The Baby Gear You Need and The Gear You Do Not Need
The Baby Gear You Need and The Gear You Do Not NeedWith baby #4 due in three weeks, I’ve got baby gear on the brain. While I’m hardly Michelle Duggar with nineteen children, I still feel like something of an expert on what parents need vs. what amounts to a colossal waste of money and space. Now I want to share my “expertise” with you.
Caveat: Anyone tempted to write a comment like “All a baby needs is love” need not read further. I’m aiming beyond the obvious like love, patience, and so on. I’m also not talking about the basics like diapers, a car seat, bottles, nail clippers, and baby-safe soap/shampoo—all of which you need, and most brands will suffice.
I want to navigate new parents right past the things you don’t need towards the things you should consider. With that in mind, I’m presenting the first in a series of practical “gear advice.” Today’s focus is what you need for the first four months. Future posts will focus on months 4-12, toddler gear, and so on as I hit those milestones for the fourth time in seven years. For the sake of organization, I’ve divided my lists into the following categories: Utterly Preposterous, Potentially Useful, Helpful, and Must Haves.
UTTERLY PREPOSTEROUS BABY GEAR YOU DO NOT NEED
WIPES WARMER:
Picture this: You’re at the grocery store. Baby needs a diaper change. Your wipes have been in the cold car for hours. Believe it or not, the baby survives the experience. Suddenly the room temperature wipes in the nursery don’t seem so bad. Electronically warmed wipes are genuinely over the top.
OVERPRICED STROLLER:
Talk to anyone who’s had their stroller for a year. They hate something about it no matter how posh the brand. The basket is too small, the front wheel is too big, the straps are too complicated, or the sun shield isn’t high enough for a child over 15 months. For $900 I’d want perfect. I recommend popping the infant car seat into something like the Snap ‘N Go for the first few months. Give yourself time to find the right stroller. And don’t spend too much.
OVERPRICED CRIB BEDDING:
Babies throw up, spit up, and leak out of their diapers. Enough said, but if you need more convincing about the silliness of fancy bedding check this out: The city of Chicago banned the sale of crib bumpers for safety concerns, and the state of Maryland is considering a similar ban. Find something cute, attractive, and priced within reason. The more expensive sets seem to have the fluffiest bumpers anyway. Not safe!
FANCY BURP CLOTHS:
I used to give monogrammed burp clothes as baby presents all the time. You know what actually works best for absorbing liquid? Hand towels. I’m serious. Burp cloths aren’t made of an absorbent material so I’m not exactly sure why any of us use them.
A CLOSET FULL OF 0-3 MONTH OUTFITS:
When you’re ready to put those clothes away for future babies, nieces, nephews, or friends’ babies, you’ll be annoyed that half of the outfits still have the tags attached. Trust me, the baby will grow faster than you can use the clothes.
POTENTIALLY USEFUL BABY GEAR
BABY CARRIER:
Whether a Baby Bjorn type of apparatus, a sling, backpack, or wrap, I have never been physically strong enough nor coordinated enough to carry the baby around in any one of them. (And I’ve tried them all.) HOWEVER, I know some moms and dads swear by these things so it’s certainly worth a try. If you’re a parent who’s had luck, please let us know in the comments what worked best for you.
PACK ‘N PLAY:
Graco calls theirs a Pack ‘N Play, but it doesn’t matter which brand you buy. (Like we say Kleenex to mean “tissues,” people say Pack ‘N Play to mean all portable play-yards/cribs.) By the way, I’ve never seen anyone actually use these things as a “play yard.” I’d say the main purpose is as a portable crib for travel or any other reason the baby is sleeping elsewhere. It’s also great for when family comes to visit and a niece or nephew needs a place to sleep. (In other words, your child need not give up the real crib.)
HELPFUL BABY GEAR
BOPPY:
I cannot nurse without the Boppy. No pillow or arm-chair on Earth works as well during this 0-4 month stage unless you want constant pain in your upper back, neck, and arms. I think I used the Boppy during feedings through month six at which point the arm-chair was enough support.
