Baby Gear Questions

Hi,H.. One thing that I could not have lived without while my daughter was an infant was side-snap T-shirts. They were easy to get on and off since they don't go over the baby's head, and if the shirt is messy you can keep from getting stuff all over the baby. They are relatively inexpensive, so if they get ruined,it's no big deal.
Also, instead of a tub, for the first 8 months or so we had a bath chair that fits in the kitchen sink. It was only $15 or so, and it was great for bathing her before she could sit on her own. Plus, it leans back a bit, so shampoo doesn't get in the baby's eyes.
Hope this helps -
J.

Hi H.,
I know things can be really overwhelming -- and everywhere you turn you'll get a different option, so here's mine.

As far as the car seat/stroller goes, we have the Graco Quattro travel system. Its great, but it is big. And like you I don't have a big car (hubby has suv, so no prob) so its hard for me to tote the little one around town with the stroller in my car. So if I had to do it over again I'd just get the car seat, then get the Snap-N-Go stroller ($50). Its great -- it fits almost any brand car seat and it has a little basket in the bottom for Mom's stuff, but its small and LIGHTWEIGHT! It perfect for trips to the mall, etc.

I know that bfing can be tough, it was for me in the beginning -- but I strongly recommend getting a breast pump before hand -- or at least renting one. But the 3 day home I was so engorged I had to send hubby out to buy one -- that was interesting. So it would have been great to have on hand prior to "springing a leak!" FYI, we got the Evenflo Elan dual pump -- it was wonderful, until the motor died (2 mo. later). So I'd say if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a pump at first, but want a good one -- get the handheld electric one from Medela. I think its like $50-$60. That way you at least have something good and haven't spent a fortune.

Other musthaves...hmmm...I don't have a changing table. We either use the bed with a changing pad or our ottoman in the living room. In fact my daughter is 4.5 months old and we just bought a crib. She's been sleeping in her pack-n-play with the bassinet. So save the money, and the storage space and nix the standard bassinet/cradle and get the pack-n-play with a bassinet level. That is a definite must-have!

Baby baths -- we have the Mother's Touch� Large Comfort Bather. Its really nice, but since you use it in the tub, you have to fill up the tub with quite a bit of water vs. other self-contained tubs.

Bouncy Chairs -- I'd suggest one with a toy bar on it. We got one that "matched" other things we got (stroller, pnp, etc) and I really wish I would have ditched the matchy-matchy thing and gotten one that my daughter can really "play" with.

Swings -- they're big, they're bulky and expensive. So if you can borrow someones, like we did, that's great...especially since my daughter isn't a big fan of it anyway.

Hope that helps, feel free to contact me with any other questions. Best of luck and congrats on your little one!

When it comes to a carseat, I would buy what fits the best in your car. For us, the only thing that fit in our Mustang (before I got my car) was the Britax Roundabout. It is a really great seat. It is rear facing covertable, so we've had it for a while. We actually had a carrier/carseat before and we loved that.

Go to this website: http://www.carseatdata.org/

You can check to see what seats fit best in your car.

my travel system was baby first. The infant carrier sat right on the stroller... no worrying about unhooking then rehooking when you leave. Not that expensive either. I had to stop real short once in the car and her seat didn't budge.

If you don't mind getting the baby in and out, definately go with a convertable seat. I know target has a wide assortment, and the one I looked at before getting the one I have from my aunt was $59.

Anyway, as far as strollers- my mom works at Sears, so she'll come across a stoller or whatever that may be way back in the stock room and has gone through 5 markdowns. I just lucked out- I got an Eddie Bauer stadium double stroller that's normally $300.00 but because she had her discount and it's an 'old' stroller, it was $39.00.. you can find the same kind of discount at second hand stores... Don't be afraid of doing that- it's saved us a bunch, and they don't take crappy stuff either.

Clothes... my daughter LIVES in onesees. I only 'dress' her when she's going somewhere (shopping, daycare, etc). My son will be the same. In fact, I barely registered for "clothes"... many, many packs of onesees.

