Getting Ready for Baby...The Little Things, Part 2

A note on diapers...In my last post, I talked a little bit about my experience with diapers. After posting, I was given some feedback from a few friends about their experiences. I had questioned whether Huggies diapers might be better for boys and in fact a friend of mine told me that she has found this to be the case. She passed along a cute little quote "Hug a boy, pamper a girl." Another mom noted that she has always used Huggies with her girls (3) and hasn't had any problems. I would definitely recommend when buying diapers for your new baby, to get a package of each until you decide which you prefer.

Now, on to more about getting ready for baby! Again, these are my personal preferences. There are so many options out there and you need to choose what is best for you and your baby! I am sure there are things that I am forgetting to mention so if you have questions about anything, feel free to comment!

Clothes

If you are going to buy clothes ahead of time, don't get a lot of newborn stuff. Babies grow incredibly fast! My daughter was 7.12 pounds when she was born and she had outgrown her newborn clothes within 3 weeks.

Don't spend a lot of money on "outfits" either. As you can imagine, it is a challenge dressing a tiny little baby and the less fuss you have to deal with, the better. Socks, shoes, booties, hats and bibs are cute, but not necessary. I have a million bibs and have not used a single one to this day. I will start using them when my daughter starts teething and eating, but up to now there really has been no need. She didn't start wearing socks or shoes until she started wearing pants around the 1 month mark. She did wear booties and a hat on a couple of occasions, but you really don't need more than one of each. When they are in sleepers, they don't need any of that extra stuff.

Sleepers are the way to go! My daughter lived exclusively in sleepers for the first month or so. Make sure you get sleepers with snaps (down both legs) rather than zippers. Zippers may seem like they would be easier, but they only unzip down one leg which can make getting the other leg out rather difficult. There is the risk of getting baby's delicate skin pinched in the zipper and you have to unzip the whole sleeper to change a diaper rather than just the snaps around the legs which means more cold air can get at baby.

I started dressing my daughter in pants and onsies when she got a little bigger and that is now our standard outfit for everyday. Cute outfits are nice for special occasions, but if you are going to be chumming around the house most of the time, you want baby to be comfortable.

If you have a girl, you might be tempted to buy some cute little dresses, but let me tell you, dresses are a pain in the ass! You have to constantly pull them down. We wear dresses on special occasions, but that is it! When she can walk, dresses will be much easier to manage!

You are also going to need clothing for outdoors. My daughter was born in the winter so we had to buy a one piece snowsuit for her to wear. A hat and mittens are also essential for winter babies! A few light sweaters or sweatshirts (with hoods) are all that you really need once the weather starts to warm up.

I would also highly recommend a few pairs of the little mittens that can be worn to prevent scratching. I recently read that these are no longer recommended because babies need to be able to 'feel' their world. These people have obviously forgotten how difficult it is to cut a newborn baby's fingernails! My daughter wore mittens every time she slept for the first few months until it became easier for me to cut her nails and she does not seem to have suffered any adverse consequences. Of course, it is important to take them off when baby is awake when baby will actually be 'feeling' their world, but putting them on for sleeping is essential unless you want a baby with a scratched up little face!

Bedding

Start with a crib mattress pad that has a plastic backing to protect your mattress and to provide a little more cushioning to the bed. You will need at least a couple of fitted cotton crib sheets so that you have one to swap out in case of spit-up or diaper leaks (you will also need these items for the bassinet). Be sure to get a few soft cotton blankets and at least one good sized cotton blanket that can be used for swaddling. We used a hand-knit blanket for swaddling for the first couple of months and then transitioned to a sleep-sac and soft blanket. A sleep-sac is great because you don't have to worry about baby getting cold if they happen to kick of their blanket. I didn't use receiving blankets at all for swaddling rather I used them for burp cloths, but regardless of what you use them for your should get half a dozen or so.

