You hear all the time that all babies like different things. Some parents never use some items that other parents seem to swear by. Likewise child #1 may hate something that child #2 (in the same family) loved. For anyone who’s interested, he’s a little comprehensive list of things I loved/hated and just found to be useful in the last 2+ months with baby #1. I’m sure over time my opinion of certain items may change – next time around I might hate it, but as of right now, here’s where it stands.
Also, some of this I may have posted previously in random posts, but here it is, all together and perhaps with a little detail.
Never Used/Use:
Bottle warmer – Never came out of the box. I just put it in a storage box the other day. His milk comes out at the right temperature and when I use pumped milk, it’s just as easy to run it under warm water.
Swing – I’ve heard this is one of the big “my child loves it/hates it” items. My child disliked it. Recently we used it a couple of time for a few minutes, but it never gets used for long periods of times – it was not worth the price.
Dishwasher baskets – another item that was thrown into storage recently unopened.
Bumpers – When creating the nursery, we didn’t buy one of those large bundles from babies r us that has the whole bedding set. I found a quilt at potterybarn.com on clearance with airplanes and we coordinated the room around it – I was really trying to avoid a cookie-cutter nursery (same wall art as every other nursery, same border as every other nursery, etc) that he’d outgrow too quickly. They had matching bumpers that we bought also, but they came out after 1 or 2 nights of Jude sleeping in his crib. Considering they were pretty cheap I don’t regret buying them too much (as I have recently seen you can make a million things with them!) but in the future I would skip them and just get a quilt again or some other item to have as the inspiration for his room.
Rocking Chair – This I was hesitant to put in this category. Our rocking chair was passed down to me from my grandmother… it apparently was my great, great grandmother’s and so has a little special meaning (not that I knew her, but still). It fits well in Jude’s “reading corner” and I’m sure down the road it may get used more, but currently if I had put money out for it, it would have been a total waste.
Spit Up Sheet Protector – these apparently are made so that you don’t have to wash your sheets as frequently. I had it on before Jude was born, he spit up on it and I never put it back on. It was just as easy in my opinion to change the sheet. These tie onto the crib rails and so if your crib is up against the wall, you have to move the crib out from the wall every time you change them.
Bibs – No matter how practical, I never used them. His outfits are too cute to cover up sometimes. Plus, he has so much clothing I didn’t mind costume changes mid-day if they got messy.
Couldn’t Live without:
Bouncie seat – He loves it. It’s light and small enough that we take it outside when we doing yard work, move it in the kitchen while cooking, sit him in it when he’s awake/looking around, etc.
Bum Genius Diapers – This is really a personal opinion, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE using cloth diapers – specifically the BG 3.0’s. I got so much kick back when I told people I was using them about how it wouldn’t last, etc., but it had to have been one of the BEST decisions we made. They seem like they’d be much more comfortable, much smarter financially, etc. After my experience I don’t think I would EVER use disposables again. To this day I love when people who once thought it wouldn’t last ask me how “using those cloth diapers is going” and I can reply “great!”.
Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump – Another big ticket item that I couldn’t live without. Especially now that I’m back to work, this is obviously one of the most handy and regularly used items. Even before pumping at work though, it was very handy for full breasts in the morning or just to pump some extra to have in the freezer.
Hip Hugger Clothes Basket – A non-baby item that I had pre-baby, that I still couldn’t live without. Mostly in the first few weeks when I hated the idea of having to climb up and down the steps and didn’t feel comfortable leaving Jude on one floor alone – this was super handy. Most others would slip off, but this one hugs the hip so I could have clothes basket in one hand, baby in the other.
Burp Cloths – specifically the cloth diaper burp clothes. They sell them at BRU. They’re basically like white rags, but are highly absorbent. The ones I use are tri-fold with a slightly more absorbent center. Very hard to explain, but super handy! Plus they’re MUCH cheaper than the fancy decorated ones in weird fabric that don’t absorb.