I greatly recommend a pump if you're planning on introducing bottles. Lactation consultants usually have a rental program (it's VERY sanitary, not like people selling used on Ebay or anything like that) I'd hold off on the bottles for a month though... recommended to avoid nipple confusion. I had that happen with my daughter. DEFINATELY nursing pads... I used Advent. Saved MANY shirts from my cups runneth-ing over. I'm kind of well endowed, so there was no question i needed a nursing bra. Made my girls feel much better when my milk came in.

bibs aren't really neccessary until they start eating solids... I just used a birp cloth across her chest when I did change to bottles.

and I'd also suggest SERIOUSLY to hire a lactation consultant. They are a godsend- helping you to get past the tough parts. I didn't and struggled, because I was the first breastfeeder in 50 years in my family, and all my friends went straight to formula. Think of it this way- you will spend $11-25 PER WEEK in formula if you don't breastfeed- that will translate to $###-###-#### for the first year... a lactation consultant is WAY less, and while it's a all at once expense, it would save you FAR more than the cost in a year's worth of formula. I got TONS of Enfamil coupons in the mail- they were only 'worth it' for the first can... even off brand is $11 at least. Something to think about.

PS- my hubby and I are big NPR fans

Hi H.-

I have heard that the Peg Perego is great! I bought a 5-star Gracco brand which is great too. Go with what's in your budget as well as safety for your child..

If you want a Peg let me know, I have some for sale for $100.

Hi H.. Well first, congrats on your soon to be new addition. It is really stressful being a first time mom. Your lucky to have family near. First, use them as often as they are willing to help. You may not want it, but you need it. Second, I planned on breatfeeding as well but she ended up with Jaundice and wouldn't eat so we had to supplement with a bottle. So have a least a couple of bottles on hand. The playtex nurser ones worked great for me, not so much gas. But you will have to judge bottles that you think will work. As far as the other stuff, bibs, onesies, burb cloths (buy the cloth diapers) they are cheaper and work the same. Also, you might want at least a little container of formula just in case you need it. Pick one that you will like or your pediatrician recommends. Just relax and enjoy. They are only little once. And once that baby comes home, you will figure out what you need and then you can go shopping. This is a great way to get out after the baby is born. Good luck.

CONGRADULATIONS!!!! One thing that saved my life after Morgan my daughter was born was a swing!!!!!! I didnt get the battery operated one cause it cost too much, but man babies love swings!!!!!! As far as car seats I will tell you some advice that I didnt follow and wish I did get one that onverts through all the stages to a booster!!! I didnt and I am now on my 3 carseat..(morgan is almost 4) we hd the infint the front facing and now we are on the booster, so make sure it will grow with your baby! as far as clothes...I had way tooo many she would change sizes befor she wore all of them, onesies are the best and cotton pants....they are comfy and if it is too hot take the pants off and if it is cold put them on...as far aas cribs I also recomend one that can convert to a toddler bed or else you will have to buy that later also..( I again had to buy a crib then a toddler bed and now she is in a tein bed..) ( If I ever have another one I will be much smarter next time...lol) I never really carried a diaper bag because I breast fed also I just carried a big purse with a few diapers a onesie and some wipes...as far as breast feeding goes I never had a really hard time, I was never sure if I was making enough milk but she was growing so I guess I was, oh also if you are breast feeding get a bassanet!!!!!!!!!! because your baby will wake up more than a bottle baby and it is so much easier when the baby is right next to you in the bassinet then in its room, I did have a changing table but I never used it!!! I always felt safer having her on a blanket on the floor changing her...one thing that was good when she got older was those shopping cart covers!!!!!!! they will try and suck on the bar and the cover is clean and the cart isnt!!! buy a ton of bibs!!! and as far as brands of clothes I swear by carters!!!! they clean well dont shrink and they dont fade too bad eithier.but the one thing I still will mention again is a swing!!! you and the baby will love it!!! good luck!!!
S.