BABY SWING:
A swing takes over an obscene amount of space in the house when you’re using it, and it’s a pain to store, but it’s a nice piece of equipment to have or borrow.
BOUNCY SEAT:
Easily portable. Great for while you’re in the shower and easier to store than a swing.
CRIB MOBILE WITH MUSIC:
Certainly not a “must have,” but I’ve been known to take a long, hot shower while the baby happily and safely watches bizarre looking colorful bugs with black/white swirly things go round and round to the tune of Mozart. The one I’m suggesting will clash with your nursery decor, but the baby will prefer it to anything pastel or kitschy like retro airplanes.
PLAY MAT:
I wouldn’t say you “must” have one, but they’re great for tummy time and keeping the baby appropriately stimulated while you do things like read this blog post. We’ve had this one for seven years. It’s a keeper.
MUST HAVE BABY GEAR
HIGH QUALITY BREAST PUMP:
If you’re going to nurse but want as much milk available as possible when you go back to work or frankly when you MUST get out of the freaking house without the baby, then a high quality breast pump is an absolute must. It’s worth every penny. I’ve had good luck with Medela.
A GOOD MONITOR:
If you find one, let me know. We like audio monitors in our house, but apparently we’re among a dying breed. All the “better” monitors on the market are for the video consumer. And because of the bedroom set-up in our 1970s rambler, we’ll need to have a monitor in all four rooms at night. Up until now we’ve used the monitor in the picture to the left. I had to buy a replacement on Ebay since there is NOTHING like it on the market now that allows you to hear three different rooms. I feel like Elaine in the classic episode of Seinfeld called “The Sponge” when her favorite form of contraception was discontinued. If you own this monitor and want to sell it, I’ll buy it!
SWADDLE BLANKETS:
I’m forever indebted to Dr. Harvey Karp and his baby-comforting methods. He explains his theory of “the 5 S’s” in his DVD The Happiest Baby on the Block. The book came first, but you’ll get all the information you need in the visual demonstration. Among his tips is how to swaddle the baby during fussy times or bed time to help the baby feel safe and snug. (He encourages thinking of the first four months of the baby’s life as a fourth trimester.) I like The Miracle Blanket or The Kiddopamus & Co blanket. Our babies slept in their swaddle blankets for four months and seemed snug and happy to me.
If experienced parents are reading this, please add your thoughts. Do you agree with my assessments? Did I miss anything?
RELATED POSTS:
“What to Expect: Pregnancy #4″
“Help My Husband Name Our Baby” (yes, I’m letting him name #4)
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60 Responses
this is fab!! xx
Best burp cloths – cloth diapers.
Another thing i found ridiculous (because all my babies were born in the spring/summer) – SHOES, and most of the time socks. They never stayed on anyway.
Yeah, socks really are pretty pointless at this stage and shoes too. I tend to dress my babies in nothing but zip-up jammies for the first few months. Then their feet are covered. I know people say that about cloth diapers . . . still, towels absorb the most!
I used socks as mittens. The first time I tried to clip my oldest’s nails I nicked her skin and drew blood. I didn’t try again for MONTHS! Then I freaked out because I thought she would never learn how to use her hands because I always had mittens (socks) on them. LOL. I worried a lot that first year.
Don’t laugh . . . my hidden talent happens to be clipping baby nails. It’s a gift. Seriously.
A good baby sling – for us, the mei tai before baby has self-head support, and a pocket after – is almost as good as putting an extra arm in your bag. The two examples I gave, especially, because they fold down into squares of fabric when they’re not in use.
Also those cloth envelopes that hold a couple diapers and some wipes are fabulous, especially because our diaper bag was usually in shambles after #2 anyway, and more often than not we’d just throw the little diaper envelope in a purse and hope for the best. But a big ziploc bag works just as well.
Some people say they can’t live without a swing. That was true for #2, but not the others. If your baby is cranky and responds to a swing, though, GET ONE THAT PLUGS IN. Those things eat batteries like my 4-year-old eats cheez-its.
I’ll comment as I think of more.
3 weeks!!!! EEEEE!!!!!