Tummy Time Play Mat – This was super convenient before we had an area rug in the living room. When we put Jude on his back to kick around it kept him off the hard floors. Now that he’s getting a little older, even though we have the rug, he’s able to focus on the objects and likes looking at his little toys that hang.
Home Made Laundry Detergent – With all the wash, it’s nice to not pay high dollar for detergent!
Odds and Ends I might recommend:
Avent Bottles – another one of those to-each-their-own type items.
Pack N’ Play – Specifically Graco, it seems very well made.
Pack N’ Play Sheets and Changing Station Covers – much easier to swap out a sheet or a cover than to clean the whole thing.
Sling – See below on my rant about travel systems. This was a nice alternative when making a quick run into a store, going for walks around the neighborhood, doing stuff around the house, etc. (brand I used: hot slings)
Boppie – This was extremely convenient when I first started breast feeding. Jude, Ryan and I had a system when I would feed, legs crossed, boppy on top of legs, baby on boppy. Ryan would gently hold his hands while I got the latch right. I consider this system of ours the reason why he got the whole process so quickly. It was very routine and consistent. Thanks Boppie!
Medela Nipple Cream – I never got the dreaded sore nipples while beginning, but it was still nice and soothing while adjusting to the whole process.
Bottle Drying Rack – I usually hand wash all of Jude’s bottles – for some reason they would never get 100% clean in the dishwasher, so this was incredibly handy and allowed for easy access to them (instead of shoving them in a cabinet).
Nursing Wrap – Peanut Shell w/ Wire peep hole – perfect for nursing on the go – or just sitting around the house when you’re not sure who might walk in.
Take it or Leave it:
Infant Car Seat/Travel System – there are times when the infant car seat/travel system is the most convenient thing in the world and other times that it’s the biggest pain in the ass. For the cost… I would venture to say if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t get another one. But considering I do and it was a gift, I love it more than anything? I feel like it’s a staple item on any baby registry – which is maybe why I went for it, but might be wise to just get a regular car seat and some sort of front carrier/umbrella stroller in the future… It’s really hard to say.
Also, some of this I may have posted previously in random posts, but here it is, all together and perhaps with a little detail.
Never Used/Use:
Bottle warmer – Never came out of the box. I just put it in a storage box the other day. His milk comes out at the right temperature and when I use pumped milk, it’s just as easy to run it under warm water.
Swing – I’ve heard this is one of the big “my child loves it/hates it” items. My child disliked it. Recently we used it a couple of time for a few minutes, but it never gets used for long periods of times – it was not worth the price.
Dishwasher baskets – another item that was thrown into storage recently unopened.
Bumpers – When creating the nursery, we didn’t buy one of those large bundles from babies r us that has the whole bedding set. I found a quilt at potterybarn.com on clearance with airplanes and we coordinated the room around it – I was really trying to avoid a cookie-cutter nursery (same wall art as every other nursery, same border as every other nursery, etc) that he’d outgrow too quickly. They had matching bumpers that we bought also, but they came out after 1 or 2 nights of Jude sleeping in his crib. Considering they were pretty cheap I don’t regret buying them too much (as I have recently seen you can make a million things with them!) but in the future I would skip them and just get a quilt again or some other item to have as the inspiration for his room.
Rocking Chair – This I was hesitant to put in this category. Our rocking chair was passed down to me from my grandmother… it apparently was my great, great grandmother’s and so has a little special meaning (not that I knew her, but still). It fits well in Jude’s “reading corner” and I’m sure down the road it may get used more, but currently if I had put money out for it, it would have been a total waste.
Spit Up Sheet Protector – these apparently are made so that you don’t have to wash your sheets as frequently. I had it on before Jude was born, he spit up on it and I never put it back on. It was just as easy in my opinion to change the sheet. These tie onto the crib rails and so if your crib is up against the wall, you have to move the crib out from the wall every time you change them.