As far as car seats go, start with an infant carrier/stroller combo. Graco Quatro is awesome but will never fit in your car unless you have a large SUV. There are some smaller models out there though. For a more permanant car seat, I have the Britax Marathon and it is awesome. One of the great things about it is you can purchase new covers for it. But they are all safe. They all have to pass federal safety standards. You will want to have dribble bibs for when baby starts teething. Baby will drool buckets when this time comes. For the changing table, I bought two terry cloth covers (one on the table & one in the wash) and several waterproof lap pads. I put the lap pad over the terry cover where the baby's bottom goes. So when she makes a mess its on the lap pad and easily thrown in the laundry and a new one put on the table. I have a bad back so the changing table was a must for me. We put a changing pad on top of her dresser. If you haven't gotten a diaper pail yet, skip the diaper genie and get a diaper champ. Much easier to use and you don't have to buy special bags. And do buy a nursing bra, but only one until your milk comes in. You don't know how big you will get. Some women go up a cup size and some go up 4 cup sizes when their milk comes in. Also, pick up some nursing shirts or shirts that button up the front. I didn't do this and the first few days home from the hospital were a real pain in the butt. I hope this info is helpful.

I can understand your concerns on buying baby gear. That drove me crazy when I was pregnant! I must have changed my baby registry list at least 100 times. Some things I wish I would have gotten before he arrived... a good breast pump. First day home and all we had was a manual. Lets just say I went to the store that very day for the dual even flow electric pump which was only $50-$60. You get what you pay for because it only worked well for about 1 1/2 weeks, and then the on/off button broke.

We also invested in a co-sleeper for convenience in breastfeeding and that we seem to get more sleep this way with him. We purchased the Graco travel system. It was pretty cheap, about $139-$150, but the stroller is too bulky to take around in our small car. Also, the car seat came with a base that we cant even use. I bought the diaper genie, it keeps smells out, but money wise it was cheaper for us to use scented garbage bags and just take out the trash before bed and first thing in the morning.

Unfortunately, we had a lot of things bought for our baby that is just taking up space. Our baby doesn't like the swing yet, doesn't use the crib and I bath him in the sink most of the time, so the infant bath tub we have is going to waste. There is one thing that we are buying tomorrow that would have been a life saver the fisrt few weeks... a glider. Our baby boy loves to be rocked and I am running out of energy to rock him back to sleep every 2 1/2 hours.

One last thing, we did stock up on things like different diapers and sizes. Also wipes, creams, shampoo's, health stuff and a baby medicine starter kit ($30 wal-mart). He lives in onesies and he sleeps in the sleepers with the footies on them. Our baby was born a little large so a lot of clothes we had bought or was given to us was given away. I have learned baby's grow quick and the bigger the clothes sizes the better. Oh, and style doesn't always mean comfort, and baby's love to be comfortable.

Best of luck with the pregnancy and I hope I was some what helpful to you.

T.

Hello H.! Congrats! The best advice I can give you on baby gear is go simple. I also found that most of the things I got pre-baby, (cuz they are so darn cute or cool) I did not use. Now, after she was born, I figured out what I really needed. Stock up on diapers, onsies, rec. blankets and SLEEP. On the diapers don't get too many of the newborn, they grow out quickly. the rest get as you need it so you dont have a ton of stuff getting in the way. Once you are living it you will know what you need, and it is different for every Mom and child. (besides the obvious like a car seat.) I found that a baby tub that fits in my tub worked best and kept the mess down. Good Luck and enjoy every second!

I read the other comments and only had a few things to add.

We, too, have the Graco Quattro and have felt it was worth the money to have gotten it. We bought the extra base so we could have a base in both cars and that made it easier for my husband and I to decide who will pick up/drop off our son whereever we needed to go.

The only other advise that I wanted to share is to keep things in their boxes or keep tags on things as long as you are not using it. This made things much easier to return, exchange or sell through consignment stores.

Babies grow out of things so quickly that there are times they never get to wear something. By keeping the tags on things, you can return or exchange it for a size bigger or get something else that you need based on that time for your baby. Another example, is my son never liked the swinging motion so we just returned the swing since he never used it anyway. For the things that you don't know where they came from so you do not know where to return or exchange things, I took those to the consignment store. You can usually get more for brand new things/clothes.

