A couple of weeks ago, Adam and I went down to Babys R Us to register in anticipation of the upcoming showers for Little Charlotte. Adam was very optimistic about how easy all of this would be and somehow convinced me to go one evening even after we had both already had a long day. (I have two theories for his enthusiasm: 1) the fact that he was in Iceland three years ago while I spent six or so hours at Bed, Bath & Beyond working out our wedding registry, and 2) he was excited to use the registry "gun" that they give you to scan items with. It looks like an old-school laser tag toy.) But by the end of the evening, he couldn't get out of Babys R Us fast enough and I almost had to be carried out of there. If we wouldn't have been parked in the "Expectant Mothers" parking space toward the front, we probably would have had to spend the night in the parking lot.
Registering for your wedding is hard. Registering for your baby is even harder. I'll admit that I enjoy the fake "buying" sensation you get when you pick out stuff for a registry as much as the next person. But when you have to consider your baby rather than just yourself (and your husband, of course, who really did want all of that Calphalon cookware you registered for), it opens up a new world of issues: What kinds of pacifiers will the baby like? Which bottles will she prefer? Will she be too big or too small for this? Is this too flimsy, too thin, too solid, too thick, too big, too small to be safe? If she chews on this, is she going to be mentally stunted by chemicals? Can she smother herself with this? Can she get her head/hand/foot stuck in here? And (maybe most importantly) are these diapers going to hold stuff in?
When when the registry representative handed us a list of everything we supposedly need to register for for the baby, we felt more than a little overwhelmed and underprepared. At this point, buying and even just registering for baby products has all been a guessing game for us. (For all we know, Little Charlotte could come out a ten-pound boy and never really appreciate the frilly white satin newborn shoes waiting for him in the closet.) Barring such a surprise gender reassignment at birth, we could use a little advice from our friends. Any recommendations on particular products that you or your babies have loved or found really useful?
7 comments:
I tell you, half the crap that "they" (and I mean the the collective "they") tell you you need is a complete conspiracy. First of all, a changing table, while very nice to use as it saves your back for changing diapers, can only be used until your baby rolls over and then becomes the place that you put the clean laundry you don't have time to put away, so that is a DON"T. Second, DO get a boppy pillow if you plan to nurse (or even not) as it makes nursing a lot easier. It helps with positioning the baby, and when you get the hang of nursing, I could type a dictation tape or check e-mail (or you could post lots of cute pictures of Charlotte) while nursing. And when she's trying to sit up, it helps support her from falling over. Third, regarding bottles and pacifiers, register for one of each that you like and then put Adam on alert for going out to buy more when Charlotte figures out what kind she likes. Advent is usually a pretty universal bottle liked by many kids and if your baby is specific to the Soothie pacifier (it's the one that both Kate and Max took) they now make the bottles too. Fourth, the mobile is great, but you have to take it down when they start standing up, but it is nice to have for Charlotte to get to like her crib. Fifth, a swing will save you. I got a portable swing so that I could take it when I went to friends places or when we went to Utah. A bouncer is good for something different than the swing and also when Charlotte is first eating, you can use the bouncer to feed her in or when you travel, you could use that to feed her in and not have to take a high chair. And speaking of high chairs, get one of the small ones that reclines that you can attach to a chair because the big high chairs just take up a ton of space and this way, you can put Charlotte in the high chair on the counter while your fixing dinner with some Cheerios or take it with you when you go to a friends house for dinner, because, trust me, trying to eat with a kid on your lap that you're trying to feed to is not fun. (Scott and I spent so much time one of our friends houses for dinners that we bought a second high chair and left it there and now that we are up here in Utah, we just keep it in the car so that we always have it for Kate). Travel system strollers are good because they have all the bells and whistles on them, but they take up A LOT of room in your trunk. I know this is long, but I could go on even more. If you want to chat, let me know, I have free long distance.
Thanks for all of the useful advice, Paige! Let's chat about this more when I'm in Utah in two weeks.
hmmm ok lets see I agree with the boppy pillow it's great! the changing table we didn't do either just got a contoured changing pad and put it on top of a dresser saved space and money. I also like the Avent bottles and I have a bunch if you want them (Landon didn't take a bottle) in 4oz and 9oz sizes. A portable swing was great! An exersaucer was even better when they got big enough for it (make sure it has lots of toys on it). I got a baby bjorn baby carrier and loved it! We have a bouncer too but it depends on what your baby will like and how much you'll wan to put her in it. I bought a breathable crib bumper for when they were really little and then after that no crib bumper (I was just too paranoid). A bassinet (of some sort) for when she's first born so she can be right next to you in your room for the first little while. A pack n play is handy and also helps her get accustomed to sleeping somewhere else other than her crib (helpful when you want to take trips). A diaper pail of some sort is nice if you can use your own bags (not the diaper genie that you have to buy their inserts) but after a while they will all start to stink so I now use it in conjunction with these little pink scented bags from the dollar store and wrap the yuck diapers in those before putting them in the can then the room never stinks! Waterproof mattress pads are nice so that you save the crib matress from getting soaked. Love, love my nursing cover! Don't worry about shoes unless you get the soft kind like Robeez they need as much flexibility as you can get as they learn to walk or just to keep their feet warm(target and babies r us sell them too). We didn't buy high chairs for the boys (space issue really) we bought the booster seats that attach to chairs that had trays but either way works. Oh and just so you know...Gerber brand of clothes don't hold up for very long they just aren't very thick and I ended up giving anything Gerber brand away. Love Carter's, Children's place, Gymboree, Old Navy, etc.
