Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Calling All Mommies & Daddies-I Need Help!!!

...okay, I'm starting to get overwhelmed. I was so nervous/scared the first half of my pregnancy that I didn't want to do anything to get ready for the baby. Now that we've been feeling him/her and we saw our sweet baby yawning at our last u/s, I realize it's time to get moving!

We've started working on getting things ready at the house. Honestly, I just feel like we've moved everything upstairs to the downstairs and haven't really done much. I'm *hoping* Matt gets on painting the nursery on January 28 because I work all day but we'll see. Things are kind of at a stand still with what I can do at the house right now because the guestroom has been emptied so now it's time to think about the registry and nursery.

This is where I start to freak out! What in the world do I need??? I started to print off a generic list and it had like 8 different items on it for the baby to sleep in. Um...our house isn't that big so I don't think we need a crib/bassinet/portable crib, etc...for every room in our house! So please...help me!

I think we're going to register at Target and Babies-R-Us. Leave me a comment with any and all advice...what I HAVE to have, what I don't really need, brands, how much of each items, websites I should visit to check safety on products. Anything you think a first-time mother needs to know..lay it on me!

Thanks in advance!

9 comments :

Meredith said...

Well, I can tell you what we did for Lizzy--we had a crib in her room, and then a pack n' play (with the bassinet attachment) in our room. She slept in the bassinet/upper height of the pack n' play in our room for probably the first 2-3 months because it was just easier to have her in the room with us when she was waking up several times a night to nurse.

You could definitely buy a co-sleeper in addition to or instead of the pack n' play, but like you, we just didn't have a ton of room, and decided that the pack n play was a better fit than a co-sleeper for us personally.You guys just have to think about your lifestyle and what will work best for you!

Mrs. Dirnberger said...

I agree with the first responder...either get a bassinet OR a pack in play with built in bassinet for your room....one of those and a crib is ALL you need. I used a changing table a lot but some ppl don't. YOU WILL need a swing..they are live safers...seriously. My house is small so thats all we have. A swing and some type of bassinet. Fisher price makes a new type of bassinet that is a take a long and thats what we have and its awesome.

also when you register...don't forget they grow fast so register for a walker or bouncer seat or both. We used a bumbo seat a lot too. AND register for silverware, plates, take a long little bowls and bigger things that you will need later...sippy cups. I could go and on but I will let other chime in :)

Krystie said...

I found this list on pinterest and it looks pretty helpful.


http://styleberryblog.com/the-baby-list-everything-you-need-to-have-a-baby

Christy Duffy said...

You've gotten a lot of great advice. I agree with the pack-n-play. We are still using the one we got before my oldest was born 17 years ago. Well, not for him, of course!

I also agree with having some kind of bouncy seat.

And since you're going to be exploring all kinds of new ideas, I suggest reading Babywise by Ezzo. Some people really hate his idea of an eat/wake/sleep routine for baby but I'm telling you it changed our lives for the better. I'd be happy to talk to you about it, too!

Slamdunk said...

No, you'll have a copule of rooms that you spend most of the time--so don't worry about getting things for every room.

Just a couple of suggestions from a goofy dad:

1) Get plenty of dog treats. My springer spaniel was so curious when we brought the first kiddo home. She always had her nose around the crib or when we were holding our first son. The treats will come in handy to give dog something to do for a few minutes.

2) Have your husband practice putting in the car seat. We bought an expensive fancy one at first and man that was frustrating getting in the car right--especially if it needs to be done right now.

Keep up the good work mom.

Liz said...

I'm in the same boat as you. Planning on a crib and pack n play with bassinet for sleeping, stroller/carseat combo, and high chair that attaches to a regular chair.

I've heard that wipes warmers are a waste of money so I don't plan on getting one of those.

Angie said...

I would suggest taking a class at the hospital about how to take care of a newborn. It was so helpful to me! It was about 8 hrs long and covered everything. I also took a breastfeeding class and a cpr class that was very helpful. I have a book called "How to take care of your child ages 0-5 put out by the american academy of pediatrics and it is amazing. It goes month by month and tells you what your child should be doing, what's normal what's not, etc. also has a great section on every health issue imaginable. TOTAL great resourch guide for me!

Mary said...

I found this website to be very helpful:

http://www.lucieslist.com/

Also, Baby Bargains will help you wade through what is necessary and what isn't and also reviews brands to help you decide.

I like having something downstairs that I can set her in while I'm cooking or whatever. Whatever you choose-something as small as a Rock n' Play or large like a Pack n' Play-will be helpful.

My must-haves: Boppy, white noise machine, quality swaddle blankets (Aden&Anais are great), Fisher Price whale bathtub, Moby wrap.

Some babies love some things and some babies love other things-Elsa loves her activity mat but another baby might hate it. It's just hard to know, so if you can borrow someone's to see if the baby likes it, all the better.

Joline said...

We have a crib (obviously). We also had a rock n play which we initially just used downstairs, but it was a lifesaver with LO's first cold and then she loved sleeping in it for a long time. We also have a pack n play. She slept in it in our room for the first couple weeks home, we used it when we traveled and we used it when she became mobile by keeping it downstairs to contain her.

White noise is great, although the best one for us has been an air purifier. It is constant and loud enough to drown out any noise from the household after she goes to bed.

We also had this: http://www.amazon.com/Bath-Luve-Buddy-Just-Born/dp/B003IYKOWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1326938195&sr=1-1
It keeps baby warm while you bathe them. This and the rock n play were my husband's favorite baby items.