Good luck and enjoy your baby!!!

Well, after reading the responses from all of these wonderful ladies, they covered alot of what I was going to say. I would like to add, with somethings, buying used, or being "gifted" an item (new or used) is financially better. There is a wonderful site, www.freecycle.org. They are all over the world, and its all free. No membership fees, each and every item is free, and each group is local. Since you are in Boca Raton, click on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bocaratonfreecycle/ then click "join this group". You'll receive an email asking for your location (to make sure you live in the Boca area), so reply to that and then post your first wanted. I'm sure you will get plenty of responses for baby clothes, and any other baby items you may still need. Additionally, you can "offer" items you no longer want or need... like baby clothes your baby outgrows. Plus, members are always offering items. This site isn't for just baby items, its for any item that would end up in the landfill. That is their goal - the environment! At least join, and check it out.
Also, the sister site to the WPB Freecycle group is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBCFreeBulletinBoard/
This group is more for local events and referals, and other info.
Good Luck.
If you have any direct questions, feel free to email me (____@____.com) - I have 3 kids, and am a Moderator of the WPB Freecycle & the Bulletin Board.

G.

I bought all of my daughter's clothes on sale or at the outlet malls. They grow out of them so quickly that there is no point in paying a lot of money. I would try garage sales for cribs and you really don�t need a change table we used a dresser as a change table. You can buy the pad to put on the dresser and it worked great our daughter loved it because she could look at herself in the mirror while we changed her. I breastfeed as well and if you are planning to pump while you work the best pump is Medela. It is expensive but so worth the price. As for car seats I would not buy the cheapest one either because they have done some tests and it is really shocking to see how some don't hold up to the weight they say etc. i would go to the library and look through consumer reports to see what is the best kind out there because your child's life is in the hands of this seat so you want it to be good no matter what the price. The one thing I might suggest is with the cats I would consider buying the tent cover for the crib they have (it is so overpriced) but our cats would get into my daughter's crib and that scared me. It was so hard to see if they ran into the room or not when you opened the door and it isn't that they want to hurt the child they just lick the milk from the baby;s mouth and they can sufficant it. It is really scarry. Best of luck for your baby!

Hi,

Most everything was covered by other moms, the one thing I would recommend for baths is a self standing bath tub/changing table.

You can find them in all baby stores and the top is a changing table and when you open the top is a bath tub. They're great because you don't hurt your back on bending and it�s also a changing table. I used the tub until my son started walking (1 yr) and I still use it as a changing table (he�s 26 mo.), it�s great and keeps the changing in the bathroom so the bedroom doesn't stink.

As for clothing, I got tons and most of it doesn't get used, the onesis are the best (no buttons, only snaps) and only a couple of pretty things if you go out.

Hope it helps.

Oh, it's so much fun reading about buying new baby stuff!

Stuff I'm happy I had/couldn't live w/out:

I loved the Graco travel system, moving a sleeping baby in and out of the car was so easy. Two car seat bases is a great idea too, then you won't have to worry about whether it's installed properly everytime you switch cars.

Bouncy seat and swing - I swore I wouldn't do this, but my son slept in his bouncy seat at night for 8 weeks and napped in the swing for a long time (a sleeping baby and a sleeping momma are good, sometimes, esp in the beginning, we gotta do what we gotta do!)

Fisher Price aquarium - it attachs to the crib & plays white noise & my son is now almost 2 1/2 & we still put it on every night.

Pacifiers - I swore my son would not use one, but I found after a few weeks of lots of "fussiness" (and lots and lots of crying) that he really did get a lot of comfort from sucking.

Glider w/ottoman - this made breastfeeding much easier for me b/c it was so comfortable to sit w/my feet up & my son & I loved the soothing rocking too.

Stuff I didn't really need:

Diaper bag, you can use any big bag to throw diapers etc. into & I found if it said "diaper bag" on it, it costs at least $15 more than a regular bag that was similar.

Bath seat - I bathed my son in the kitchen sink till he didn't fit anymore (probably 10 mos old or so.)

