Many of you have emailed me looking for recommendations for baby stuff…like what’s awesome and what blows. And by many, I mean 3. But I have a lot of pregnant friends and friends with new babies who could benefit from this. I know I could have when I was buying every.single.thing. on the babies r us shelves. See baby stores are a lot like cults. They’re all, if you don’t do what we say and buy ALL OF THIS bullshit, your baby will be stupid, not gain weight and a social outcast amongst other babies. And then the world will end. And you’re like, SHIT I DON’T WANT A DUMB SKINNY LOSER BABY. So you buy it all. Here’s where I come in and save all the babies of the world from cults. Or something…
Let’s start with shit you need to make your life better:
If your baby is like mine and thinks that every time he gets in the car it’s driving him straight to the fires of hell, you need this.
Baby Einstein Lights & Melodies Mirror
This is like baby hypnosis. It’s plays songs and lights up AND has a mirror. That’s like a baby fun trifecta. Bonus, you can spy on your baby from your rear view mirror. Negative is that you need to have a head rest to attach it to. Or you could be like me and staple gun it to the fabric of your seat and have your husband roll his eyes at your shotty work. Then you can say WELL YOU FIGURE IT OUT.
This one doesn’t have to be specifically THIS doll. But you need A doll. And no I don’t care if you have a boy. We made sure that G associated this doll with sleep. So whenever he goes in the crib, we give him ghost dog (see it’s a dog head with no body…ghost dog) and he squeezes it and rolls over. It’s comfort for him. I like the ones that are part blanket part doll head. Because it’s creepy.
Ours is blue…in case you want to get real weird about it.
This one is big. REALLY big. When I was pregnant I was like, look at those idiots buying the 200 dollar swing. I’m going to be smart and get the 40 dollar swing. And then my baby came out and hated the 40 dollar swing and after 5 days of no napping, I got my ass to babies r us and bought that 200 dollar swing. And that swing got us through 2 months of naps. Seriously. G just didn’t like being really low to the ground. He wanted to be up higher and feel the warmth of the money spent on this goddamn thing. Seriously, would have paid double.
Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle ‘n Swing
He still uses it for chill out time. Like around 5pm when I have wine.
I know you’re going to get all yelly at me for this one, but hear me out. One of you suggested this to me in my comments and we haven’t looked back. We use these diapers at night instead of cloth now. I know there are other options but I’m tired. I’m just tired. These are amazing. They can weigh 3lbs with pee but they are dry so the baby feels nothing AND STAYS ASLEEP. There is nothing worse than fully waking up the baby after changing him in the middle of the night. Slap one of these on at night and change in the morning. BAM. DONE. And I don’t want to hear it.
Huggies Overnites Diapers, Size 3, 76 Count
This also falls under the category of baby hypnosis. G didn’t take a pacifier so this was my trick if he freaked out. For some reason he stared at it and calmed down right quick. Gold.
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes
This is our stroller. I could have convinced B to get a fancy expensive one. But I preferred this one. Why? Those expensive bitches are heavy. I mean they are close to the price of a car and probably weigh close to the weight of a car. I could barely push them around, let alone put them in and out of the car. This one is light and easy, that’s what he said. There is a little handle right where they sit that folds the thing up in one motion. We take a walk every day and I really do love it. Note: it’s not a jogging stroller. I don’t jog. That’s for weirdos.
Baby Jogger 2011 City Mini Single Stroller, Stone/Black
(we have green)
B and I have the fight weekly about if babies should wear shoes. He says they don’t walk so no. I say they have feet so yes. And I’m a rule follower so when I see “no shoes no service” it doesn’t say EXCEPT FOR BABIES. Anyway, B won this round. So I like these socks. People always compliment them and they are the only ones that stay on his feet.
Trumpette Johnny’s Sneaker Socks – Brights – 0-12 Months
G was swaddled WAY too long. I did NOT care though. He was a fidget monster and kept us up all night. These are the only things that little maniac couldn’t escape from. Until he eventually grew to the size of a small boar. I had like 9 of these in every color and fabric. We eventually even graduated to the large size. HIGHLY recommend. Swaddling is a bitch, this makes it easy. And I like that the baby looks like a floating head.
Summer Infant SwaddleMe Microfleece, Green, Large
We put G in this thing way early. But he loved just staring at the blinking lights and being upright. He still can’t really bounce yet, but I think he loves it. And it gave me a place to put him for 3 seconds and pee in the bathroom. It’s ugly though. But so are all baby things. I’m over it.
Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these things are a lifesaver. Before we had the swing, G napped ON us in these wraps 4-5 times a day. It was brutal but thank god we had them. We had both the Moby and SleepyWrap. I still use them at the grocery store because our car seat doesn’t fit in the shopping carts. I like the sleepywrap better because it’s stretchy and more comfortable. I recommend youtube for learning the tie methods. I could do it now in my sleep, drunk.
Sleepy Wrap Classic Wrap Baby Carrier, Gray, 0-18 Months
We first got some trendy fold up sink tub. Didn’t fit in our sink and was overall stupid. This thing was perfect. It made bathtime so much more enjoyable. There is a little seat for small babies and it comes out for when they are bigger.
Fisher-Price Precious Planet Whale of a Tub
I bought this late in the game and I still love it. I actually got it on ebay, which I don’t recommend. They told me it was new and I told them new doesn’t mean baby puke is all over it. But it is a great thing to have, just a little pricey. We keep it in the kitchen so if I need both hands, it’s a quick place to put the baby.
BABYBJÖRN BabySitter Balance, Brown/Beige
G loves the shit out of this seat. He sits in it for 20-30 minutes in the morning while I get dressed and put on my makeup. He usually puts random crap in his mouth to entertain himself. We also have the tray attachment. For a baby who isn’t sitting up on his own yet, this is awesome.
My picture perfect nursery? Don’t care anymore. I put shit in there that works. And this works. I got this mobile to be able to put G in his crib and have him calm down when he’s screaming. And he does. It’s like baby TV. And there is a remote. I like remotes
Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile
G loves these toys by Lamaze. They are bright and crazy and acid trippy. He has 3 and likes this one the best. It’s a beaver, who we’ve named Justin Beaver. He sings BABY BABY BABY OH…
Lamaze Early Development Toy, Bill D. Beaver
This was great in the winter because we didn’t have to stuff the baby into an obnoxious winter coat that rendered him immobile. This was warm and snuggly for him all winter long. Loved this thing
JJ Cole Urban Infant Bundle Me
I don’t pump that often because I’m home all the time like a loser and G doesn’t take a bottle. So it’s super important that I had the most expensive pump that exists. However I will tell you that this thing is awesome. I love that it has a battery pack so if needed, I could pump in space. It does the job and it comes with a cute bag that I would use for life, if I had one.
Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump with Metro Bag
You’re going to need a nursing pillow. The big debate: Boppy vs My Breast Friend. Now My Breast Friend wins the funny name game. Boppy is confusing because sometimes I think Bumbo. But here’s the deal: If you have a normal baby, My Breast Friend is the best. It straps on, has pockets and is awesome. If you have a reflux baby, you have to feed your baby more upright and you’ll need a boppy. So there you have it. If I HAD to choose, I’d pick My Breast Friend.
My Brest Friend Deluxe Pillow, Light Green
**Other things to have that you don’t think of because we’re all fancy and futuristic these days**
Get a ball. Like a regular ball. Kids like balls.
Get bubbles and blow them. Kids think you are a future wizard.
Pictures of the baby and video of the baby. Kids are narcissistic beasts. They love looking at themselves.