I’ve become a total Ziplock person. I use one for the kids’ stuff, one for my own stuff . . . I like that I can see what’s in there. Hard to beat that! Thanks for the tip on a good carrier. I’m probably giving up on that, but it’ll help other people!
Honestly Nina I fell in love with you blog when I read your Tiger Mom post and thought “same page, this lady and me? we’re on the same page.” I have that feeling again here!!! My about-ready-to-pop pregnant friend emailed me the other day asking about breast pumps and was a little put off about the price. I could NOT emphasize enough that it’s worth the expense! No one wants to try and hand pump their milk every day at work, no one.
I’m a diehard baby wearer. I couldn’t have survived either child without my moby. For the toddler stage I loved the ergo. In fact I was part of a baby wearing club back in Bangkok and we even made it into the Bangkok Post There’s a picture of me with my 4 month old in the moby in front and my toddler in the ergo on my back… At the same time. Granted I never actually did that but it made for a fun picture. I can’t not say something so there is some controversy in the baby wearing world on whether or not the Baby Bjorn is bad for baby’s spine. That said I know lots of happy parents and babies who have used it.
The only thing I would add is Dr Brown bottles. Both of my girls were gassy and these bottle helped tremendously, even if they were a major pain to clean.
First of all, I’m glad you started putting your URL on there! (I know that’s besides the point.)
Looks like I’m in the minority on baby carrying. I think and know it’s a great idea; I just could NEVER get it to work well.
Dr. Browns . . . yes, people who swear by them are die hards. I think I used a different brand with each baby, but never Dr. B. All those parts would make me bananas. For Elissa (my third) we went with Born Free. I don’t remember having an issue so I’ll use those again.
Oh! And I didn’t remember it was the Tiger Mom thing that brought us together. 🙂
In MN, I couldn’t live without the bundle me thing that fits into the car seat and keeps baby warm without having to dress them for winter:)
YES YES YES! You’re right. I have a pink one and a blue one ready to go from the other kids . . . 🙂
Oh Nina, I might be out of my element here. With the baby, grandbaby and other second generation population using i-Pods instead of baby wipes, and those amazing baby years for the 57 variety of cousins, friends and all of our children, a distant memory, all I can say is … Good luck 🙂 If memory serves (insert chuckle) my mother taught me about “wrapping” the baby to keep the first one calm (my son) and no one to date, not even her husband has worked out how to keep the second one calm. I would have loved a baby monitor and my daughter-in-law with twins used many of your more practicle items for the twins, who are now in high school.
This post is one of the reasons I love my mom/bloggers. I love your practicle approach to motherhood, new and growing babies and I won’t even try to provide any insights about what happens twelve years from now when your husband wants to follow your daughters on their first dates 🙂 Hope this delivery is short and sweet, the baby safe and happy and that in short, making these selections are the hardest decisions you have to make 🙂
And that whole last part . . . from your lips to G-d’s ears! 🙂 I still can’t believe you’re a grandmother. You look about 12 in that avatar!
I love my daughter’s play mat because the sides fold up and velcro which turns it into a de facto toy home. It was by Bright Starts.
I wore her in a Moby, which worked wonderfully at home and away. (It also keeps people from trying to “pass the baby.)
The Angelcare monitor should be in every nursery in the world. So much piece of mind. I got the simple one with just one monitor, but they now come with multiple monitors and video.
Love the Boppy! Such a simple, helpful device. Also very useful for tummy time if baby doesn’t want to be flat.
She slept in swaddle blankets for 6 months.
A musical mobile is definitely nice for when mommy needs a couple minutes of “time-out!”
Frankly, I think buying new clothes for babies is a ripoff in general. 90% of the clothes I’ve bought my daughter have been from Once Upon a Child. They wear things too little to invest.
Hi Chelsea! Welcome! (I believe this is your first time commenting. Right?) Anyway, great additions here! Good to know about that monitor in case my last monitor dies and I can’t find a replacement. You’re the second to mention the Moby. Must be a good one! Totally agree on the clothes. I’m a fan of hand me downs!!!!
