Back-to-Basics Baby Gear

Musts: Boppy pillow. Great for nursing, great for curling baby inside on my lap when I needed to pass out from pure exhaustion, great to keep baby propped up around 3-4 months old. Hands free pumping bustier--What did I do before I discovered this? I had to pump a lot in the beginning because of problems with latching--and then again when I returned to work. The hands free bustier allowed me to read, work on the computer, talk on the phone. OMG--it changed my world! Sling--my baby didn't want to be put down (during the day) for the first two months. I was exhausted, but also stressed at not being able to keep up with mundane chores, e.g., straightening up the house, cooking, folding laundry, etc. Sling was very useful for being somewhat "hands-free" and baby loved it. Activity mat--my daughter loved this. All of a sudden she just took to it and began finally doing stuff on her own. Finally, I could hang up the sling and do some stuff myself, knowing she was content and learning. Rocker/glider. I decided this would be one of the purchases I wouldn't go for. We do have a rocker made for the outdoor patio area and once the weather turned bad brought it into the house (there goes the interior decorating!). We used this nightly to help our little one relax and get ready for bed, to read to her, sing, etc. If I do this again, I am investing in a nice, decorative, but functional glider. Jogging stroller, regular stroller and car seat carrier--I agonized over which stroller to buy--and lucked into all three! We were given a jogging stroller by friends, freeing us up to buy the heavy duty four wheeler of our desire (a Peg Perego Uno). However, we realized two days into the post partum period that we really needed the baby car seat carrier (a wheeled frame on which you sit the car seat). The carrier folds up almost as tight as an umbrella stroller and was great for going grocery shopping in or strolling when the baby was already asleep. Some people will opt for one stroller--all three worked for me, and if feeling flush in cash, would do it this way all over again. We use the jogging stroller quite a bit, but it is not as easy/convenient to fold up as our Uno stroller nor as comfortable for the baby for a nice long walk through the zoo (the Uno has a wonderful bassinet feature for deep naps). Sleep positioner--we could not have survived without this!!! it kept her in place and feeling secure in her bassinet, as well as was useful when we put her down for a nap on our bed or anywhere else besides her bassinet. Bought and didn't really use, or opted not to buy and didn't miss it: Nursing tops/nightgowns--too tight, too uncomfortable. More than one nursing bra--11 months later, I still nurse and don't bother using any of the nursing bras at all. I did use one nursing bra for the first few months though, but probably wouldn't bother second go around. Swing--our daughter liked it much later than other babies seem to, but even then not so much. It took up a lot of space and I would have preferred putting a rocker/glider in that place! Diaper bag--actually, this is something I never bought or received as a gift. I have gotten away with using a fold up travel sac in which I place a diaper changing pad, wipies, diapers, change of clothes, couple toys and a separate small thermos type bag for milk--and don't envy the people I see carting around a gigantic shoulder crushing, albeit very stylish, diaper bag. Believe me, I would have bought one--they are awesomely cool--but was feeling poor at the time and didn't take the plunge. Don't miss it! Diaper champ--I like it, but have to admit we just put dirty diapers in a plastic bag and throw out immeidately. Not very green of us, but we don't like the lingering smell in her room--no matter how much the pail masks it--and placing the diaper champ in the bathroom down the hall really doesn't work for us. First year's crib cd player--battery runs out constantly and there is no option to run a cord (of course, that wouldn't be safe). Next time, I would just buy a small portable DVD player for the room (and in fact, will eventually anyway). Monitor. I have to admit, I am really proud of myself for not buying a monitor, espeically a video one. For one, we were living in a small apartment for the first 8 months of my daughter's life, so walking 10 feet to her room really wasn't a big deal, but more importantly, not having one forced me to deal with my fear of SIDs in a more rational manner. She really will be okay in her crib and I have nothing to fear! And there is really nothing like walking into the room in complete anticipation of what she might be doing--will she be sleeping peacefully? playing with a stuffed animal? standing up and attempting to scale the heights to get out? or just sleepily smiling up at me? If I did it over, would buy Pack in play (especially for sitting in back yard--we don't travel much). Now that my daughter is almost 30 pounds, it feels a bit late to buy one, but I could have really used it in the past couple months. More onesies! I can't believe nobody told me that it is essential to have tons of onesies, especially in the first few months.