Boppy - for me it was very uncomfortable to use while breastfeeding, lots of women love it but it just didn't do it for me.

2nd the other poster who said sign up for everything (huggies, pampers, publix, etc.) Companies that make baby stuff love to send coupons & samples & free stuff.

I love the suggestion for the lactation consultant - breast feeding was really hard for me and it was a very hard, painful decision to stop after 2 mos. If I'd had the benefit of having someone to be there w/me to work thru the problems, I'm sure I wouldn't have struggled so much & would've continued for much longer.

Congrats and best wishes!

We love our Graco travel system, but it is bulky. We absolutly could not have been without our boppy, receiving blankets, and our swing. I was unable to breastfeed, but there are so many uses for a boppy! I was given the naked boppy and two covers by a friend of mine and absolutly love it. Receiving blankets have so many uses--swaddling your baby, burp clothes, light weight blankets being a few. I prefer the large ones by Carter's. We have a small travel swing which our baby loves.

Clothes- the more onesies the better! They are easy to manuever for diaper changes and easy to dress the baby in. I personally do not recommend Gerber onesies. I found they ran small and were very scratchy. I fell in love with Carter's clothing right away. The onesies fit Conner a lot longer and most were tagless.

I personally love our changing table. We bought one that can be used after diaper changing days are over. We gave up on keeping covers on our changing pad because he would mess up each one minutes after it was put on. I did get a lot of the disposible changing pads for when we are not at home.

Congrats and good luck!!

Hi H.! Congratulations on your baby, who is probably already born by this posting! I just stumbled across your baby gear question and wanted to offer a helpful hint for breastfeeding. I was given the Boppy as a gift but found that while trying to use it to nurse my son it would slide away from me and I had to use several others pillows to prop around it. I would really recommend the My Breast Friend pillow because I clips around your waist and it was very helpful for me in the beginning! Hope this little tidbit helps and congratulations!!

Dear H.,
Congrats on your baby!! If I knew then what I know now, this is what I would do. First of all try to get hand-me-downs. Next step is thrift stores or children's consignment shops. You will find loads of gorgeous layette and nursery bedding at consignment shops at a fraction of the new price. Clothing basics are onsies that snap and baby gowns ( these are what I called sleep sacks). These are super for those super frequent diaper changes. Infant carseats are all pretty good that I saw except for features like how easy the hadle folds etc. Go try them out. As for strollers, what my husband and I did was borrow a "snap and go" stroller which is a stroller frame that fits any infant carseat. They are super lightweight and you don't have to move the baby . We also got 2 carseat bases so we never had to worry which car we took. Now I have a Combi City Savy stroller which is really lightweight and compact and comfy for my guy. Things I wish someone told me....get a lot of waterproof pads for the crib mattress and put layers, (pad then sheet then pad then sheet etc.) The last thing you want to do in the middle of the night is change crib sheets. You can peal away a layer and move on. Keep basic medicines around...infant Tylenol, mylicon, teething tablets (Hylands or Humphreys), Oragel, and basic baby cold medicine.You will find you will need them in the middle of the night. As for breastfeeding, don't leave the hospital until you have successfully breastfed your baby several times. Buzz the nurses and lactation consultants. I was desperate to nurse but my son and I had a very difficult delivery and postpardum so it didn't happen for us. So don't beat yourself up about if you don't nurse. My son is super healthy and smart! Good luck. Oh yeah, I HIGHLY recommend a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and start reading ASAP. Everyone I know who took the time to read it said it was a lifesaver including me!!
K.

For the big items, Target tends to put a lot of big stuff on clearance. I got my Eddie Bauer car seat/booster seat combo (it's front facing, but i'm just emphasizing my point) marked down from $99 and I paid something like $30 for it, and it went from being my daughters 5 point system to her booster seat, and it will be the last one she ever has, and I got it at a great bargain. You just have to walk around looking for thier little red clearance stickers. I also got my Jeep brand stroller at Toys R Us. It was the display model and I got it for a fraction of the cost. Sometimes stores will sell their display models, so it's worth a shot to ask!