Utterly preposterous = Diaper Genie (“sausages” of smelly diapers and tons of wasted plastic??)
Must Have = Baby Bjorn (hands-free parenting!)
Surprisingly wonderful = crib mobile with music (never would have guessed, loved, used for 2 years)
I love the Bjorn in theory but it killed my back. I’m kind of a baby that way. So glad I’m not alone with the love of the mobile. That thing is genius. And I never had a Diaper Genie! Seems like a lot of extra work and hoopla to me.
I think a lot of things are preposterous when it comes to babies, and you’ve hit on some of them. In my experience, however, the diaper genie is brilliant. I don’t think you can put a value on having your house (or a room) not smell like poop 24 hours a day. The current version we got 3 years ago (Diaper Genie II Elite – I realize the name sounds like it should be a lot more than a trash can) doesn’t wrap each diaper individually (it just basically sucks them down a chute) so it is somewhat less wasteful than prior versions. We had a Diaper Champ and a Diaper Genie and there is no comparison. That said, I don’t think it matters at all in the first several months if the baby is nursing, or even very much if the baby is on formula but for older babies and toddlers it is genius. I swear you could keep the Diaper Genie next to your bed (even with toddler poop) and you wouldn’t smell a thing!
Jacy! Love it . . . think I’ll take your word for it and NOT experiment by putting one next to my bed. 😉
I would add Diaper Genie to the list of items I thought I had to have that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It provided an unnecessary step to disposal and the diapers still smelled if they were left it too long…
I had a Baby Bjorn and used it; but always with one or two arms around my baby anyway. So. I was never really rendered hands-free and ended up hauling my kids around on my hip as soon as they could support themselves.
LOVED my Medela. I breastfed both children for over a year but went back to work. Couldn’t have survived without it. And I swaddled. Oh did I swaddle. And the bouncy seat. And the swing. And the floor gym. YES YES YES!
The only area where I was substantially “off” on your list was the monitor. We were old school and barely used one. If the baby was making noises too soft to hear with our own unaided-ears, we figured he/she could still fall back to sleep.
But.
They didn’t even HAVE video monitors as an option back then.
We are/were old.
Enough said.
Love when you pull the old card. 😉 As for the monitor, I wish we didn’t need them in the kids’ rooms! My “big” three are on the lower level and we absolutely wouldn’t hear them even if they screamed except for the one right under our room. It’s a source of sleeplessness for me because I’m constantly worried the monitor will suddenly not work. I’m also the worst sleeper anyway as it is. Good times. 😉
It’s been a while since I used or needed any of this baby gear, Nina, but I remember most of it…and your lists are right on.
The best stroller I ever had, the one we used the most and couldn’t live without, was an inexpensive umbrella stroller. Loved that thing.
With our first baby a relative gave us a chest carrier that was impossible to get the baby in and out of without it being a straight up ordeal that left the baby crying and both of us sweaty and anxious. But a good carrier of some sort is nice to have. I had one that I wore like a backpack, that could be shrugged on and off easily. I trekked all over Europe with Ashley on my back in that thing. And if we wanted to sit at a cafe it would hold her upright at my feet while I ate.
Warmed wipes? I think a cool one would FEEL better. Just sayin’. 🙂
I’ve always loved that image of a mom and dad toting a kid around in a carrier (front OR back) on a trip. I’ve just never been all that graceful at traveling with the kids. We can hardly make it to Chicago to visit my family (and I live in Minneapolis!) So with you a fresh, cool wipe. 😉
Great post. I remember with my daughter, we bought all the stuff they tell you to buy and we used hardly any of it. Honestly you just don’t know what your baby will gravitate toward until they arrive. We bought the expensive swing. But Sophie HATED it and never used it. She didn’t even use a stroller until she could sit up. But the Baby Bjorn was a Godsend. It all depends on the mood of the kid!
It’s down to three weeks?! How easy for me to say, “Wow – that went quickly.” I’m sure you’d want to throttle me if I were standing next to you! Good luck. Sounds like you could do this backwards and forwards, and with your eyes closed.