Sound machine. Not a kid one, an adult one. The kid ones are on timers. Probably for ear safety or some crap. You need all night long sound.
On to the crap that they will tell you to get but you can throw it back in their faces
Our car seat. Ok it’s rated #1 for safety. That’s good. But I don’t see all the other car seats killing babies left and right. The problem I have with our car seat is as I said earlier, it’s too big for ALL shopping carts and it’s like 40 million lbs to carry. I wish I would have gotten a smaller one and one that doubles as a regular car seat (not just an infant one)
In theory this is a great item. That is if you actually use it. I was lazy and tired so I just brought the baby in bed with us. This then became diaper/wipe/medicines/magazine holder next to my bed. The annoying parts where that I couldn’t get into my nightstand drawer for 5 months and it was lower than our mattress so I had to bend over in bed to get the baby out when we actually used it…not easy. Also it always gaped away from our mattress, creating a baby death hole.
This is the swing that G hated. He’s a snob.
Tub that didn’t work. It didn’t fit into any of our sinks. Also unless your baby is a plastic doll, it will knock itself out on your faucet.
Ok I feel bad saying this because we won this item from the nursery contest, but we just really didn’t like it. It’s supposed to mimic rocking movement that a mom would do with her baby. Let’s be clear, no mom rocks her baby like this unless they are a little delicate flower baby. Our baby needed serious rocking and swinging and dramatic motion. Not gentle little slow up and down movement. This thing did not cut it for us. We sold it. BAM.
This thing I seriously thing is dangerous. I got it early on when I was desperate to carry the baby in SOMETHING. But their chin gets tucked onto their chest making breathing difficult. This scared me. I say no. Even the model in the picture is afraid to use an ACTUAL baby. Unless I’m just a sling moron, which is possible.
Other pointers:
G rejected all bottles. Don’t go buy packs and packs of bottles before you meet your baby. We have 344 bottles that G uses as throw toys. Same goes with pacifiers. I could open a store.
I’ll probably think of more when the baby stops screaming.
Feel free to add to this list in the comments. Maybe someone somewhere will start paying me for something. Probably not.
Go forth babies.
MODG
The internet psychic says you would like this too:
Hi I’m MODG. But you can call me MODG. You say it like Modg, like a Grandma name. Not like M.O.D.G. That’s a lot of syllables and I don’t have that kind of time. 
{ 115 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree-the Snugglebunny rocks my world. We too tried to jip our kid with the cheap swing that had some glowy light on it to entrance them and the swing was all jerky. HL would not stand for such treatment, so back to BRU we went and forked out the real cash monies!
I love your blog. So funny. AND informative.
K, whatever, I don’t have a baby, but I read all of this for future reference, in case I have one someday. And even though I don’t have a baby, you were still able to entertain me. Good stuff.
Agreed! I also do not have a baby, but who knows, maybe in the future. In the meantime, this blog is still funny as hell, and I love it!
I tried and tried to cram my first kid into a moby wrap and it never clicked. With this second one I got an Ergo baby carrier. AMAZEBALLS. All the weight rests on my hips so I can wear him around and chase No. 1. Only drawback is that he can’t face out , but a major bonus is that it goes up to 40 pounds and can be worn on the front, side, or back. So when my 3 `/2 yr old decides he wants to be the baby again I can humor him by carrying him on my back. Great for hiking & stuff too.
We have the Ergo too. B uses it exclusively. Men seem to dig it.
We started with the Baby Bjorn and loved it, but our son outgrew it really fast. Now we have an Ergo and love it. It’s much easier on the back than the Baby Bjorn was.
Guys dig it because you can buy it at REI. At least that’s why my #1 thought it was cool.
We have the Beco, a competitor to the Ergo. It is the #1 most necessary thing I have. I have two boys 18 months apart. Without the Beco I could never go anywhere alone with them!
Loving that swing right now….he just hung out in it for 2 hours! Love the Chicco but agree….annoyed it doesn’t fit in car seat! Having sleepy wrap tie issues..,.do you have Dr.Brown bottles? I’ll buy!
no we have born free
I second- swings, toys, noise machines and strollers! I also could not have made it without my boppy pillow- LOVE that thing. I use it as a pillow for me- a nursing pillow- pillow to prop up baby on- pillow in lap for laptop- I still use it ALL the time- so many uses. Get more than one cover- because they are bound to get spit up on.
Also- highchair- I really wanted a way exspensive one that matched all my other crap- and we never got it. But no biggie- we got the $30 one that just straps onto a chair- love it. (and saved a $100 or so to spend on mommy!) me likey-
Agreed on the strap on to chair version of booster seat/high chair. Always easy to take off, no ‘random sized’ furniture by your kitchen table. It’s great. We had a high chair for the first two with a ‘dry clean only’ cover. What.the.heck is THAT doing on a high chair?!?!?! I was giving away clothes & junk to VVA & tried kid #3 off in the booster seat @ about 5 months & immediately called the hubs & asked to put the high chair out too. So worth it!! I don’t miss it, and it’s easy to wipe clean (plastic). I never dry cleaned that other thing anyway. Weird
Ditto on the strap-to-the-chair plastic seat! SO MUCH better than the monster highchair (ours is now in the garage). We also bring the little seat with us to restaurants- it’s contains babies much better than the wooden highchairs since it has its own little tray.
Ditto^2…
never had the monster highchair we didn’t miss a beat. Once he was able to eat from a plate with a fork we just snapped the tray off and pushed him right up. After he was too big we folded it and put it in the closet. I’m due in December with #2 and we will whip it out again when it’s needed. Try doing that with a big clunker!
I heart Justin Beaver. That is all.
Amen sister!!!!
I want one!!
Love the list! We have those socks, too, and it’s amazing how well they stay on!
Important question – how did you wean G off of the swaddle? We have to do that for our 4 month old (day care doesn’t swaddle) and I’m terrified!
when we did project crib, we did no swaddle. Turns out he didn’t need it.
I second the noise machine. Ours is Homedics from Bed, Bath and Beyond. That Sleep Giraffe was cute but damn if you had to sneak back in there to turn that shit back on.
I agree on the Chicco. I usually grocery shop with the Bjorn because it’s too darn hard to function around that thing.
I’m going to assume you have these already since you said you had a million bottles but we had great success with Tommee Tippee. I had to supplement my daughter at 2 weeks because she would not get back up to her birth weight with nursing. We didn’t have any issues with refusal.
ANY swaddle with velcro is gold…..solid mother freaking gold. Our hospital was like take anything but the blanket and my husband and I were like well we could take it since there are three in there but we decided to be honest. MISTAKE. So that meant when we got home we had nothing in place for swaddling and large arguments commenced as my husband wanted to swaddle her in huge quilt blankets that would smoother her to death. Then I finally found an unopened package in the black hold of a closet with velcro swaddles someone gave me.
I love the co sleeper and used it with both my boys. However my bed is super high so I had to get the extenders for the feet and then I didn’t have to bend down.
we had the extenders too. Our bed must be on stilts
I have the Moby & the Puj Tub! Hopefully my little lady (due in 7 weeks!) will like them both & I won’t have to shell out any more $$ on her!
I’m nannying a baby right now that could have rivaled the G of two months ago. Maybe I’ll pass these tips along to the momma as a hint, hint (aka please get your damn baby some kind of something where I don’t have to hold him for 10 hours straight)
sooo, when you say don’t buy a shizton of bottles, what do you reccommend? I mean how can their be 978 different types of bottles and we are suppose to know which one our baby will like? help me MODG. i have til November so i can wait for a bit for your response. thanks for the pointers. Babies R US still scares the bejezus outta me.
