My friend's advice: What do you really need with a baby?

Recently I was asked by an expecting friend my thoughts on what you REALLY need when you have a baby.  Between space and money there is a lot of reasons not to get everything you hear.  Now, I have not actually had my baby yet and/or used any of this stuff so this is purely me passing along what I've learned from my wonderful mommy friends.  I'm sure someday when I have time again I will post a whole new blog on my personal experiences with each of these... but wanted to pass along in hopes it could help someone :-).

Remember - your friends will give you a ton of advice, all of what worked for them.  My advice - listen to it, learn from it and remember YOUR baby is not going to be like anyone else's and you're going to have to figure out what works for you.  

Registry: I put a ton of stuff on my registry and if I determined I didn’t need it, took it back and got something I really needed.  Most places will give you a 10%, 15% or 20% coupon (Target’s is 15%) to purchase anything left on your registry after the baby is born (so put anything you may need for like a year, you can always buy later).  

Saving $$: (note: this is something I'm just getting used to - I will post more when I learn the secrets) Start clipping coupons now – if you ever go to a babies R us or a buy buy baby, they take each other’s coupons. At Target, sign up for the Cartwheel app ASAP if you don’t have it already.  Ask your family to clip coupons out of their newspapers too!  This crap is EXPENSIVE and every single dollar helps!  For diapers, price it out per diaper – so many places offer boxes in different sizes and $ amounts that sound like such a great deal – but when you break it down to the per diaper price it’s not as good of a deal. 

My thoughts on what you need:

·        Crib, mattress, mattress pad cover, fitted sheets – baby will sleep in this when you determine as a parent, some people put in right away  and some wait.  I got the advice to get multiple mattress pad covers and fitted sheets - when kiddos pukes in the middle of the night, it's nice to have a clean pair ready to go!  Bumpers are now illegal in Illinois and every baby class I've taken says not to use them.  NOTHING should go in the crib but the baby.

·        Rock n Play – every single person I know says this is a LIFE SAVER – this is where your baby will sleep, nap, do everything the first few weeks, there are lots of versions.  I got mine as a hand me down from a friend - ask around!  I guess there is a new version that is flat and not reclined that one of our classes recommended.

·        Rocking chair / Swivel Rocker – some place to rock the baby to sleep and read books, if you’re going to nurse you can do it here, etc.

·        Dresser w/ Changing pad – I’m a big believer in not having a changing table I think they’re a HUGE waste.  Get a dresser for your baby and put a changing pad on top of it (here is an example of a picture on Pinterest of what I’m referring to).  My friends recommend getting at least 2 changing pad covers b/c if they explode diarrhea, you want one you can immediately change it to while you wash it.  I also got a 3 pack of pads that go on top to help catch some of the mess, they are washable too.

·        Diaper bag – you can use pretty much anything – if you plan on using a stroller make sure it hooks  onto a stroller.  The trendy ones right now are skip hop, they come in tons of colors but literally every one of my friends has this diaper bag.

·        Infant Car Seat and Stroller – here is the deal, there is an infant car seat the baby can stay in up to x lbs., these are nice b/c you take them out of the car with the baby still in it sleeping peacefully and then you have your little kid car seat that you don’t take out of the car.  We decided to get an Infant Car seat and stroller combo b/c it was cheaper and all connected and then bought an extra base. This is the one we got, you can get them cheaper/more expensive we didn’t do a ton of research we wanted one that was easy to use and strolled smoothly – mission accomplished J

·        Monitor – some people prefer video, some just the noise, we got a video one so I can look to see if she’s really awake or just grunting.

·        Baby bath tub, wash clothes and hooded towels.  For what kind of soap to use – we have Johnson + Johnson Naturals and Aveno to try that we got as gifts, I wouldn't stock up on this until you figure out how the baby's skin reacts.

·        Thermometer, nail clippers, emery boards, brush, comb, butt cream

·        Bibs, onesies, burp cloths – have the people at your shower do a decorate a bib or onesie, it’s a fun way to get a bunch of cute ones.  