Hope this helps! See you soon!
I am a little outdated here, but I can remember a few things I was unprepared for.
1. undershirts: they need to go on around (probably) mid-November and not come off til about Easter (Time adjusted to contemplate living in Texas). They are not very elegant and people don't usually give them at showers.
2. Don't buy a bunch of pacifiers...If Charlotte is like Daddy, she will only want REAL food.
3. Bouncy/jumper: Adam loved his and nearly entered low orbit with his several times.
4. Books, books, books: read to her from the day she is on the outside. I think I have an adequate supply, but in the beginning it doesn't much matter. I read Adam grocery store ads and discussed them with him. He seemed to enjoy it.
5. Blow dryer with low speed....remember we talked about that for drying bottoms. Charlotte may have sensitive skin....wonder how that happened?
6. Nice big, thick quilt to lay on the floor, then all of you get on it for smooch and play.
7. Rocking chair with low arms...regular arm height is not a good prop. A rocker recliner is not good as it doesn't have enough motion.
8. A papoose or front carrier....Adam will love it, it will feel like a bookbag to him.
Boy, a long list of things... Something I learned from Alex to Teagan is, you don't need a crib bumper. Teagan has never had one and he is doing great. Relax, you can always return or exchange things, so leave tags on and don't open it till after the darling arrives. And by the time your second comes around you'll have more baby stuff than anything else. It is sad, I'm the one that has the fewest clothes, Joseph even has more than me. Walmart carries something similar but different to a boppy, and I love it. It has a "seatbelt" feature so you can prevent the baby from sliding down it, when propped up. It is great. Also if you get too overwhelmed, I'm sure some Moms won't mind going "shopping" with you. That part is fun. Invest in a good car seat, you'll be happier and feel better. Alex and Teagan never liked pacifiers or bottles, and those are things you'll have to get one of every kind to find out which works for each baby. And I must agree, a swing will save you the first bit. We held off on our high chair till they were 6 months old, or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. For a stroller, think about the future. We got this great big stroller while pregnant with Alex, but I got tired of lifting that heavy thing, so I got a simple light weight one. And then when Teagan came along we got a sit and stand, and both boys love it. You'll figure all this out over time. Consignments are great. You don't have to get everything new, I would just recommend a car seat, since they need to be replaced every ten years.
Plus you probably get more clothes and little odds and ends more than the big stuff, or at least I did.
Half this stuff Shelly passed along to me (and some have been mentioned in other posts):
Huggies are the best diapers for nursed babies. They have an elastic back that keeps more in the diaper that other brands don't have. Probably Pampers are next best.
breast pump (this was absolutely necessary for me, but it isn't for everyone. It's more painful for some women than others, and pumping at first was the only way I could do it. I still use the pump at night sometimes)
Hooter Hider (this thing is wonderful when you're in public)
Baby Bjorn (I don't know of a baby who doesn't fall right to sleep in this)
vibrating bouncer chair (though I guess you can just lay the baby on a blanket on the floor. We use this all the time.)
swing
NUK pacifiers (we switched her from soothies to NUK, and she took the NUK right away--hated anything else)
Avent bottles
car seat that snaps in to a base (these are probably standard now)
glider
receiving blankets or a Swaddler (babies love to be swaddled tightly--safer at night, too)
Thick burp rags (if your baby spits up as much as mine does. Gerber has really thin ones that don't work)
Thick bibs (see comment on burp rags)
Unnecessaries:
Diaper Genie (stinky, stinky) There's a new design, which might work better, but the one we had only stunk up the room. I guess this really applies to older babies on solid foods (since babies who only nurse don't stink too bad). We put a garbage pail outside on our back porch for messy diapers. Maybe it's not this way for everyone, but the inconvenience of running a diaper outside the door is worth it to us. Keep the smell out of your house, if possible.
That's all I can think of, though there are probably thousands of unnecessary baby things.
Hope this helps!
I forgot you guys had a blog! I'm glad we got connected here in the blogosphere. :-) Yeah, so I haven't registered yet. I find it all really overwhelming. I have no advice.
Post a Comment