Get one bottle of one kind. See how it works. Just don’t buy a case of one kind of bottle
abby-i could copy/paste your comment. i’m also due in november and am scared of BRU.
MODG-i’ve been freaking about making a registry list-this post is gold to me. thank you. is your stroller ok for infants?
There is an attachment bar that you buy separately that allows you to hook the car seat into the stroller. We used it for about 3 months. We now use the stroller regular style.
TOMMY TIPPEE is gold.. Big Fat smooshy nipple like your boob. The only bottle my boy will *barely* take…. Agreed- Only buy one and test it- Same with pacifiers. I don’t think they like that plasticy taste compared to skin.
Go into BRU and only look at 2-3 things each time. It will get easier. I started online registries and slowly added as I learned instead of going in and getting totally overwhelmed. Actually barely even registered for anything there. Also look at what your friends register for or other expecting moms. That helps too!
Diapers.com saves my life every single day. Overnight free shipping on all baby/mom things- AND, Soap.com.
You could try the Playtex drop-ins starter set. My baby likes latex nipples and almost all others are silicone. Playtex is the only brand I’ve been able to find that sells latex nipples but the starter kit also includes silicone so you can see if your baby has a preference. I was surprised mine did, but it changed his attitude about bottles and pacifiers entirely. He used to make a hilarious disgusted face, but now no face. I kind of miss the face, but I do just want him to be happy.
I used Gerber’s Nuk brand on bottles and pacifiers. My daughter (now 8 months) would switch between breast and bottle no problem. And they have a great venting system, to help with cutting down on the air. And the bottles and pacifiers have pretty much the same nipple, so that’s really helpful. And the bottles are designed to be shaped more like a mother’s breast, so that helps too.
Oh yes the JJ Cole Bundle Me is a MUST – however I always recommend the URBAN version. 1) Its just as warm 2) It does not have that fuzzy junk that looks like crap after you wash it. The Urban is just soft fabric inside so it doesn’t get all matted and pilly looking.
My favorite stroller was the Jeep stroller with the speakers so you could listen to music on your walks. Totally fun.
My baby also loved Infantino toys, we used the heck out of the co-sleeper, but you are right about not getting into your nightstand…that bit. And my baby HATED the bouncer. Like screamed bloody murder in it. But she loved our cheap Fischer Price low to the ground swing. Go figure.
My list is on my blog, but the thing I would change on your list is that I would swap the snuggleme for a miracle blanket. Also, I hate you for not telling me about the musical mirror before this. I have a brown mirror. All it does is be brown. Although, lately my 6 month old isn’t satisfied with anything that she can’t cram into her mouth, so it might just have pissed her off anyway.
I agree that cheap swing is a piece of shit. We have the same mobile, same stroller, and same music thing.
He escaped the miracle blanket.
NO WAY! Did you tuck in the flaps underneath him? He’s a houdini baby if you did and he still got out. My baby got out of the swaddleme. I’d go in there in the morning and her little hands would be sticking out between the velcro tabs.
We have both – my daughter can get out of both of them! They are 4 months and the past two nights, I have gone in every hour to reswaddle. Even with the miracle blanket! I don’t know what we are going to do when they out grow them!
my kid escaped the miracle blanket too. So we promptly gave up on swaddling and just let him sleep on his tummy…everyone was a lot happier. He also hated the cheap swing that G hated. He screamed bloody murder death daggers every time I put him in it.
Maybe try a Woombie. It is really tight and just zips up so baby looks like a little caterpillar. I see no way that Houdini or Kris Angel or that other guy with the water tricks could escape.
I hate to say it but he escaped the woombie too. I would come in and his arms would be under his chin
Second the miracle blanket! We could NOT have survived without it when I had my first. He was in it until it was LITERALLY full of holes. Have to admit though that we thought it would be the same with our second…NOT a fan. I always tell moms that baby gear is like finding a great fitting pair of jeans. TRY IT ON FIRST. Bottles, pacifiers, swings, everything. You could waste a fortune if you just buy something (or buy it in bulk) without trying it first. Every kid is different.
At the height of my swaddling battle (with my baby) I had to put him in a woombie w/ a velcro swaddle over top. Either one alone and he could get his arms out (he’d bust open the velcro.) I should have taken that as a sign to quit swaddling him sooner. Oh well, live and learn!
I SWORE by the Diaper Genie when my daughter was first born… Untiiiiil I had to clean two-day-old shit diapers out & nearly gagged to death on noxious fumes. Instead we tried using Sassy diaper sacks, which is basically just a grocery bag that smells deliciously like baby powder. Amazing times a million. I literally chucked the Diaper Genie out the front door when I discovered how fantastic the Sassy sacks were! BONUS? They’re CHEAP!!! 75 ct. for about $2.50!! You can find them (or something similar) at any baby-friendly store. Wal-Mart, Target, Babies R Us, etc.
This, of course, really only applies to people who aren’t using cloth diapers. I, personally, could never wrap my mind around the cloth diaper concept. In fact, I was the mom who, when my daughter was potty training, would cut the sides of the panties when she’d poop in them just so i wouldn’t have to slide them down her legs. Nothin’ worse than shit-streaks down the legs & turds falling to the floor. Because inevitably she’d always step in one. Yuckkkkk just thinking about it!!!
But if you’re using diapers, I definitely suggest you SKIP the Diaper Genie & get the Sassy sacks!!!!!
Just had to say thank you for this comment….seriously. This makes me feel like I could be a mom b/c Moms due weird stuff (I DO TONS OF WEIRD STUFF AND WORRY THAT MAKES ME UNFIT) because they are regular people. I’m not a huge fan of poop….but who is really? But no one ever says….your baby will poop and you won’t like it but you will deal with it and maybe do something like cut off panties to avoid poop on legs. No, people say real moms don’t hate poop!
So, thank you. Between this comment and MODG’s always real blogging, motherhood is looking very possible.
My mother-in-law was beside herself when she saw me get scissors & cut the sides of the panties & throw them in the trash!! But so much of being a mother is finding what works best for YOU (see: ALL of MODG’s posts about baby G!) I could absolutely handle poopy diapers– I hated changing pee-filled ones, actually. But poop in big girl panties? Hell no. No thank you. Not for me!!
Thank GOD she’s potty trained now
I just wanted to mention that my dollar store sells the exact same bags (not Sassy brand, but baby powder-scented tie bags) that are 75 for $1.00. They are awesome. You should check yours just to see if they have them. Not that $2.50 is expensive, but hey, I’m all about saving if I can.
Regarding the Sassy Bags, you can get a TON of them if you have a BJs near you (it is like a Sam’s Club that takes coupons). A few hundred for only a few dollars. Anyhow, love using them for the baby AND the dog. Wayyyyyyyy cheaper than the dog poop bags and smell nice as well. Our town has these…posts…. that have dog poop bags in them for you to use and my cheapo husband would always use them since they were free and then complain about the poor quality. Once we started using the Sassy bags, he never went back.
thank you for this amazing, informative post. currently child-less and not preggers, but I am bookmarking this post for the (near?) future.
I never thought of buying an adult noise machine…we just talked about this at lunch and now I am reading it here. We have Ocean Wonders as our crib soother. We use it so much that it is now a verb in our house. (“he woke up early, so I laid him down, ocean-wondered him and crossed my fingers he would fall back asleep.”) We now refer to it as his tv, since he can sit up and frequently turns it on himself. We also joke that he complains to management because he keeps getting the same crap channel…probably something only funny to us.