I'm not sure if you needed a crib or not, but I got my crib at Walmart. It was called something like a 'dutchess' and it was $149, but it requires NO tools to assemble. It just snaps in place, and it was so simple I could put it together by myself when I was pregnant [I tended to move stuff around a lot in anticipation of the little one:)]. It was just as safe as the ones that took an hour to assemble, plus it was beautiful. I tried to find it on the WM website, but it wasn't on there. But they still have it at all the walmarts around my area. Also, make sure you buy some sort of cover for the mattress so if there are leaks or spit ups that go thru the sheet, you can just toss it in the washer and not worry about the mattress.

I agree with another poster that gerber onsies ran way small, and I believe that they shrunk easily. The target brand ones came in a much larger pack (5 or 7 compared to gerbers 3) and were around the same price, and held up just as well. I don't know where you live, but the outlet mall on I-4 (the one where Dollywood is in front of it) has a Carters outlet that has adorable stuff all cheaper than at a dept store.

Buy tons of receiving blankets, and at least a pack or two of cloth diapers, for wiping and throwing over your sholder. Cheaper than burp clothes, work just as well, and come around 12 to a pack.

As far as a changing table went, I just used the little folding pad that usually comes with your diaper bag, or a receiving blanket and plopped her on the floor to change her. I didn't see spending a hundred bucks on a changing table. But, it's a matter of taste because i had friends who swore by them. They just were not worth the money to me.

Diapers: I used all the expensive diapers that I got for my baby showers, then I started using the less expensive ones. Luvs worked really well for me. If you have a sams card, they sell HUGE boxes of diapers at very reasonable prices. And also, HUGE boxes of good, sturdy wipes for about $12 a box. And you can never have enough wipes.

I didn't breastfeed, so I can't help you with that one. Except buy lots of bottles for your pumping. Tons. Also, buy the clear nipples for them, and not the yellowish ones. They have a funny taste because of what they are made of, while the clear ones have no taste.

AND: My BIGGEST piece of advice for ANY NEW MOM: Register. Go online, and go to Pampers.com, and Enfamil.com, and Huggies.com, and gerber.com. Any brand name that you can think of that concerns babies, go to their website and SIGN UP. They send you free samples, and great coupons, and there is no charge for any of them. Enfamil asked what kind of formula I used and send me an ENTIRE $20 CAN OF IT FREE. They then send me coupon after coupon for formula. And they were GOOD coupons. They started out being $12 off a can of formula, $10 of a can, $8 off a can. In months the amounts go down, but they start out really high. And then for the first year after you quit getting the big coupons they send you $1.00 off and $0.50 off coupons. So you still get something. Pampers and Huggies and Luvs will sent you $5 or $6 off coupons, and free samples. I still get them now and my daughter has been out of diapers for years. Gerber sends you coupons off clothes and pacifiers and soap. It's a great idea, and it only takes a few minutes to sign up. Also, join Publix's baby club. They send great coupons too.

My daughter is four, so that's all I can remember right now. :)

Oh, and congrats :)

I loved my Graco stroller with removable car seat, bought at Toys-r-Us for less than $140. Functional and durable.

Skip the changing table cover, the plastic pad can be disinfected with a wipe after each use and the babies aren't on the table long enough to be uncomfortable.

I had the bathtub that can turn into an upright tub seat. It worked well with a sponge insert $4 until the infant could sit up. All tubs are slippery and need the insert, anyway.

Hi H.,

Again, everyone will have a different opinion, but we are on our second child and STILL using our Graco Quattro. I like being able to move the car seat from the car to the stroller or into the house without waking the little one up. I also like the roomy basket underneath.

Don't spend the money on a changing table, just use the bed or floor, much easier and safer.

Both of my kids have loved the Fisher-Price Aquarium bouncy seat as well as their swing. We got one of the small, floor level folding swings, this way you can pack it in the closet if you need "space" in the house.

Diaper bag..I loved my Combi Urban Sling, just the right size with pockets for Mom essentials as well. I was never one of those big diaper bag people, plus I discovered there really wasn't a need to carry that much stuff if you were breastfeeding.

Good luck!!!