The only thing different would be that I L-O-V-E my video monitor. Didn’t have one with Kate, but got one with Maddie. And once you go video, you never go back.
We went and bought one for Kate, too.
And we still use them now, even though Kate is nearly 6, because our bedroom is downstairs and both of theirs’ are upstairs.
We have the opposite set up. We’re on the main level and the big three are downstairs. Little Elissa just vacated the nursery, which is thankfully next door to our room. But she’s only 2.5 and I would never hear her at night without a decent monitor. It makes me kind of crazy. I’ve always worried with a video monitor I’d be peeking at it all night.
You beat me too it. I have a similar post in my drafts that hasn’t really made it to the organizational stage, but a wipes warmer was definitely on it as ridiculous. I’m also not a fan of the diaper genie, and while the diaper champ was better, i think they’re all kinda dumb. I change my kids in the living room most of the time and just toss it in a trash bag in the garage. For a while though I did keep a small trash can in the baby’s room that only held a day’s worth of diapers, so it got emptied frequently. And why do we get so wrapped up in the stupid baby bedding??? You use about 10% of what comes in those big packages.
Can’t wait to see your post! We all have different experiences and points of view. 🙂
I would also divide up the list into the things to buy new (carseat, crib) and the things to get used (almost anything else).
Things I thought were preposterous with baby #1 (cute little bassinet, pack n play) were incredibly useful with baby #4 because I was running out of rooms so the 4th had to be in my room much longer than anyone else. Child #4 actually spent much of the first six months in bassinet and then the full size pack-n-play because the crib didn’t fit in my room. So…things change 🙂
Best of luck to you!
That WOULD be another good way to organize the list! Maybe I’ll do something like that for the 4-12 month stage post. Just checked out your blog by the way. Love the concept. Do you follow @FrumeSarah on Twitter? You two would hit it off! 🙂
Before my son arrived, I tried to be sensible with the baby gear. I’m glad I had that thought, because by the time he was six weeks old we moved out of state and lived in a hotel for four months. We survived with a vibrating chair, a Fisher Price rocker/sleeper, a basic stroller that carried our infant car seat and a pack and play that saw little use. When we moved into a house again, we didn’t use much more until he was about seven months. I used the Baby Bargains books as a guide to help me sort through all the “you must have” items that I really didn’t need.
Oy!! A hotel for four months would be hard! I’m not exactly the most flexible, fly by the seat of my pants sort. I give you tons of credit!
Hi Nina!! Now it’s closer to two weeks. Yeah! I found with baby #4 I didn’t have that “I want it to be over” feeling (per your post about what to expect with baby #4) and possibly because I knew having one of the four in utero would be easier than four all out:-) Ahhh, especially now that #4 is toddler. Especially now that he’s not napping. Wish I could just stuff him back inside for a few hours. Those crazy toddlers… But I have to chime in on the baby wearing. I didn’t like it either with 1-3 although I did it out of necessity with #3, but I had that ding dang baby bjorn that killed my back. SO, I got a Moby (any wrap that offers support on the hips will do wonders for comfort) and wore that baby #4 all the time and it was immensely helpful. Go to the Peapods store in St. Paul they have every brand available to try on. I went when my son was about a month old and stuffed him into a few to try then bought the one I liked. I went with Moby but I sure like Ergo too… shoulda woulda… anyway not only did it make life a tad bit more convenient but–you know me–workouts were made more simple: Squats, lunges, wall pushups, lots you can do with the baby on, plus you get the growing weight of your baby to gradually add resistance. Perfecto! My other must have (here she goes again) was my Bob Revolution stroller. I love. L-O-V-E. It is light enough to be my everyday stroller and it’s super simple to fold up. But it is a rockin’ good jog stroller too. You have a toddler too, so you need a double:-) But speaking of the toddler–have you heard of the “buggy board” that attaches to a stroller so a little one can stand and ride on the back? This saved me when I had baby #3.That was absolutely my must have item then when I had a newborn with toddlers. And crib tents. But that’s another story… My very best good birthing wishes!!! Kara (Mama Sweat)
We have a double Bob! It’s great for neighborhood walks and my husband runs with it. It’s hard to get in and out of the car though so I wouldn’t recommend it for that. Not sure which model we have. I think I got it after my second was born.
