I have quite a few friends who are pregnant right now with their first baby. Very, very exciting! Considering I am parenting a baby again I've been thinking about what STUFF is essential and what stuff is nice to have. Of course, there is a long list of "don't waste your time on this" kinda stuff too.
Must Haves
A baby bouncer/rocker. This Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker is my favorite. For reasons I won't explain right now, we have 3 different baby bouncy seats and this is by far my favorite. It reclines for newborns, vibrates if they like that, and becomes a seat for when they have better head control. Bonus is that it can hold up to 35 lbs. so my older girls still love sitting in it. It is important to have a safe place to lay baby down when you are say, in the shower, or cooking dinner. I found ours at a consignment store, gently used, for $15.
A carseat. I've had a Graco Snugride and a Combi and I MUCH prefer the Graco. What you need to look for in any carseat, besides safety, is how easy the buckles are to adjust, if they get twisted, how easy it is to install, etc. **UPDATED** The Chicco Keyfit 30
seems to be the most popular/safe car seat on the market these days. I wish we still had the Graco but sadly we don't. I can't wait to move her out of it and into her Britax. As a convertible carseat I can only recommend the Britax Marathon or Roundabout. We have 3 and love them. Love them. We had a Graco toddler carseat and hated it. Hated it. Don't buy a carseat used, if you can help it. You don't know for sure if it has been in an accident.
Swaddle Blankets. Don't buy these if you can help it. The kind you buy (labeled "receiving blankets") are usually too small to be effective past the first week. Get yourself a 1.25 yard of flannel fabric. A 44" square piece is what you need to work perfectly. You can probably buy expensive swaddle blankets that are this size too. I would recommend 4 or 5 of these (at the least). I wash mine every few days.
A baby thermometer. Get the rectal kind. They are most accurate. Make sure it is a quick one. You don't need to be waiting around 30 seconds to get a reading! Nobody is going to like that!
A wrap/sling. Not everyone will say this is a must have but I do. Do your research, talk to friends. Don't just buy the cheapest (or the most expensive). For young babies I recommend a Moby Wrap. For older babies and toddlers I recommend the Ergo. I've also heard great things about Mei Tais and other structured carriers. A Baby Bjorn has its usefulness as well. I regularly use several different carriers for different needs.
Burp Rags/Cloths. I use prefold cloth diapers for this and prefer these to homemade ones. If you are going to make one, make sure it has at least 4 layers of flannel. I have a few that are 2 layers of flannel and with a spitty baby they soak through immediately. I'd recommend getting 10-12 of these. I thought this was an outrageous amount with my first two but with Maggie we go through them every couple days.
Onesies. Plain white are fine. I'd get a couple 6 packs.
Sleepers. You know, the kind with feet. Get cotton, no buttons or anything fancy because you won't want that at 2 a.m. Get 6 to 10. You may go through 4 or 5 in one day, you might go through 1 a day. Every day is different.
That's it. These are the essentials. There are a lot of other things that would be great to have. Remember, all babies are different. I'd say this is what all babies would need. I'll have another installment for things I really like having but aren't absolutely bare bones necessary.
What was essential for you when you had a newborn?
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