One recommendation I can give you is, if you think you may need it, register for it! You can always return the things that you don't need & use the gifts cards to buy the things you do need (like diapers!). Check out the registry check-lists that almost every online & in-store baby registry provides to use as a guide. As friends what works for them too!
For the Preggers...
- I used Mama Mia Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil & Mama Mia Boob Tube and still got a few stretch marks... I guess they could have been worse, but I believe there is something else on the market that would work better. If we are lucky enough to have a next time, I will try Palmer's Cocoa Butter. I've heard this is fantastic.
- I did not really start 'showing or not being able to fit into my regular clothes until really late in my pregnancy. (This is not bragging. Once my belly came out, there was no stopping it!) I used the classic hair tie to hold my jeans together that would not button. I ended up buying one pair of demi panel & one pair of full panel jeans and they got me through my entire pregnancy. I wore A LOT of dresses. Dresses were the most comfortable for me one I got 'BIG'.
- A must have for me was the Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow or what my husband calls 'Felix'. I believed the pregnancy body pillow was a scam until I got to be about 6-7 months along and would have paid someone ALOT of money to be able to sleep better. Felix took up a lot of room in our bed, but he was well worth it!
For the Hospital...
- We did not being anything special to the hospital for myself or the baby. My sister is a nurse in L&D & said the hospital would provide everything I needed for the baby (and they did!) The only thing I brought for Greyton was his car seat & going home outfit. I packed my toiletries, a few sets of pajamas & nursing tanks, make-up & what I needed to fix my hair with. Once Greyton arrived & I was able to shower, fixing myself up to look 'normal' meant the world to me. I felt like a brand new person!
Recovering at Home...
(I won't describe why these things were great, but they worked for me!)- I had a very easy recovery. I just took care of myself & religiously did what the doctor told me to do to help myself heal.
- Tucks pads were a keeper & not just for hemorrhoids. You can even put them in the refrigerator too keep them cool.
- Pads. Let's be honest you need these. I didn't use a certain brand. None of them are appealing to me and are always too bulky.
For the Newborn...
These are for the first 6 weeks after baby comes home.- Pack N Play This is used as a changing station in our living room. Our 'main' living space is on the opposite side of the house that the nursery is on, so this was a back saver! I put everything he needed during the day in it and changed him on the changing pad that sits on top of it.
- Sheet saver I didn't have this on his crib at the beginning and of course he wet through his diaper one night. It is not fun changing the sheets on a crib! This is a must from now on.
- Boppy® Newborn Lounger Love this! I know it says not to let baby sleep in it, but Greyton slept in this during the day & at night. *We had to take it out of his crib when he was about 6 weeks because I was afraid he would roll out of it.
- Changing pad. We have a cover for it, but since our little guy's nursery is very neutral, we do not even use the cover. This makes for easier clean up!
- Monitor
- Swaddle Me While Greyton was sleeping in his Boppy Newborn Lounger I didn't swaddle him and he slept just fine. When we took it out of his crib, I started swaddling him because he was waking himself up.
- Dr. Brown's standard bottles I had a big debate between the standard vs. the wide mouth. I was told the wide mouth more closely resembled nursing, however, they leak (FYI: Mine didn't leak). I got a set of both, but ended up sticking with the standard because I could pump into them.
- Lansinoh® Breast milk Storage Bags
- Dr. Brown's Bottle Drying Rack During the day, once Greyton finishes a bottle, I just throw it in the sink in warm soapy water. At the end of the day, I clean them with a sponge and sit them on the rack to dry.
- Fisher Price® Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper This is great to use instead of a pack-n-play. It's a lot easier to travel with and is tilted put a little for the baby.
- My Little Snugabunny Bouncer by Fisher-Price®
- Car seat seat protector No one wants indentions in their leather from the carseat...
- Play mat. We purchased this one, but Greyton likes this one better. Which makes since, the one he likes plays music & has a mobile that moves.
- Burp cloths. The pre-folded diapers work the best. We got a 10 pack of them and had them monogrammed & embroidered to dress them up.
- Bob stroller. The stroller was a tough one for us. We had no clue what we needed or wanted. After a lot of asking around we settled on this one. It will be great when it cools off a little & I can take the little guy for walks & it has a lot of great accessories. I am a big fan of gender neutral baby items so we can use them if we are blessed with a little girl in the future.
