Hi, and thanks for stopping by. When reading my regemendations, please consider a subscription to Consumer Reports for specific brands. We use this site at least once a month and were on it constantly when doing research for baby products. It's worth it for the peice of mind you'll be using a tested, safe product.
I'm a new mom to a 9 month old baby girl, Payton. If the following story sounds familiar, you'll be glad you ran into this guide.
My mind was focused on my baby registry as if I was somehow possessed by a power I had never felt before. There were books, and guides, and magazines, and advice from friends, and on and on and on. Overwhelmed wasa serious understatement. My head was in a constant tail spin. After literally hundreds of hours logged on Consumer Reports and Babies R US, I had selected my items. All 18 pages.
But I would check, and double check, and delete and add, and delete again, and then add more. It was an obsession I took a great deal of pride in. I mean, this was my first baby, she would be under my care. I was responsible for picking products that were safe for her.
And then she was born. And the world stood still. All chaos over picking everything, and matching everything, and organizing everything....stopped. She was perfect. She was healthy. And life was good.
Within 2 months, I knew exactly what we weren't going to use, and loaded them all in our SUV and headed right back to Babies R Us. We got a lot back, to the tune of $1000.00!!! If I can save you the trouble, that's my intention with this guide.
Hope you like what I offer-it's advice from a new mom with lots of experience.
Topthings you will NOT need, guaranteed:
Diaper Container - You will throw them on the floor temporarily or right in the trash. Diaper containers stink, no matter what brand, or what you put in them to make them smell fresher. We had Payton's all set up next to her changing table. We never changed her on her changing table. Not once. Why go all the way up stairs to change her when we were all in the living room? Didn't make sense to us.
Changing Table - you will change your baby everywhere except the changing table. In their crib, on the couch, on the carpet, in the car...you get the point. I cried and geplained because I had to have the $400 changing table. Now, it's just one more thing I have to dust. It does keep her clothes and blankets organized, but any dresser will do this, save your money and buy a plain ole dresser.
Snap Sleepers -These are a joke in the middle of the night. Whoever invented these had a sense of humor. My husband with his big fingers trying to find a tiny snap at 2 a.m. with my baby squirming always sent me into laughter. You will buy these, and then you find the zip-up ones and kick yourself for not being told who marvelous the difference is. Trust me-there's a gigantic difference...1,2,3 zip-up done magic.
Nursing Pillow - you will not use this because any bedroom or couch pillow works exactly the same way - if not better. The nursing pillows aren't squishy like other pillows. You want squishy so baby's head can conform to their position. We had a nursing pillow and once I saw how stiff it made her body, I tossed it on the floor, and started using the couch pillows - voila.
Expensive Toys - This is a lure to draw parents in, thinking their kids will develop at a faster pace if they spend loads of money on toys. Basics are good. For example: I paid $15.00 for 4 educational cloth blocks by Baby Einstein- WAY overpriced. Your child will not be into playing with toys for a few months, and she won't know the difference between a $5.00 toy or a $50.00 toy.
Stiff Pants-Jeans/Ruffle Tops-gefort will (or should) win over design, like baby jeans, which, in my opinion, shouldn't even be an option. But, to each is own, although remember this: When Baby is happy, everyone's happy. Equate that to if Baby is gefy, everyone's gefy.
Bottle Steamer/Bottle Warmer - You only have to steam the nipples ONCE - then they can go in the dishwasher. The bottles are perfectly safe in the dishwasher. You will not want to clutter your countertops with unnecessary items. Bottle warmers are ridiculous to use, overflow, and do not work well. Good ole fashioned way is still the best: run the bottle under mildly hot water and test every few minutes until milk is lukewarm.
Wipe Warmer - this product (whatever the brand) claims to keep wipes nice and warm - and that's just not the case. If you fill your container with wipes, the bottom section turns brown and gets dry - and you waste more wipes this way. You would have to only keep 10 or so wipes in the warmer if you want them warm each time - but try remembering to fill it every day. Using moist wipes works just fine - leaving a few out makes them lukewarm if you're concerned about using wipes during the night to wake up baby. But honestly, if you're baby is asleep and only went #1 - skipping a wipe altogether won't cause any harm.