Here is my list of must haves: Car seat, swing, bouncy seat, high chair that hooks onto a regular kitchen chair (such as Fisher Price's Spacesaver), a front carrier or sling, a few receiving blankets and some good thick burp cloths. Things that are nice, but not a must have: a full- size stroller (nice to use with the infant seat as a travel system, but you could just use a carrier/sling until the baby is older than just buy an umbrella-type stroller that is easier to store); Boppy, Exersaucer or Jumperoo (nice place for baby to be while mom is in the shower!) Things that I had but never really used: Pack n play (baby slept in bed with us most of the time), Bumbo seat, way too many blankets (you only need a few)

Forget: 1. Wipes warmer 2. Cute little fancy burpcloths 3. Fancy bottles if you're formula feeding. Get: 1. Miracle blanket 2. Bouncer OR baby swing 3. Bibs, LOTS of them. And then some. 4. Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper or crib or pack and play with bassinette, plus sheets 5. 2 Playtex Drop-In bottles with low-flow silicone nipples and a can of organic formula, even if you're planning to breastfeed. 6. A travel system with two car seat bases if you have two cars. 7. Unisex onesies and other clothes. Everybody else will give you blue or pink clothes once they know what you're having, and you don't want to drown in a sea of trucks or ruffles. 8. A mobile if you don't have a ceiling fan. 9. A Gugguli doll. 10. 15 minutes every evening to check craigslist for any of the above--try to buy as little as possible new; most of the used baby items there are still in great condition and well worth re-use (and much, much cheaper). Careful with used car seats, though: Check the manufacturer date (seats expire after 6 years) and inspect the base for bends and cracks.

ok, im on my 3rd son, we are on a very tight budget, its been 7 yrs since our last baby so, we didnt have a thing left over! I learned that you dont HAVE to have a swing, yes they are nice, but my 2nd son hated his. but he loved a bouncy seat, both of them did, so that would be a must have for me. If you ever travel, or if your child is going to be at a babysitter, than you need a pack-n-play. my kids like to go visit my mom, even when they were young and this was a life saver! you can live without a boppy, though they are really nice and handy to have! for burp rags, use cloth diapers or fold those receiving blankets that come from the hospital, cut them in two and walla! the stroller carseat carrier combo, to me is a waste of time!! I never ever used one. either one or the other!! if you do a lot of walking or intend on using a stroller, go for a decent one with four wheels, or a jogging one, skip the umbrella stroller! bumbo seats are not something you NEED but are great for freeing your hands, and also stregthening your childs spine. my MIL works with developmentally delayed kids, birth to 3 months, and they use theirs constantly, which prompted me to get one. but this is something new, its not like I had one with my other kids. I agree on the onesies, no matter what time of year, you will need a lot of them!! almost everything we have is from consigment shops or yard sales for this baby..the big stuff anyway. found a baby bed for 20 bucks, all we have to do is get a mattress or even a mattress pad, since this one looks fairly new..you dont have to have a designer bed even though they are nice. we found our stroller for 20 bucks, our carseat is extremely nice, found it at a yard sale for 10, but I did know the girl I was buying it from, and knew it had not been in any accidents, otherwise, i would have gotten a new one. we got a swing for 20, all of these things if you can find fairly cheap, remember, you can resell them, so like the swing, if my child decides he doesnt like it, no big deal, ill turn around and resell it. I never had a sling or carrier of any type..after carrying my kids for 9 months I sure as heck didnt want to carry them like that 24/7, too much pain on my back and actually id rather just hold them than put them in a carrier or sling. we as parents can get away with using a lot less than we think..we always think we HAVE to have something because everyone else does..not true, and most of that stuff, your child is going to outgrow within the first 6-9 months anyway.

We stretch our budget by thinking about things that can serve more than one purpose rather than buying 2 of something. One to think about is: you really don't need a crib. Buy a pack n play, which is also a crib but travels. You don't need to buy a fancy diaper disposer; a regular trash can works fine. Different babies like different things, so it might be good to see if you need something before buying it. And if you plan to have more than 1 baby, buy things that are gender neutral, just in case.

You need a crib or pack-n-play, car seat, and stroller. These are a must. they can be found at good prices at second hand stores, yard sales, or maybe somebody you know who's child is too big for theirs. I learned that you really do not need a ton of little clothes. The baby grows so fast you need just a few of those super cute tiny outfits and there is no need for shoes (the baby can't walk). Some kind of sling or carrier, whatever you and baby feel safe with is great. You can carry the baby while getting stuff done. Recieving blankets are a must. I used them as blanket and burp cloth.