- Soothies pacifiers & WubbaNubs. These are the only pacifiers Greyton likes. Before he came along I thought babies being paci particular was a myth, however, it is true for us. Don't go paci crazy because some babies only like certain pacis, Greyton being one of them.
- Diaper caddy
- Mustela Cleansing and Soothing Wipes are my favorite wipes. They are the softest & smell the best as well.
- Gas drops!
For Bath Time...
- We use all Aveeno products.
- A bath tub similar to this was loaned to us from a friend & it's been great so far.
For Breastfeeding...
- We decided not to purchase a pump until we were sure that my milk would come in & I was able to breastfeed. Honestly, I did not do much research on pumps but the Medela® Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump with On-the-Go Tote had great reviews & works perfectly for taking to and from work.
- I am fortunate enough to have a very understanding boss who lets me pump at work. Which means I need a cooler to bring my milk home in. This cooler from LL Bean works great for me. (Plus I already owned it!
Boppy.We were informed that this is a must have for breastfeeding baby.- Medela storage tubes have been great since the beginning. They were great for small amounts of milk when I first started pumping & now I can use 1 of the tubes & a 4 oz. bottle to pump into.
- I use Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bags to freeze excess milk. They freeze flat and I store them in gallon zip lock bags.
- When I was exclusively breastfeeding, Medela Contact Nipple Shields helped our little guy latch on & it was more comfortable to me.
- Disposable nursing pads. I was afraid the reusable nursing pads would go to laundry lost & found like my husbands socks, so I prefer the disposal ones.
- My all time favorite breastfeeding accessory, Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter. Works great one sore, cracked nipples! Lanolin felt too thick & did not go on as smoothly. You can even use the nipple butter as a moisturizer for your skin!
- I have yet to find a nursing bra that I like & I am not a fan of nursing tops, so I have been strictly a nursing tank girl. I will be trying this one soon, so I'll keep you posted on how I like it. {Addition 8.27.12: LOVE this nursing bra. Very comfortable and the best fitting one I have found so far!}
For Solid Feeding...
(We are not there yet, but thanks to some research & styleberryBLOG, these are the things I think we'll need/want)- Stainless Steel Vegetable Steamer for making large batches of baby food.
- A blender. (Not just for margaritas anymore!)
- Spatulas for scraping food out of the blender & this one to help clean up the ice trays.
- Beaba baby food containers. I think these will be great to put frozen food in to warm and serve.
- A flexible ice cube tray. styleberryBLOG recommends this one to freeze food in.
- Zo li for on the go feedings.
- Beaba spoons, bento box, & bowls.
- BABYBJORN® Soft Bib to hopefully catch all of the food that does not quite make it to his mouth.
- Munchkin Snack Catchers for baby self feeding.
- KLIP IT Split Snack Container for snacks.
- Tovolo Perfect Cube Silicone Ice Cube Tray for making and freezing baby food.
- Sippy cups are TBD...
For Mom on the Go...
- BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Original. My husband loves this because sometimes it is just easier to strap the baby onto you instead of having to lug around his car seat or carry hip in your arms.
- Pacifier wipes. This may be a first time mom kind of thing, but I want to make sure his pacis are clean before they go into his mouth.
- Diaper bag. For contents view this post.
- Baby Einstein Baby Take Along Tunes Infant. Is great! It takes baby from crying to going in no time!
For the Car...
- Car seat seat protector
- Shopping for a car seat for a first time mom is extremely over whelming! The guy at BuyBuyBaby (who could not have been older than 21) seemed to know everything about car seats & recommended this one.
For Traveling Long Distance...
- We purchased a PeaPod® Indoor/Outdoor Travel Bed for our trips to the lake so the little guy could be outside for longer periods of time & stay cool. I'll let you know how this works out...
Wardrobe Staples...
- Onesies, onesies & more onesies!
Top Toys by Age...
- Newborn, play mat
- 0-3 Months...
For Daycare...
- Anything that is monogrammed or personalized always wins in my book, but the Bumpy Name Labels are cute & ensure your bottles will not get mixed up with the baby next door's.
Teething...
- We are not here yet, however, I plan on using Baby Teething Feeder for Solid Foods and freezing milk on a binky in a bottle lid. I'll let you know how these work out.
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