We still use our bouncer even though our son is 9 months (hey, girl needs to shower)…it was our biggest life saver. I love how the lap-belt looks like tighty-whiteys on yours…
Our other lifesaver while in the car is to give the little dude an empty water bottle. Seriously. Works wonders.
I also agree that there are a LOT of bottle options. I freaked out at the number of bottles and then quickly gave up and just used one that my friend used. My son is pretty low-key though, so I won the lottery on that one. We used MAM bottles. Highly recommended for the transition from breast-to-bottle and back. They also come completely apart…I mean completely, so they are incredibly easy to clean. BUT, I cannot find them anywhere but amazon.com…
After 8 years my baby must haves are:
Vibrating rocking chair (similar to swing but good for older ages so you don’t need to buy another seat in a year) pure awesomeness. I’ve had kids use this for nap, play, reading etc all the way up to 4 years old. Suits 6 months to 2 1/2 best though as who wants their 4 year old in a baby chair
Booster seat= the feeding chair that attaches to any chair with a back with plastic tray. Easy to clean, durable, not millions of dollars. Have used my original for the past 7+ years daily and it’s still in great shape. Suits 6-9months up to 4 (as just a booster if needed at table)
Wooden puzzles: mellisa and Doug make good simple ones that kids love plus educational.
Lamaze toys like Justin beaver are great. We heart the musical ‘farting’ octopus
Some babies hate bottles, but transition better with sippy cups. I’m guessing it’s because they want to put moms on blast for trying to give them a fake. With sippy cups it’s different so they know it’s not a BS boobbut something new and possibly more amazing.
Hearts to you, G, B, kitties and blog
Large empty boxes. Kids think these are amazeballs.
I love this list. Totally had the same swing experience. And I swaddled with SwaddleMes my first for 6 months, the second for 7-8. And the both still sleep 12 hours at night. Friggin’ awesome. My mom makes fun of me for straight-jacketing my kids. Oh well,she wasn’t the one getting up all night with them, every night.
I also love the Bumbo seats, I used those to feed at first. With the tray.
Great list:)
this list makes me so happy! it’s like someone just looked at my future and said “everything’s going to be alright!”
we’re only 6 wks into this baby thing but we have so many of the things on your list.
we have a bottle collection going also and just invested in the pricey swing recently and it’s SAVED OUR LIVES/MARRIAGE. seriously, getting sleep is so underrated!
I had the same problem with the car seat not fitting into a shopping cart, so I did some research. Apparently a mom left her child unattended for some time and the seat toppled out of the cart and baby got hurt. They changed the shape of the shopping cart so that NO seats fit in. Perfect for moms who need to grocery shop…kids in tow. Look to see if the store has any of the really old rusted shopping carts in the store. The wheels will probably wobble, but seat fits perfect!
I had no idea that the little seat part in the whale tub came out. Thanks for teaching me how to use my baby crap, MODG!
MARPAC Sound Machine (from Amazon) is what we have and love it. Even got one for the daycare center. Small enough to travel with as well.
Anyone have that new (well maybe its not new but new to me) bouncy seat that actually bounces? Saw it at Target but it was like $50 and since I didnt discover it until the second month, figured it wasn’t worth it. But looks like it would work. Most call themselves bouncy seats but they dont actually bounce unless you physically bounce them. Who wants to sit and bounce their kid for hours on end? Might as well hold them! Sometimes I wonder if the people who make this crap actually have kids.
Also, I know these are pretty much outlawed now but I still use it….a walker. Ooohhh yes I did say walker. My son loved it and now my daughter does too (G’s age). Just make sure you’re not an idiot and leave your basement door wide open or something stupid…I’ve never had any safety issues with mine!
I totally could have used that mirror for the car, my youngest screamed in the car. alot. I had this ladybug rattle that I would shake like hell and it would help a little, I guess she liked the sound, but I think the mirror would have been much better.
And I loved the bumbo- they are the best. This is a great list for new mommies!
This post is awesome! Thank you for your piles of wisdom.
I also had the bright idea to go buy tons of bottles I thought would be cool… but my baby ended up a farting/burping/puking machine so when she was a week old I had to order a stock pile of Dr. Browns bottles and I LOVE THE SHIT out of those.
And I also think it’s hilarious that you used your bassinet for storage, that’s what happened to mine too. Though mine sat in the living room because my ass was too lazy to walk back to her room to change diapers.
Wait a minute…G will let you get dressed in the morning for 20-30 minutes! AND he’ll hand out in a bjorn bouncer while you fix food? I call your dramababy bluff- my 12 month old won’t let me put her anywhere for 20-30 minutes and I fix all my food with a baby in both hands.
THIS IS NEW. Since he’s been sleeping and less of a drama baby.
Summer video monitor. When your baby starts scream talking, it’s great to not have to jump up thinking he’s got his arm stuck in the crib posts.
If you’re paranoid about putting clothes over your kids head, before they have control of it, kimono style shirts and onesies are fantastic!
Any ugly toy that rattles, shakes or sings… most likely, your baby will love it!
I disagree. NO to the video monitor. You’ll stare at it like a mental patient for 12 hours a day. Get the regular 40 dollar walky talkies.
we originally had the angel care motion monitor,but returned it and got a $16( not kidding) monitor at Target and it works great!!
I agree on the Angel Care. WIsh I had it now instead of video monitor. I had to tell myself to stop obsessing over it and not look at the video. And since she was in her crib when she was two weeks old (she just seemed to sleep better in it from the get go) I would really just stare at it until my eyeballs wanted to fall out to see if I could see the rise and fall of her chest to make sure she was breathing.
There is no way I could live without my video monitor. I like that I can do a quick check on him and make sure his blanket isn’t over his face and he’s not trying to crawl out of the crib. I was a little obsessed with it at first but now I only check it every once in a while so I don’t have to go running in the room.
I also LOVED my cosleeper. My little guy is a snuggler and would end up underneath my armpit. I just felt more comfortable and slept better with him beside me. Also, the Arm’s Reach co-sleeper has a feature that keeps that keeps that death hole from happening.
I LOVE the Angel care monitor. My daughter is almost 3 and we still use it. Don’t judge me. I like that I can monitor the temperature in her room at night. But the real reason I still use it is because I love hearing her sing and talk to herself in the morning when she wakes up. She’s my little alarm clock
We had an audio monitor – and initially thought the video monitor was totally unnecessary – until our boy became mobile in the crib. I believe the video monitor has saved us at least a couple of head injuries – the first when he figured out (while in his crib) how to pull himself to stand. I wouldn’t go without it now!
FYI about the Summer Video Monitor
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11127.html
I agree with the merits of video monitor. I still stalk my 2 year old and it is perfect to see if he is REALLY upset or just faking us out. Usually he is faking and totally fine in his crib. Which you can’t tell from just hearing him. It has brought me a totally sense of comfort!
And I don’t know what type of carts are in my grocery store becuase they hold my Chicco fine….or I am just forcing it onto the basket. I now will have to pay more attention. I do live in Texas, so mabye they super-size the carts for us down here.
Me again, just commenting on the link to the Summer monitor. My kid started playing with the cord – which I SAW on the monitor and I promptly moved the cord so it was out of his reach. Problem solved, no one died.
I second the Ergo, for sure. I liked also that I could loosen the shoulder straps some so my son could sag a bit lower, then I’d throw on a “Hooter Hider” and I could walk around the mall and nurse and shop and the same time. Kid could nurse himself into a coma and I could shop, uninterupted. Probably got away with this until well past a year old, just less frequently as he got older, but may depend on the size of your kiddo. I used the Baby K’Tan pre-Ergo. Just like the Moby, functionally, but w/o the 40 yards of fabric so I could get it on much, much faster (and easy to throw on while sitting in a restauarant, for example).
