessary.
Bath Equipment
-Bathmat
You can get a foam bathmat at Babies
'R Us for like $20 or less. This is great for washing newborns in your tub,
because it stops them from sliding everywhere. Bath seats are unsafe. It gives
parents a false sense of security and way more accidents happen with bath
seats. Also, I think a baby bath is unnecessary if you have a bathtub.
Snot Removal
- Nosefrida
I
know this sounds gross, but baby will get sick and congested, and you'll need a
way to get that snot out of them so they don't choke on it, or so that it drips
back down their throats and into their lungs. I HIGHLY recommend the Nosefrida,
because it's affordable and effective. It looks scary - like your sucking snot
out of your kids nose through a tube - which is actually what you're doing, but
there's NO WAY that their snot will ever make it to you. You're safe. It's just
a great little Scandinavian invention to harness the power of parents' suction.
http://www.amazon.com/Nosefrida-The-Snotsucker-Nasal-Aspirator/dp/B00171WXII/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1395627703&sr=1-1&keywords=nosefrida
Things to avoid
-Bath seats
-Bumbo seats
-Baby walkers
These are all dangerous, and have
caused lots of accidents. That being said, both my sisters have used some of
these items carefully and wisely, and they haven't been a problem. You just
have to be careful, and wise.
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