And yes, I’m sort of having mixed feelings about being at the end. On one hand I’m so flipping uncomfortable and tired. On the other, I know in my heart this is (most likely) IT for babies . . . so there’s that “end of an era” thing happening too.
Never heard of Peapods in St. Paul. I’m sort of sadly known for not leaving my little 4 mile next of SLP/Edina/Minnetonka. Not something I’m proud of. Though we DID meet uptown that one time!! 🙂
One day I’ll take just the baby to that store and see what these Mobys are all about! So excited about your Revlon ad by the way. You look fantastic! Such a role model.
Okay, this post totally pulled me in. I seriously read every word, which is somewhat strange, in that I have no children. Yet, strangely, I now want to buy a mobile and swaddle someone.
I’ve never used a monitor because I’ve always (read: still) co-sleep. But my friend had a video monitor and we had quite a few good laughs watching her toddler. Kids do the best things when they think no one is watching.
I agree with all of those! Instead of a mobile, we had the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders aquarium. It has soothing music and soft lights that sloooowly fade as the baby falls asleep. A godsend if you’ve got a difficult sleeper like my first was.
My kids both dug the Baby Bjorn. I tried one of those cool, hipmama-type slings and they didn’t like it at all. Maybe their Scandanavian heritage steered them toward the Bjorn. 😉
I also recommend a good breast pump, even if you’re not going back to work outside the home. Those hand pumps will give you carpal tunnel if you have to use them with any regularity!
Julie–
Good call. My kids have LOVED that Ocean Wonders thing!!!! It’s actually something I recommend often to parents and I might even add it to the post when I have time later. It’s great for even later when it’s time to take out the mobile. I think we’ve had the fish and the monkeys. One of them broke. I have to dig out the one that works soon!
Love the Scandinavian thing. 😉
Ocean Wonders is my go-to baby shower present.
We’ve had the fish and the monkeys too. My oldest had the fish, and when we needed to move her to a big-girl bed, to make the crib ready for the new baby, the only way we got her to agree is by letting her keep the fish thing in her bed.
So we got the monkeys for the little one, and she also wanted to keep it in her bed for a while! I was a little sad when they finally decided to give those up.
Three weeks?! You are still going to post every week right? Right?!
I’m sorry to say I had a wipe warmer. BUT in my defense, my daughter hated the cold wipes. Cried every time so as a first time mother, I bought the wipe warmer and it was diaper changing “bliss” after that. My boys could have cared less.
I loved my Boppy and the swing as well. You would have had to wrestle those things from my sour-milk stained hands if I was told to give those up. 🙂
We had a good (i.e. somewhat expensive) double stroller after #2 was born (they are both too big now), but I needed something rugged that I could use everyday on our bumpy hills. So that was a good investment, but I agree that I wouldn’t pay much for a regular stroller — it gets tossed in and out of the car so much that you just need something light and functional.
I used a ton of carriers for both girls. My favorites were the Hug-a-Bub, which is a stretchy wrap like the Moby, and the EllaRoo which is a woven wrap. I also loved my Kozy Carrier, which is a type of mei tai. The carriers worked great for me and were one of my favorite baby items. I loved having my hands free, and the carriers were much easier on my back.
Loved my Boppy! Definitely a must have.
I thought our swing was really useful, but not the bouncy seat. And I didn’t really need them both.
The best baby item I had, hands down, was the Arm’s Reach Co-sleeper. It’s a little basinet that attaches to the side of the bed. My girls nursed all night. For a long time. The Co-Sleeper meant that I could just pull them into bed, nurse, and snuggle them back in the sleeper without getting up. “Without getting up” is important when you are that sleep deprived!
Big hugs for the big day! I wish you a sweet, gentle birth for #4.