We also have the Bjorn Bouncer – love it! Our oldest is 22 months and he still enjoys it, just uses it quite differently now (e.g. like a trampoline sometimes, but whatev, free entertainment).
“My Breast Friend” – seriously. We were gifted a Boppy, but this is SO much better. Has a little pocket for your pda/cell phone/nursing pads/whatever. Clips on you so when the kiddo is tiny still you can actually stand up and move around because you only need one hand really. Good extra back support and no crack for the kid to roll into between you and the pillow.
White noise machine – absolutely. “Retract-a-Gate” baby gates, the best. Medela Freestyle – great pump, especially if you have to tote it back and forth to work because you’re pumping extra after baby goes to sleep, just to keep up. If you’re going to make your own baby food, get the little containers from OneStepAhead, the ones with the green tops. They screw on rather than snap on – no messes from spilled food.
We like the Avent sippy’s b/c the spouts can be interchanged as baby gets older and then also there’s a Kleen Kanteen adapter that fits the same spouts so you can graduate all the way out to basically a sport top when you have a full blown toddler.
We love our Tripp Trapp high chair. Def buy the aftermarket tray though, b/c the company is postal thinking a baby really doesn’t need a tray. It truly grows with the baby to toddler to kid, and is way less ugly in your house. So easy to clean, too, b/c no really nooks and crannies for science experiments to grow.
Get the Phil & Teds clip chair for eating out. Our kiddo is used to the drill, knows his chair, it works almost everywhere, and I’m not worried about the unknown germs living on the restaurant high chairs (not as big a deal for us as kids get older and stop putting everything in their mouths). If you happen to need a Ginormous diaper bag, it also happens to fit in the Ju-Ju BePrepared bag, which was great for plane travel and travel in general. Big fan of the JuJu Be bags in general. Back to the clip chair – the Ingelsina clip chair is also good (long story why we have 2) and is a good option if you just want a clip chair for home, it travels well with it’s own little attached bag though and that’s nice to have, it’s just a bit bigger, but also comfier for the kiddo.
Love the Aden & Anais blankets and sleep sacks. They have a winter weight and a light weight sleep sack, so you have choices for different climates. Best PJ’s in the world are from Hanna Andersson. Would have never ever bought them, but was given a few as a gift and fell in love. We pretty much have to refinance our house just to afford them, but we find them so worth it. No fade, soft organic cotton, flat-lock seams so no crazy marks or indentations on your kid.
We also have the City Mini – great choice, in general. Hard to go wrong. Sophie the Giraffe toy – also a real winner. Every kid seems to have a Sophie.
I’m sure there’s more, but out of time now. If you’re interested in any other details, feel free to email.
a note about my breast friend. It’s definitely great. BUT if you have a baby with reflux and they need to feed on an angle, more upright, boppy is better.
It’s so funny that you refer to these baby stores as cults because it’s so true. I don’t even have a baby and I get sucked in. I compare prices, colors, models…with no baby. It’s sad.
1 – I had no idea you had this extensive Blog…. and I swear I’ve seen it before. Like, from the bump, or something, during my pregnancy voyage…. kind of creepy? (Were you on the bump? for some reason?) I will have to stalk the rest of your site, when I have a “free” moment, ha!
Regardless, since we have 90% of the same stuff – I agree with you. Then I agree with your points about not getting that misc. dumb stuff that you listed too.
2 – I swear we have the same house of toys & accessories. Seriously. and I still love seeing pics of G b/c B is like, 1 week behind G.
a) Big Swing – check – best thing ever. By the way, jealous that you got the updated one. The old one – my little lamb – is batteries only. You should see the collection of batteries we have that my husband wants to recycle. Its tall. You can build castles!
b) Lamaze toys – of any type – agreed, creepy, but B loves ‘em!
c) SwaddleMe — love also. To those who posted above about “when to stop swaddling” … the baby will tell you. At least, mine did. We found her busting her out of her swaddle a few nights…put her in the Sleep Sac nad never looked back! Thank goodness she kept sleeping or I ‘d have gone insane. She busted out before she went to daycare though….so, good luck to the poster above who doesn’t know what to do for daycare!
d) we have that SAME projection mobile. Well worth the money. B loves it. I can sing the songs to you. I think the heartbeat is a little creepy but we never use that button. B DOES, however, like to swing her legs up during the night and turn it on somehow. Adventurous little character!!
e) Medela PIS – have this also – getting lots of work out of it too as I’m pumping at work (S-U-C-K-S — not gonna lie!) but its very efficient.
f) have the Bundle Me also. But have the Urban, like someone suggested. We have the spring/fall one too but my husband refuses to put it in since the winter one was such a pain to get in and out of the carseat!
g) the Bumbo is awesome. Also got this secondhand. She sits and entertains herself just like G does. With Sophie
h) we have the rainforest jumparoo too — got it second hand nearly perfect. You can wash the seat and disinfect everything else. B is at daycare 3x a week so she is already a walking petri dish. So we have no issues with 2nd hand stuff!
i) stroller – we are going to buy the City Mini – loved the demo in the store. just havne’t gotten to it yet….. we have a Jeep stroller also for all terrain.
Some comments on items I have that you didn’t like yours of:
Re: Car seat — we have the Graco snugride – it is compatible with every stroller. I debated this one or the Chicco and went with the Snugride b/c it fits everything. Except the damn shopping cart. Figures. I put B in the car seat in the cart. I thought I was crazy and then saw another mom in the store who did the same. The thing I like about this one is that the SHADE up top rotates BACK and FORTH. The Chicco doesn’t do this. just a FYI. Helps w/sun protection when still in the car seat!
Bath — we have a lay down one that is fabulous similar to the one you bought round 2 — and another blow up one for when she is able to sit up. Both items cam highly recommended by several friends. I can share the blow up one that I got (I heard to not get that big duck you see at Target), for when G is bigger, if you are interested.
Love my Ergo. Finally got one.
We have an exersaucer too. Yes my house has a lot of BIG stuff in it!! The exersaucer we got B seems to love. Lights up and everything. Fun to watch her grab things and push them around. The one we got is a 3 in 1, where it converts as they grow. Worth it , so far!
PS – Which nursing bra do you like? I didn’t see the name up top. I found the Medela is the best so far… but heard Bravada is great. I didn’t find it anywhere to try on and didn’t want to deal with the return thorugh amazon situation. Found Medela @ BRU….
Also totally agree with you on the bottles – just buy 1 type of a small sample. If you win you win. That way you don’t have 23904 bottles! We won with Dr Brown – Round 1. B took a bottle at 3 weeks on the dot. And rotates back to the boob. She is a miracle baby. Seriously. We are doomed when she gets older. I KNOW IT!
Gonna agree with the Mamaroo. My mom is the youth gallery manager at Furnitureland South (world’s largest furniture store) and one of her reps gave us a mamaroo and we bought one (we have twins) I think I would have rather had a real swing. When they were a couple weeks old, they liked them – then they hit a month/two months old, hated them… went out and bought bouncy seats. I reintroduced them a little after three months and they tolerate them now. Not sure they are worth the $200.
*I will note that my good friend’s baby loves it!
All babies are different-save your gift receipts!
I agree with most everything on your list. I will add our Graco swing started squeaking like a 200 lb mouse after my son hit 5-6 months (so about 16 lbs I think) and it’s supposed to go to 24 lbs.
The got the same carseat for safety ratings but oh mah gosh, it didn’t fit in a buggy and it was HUGENORMO. We bought the First Years convertible carseat and love it. It rates high in safety and costs about $130.
