I’m looking for suggestions for things you would recommend getting before baby gets here. I have thought of a few things, but this is my first, so I’m sure any imput you have would be helpful!
I’m only 15 weeks, and we have a pretty good stash already. We picked up a bouncy seat, swing, car seat, and other seat/toy thing for when baby is older from a cousin who is done having babies. My [name_f]MIL[/name_f] found us a dresser and a rocker/glider.
Things I’ve thought of:
Crib and bassinet, also probably a portable crib for when we visit my parents and in laws
Stroller
Breast pump/bottles
Stock up on diapers?
Books - more of a want than need, but something important to us!
I’m sure we’ll get tons of clothes and toys from friends and family, and I’ll probably buy some after I find out what I’m having.
People tend not to get you postpartum supplies. Stock up on:
adult diapers (so much more comfortable than the hospital standard of mesh panties plus enormous pads)
Breastmilk soaker pads- but I had gotten nursing bras ahead of time and had to go get bigger ones after my milk came in. It’s hard to predict what size you’ll need!
Stool softener
Preparation H wipes
Pump (go to Pumping Essentials dot com, they figure out which pump your insurance will pay for and send it to you for free
Pumping bra if you plan to spend much time Pumping- these are super adjustable and go from extra small to extra large, so you don’t need to know your size ahead of time
Lanolin (don’t buy fancy nipple cream bc babies often hate the taste and then you have to wash your nipples off and what is the point then? But lanolin or Vaseline are tasteless and totally safe. Bring it to the hospital- my hospital did not have lanolin. Bring cough drops, too. They also did not have cough drops. Your throat really dries out during labor.
I loved having a [name_f]Kindle[/name_f] in the beginning so I could nurse and read without waking the [name_u]Baby[/name_u].
Make food that you can freeze, reheat quickly, and eat one-handed at 3am
I wouldn’t stock up on diapers- it sucks to have a years worth of pampers and then find out pampers give your baby a rash, or his thighs are too skinny for them.
For the bassinet/travel crib, we got a pack n play nook this time and it is brilliant. It’s really small and fits through doorways so you can move it around easily. The top is a bassinet. But the bottom of it is a full size pack n play that you can use as a travel crib till age 2 or so. You can use regular pack n play sheets for it
I love love love the boon grass mat bottle drying rack. We continued to use it to dry little things after we were done with bottles last time bc it’s not bottle specific
Longest and most used baby item: the ergo, hands down.
[name_f]DO[/name_f] NOT buy too many diapers… Why? Babies are sensitive and might not like certain ones. My cousin gets a rash if we use Pampers and Luvvs so we have to buy Huggies only. Good luck!
Get some muslin squares, then get some more muslin squares. I also second (third?) the advice to be ready for the postpartum bleeding. I didn’t need to buy anything because I got a stash from the hospital but make sure you will have something because it is pretty intense for a few days.
Other than that, you sound pretty much good to go I would say. You don’t have to (and I don’t even think it’s a good idea to) get everything before the baby is born. If you find out you need something after the birth, sure it’s a bit more hassle for one of you to go out to the shops when you have a baby, but not that much and I think it’s better to buy things you have identified a need for than just guessing and potentially buying a lot of stuff you never use. Babies are simple creatures.
I’d like to ditto the good points already made here about getting postpartum supplies and breastfeeding supplies. Definitely get your own little ice packs–the kind that freeze with actual liquid not those beaded gel things (those don’t keep cold long when they’re in your panties!) Also dermoplast spray, witch hazel pads (Tucks), adult diapers and/or “granny panties” along with giant pads. [name_f]Earth[/name_f] mama angel baby nipple balm is great (lanolin clogged my pores and they started breaking out), and have neosporin handy for your nipples as well. Get a manual pump as well as an electric pump. I have pumped exclusively since [name_f]Indy[/name_f] was 5 days old…I got my insurance to pay for Medela PISA which was great until it lost suction after less than 2 months (probably due to condensation getting into the motor) I have used a Spectra S2 since then and it is fantastic and has back flow valves to prevent the condensation problem. A $140 very well spent.
As for stocking up on diapers, it is hard to know what sizes baby will need and for how long. Definitely don’t get too many of the smallest sizes. If you’re using one of the good bulk/gift card deals at Target.com, for example, maybe get one giant box of 1s, one of 2s, and then get several boxes of 3s since baby will be in 3s and 4s longer than the smaller sizes. I stocked up on Pampers Swaddlers and have had no problems with the diapers themselves but donated a lot of our size 1s to a friend (who is expecting next month) because [name_f]Indy[/name_f] wasn’t in them for long. I have, however, seriously stocked up on Target’s up & up wipes which has worked well for saving money there.
Swaddles are wonderful and also get a couple pacifier clips to use to keep the swaddle closed. Our hospital was anti-pacifier, and I was so happy to get out and give our lovely little crying a monster a pacifier once we got home! Also be sure to have onesies and/or pajamas that have the fold-over cuffs that cover the hands to prevent scratching. The mittens never stayed on for us. One of my friend just posted pics of her one-week-old with deep scratches on his face…has to be kind of embarrassing…so yeah that’s something you have to work on preventing from the start and all it takes are smart clothing decisions. [name_f]Tiny[/name_f] socks that can’t be kicked off are also hard to find, so “footy pants” are great, although they can be a bit hard to come by (Babies R us had some Koala footed pants sold individually and they also have them in many of their clothing sets). You might also want to have a small package of bottles just in case you need them, I say a small package so you can see if they agree with your baby before committing to a certain brand. I also think the Munchkin bottle warmer is great, especially considering how inexpensive it was. A musical mobile, a pack n play or other bassinet, swing, and baby carrier are also indespensible.
I think it depends on where you live… in the US for example you can probably get 2 day free shipping on items pretty quick… so… we are going with the less is more approach…
In the US you NEED A CAR SEAT to be able to take the baby home from the hospital! (more important than a stroller in my mind for before the baby comes).
Also diapers. (We are getting enough to last us two/three days until we know what size works for her and then ordering more online as soon as we are home from the hospital).
Some clothes
and a safe place for your baby to sleep…
(That’s my absolute necessities list… you can also add baby bottles should you want or need to do formula).
Other than that… I’m sure you’ll purchase things cause they are cute, or get gifts from friends etc. [name_f]Remember[/name_f] every baby and every set of parents are different figure out what you think you can’t live without for the first week and then worry about everything else later. (Seasonal clothing for example… you never know how fast and big your kiddo is going to grow - I’ve had friends whose 4 month olds were in 12month clothing and others who were in 3 month clothing… etc).