·        Socks, hats, booties

·        Diapers Diapers Diapers – my friends ALL use Pamper Swaddlers, they have a stripe on them that turns colors when they’re wet.  I’ve also heard that as soon as you don’t really need that stripe, get the Target generic as they are the best generic and are way cheaper.  Look for coupons!  If you don’t already have the Target Cartwheel app, download it now! Go on pampers.com and sign up for their rewards plan and get their coupons.  Never pay full price for diapers.  I’ve heard they’re in NB for about 2 weeks, Size 1 about a month and then Size 2 a bit longer so keep that in mind when you’re getting diapers.  I’ve also heard a little big on them is way better than too small.  If you have a SAMS club membership, I’ve heard theirs are the cheapest.

·        Fragrant Free laundry detergent – Dreft is really popular, I’m using Tide Free and Clear… it’s the same but cheaper.  Also I didn’t know this but don’t use dryer sheets when you dry baby clothes.

·        Bottles – I’m going to try to use madela brand b/c that is what my breast pump uses so kill 2 birds one stone – I also got Dr. Brown’s which I heard are a pain b/c they have tons of parts.  If you ever go to a Motherhood maternity they will give you some samples.  Don't get a ton until you figure out what baby will like.

·        Binkies – this is another opinion heavy thing – get a couple different ones and see what baby wants, I’ve heard good things about MAM, Avent and Nuk but again don’t buy too many until you know what baby likes.

·        Baby hangers – believe it or not those little clothes don’t fit on normal hangers J

I didn't mention much about clothes... I got soooo many clothes having a girl.  I heard you get more when you have a girl vs. boy.  Get hand me downs whenever possible - save you money for when they will wear it more than a couple times.  Keep in mind newborn sizes only go to like 8lbs so don't get a ton of nb, go more for 0-3 months.  Also if you get multiples as gifts - exchange for a bigger size.  Keep in mind seasons too - in 6 months will it be winter or summer?  I got some pj's with zippers - they're harder to find but trying to snap those snaps at 4am sounds miserable.

Nice to haves:

·        Diaper pail – I found one that takes regular tall garbage bags – watch for that, the refill bags on some are pretty expensive!

·        Night light – my friends have told me 2 reasons for this, to go in and change a diaper without turning on the overhead light AND to keep the baby entertained to fall asleep.  My friend swears by this one they make boy versions too.

·        Sound machine – people say to get one for the room and one to travel, anything to give the baby white noise.  I got this one to travel with.

·        Here are my thoughts on the pack and play – if you’re traveling a lot or have a 2 story house, I get how they can be beneficial – see if you can get a hand me down one (that’s what we are going to do) because I really don’t think we will use it.

·        Swing – some babies love the swing and some don’t – this is the hard part, if you have the room and can get one have it around just in case you cannot calm baby and it happens to work (we got this one as a hand me down from a friend)

·        Baby gym – provides entertainment.  We had a target GC so we got one - also some come with a little half moon pillow and mirror for tummy time, I hear this is a hit.

·        Aden + Anais receiving blankets – everyone says these are the bees knees of receiving blankets

·        Swaddle blankets or Miracle blankets – you can do this with a receiving blanket too – another thing I registered for and if we got, cool if we didn’t no biggie

·        Since my baby will be so little in the winter, my friends recommended a car seat cover, some people just use blankets which I’m sure works the exact same but I registered for one and if we got it great, if we didn’t I would have used a blanket  

Sophie the Giraffe – every kid I know loves this thing

·        Take along tunes – this was recommended for car rides

·        Disposable Diaper Sacks – this is for the diaper bag so if you’re at a friend’s house you can put the diaper in these and not totally stink up their garbage.

For Mommy: 

·        Long thick pads (yep like the ones you wore when you were little) – apparently there is a lot of blood

·        Granny Panties – to hold the big pads and you don’t care about ruining

·        Tucks medicated cooling pads – for the hemorrhoids

·        Dermoplast First Aid Spray – this will help your hooha heal faster and hurt less (make sure it’s the blue kind)

I'm sure I'm missing a ton of stuff.  I also didn't include any breastfeeding things but I will give some tips once I actually attempt it.  Hope this list helps :-)

Happy baby shopping - USE COUPONS!!!!!!!!!!!!