Yay! Huggies Overnights, I’m going to pretend it was my comment that made you a convert cuz I really like to think of myself as helpful. This is a great list!
We have the City Mini Double and I love it! Fits through doors,folds easily, and I don’t feel like I’m pushing a baby limo!!
We have an Ergo but we also have a Beco that I love and highly recommend.
We have the same co-sleeper that has saved my life! 6 months old and he’s still in it but not for much longer
He also has a ghost monkey that he sleeps with!
The best thing on here is the Baby Einstein take along lights! We have 3, yes 3 of them! My 2 year old loved them when she was younger and my son got one for Christmas. My in-laws said they were going for $30 on eBay!!
Love this list! I bought half the stuff you have.
My toddler has loved musical toys since she was very tiny, so I only bought toys with music and stuff she could chew. As for bottles, I first used the one I got as a gift at the Motherhood store the first time I shopped there. I bought a Dr. Browns, she hated it. I bought an Evenflo, hated it. She finally loved the Playtex Ventaires and the Avents. It was the only two bottles that she used without fuss. I bought the cheap $50 swing and she loved it. Bought a very cheap bouncer, she loved it. I bought a very expensive jumperoo…she loved it for like 10 mins. Bought a cheap walker, she loved it!!! Spent all kinds of money on a fancy stroller, and I ended up using a simple Jeep stroller which I take everywhere because it’s light and easy to fold. I didn’t buy a diaper genie because my sisters already had one and they stunk horribly! I’d rather take out the diapers out every day at the end of the day. Now that she’s bigger, I just take them out to the trash as she is changed.
Stuff I wasted my money on:
Baby wipes warmer
Changing table (I used our bed mainly to change her diaper). I’m short, and the changing table reaches my chest area. It was very difficult to change the baby. I removed the pad from it, and now use it as a creams, diapers, baby toys holder. I changed her on the floor, bed, sofa…pretty much anywhere but the changing table. I just bought a really good urine proof mat to put underneath.
Diaper stacker
baby shoes
carseat covers (just use a blanket)
shopping cart/high chair covers (for when they’re older) I always forget mine, and most stores have the wipes now to wipe the cart anyway. I carry wipes to wipe down the high chairs in a restaurant, so I
bottle sterilizer I used it three times and after that it was used to store bottle nipples that my baby outgrew (there are nipples for newborns, 3-6, 9-12, etc…). Just buy a really good bottle brush. I used very hot water to wash her bottles.
Breast pump (this was a super fancy $300 pump), because I couldn’t breast feed.
Baby Einstein or other educational baby DVD’s. Most doctors recommend that babies don’t watch TV before two. I began showing them to her when she turned one. She never sat still to watch them. It’s cool. The less TV she watches, the better. Flash cards are more fun anyway.
This blog entry is brilliant – thank you!!!
And seriously, you’re the funniest blog I read. No joke, I love it.
One of my biffles is pregnant. I’m using this as a guide for gifts, thanks!
Just goes to show how different babies/kids are! While all our baby friends loved the snuggle swing, Babes HATED it. She screamed bloody murder when we put her in it. Then a friend had us try the Mamaroo and it was our saving grace. I ran out and immediately bought one. That said, we kept the old swing because you never know what the next Baby H.I.T. will prefer and we want to have plenty of crap on hand to keep the tears and screams at minimum.
As for the huggies – I’ve heard wonders about using them with boys, but for girls, Pampers work a bit better for leak free overnight diapers. Weird huh?
You don’t mention high chairs at all (I know, you’re not quite there yet), and after having 3 different high chairs in the last 9 months, I recommend the Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat. It is both a high chair and booster seat and it’s awesome. It takes up zero room because it’s strapped to a chair and is so easy to clean. I don’t care how easy to clean a regular high chair tells you it is, it just isn’t. When there is fabric and folds for food to hide, that’s not easy to clean. And I wasn’t into having to take the stupid cover off and throw it in the washer after every meal. Unless you have a dainty eater, you’re going to get food under that cover and it’s just a huge mess. Plus, you can take this one with you when you go visiting.
Oh, and I have to recommend the Homedics Soundspa Lullaby, which is both a projector with three different scene disks and a sound machine. You can just do projector or sound or both, and it has a timer or you can leave it go all night long. It’s the best shower gift I got. It’s super easy to take with you when you travel because it doesn’t attach to anything. Plus, it’s way cheaper than the Ocean Wonder thing.
It may not be for babies, but I still thought you and B might be interested….be sure to scroll down…you’ll know when you’ve reached B’s Christmas present.
http://www.rantsfrommommyland.com/
Any suggestions on nursing bra brands? I bought a cheap one back in March because I saw no point to buying a larger normal bra when I plan on breastfeeding my little man when he arrives this July. I’m kinda terrified that my boobs will get ugly after breastfeeding. Any wisdom on how to keep the girls in tip-top-shape?
Bravado…see above for link
SO agree on the Bravado! Worth the $. Just watch diapers.com and get the 15% off codes they send out around each random holiday or 3-day weekend. Although, I admit, in the summer and early on I really like the Target brand nursing shelf tanks.
OMG, MODG, the Take Along Tunes is baby valium. My guy is a year old and he still loves it. I don’t have much sentimentality for lots of his and his sister’s baby fixin’s, but this is something I’ll never part with. Here’s hoping it will have the same effect when he’s a spaztastic teenager.
Our lists have quite a few things in common & I can’t wait to get rid of the bulky infant car seat too.
Here’s my amazon list for new parents. You may appreciate some of the ‘dining with kids’ items.
http://www.amazon.com/lm/RJC57AG88VC7O/ref=cm_lm_pthnk_view?ie=UTF8&lm_bb=
We have a lot of the same things. Just a few comments
Stroller – we got the City Elite because I wanted to be able to jog with it too. Not technically a jogging stroller but has good suspension (since when is suspension important when it comes to babies – thought it was a car term). Only thing I don’t like is the car seat adapter. For the next one, I’d probably get one of those snap n go things when wanting to use carseat. We put JW in the stroller with an infant insert (meant for a car seat but the Chicco already has one) at about 2 months – seems to be working.
We used the Halo swaddle sleep sack – loved them even though he got out occasionally but it was because we didn’t do it tight enough. We transitioned to just the sleep sack part around 4 months.
I just got the jumperoo for JW. He seems to like it but I have to put a book under his feet…will start using it more. (got a great deal on amazon.)
My mom got us a bath tub with a little infant insert thing in it….not loving it and will probably buy another one. Will look into the whale one.
We have and I used the boppy, but I could never quite get it positioned right for breastfeeding. I am thinking I might like the breast friend for next baby. But the boppy works great as a lounge chair for baby.
We have the Chicco car seat as well. I like it okay.
Mamaroo – have it. JW has gone through phases. He will sleep in it and we put him in it to watch TV – Baby Einsteins usually, but sometimes whatever we are watching – the kid loves HGTV and sports!
Bottles – got a gift pack of Tommee Tippee and Dr Brown – I like the Dr Brown – tommee tippee were too big around for my little hands. Plus he just seemed to like them better.
Thanks for the post. I’ll have to do one soon too.
Sleep sheep = life saver
I also recommend a heating pad….I used to put in the crib while I gave W a bath so when he went into his crob to sleep it was nice and warm…..I did take it out people before I put the baby in so don’t go there!!!
Oh yeah and a humidifier…..we used ours all winter!!