Getting the crib ready is really exciting (even though baby won't be using to for a few months if you are going the bassinet route). Everyone wants to get a cute crib set that includes a comforter, bed skirt, fitted sheet and bumper pads. The truth is that bumper pads are not recommended because they put baby at risk of suffocation and you won't use the comforter while baby is actually in the crib (it ends up being more for looks). The crib skirt and sheet, however, are nice to have. If you do buy a set (or someone buys it for you), you can use the comforter as a play blanket so that you get use out of it and there are alternative ways to make use of the bumper pads (I am in the process of trying to find a creative way to use the bumper pads that came with my daughter's crib bedding...there are several suggestions online, I will keep you posted on this.)

Toys

My daughter didn't really get into her toys until she was about 4 months of age and even then, there were only a few that she preferred to grab and hold on to. Soft toys that make noise and have color contrast are good for the early months. Chewable toys are good as they get a little older and want to put everything into their mouths. Board books and a few baby CDs are great to have as well!

We have a playmat that she has really enjoyed, but now that she is 5 months old, she has become less interested in it. She started using her activity jumper as soon as she was strong enough and could touch the ground in it and she loves it now! We don't have a Jolly Jumper, but I know a lot of people like them. We have a Bumbo chair, but my daughter is not a fan of sitting in it. It actually forces them to sit quite awkwardly and I recently heard mumblings about them not being good for their posture. We used a swing for the few few weeks, but then my daughter decided that she did not like the cradled position that it forced her to lie in. We also have a bouncy chair which is awesome to have so that you can take a shower once in awhile! A Boppy pillow is great for sitting baby in before he/she can sit up an his/her own (as well as for breastfeeding in the early days).

It is recommended regardless of what jumper/activity center you have, that babies are put in them for only short periods of time. The best way for a baby to develop is to just play on a regular blanket. Lots of tummy time is really important!

A few other things you might want to consider...

For the nursery...
*A diaper pail of some kind. We have a Diaper Genie II and it is great! I was originally just going to use a garbage can in the nursery, but I am super glad I went the diaper pail route. It keeps the odor contained and you can put a lot of diapers in it before it needs to be changed (many more than in a small garbage pail).
*Get some baby hangers for items that are better hung than folded.
*A rocking chair in the nursery is wonderful! It is great for rocking baby to sleep when they are really young and for story time as they get older.

For travel...
*Sun shields for your car windows are really great for keeping the sun out of baby's eyes when you are travelling.
*A mirror that can be mounted on the back seat so you can glance at baby while you are driving is also essential.
*A diaper bag for travelling is a no-brainer. My diaper bag goes with me wherever I go. It doubles as my purse now with a section devoted to my things.
*Little pads to cover the car seat straps are nice so that the straps are not against baby's delicate skin. I also use these on the straps in the stroller.
*We do not have a pack-and-play, but if you are going to be doing a lot of travelling with baby and baby is going to need a place to sleep, you might want to invest in one. They are very expensive so spend the cash only if you are going to get a lot of use out if it.
*A carrier is a great investment. You are not always going to want or be able to take a stroller wherever you go. It is also nice to just be able to take a walk with baby in the carrier rather than the stroller. I currently use a Fisher Price carrier that we were given, but if I was to invest in one, I would get the Baby Bjorn Sport carrier.

For everyday...
*You absolutely need some baby nail clippers. I had both the regular clippers that are similar to adult clippers and the ones with a larger handle. After using both, I have found the regular clippers to be much easier to use and handle.
*You will also need to have on hand a soft brush (and comb for longer hair), a digital thermometer (for the armpit is easiest), a nasal aspirator, baby oil (for cleaning little nooks and crannies and for cradle cap), infant Tylenol (for after those nasty immunizations), Vitamin D drops (babies should be given these every day while they are exclusively breastfed unless they are exposed to at least 5-10 minutes of sunshine everyday), and Gripe Water (to soothe a colicky baby or just to soothe cramps or hiccups).

In my next post, I am going to start talking about the topic that everyone has been waiting for...BREASTFEEDING! Stay tuned!