Hello, congratulations on your new baby. I'm a first time mom also my baby Olivia is 28 monts old. We had Peg Perego car seat and stroller I LOVE IT!, we are still using the stroller Pliko P3, they are very very easy to open and close and very comfortable for the baby, we bought the hole sistem in matching colors very nice.
Breastfeeding, have a lot of patience, I never gave Olivia formula and it maybe a lot of work but it is so rewarding!. My best tip buy a nice pump it will help when you need to getr out or if you want to take a break from feeding the baby. Good Luck.
Ivanys.

When I was breastfeeding I couldn't live without the medela Quick Clean bags! Awesome, cheap, GREAT! Also invest in a big tube of Lansinoh, cloth (reusable) breast pads or lilypadz.

I bought a cosco car seat, but if i had it to do again I'd splurge for the Britax. Just FYI.

I never used a baby tub, just the kitchen sink (at first) and then a baby sling in the big tub and then when they could sit up I used a ring.

I never used a changing table, just a quilt on the floor. I preferred that for ease of use and for safety. (Nevermind the excess furniture!)

Good luck finding a non-clunky, non-heavy car seat! I don't think they exist in that description, unfortunately. Do practice putting it in your car before you buy it, or practice in the parking lot so you can return it without an extra trip.

(Hint: putting it in the center is the safest and you'll have the most room there!)

I never had enough burp cloths or bibs.

I couldn't have lived without my boppy!

I guess that's all for now...good luck!
H. B.

As I was reading the responses I noticed that no one mentions a nursing bra. I have three children and when I had my first I did not have any bras before hand. It became a real pain quickly. I had to take everything off to nurse. By day three I was shopping for a nursing bra and regretting it.

Also a boppy was a lot of help in learning how to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is a learning process. You have to learn and the baby has to learn. Relax and enjoy the one on one time you will get.

The medela breast pump was my life saver. I tried another and didn't like it.

Check out consignment stores for a swing, bouncy, crib, stroller and more. You can find great items at a fraction of the cost.

Hi H.,
I'm the manager of one of our Hip Baby Gear locations. We sell cool & hip gear for babies, moms & dads.
If you would like to register with us, we offer a full registry service and after your shower we offer you a chance to get the remaining gifts not purchased at 10% off.
As you'll find on our website, we have a full range of strollers from lightweight umbrella strollers to heavy duty all terrain strollers. Our Hip Baby Gear experts can discuss any of the strollers we carry and more so you can find the stroller best for you!
We have two great tub options you should check out. One is the Tummy Tub, it's safer than the sink and smaller than a bath tub. This tub will reassure you that your baby is safe from harm. Another is the puj tub, a soft infant bath that conforms to counter top and pedestal sinks.
If you're nursing you'll find you can't live without a Hooter Hider. These nursing covers come in a whole variety of stylish patterns.

If you want to find clothing, furniture, feeding and bath products, strollers, carriers, diaper bags, maternity and MORE, visit our website:
www.hipbabygear.com

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Hope this helped!

Britney

Hi H.,

Bibs are great when your child starts to drool from teething. A few blankets are good, too, for swaddling, but I never put my son to sleep with a blanket - they have sleepsacks you can use if it gets too cold in your house. Changing table covers - get two - one for use, one for backup. Buy some Newborn stuff - my babe didn't fit into 0-3 months until after a few weeks.

And regarding breast feeding - get some lanolin lotion/cream/ointment for your breasts. This will help a lot. I have lansinoh brand, and it is fantastic. Put this on your nipples before you get in the shower. And that's about it, I think. For breastfeeding anyway. DO NOT GIVE UP! It will hurt hurt hurt at first, but it'll get better. :) Maybe. ha.

Hi -
I read the other responses and one thing no one mentioned was a sling. They work bettter than the baby backpacks and are easy to even make yourself! Lots of moms who breastfeed find the sling to be helpful with supporting the baby before, during, and after nursing. "Wearing" your baby is a great comfort to them as well. Breastfeeding is so important and so worth the effort! My son and I got off to a real rocky start but I just kept at it and eventually we got it. Good luck!