New moms-to-be take heed! It took me 2 babies to figure some of this stuff out for myself, but sometimes you need to learn the hard way. If anyone’s interested in some totally useless stuff, please come take it from my house:) I have nursery bedding worth over $800 (oh, i will certainly get use out of this again come hell or high water!) AND i have a matching mobile to boot! it’s beautiful and not something any baby would want to stare at:)
I was also against the expensive stroller. I now have 4 strollers in my garage (another 2 which i no longer own) and NONE of them meet all my needs. oh well… one day they’ll all be on craigs list and I can move onto bigger and better useless stuff!
Cara, you’re so funny!! At least you had two girls and can reuse lots of stuff. 😉
I agree … A good breast pump is a must. I recommend breast ointment too – preventing dryness is better than trying to fix it. I think boppy and swing are must haves though. Also a good diaper bag is a helpful item. A sunshade for the baby’s window in the car is a nice thIng to have. Keeps baby from getting too hot & woken by the sun. Desitin is a must have (or at least an ointment with plenty of zinc) – diaper rash happens.
You forgot BABYSITTER 🙂
YES! As important as oxygen. Too important for a list of mere “things.” 😉
Since I’m a post-menopausal non-mom, I can only read about all this with awe. You have so many more choices to make than my peers!
Nina, I’ve been in revision hell with two novels, so I haven’t kept up with all blog friends, or even my guest posts. I apologize. Just saw your question on Mesmered’s blog about getting a paper copy of Food of Love. Yes. You can pre-order. They should have been out by now but there was some printing glitch with the cover, apparently. You can order them here. http://www.popcornpress.com/index.php?act=latestNews&page=0#article12 Thanks so much for asking!
And oh, my four weeks to meeting your new family member. Must be exciting and scary, even when it’s not your first time. May everything go smoothly!
This is the second time I’ve heard about the “the 5 S’s” and The Happiest Baby on the Block. That’s it, I’m going off to order the book. And thank you for putting so much time into this post, Nina. I read through it like I was about to have this child tomorrow!
I was honestly thinking of you and a few other first-time expecting blogging friends when I wrote it!
I have been looking for a monitor like that! What kind is it? I can’t believe that type is so hard to find!
It’s off the market, but I see them on ebay sometimes–made by Safety 1st. I’d look up “safety first multi-room monitor” or something like that.
First, I’d say having your 4th kid you’re definitely an expert. That’s some serious street cred on baby gear.
Second…the diaper genie? Total waste of space to me. Plus the thing let off a disgusting stench after just one shitty dipe, forget about 30 dipes.
Third, my Lil Kiss came out looking like a toddler (9.7lbs) and didn’t even fit the 0-3 month stuff. So yah, amen to that.
9.7 pounds!!!! That terrifies me right now!
A ring sling. Seriously, my youngest spent her first six months upright in one because she had reflux. I couldn’t have survived without it.
Muslin squares – I had two types, large ones that got used as diapers, burp cloths and all purpose cover ups when I was breastfeeding, and smaller, softer, crinkly ones from (British department store) John Lewis which have the all-important satin label. Two of my children have used these as comforters, and they are much better than having a toy as a comfort object as I had around a dozen of them and there was always a clean available.
That’s so smart! Of course my kids comfort objects were expensive little blankets they received as gifts that we’re forever trying to locate in the house or clean and dry before bedtime.
Amen sister!
I got sooooooooooo many clothes and fancy blankets I ended up returning.
But I LOVE my Miracle Blanket, Boppy, bouncy, and swing.
I need to try the hand towels suggestion.
Totally agree with you on the wipes warmer. Totally disagree on the stroller. I bought a crappy stroller and spent months trying to convince myself that it would do, but I finally caved and bought a Baby Jogger brand stroller. What a world of difference. It wasn’t a crazy expensive one but it certainly wasn’t cheap. Because of how often I use it, I consider it to be a worthwhile investment. I definitely agree with starting with a Snap n Go, and then deciding on what stroller you want later. I wish I had done that.
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Nina
I had to laugh! Wipes Warmer, really? How silly. The baby swing is almost a must have. It keeps her quiet and tranquil while I’m working on other things. But as you pointed out, setting it up and storing it is a consideration as well. But all in all, great post! Thanks for sharing.
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