First baby was born in the UK and I was introduced to the phenomenon that is the Tummy Tub. It looks like a bucket and I laughed at first, but I heard from enough people that it is like a dreamy baby spa. I’m in the US now and decided to try it for baby 2. Not easy to find a distributor but I did, here: http://www.bathedwithlove.com/category.php?category_id=46
I LOVE IT. It is so easy and relaxing to bathe baby right from birth and he just relaxes and enjoys. I will be sad when he is too big for it. MUCH BETTER experience than bathing baby 1 in the traditional lie-down baby bath. Also it uses a small amount of water so it is easy to move around even when full (displacement moves water up to shoulder level so baby is secure and warm) and it is compact and easy to store. I know it looks like a joke, but it is wonderful.
I also used a tummy tub but when my little guy got to be about 4 months, he started standing up in it and SLAMMING himself down. He thought it was hilarious but it gave me heart attacks so we had to go buy a bath seat.
Also, Sophie was a waste of money for us. Bubba is completely uninterested no matter how many times I try to shove it in his mouth.
I have the Cleanwater Infant Tub with Built in Thermometer and it is AMAZING. Those 4MOMS really know their stuff. Stupid to say about a tub I know. But it has this reservoir that takes the temperature of the water. When my mom set it up she was very skeptical about a tub that needed batteries and said we should just use our elbows to gauge the water temperature like she did, but after a few baths, even she was sold on this technology upgrade.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?SKU=15020350&
And no, I don’t get a kick-back or any endorsement from them. I just really like their tub…
One more random thought. Big fan of “Baby Signing TIme” videos (only 4). Started them around 7-9 months probably, and at first it was just sing-songy entertainment. We enforced the signing at every chance we got, but I’m telling you, when you’re child can ask for a drink or milk or ANYTHING before they can talk it pretty much blows your mind. “More” and “all done/finished” were the first winners in our house, but even after our son started talking, he still signs and it is SO freaking helpful and adorable, too. I totally think it’s helped on the few tantrums because he can tell us what he wants, for the most part. And the videos were so helpful for us, too, because we could see all the different ways kids interpret signs and adjust them based on their abilities. Samples are on youtube. “Diaper Dance” always cracks me up….
why didn’t I find this blog when I was preg? Geez-this is like GOLD for all pregnant women out there! Agree on ALL choices…I could have saved alot of $$ (and sanity) with this list!
Just a quick tip our doctor told us about the breast pump, if you get a prescription for it most insurances will pay for it. You just have to purchase it at a medical store, there are usually 10 million next to the hospital.
Love this post because at only 2 1/2 weeks in I can actually relate to some things. We have a swing someone gave us, Graco, just started it today seems to work miracles but the second it doesn’t I’m ordering yours. Ditto most of the things you mentioned a few things I have found super helpful…Baby Brain app for iphone, got totally overwhelmed leaving hospital when I had to track poops, pees, sleep, breast time, bottle amounts, love this app. Also post c-section used pill tracker to track my own pills as my brain is shot.
Have been using the Halo sleep swaddler with velcro. My little man still can wiggle, I just got a miracle blanket but am ready to just order 1 of all of them as the swaddling seems to help even though he is only sleeping very little anyway. So happy and inspired that even with your super Drama Baby you can help mommies so much. This can be a chapter in the book!
I adore the Bravado bras. Cute? No. But damn, I didn’t want to give them up, like ever. I just had my second child and was so excited to pull out my Bravado stash.
And I lurrrve the Huggies overnights. Amaze balls. And the Pampers overnights suck, just a warning. Don’t go there.
Great list!!
what brand of noise machine do you use?
Do u have a set of speakers to go with your iPod? You can download white noise on iTunes
Loved this post! I have pretty much everything you use and hated everything you hate! Especially hate that damn mamaroo that got such great reviews. What a piece. Love love love my city mini stroller. My baby is around the same age as yours and I discovered your blog when I was trying to breastfeed ( aka make my life a living hell.). I love seeing that we are going through the same thing and I’m not crazy. Or we both are, whatever, misery loves company. Anyways, we would be bffif I weren’t just some random blog stalker to you!
thanks and keep it up!
So in the perfect union of Lamaze products and noise machines comes…the Lamaze Dream Screen. Best thing ever! It has some preprogramed creepy 1920s horror music but you can also hook up an MP3 player and play your own bedtime music. My 3 YO would still be using it with our Rock-a-baby playlists (another gem, the ROck a baby CDs) if I didn’t steal it for the new baby!!!
Oh and while I love both my Moby and my Ergo, gotta say I also love my ring sling, mine is a custom job from Sleeping Baby productions
You are not a sling moron. I hated my Peanut Sling (I think that’s what it was called) I always felt like at any given moment he’d slip out of it. I hated how squished he was in it & I knew there was no way he was breathing.
First babies are so great because they are the guinea pig. You buy a bunch of crap & only really need NOTHING. My top favorite things were. The swing (much like yours), My Moby (GOD I LOVE IT), the swaddle blanket, & any bed with a vibrate button. We had a Baby Planet Eden Bassinet that I LOVED & a pac-n-play. Both had vibrating functions on them & they saved my life.
I am 40 years old and my kids are 17, 15, and 12. A LOT has changed since they were babies. I am amazed at the monitors that you can see your baby sleeping, playing instead of the ones I had that picked up every trucker and his conversations in a 30 mile radius. (Okay, it was fun when it picked up the neighbors cordless phone conversations.) There’s not a lot I can contribute to this except that the most important thing for a new mom is to be easy on herself. When we have our first it is mind blowing all the things you have to think about. We want to do right by our babies, the ones around us watching, the environment, etc. Any decisions you make before the baby is born is not set in stone and once he gets here you can change ANYTHING. NOBODY is going to look at you like you didn’t live up to any expectations. If they do, they are the kind that would have done that anyway, you can’t please them. About the diapers, it is more important right now that G has a rested mommy than anything. I am responsible for destroying the environment in diapers alone. That is all I used. I tried to breast feed and after a 3 day labor that ended up in a C-section, I was only able to do it for a week. I won’t ever forget the day I wanted to stop, we were staying with my parents and I cried and cried. I felt like I had let everybody else down. My dad walked in my room saw me crying, went and got my mom, and she quickly said, “I didn’t know why you were trying to do it anyway.” We are really hard on ourselves as first time moms and everything turns out okay. Most everything, and this is especially so as they get older, is done through trial and error. I had to start over with each kid because each kid is different. About the shoes, I never worried about it either, until they started pulling up and trying to stand. Then, I went and bought shoes. Until then, they really aren’t necessary. You are a great mom. Know why? Everyday you can tell your biggest priority is your baby boy. You have proved you will do anything that is in his best interest. That is what makes a good mom!
My two cents: I friggin love my cosleeper bassinet. Because I’m lazy as shit and I can pick up my son, feed him and plop him back down to sleep in the middle of the night. So right about not using your own nightstand though. This still bums me. I have to plop my water, chapstick, tissues, and glasses next to my pillow at night and pray I don’t get wet or lose something tiny behind the mattress. As for the sling, that thing is just plain scary. I have the moby and until my son was old enough to carry him upright there was no way he was going in like they instruct you to. Now if only they could invent an Angelcare Monitor for slings, then I’d be set.
i would add:
*BOB revolution stroller….i have the duallie {double} for my twinnies. you can push it with your pinky. LOVE it.
*CAKE by petunia diaper bag. cause it’s pretty.
*aden and anais cotton muslin swaddling blankets {i live in cali, the swaddleme’s are too thick}
*boon flair high chair….no nooks and crannies and it lowers to fit under the table. and it’s not ugly.