Bibs – No matter how practical, I never used them. His outfits are too cute to cover up sometimes. Plus, he has so much clothing I didn’t mind costume changes mid-day if they got messy.
Couldn’t Live without:
Bouncie seat – He loves it. It’s light and small enough that we take it outside when we doing yard work, move it in the kitchen while cooking, sit him in it when he’s awake/looking around, etc.
Bum Genius Diapers – This is really a personal opinion, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE using cloth diapers – specifically the BG 3.0’s. I got so much kick back when I told people I was using them about how it wouldn’t last, etc., but it had to have been one of the BEST decisions we made. They seem like they’d be much more comfortable, much smarter financially, etc. After my experience I don’t think I would EVER use disposables again. To this day I love when people who once thought it wouldn’t last ask me how “using those cloth diapers is going” and I can reply “great!”.
Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump – Another big ticket item that I couldn’t live without. Especially now that I’m back to work, this is obviously one of the most handy and regularly used items. Even before pumping at work though, it was very handy for full breasts in the morning or just to pump some extra to have in the freezer.
Hip Hugger Clothes Basket – A non-baby item that I had pre-baby, that I still couldn’t live without. Mostly in the first few weeks when I hated the idea of having to climb up and down the steps and didn’t feel comfortable leaving Jude on one floor alone – this was super handy. Most others would slip off, but this one hugs the hip so I could have clothes basket in one hand, baby in the other.
Burp Cloths – specifically the cloth diaper burp clothes. They sell them at BRU. They’re basically like white rags, but are highly absorbent. The ones I use are tri-fold with a slightly more absorbent center. Very hard to explain, but super handy! Plus they’re MUCH cheaper than the fancy decorated ones in weird fabric that don’t absorb.
Tummy Time Play Mat – This was super convenient before we had an area rug in the living room. When we put Jude on his back to kick around it kept him off the hard floors. Now that he’s getting a little older, even though we have the rug, he’s able to focus on the objects and likes looking at his little toys that hang.
Home Made Laundry Detergent – With all the wash, it’s nice to not pay high dollar for detergent!
Odds and Ends I might recommend:
Avent Bottles – another one of those to-each-their-own type items.
Pack N’ Play – Specifically Graco, it seems very well made.
Pack N’ Play Sheets and Changing Station Covers – much easier to swap out a sheet or a cover than to clean the whole thing.
Sling – See below on my rant about travel systems. This was a nice alternative when making a quick run into a store, going for walks around the neighborhood, doing stuff around the house, etc. (brand I used: hot slings)
Boppie – This was extremely convenient when I first started breast feeding. Jude, Ryan and I had a system when I would feed, legs crossed, boppy on top of legs, baby on boppy. Ryan would gently hold his hands while I got the latch right. I consider this system of ours the reason why he got the whole process so quickly. It was very routine and consistent. Thanks Boppie!
Medela Nipple Cream – I never got the dreaded sore nipples while beginning, but it was still nice and soothing while adjusting to the whole process.
Bottle Drying Rack – I usually hand wash all of Jude’s bottles – for some reason they would never get 100% clean in the dishwasher, so this was incredibly handy and allowed for easy access to them (instead of shoving them in a cabinet).
Nursing Wrap – Peanut Shell w/ Wire peep hole – perfect for nursing on the go – or just sitting around the house when you’re not sure who might walk in.
Take it or Leave it:
Infant Car Seat/Travel System – there are times when the infant car seat/travel system is the most convenient thing in the world and other times that it’s the biggest pain in the ass. For the cost… I would venture to say if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t get another one. But considering I do and it was a gift, I love it more than anything? I feel like it’s a staple item on any baby registry – which is maybe why I went for it, but might be wise to just get a regular car seat and some sort of front carrier/umbrella stroller in the future… It’s really hard to say.
1 comments:
Nice list...i didnt even think to talk about my glider/rocker. maybe ill add that - thanks for the idea lol
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