DARWIN is on his 12th year of teaching, currently at Springville High School teaching astronomy, geology, environmental science, and physics. He also teaches physics at UVU for a 7 week STEM summer school program for junior high students. He also teaches teenagers in our church ward. He's super busy, but still makes time to be an awesome dad and husband.
So, as of this week we're 5 months along, meaning we only have 4-ish more months before we get to see our little munchkin! Being the planners & preparers that we are (or try to be) we're starting to make plans for getting Rori's room painted and get all the furniture and gadgets needed for a new baby. (Yes, we have officially decided we're naming her Aurora.) So, as D & I were browsing online last week for things we'll need to get before she comes we weren't completely on the same page with what we think we do and do not need, so we're reaching out for a little advice from all of our wonderful blog-reading-buddies who have kids already.We're hoping to get some input on what you think are First-Time-Parent-Must-Have's and maybe some things you thought you needed but after having your baby found that some things really aren't necessary. We'd really appreciate the input! :)
P.S. For those of you doing the free earring thing, I just wanted to let you know mine came in the mail yesterday! So pretty!!
10 comments:
Zip up pajamas are much easier and tons faster than snap ones, especially if you're changing her a lot. Another must have, for me, was the mirror that hooked on to the back of my car so that I could see her in my rearview mirror while her carseat was rear facing. Just my thoughts. :) Hope you're well.
With our first child, we bought way too much stuff that we didn't need. The baby slept in a bassinet in our room for months, so the crib was kind of a waste for the first little while. The changing table is a joke when it's just easier to change a baby on a pad on top of a dresser or the bed. I wouldn't worry about cute outfits for the first few months. It's easier to put a tiny baby in onesies and sweat pants, especially when they are constantly pooping and spitting up! During the first few months, the things I could not have lived without were the rocking chair, the swing, and a boppy.
In retrospect, I think we focused too much on what to buy for the baby rather than how to care for the baby. If I were to do it over again I would have attended more La Leche League meetings (or other nursing "classes"), taken better childbirth classes and read more about how to care for babies. There's my 2 cents! Good luck and don't get overwhelmed.
I would highly recommend some sort of baby carrier--a BabyBjorn or something similar. I got one when Audrey was a few months old and it was such a lifesaver! It allowed me to have my hands free to get more done without having to put my baby down. Win-win for both of us.
Just a warning, though: make sure you really research what kind of carrier you get. A lot of the soft fabric slings have been recalled lately because they can be suffocation hazards.
Have fun shopping! I'm so excited for you!
I loved loved loved for the first couple months were the jammies that had no legs in them. They were like long dress. It was so much more assessable then the footed jammies and not to mention they like to be in fetal position so their legs always come out of the legs in the jammies and every thing becomes a tangled mess. I loved my boppy. Baby swing a must.
I agree with the comment about the crib. My little guy stayed in a cradle in our room until 5 months old.
Lots of onesies. A good stain remover spray for the messes coming out both ends of baby. A baby monitor is nice but depends on how long she will stay in your room. And a nice size diaper bag. :)
As far as furniture goes. Changing table is a joke. Its TONS more realistic to just change them on a pad on the bed, floor, couch, ect. They go throught SOOO many diapers(or as R says Nappies-thats what they are called here)!Cribs are nice, but like someone mentioned before they usually just end up in your room for the first few months because of all the early morning feedings! We really enjoyed have the stroller that the car seat fit into. Pop it in and out of the car, and into the stroller. Totally easy!
It would be more helpful if you mentioned what you guys are not agreeing on. Then we can tell you if its a must or can be forgotten about!
I usually just used onesies or sleepers most the time, except when we were going to get pictures done or going out where we'll be showing off the baby :) Most of the cute outfits I used were from baby showers, so I didn't even have to buy any!
I actually really liked my changing table because I have a bad back and it was nice to use and have a place to keep my wipes, diapers, ointment (Butt Paste is my favorite!) However, my changing table WAS a dresser, too, so it was multifunctional. I recommend finding one that has drawers under it instead of shelves.
We used our bassinet. It was great because when the baby woke up at night, I just rolled over and got the baby out, which was right by me.
Other must haves:
swing, carseat, headrest for the carseat to hold baby's head up, stroller that fits the carseat in, rocking chair, boppy, Baby B'journ carrier worked great!
Just a few off the top of my mind. Congratulations on your baby girl! Girls are so fun!
PS I got my earrings today! Thanks for sharing that. They're lovely!
My top priority with newborns is trying to get them to sleep well. I love the Kiddopotomus Swaddle Me which works great to keep them swaddled through the night. But be aware that zip up PJ's aren't the best because you have to undo the whole swaddle. With the snaps, you can just leave the top part intact for a quick change. If you get a swing, make sure you put her in it from the very beginning. Otherwise, she may never like it. And even then, she may not like it! My kids lived in sleepers for the first 3 months because they were born in the winter and I didn't take them out much so it didn't make sense to get them all dressed up to go to the living room. I love my boppy, baby bjorn, and Chico travel system. And you may not want to buy a bassinet until you know for sure you'll be able to sleep with a baby in your room. I would borrow one first to try it out. And I wouldn't buy a bunch of newborn diapers and clothes. She may be too big or long to wear them for more than a week or two. And if she's small, you can always buy more. I'm so excited for you! Happy shopping. :)
Ok, I just commented on the most recent post, but I wanted to add a few more things :o) I knew that I didnt want the baby to sleep in my room for more than a few months, TOPS. (I have friends that had their baby sleep in there for a long time, and now the baby is a toddler who WILL NOT sleep in their own room.) Anyway, so I was lucky enough to have a hand-me-down bassinet and then at 8 weeks, she went in her crib, and we used a monitor. Also, I LOVED the mirror for the car that was mentioned before. It gave such peace of mind when she was crying that I could actually see her and see that she was ok, and not like choking or something, ya know??? As far as the changing table goes, I still LOVE mine. I didnt always use it, but I definitely use it for storage (clothes, diapers, blankets). Ours was a hand me down, and came with shelves and baskets, but if I could do it over, I would for sure get one that is also a dresser. Now that Elle is almost 2, I still keep it in her room and just use it for the things I already mentioned. Ok.. I think I've given my 2 cents.. or 50 cents :o) LOL. Good luck!!
Ditto on the Swaddle Me thing. Those are great!
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