*bottles: buy the cheap ones first. my girls LOVE their cheap gerber bottles. like $3 for 3. LOVE it.
*ring toys. i attach them to the car seat, jumperoo, bouncer, everything. we can’t go anywhere without them.
*carter’s onesies if your babies are long and lean like mine. all the other ones are super short and wide.
*medela nipple shields. cause some people have flat nipples and premies that can’t suck very well.
*target nursing bras. comfy and cheap.
i TOTALLY second:
*bumbo
*sophie le girafe
*rainforest jumperoo. that thing entertains my twinnies for a LONG time.
*medela pump in style
*lamaze baby toys. i’d be lying if i didn’t say i wanted to collect them all. we have jacques the peacock and olivia the owl
ya i think that’s it.
good luck mamas.
I love your blog and love this list and felt compelled to comment on this as well, even though it seems that other people have probably covered it all. I have a 3 month old so all of this is still fresh in my mind. I totally agree about the car seat. We got it because it was the safest one, but it’s a huge pain in the butt. It is huge and doesn’t fit in the grocery cart, and it was hard to find strollers that it fit into. In hindsight I would have gotten the Graco. I also love Sophie, the Bumbo, the Little Einstein take along tunes, Trumpette socks (he’s wearing them right now), Moby wrap, and ghost dog (ours is an elephant).
I wanted to add a couple other things that have been hugely helpful for us:
* Aden & Anais blankets
* Bob Revolution SE
* Fisher Price Rainforest activity mat
* Medela Free Style pump- This one has hands free attachments and a rechargable lithium battery so it’s really portable and convenient.
* Fisher Price Ocean Wonders swing- I got this one because of two things: It goes side to side and back and forth, AND it plugs into the wall. Little man will not nap in his crib (but sleeps fine in it at night.. weird) so this has saved my life. I also got a travel swing, the Fisher Price How Now Brown Cow and he loves that too.
One other word of advice to expecting moms: Bring your own wipes to the hospital! At least at our hospital, the wipes were terrible. Our friends brought us some on the second day we were there and it was the best thing anyone brought us!
Thanks for all the good info and for sharing your experiences with all of us.
I probably couldn’t have lived without this. She didn’t like the swing, the high chair, the bumbo… nothing. Got one of these and happy baby. We still have it, fits good under her bed and she pulls it out when she’s lounging in front of the tv.
http://www.floornanny.com/products.asp
One more…. I recommend this to everyone. Used it squished up in the sink and in the tub when she outgrew the sink. It’s just a giant pillow that you hang up in the tub to drip dry when you’re done.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3678339
The Huggies Overnights are the bomb! Once they get a little bigger, though, even the Overnight by itself won’t hold it all, and you need to get Diaper Doublers, which are like a maxi pad with no plastic on the back. You put it inside the night diaper, and it will hold JUST THAT MUCH MORE. The official brand name isn’t “Diaper Doublers” anymore, but everyone still calls them that that I know. You can find them at BRU, and they will be your new best friend.
We used our Arm’s Reach co-sleeper all the time when H was a newborn. Since it has wheels, we would just keep him in it and wheel in all over the house, with diapers, wipes, burpcloths, etc. in the basket underneath. Then when H’s newborn fussing kept me from being able to get ANY sleep at all, my husband slept on the couch with H next to him in the Arm’s Reach, while I slept in the bed. Despite how this sounds, I still didn’t get that much sleep!
I love the Bumbo in theory, but H was at the 95th percentile for his whole first year, and by the time he was able to hold his head up well enough to be able to use the Bumbo, he was so big he barely fit in it. We wound up only using it for a couple of weeks.
Once I bought a Pack-n-Play with a changing table attachment for visits to Grandma’s, I kept it set up in the living room all the time, and 90% of all diaper changing was done there.
Bottles – Dr. Brown’s. Everyone hates how much they cost and how many little parts there are to clean, but the babies like’em. I had to bottle-feed H, and started using the Dr. Brown’s because they were the only brand that has a preemie-sized nipple that I could find. H really chugged his formula as a newborn, and even the #1 sized nipples flowed too fast, and he would wind up choking, so his Ped recommended a pre-sized nipple.
High Chair – the Boon Flair, hands down. Yes, it’s twice as expensive as most of the others, and no, it does not roll well on carpet, but it’s one piece of formed plastic, with a plastic foam seat cushion, and the whole thing can be cleaned with a sponge or rinsed in the sink. Plus it’s really cool and mod-looking, and your baby will look like a little tine Bond super-villain in it.
A friend recommended your blog to me and I am already addicted. Hilarious! And everything you wrote is SO true!
Jesus lady, you use a lot of shit!! I do use a lot of this stuff though. I cant believe he was picky about a SWING! ha. I got the cheap low swing and thank god because at 7 weeks old somehow she fell out of it, so I am glad it was low to the ground! she didnt get hurt by the way. She lifted her leg and slid out. My fault I ddint have the straps on because I thought she was too young to move that much. I put the bumbo on my dresser so she can watch me do my make-up or the kitchen counter so she can watch me do dishes…or pour wine…I learned my lesson from the swing and I stay VERY close when she is on the counter. ha
I have that pump and I actually do use it a lot and its amaziing. . the battery pack allows me to pump in the car (while someone drives) or in the bathroom stall at a bar a few weeks ago when I was out for a wedding. I dumped that batch in the toilet obvi.
ps. I know you dont care, but I had the JJ Cole bundle me and when the car seat safety people came to make sure we knew how to put babyy in the car seat at the hospital, they said no way could that stay in it, and they wouldnt let us leave the hospital with it in the seat. I guess it renders the car seat unsafe. My husband is a rule follower when it comes to the baby (he asked me to take bumpers off when they said those were dangerous too)…so our JJ cole thing got passed onto a friend who didnt care about the rules. I havent heard of many other people running into this issue though.
I’m a mom of three boys (my second a TOTAL drama baby) and I love reading your blog. Your journey into motherhood reminds me of my own with my second baby. Motherhood isn’t for the weak and it’s not all hugs and kisses. All of the must have items you mention in this post are right on. None of my kids liked the tiny swing, they balked at the fact that I bought a “mini” swing in hopes that it would take up less space than the swings as big a smart car.
I’m super late, but thank you for this post! I just had my first baby – 5 weeks early (thankfully he is perfectly healthy and probably the result of an incorrect due date…) – we were lucky to have most of the basic baby stuff (we procrastinate. so what.). I’m getting that swing, like, immediately so that the moment my kid can hold his head up he can be lulled into calmness with soft fluffy bunny love.
Also, I feel pretty slow cause I WANT to love my moby wrap but I kind of suck at tying it? Like, I feel like I have to cut my back arched so as not to allow my baby’s to slip out of the bottom? Ugh.
Alright, so I recently discovered your blog via a friend’s FB post linking your “10 reasons why boobs are magical” (or whatever it was called) post. I’ve been hooked ever since. Anyway, I just got done reading your recent “stuff I like” post and decided I just had to read your old ones too. OMG! When I got down to the nursing bra suggestion I was beyond excited! I have a 5 month old baby boy (we call him “A”) who I’m breastfeeding and I have searched high and low for a comfortable/supportive nursing bra. I have yet to find one. Therefore I’ve been wearing a sports bra. I am definitely going to purchase one of the bras you suggested and if it is as awesome as you say it is I will get many many more. I may even jump through the computer and give you lots of hugs and kisses because you will be my savior. Seriously.
MODG, can you tell me how this stroller handles non-paved surfaces (like walking over lawn or in the park). I don’t want to jog, but I do want to take it to nearby parks without shaking the heck out of my baby…