Crib Bedding- yes, it will make the nursery look fabulous, but here's the truth: We paid $250.00 for a geplete nursery crib bedding set, which included: crib sheet, bumper, and geforter. She will never use the geforter becauseit was way too big for her, and we preferred using a receiving blanket - if we used a blanket at all. The crib sheet needs to be washed, and when it does, we use a $5.00 crib sheet, in the same color, cream. So, we could've saved a lot of money had we spent $15 on a few crib sheets and $15 on a matching plain color bumper. Lesson definitely learned. When she was 8 months - we removed the bumper altogether, as regemended. So, if you must get bedding, find it here on okay - other mothers will be selling their L New sets, and trust me on that - they are L New, lol - once the baby can touch the bumpers it's time to remove them anyway :)
Newborn Tub w/Mesh Liner - You think this will be great for your newborn. Mesh liner keeps baby out of water. Well, aren't you cold when you're soaking wet? Your baby will FREEZE if you use this mesh liner. Once it's wet, it's like laying on a wet peice of clothing. Within the first minute of using this, I took it off, and just held her tight in the main container of the tub - which is just as good.
Car Seat Cover (used in winter months)- PLEASE DON'T USE THIS - it reduces the safety of your car seat! We bought one (JJ Cole Collection) and when we went to our local police department to have the seat installed - the officer refused to install our car seat with this cover attached, and she explained why in wonderful detail. Call your local department for more information. In a nutshell, the car seats are designed and warranted based on their current design, with no interfering geponents. This car seat cover (while seemingly useful) actually can leave your child severely hurt if you are involved in an accident. Leave this cover for your stroller, and use a blanket to cover baby in and out of the car - it's safer and less expensive!!!
Hardcover Paper Books- When baby is in the stage of putting everything in their mouth - you do NOT want paper books. The color peels easily and the ends of the pages fray quickly, which can leave baby will a mouthful of color chips or a chunk of paper in their mouth! I bought Payton a beautiful ABC hard paper book when she was about 5 months old - and threw it out after 30 minutes. I watched her - she was more interested in putting it in her mouth than turning the pages. At first, it was cute. Until she smiled and I noticed little red bits of color had gee off the book and were in her mouth! We stick to cloth or plastic books and have a much safer play time.
MAMS Pacifiers- This is a TRUE story - it happened to me with Payton was 4 months old. We were sitting peacefully on the couch and I was watching her play with her pink MAM pacifier. She would turn it sideways and backwards, and just gum it. Then, her eyes got really wide and she started screaming. The pacifier had gotten STUCK IN HER MOUTH SIDEWAYS!!!! My heart was racing and I had to pry it out, all while my innocent baby girl was terrified. ALL OF THEM went into the garbage and I even called the gepany to geplain. The pacifiers were made for infants 3-6 months, and this incident should NOT have happened. I was hysterical, and want to warn everyone I can about how dangerous this pacifiers are. If you use a paci- pick the big green Soothie brand ones. They are flexible and large enough so that there's no way baby can manipulate them to get stuck in their mouth. You know, I'm convinced my baby isn't the only baby this has happened to, and it's irresponsible for the gepany not to warn parents of this possibility. I'm also convinced the situation could've been a lot worse if, say, I was driving and couldn't see her, and she all of a sudden started crying...what if I didn't know what had happened? I don't even like to think about that. Please, take my advice on this. It's not worth the risk when there are other products which are somuch safer.
Now onto the things you DEFINITELY should have:
Baby Einstein Play Gym - Fantastic for learning, and encouraging rolling over. The toys which hang from the gym are interchangeable and Payton LOVED the singing star. It was wonderful for helping her hand eye coordination. Simply cannot say enough - worth every penny. Payton's first experience in this gym was about 3 1/2 months. We put a blanket behind her back for support, and had it on it's lowest setting. She loved reaching for the toys, and having her first taste of independence. For those of you with a 2nd floor, I highly regemend a 2nd exersaucer for the bathroom/bedroom. Once your baby's out of the bouncy seat, you need something to use while you shower/get ready in the morning - the extra exersaucer will be key to a content baby. We resisted buying the 2nd exersaucer for awhile, but after carrying 1 up and down the stairs for a few weeks - yeah, we went out and got another one. Saved me a big headache.
Gerber
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