Wednesday, December 4, 2013

My Baby Stuff Recommendations (Birth to 6-9 mo)

Originally, being a new mom, I polled my wonderful mom friends for their recommendations on everything baby.

 Now with all my expertise, I'm creating a list of everything I've found to be the most helpful (in this day, in this country).

Nursery (should you choose not to co-sleep)

 Blankets -- we had A LOT of blankets but read carefully because some are MUCH too small.  
  • Receiving blankets are, in opinion, a waste because they are too small- only 32"x23" so they only really worked when C was a newborn. We had several hand-me-downs and we used them to line his diaper changing pad and for spitup; that's it. I could never get a swaddle to stick with these. Too small.
  • These 35"x35" are okay, but C grew out of them months ago and now they're kinda useless. 
  • BEST are these muslin swaddle blankets that still fit C at 9mo, plus they were lightweight/cool in the summer but he could still be swaddled with them. They're 44" x 44".
  • a friend also knit us a car seat sized blanket and it was perfect for the first several months, not too big so it slid off or was bunchy 

Video monitor: this is probably our FAVORITE item
  • We have Summer Infant brand and LOVE it. The camera is mounted in his room above his crib, but the camera can dismount and sit if we want to move it. The camera also has a light that can be turned on from the monitor and speakers so we can talk to him through the monitor. The monitor has a sound display that ranges from green to red depending on his volume. We can adjust the volume on the monitor so we don't have to hear every little noise he makes but can tell when he's really getting loud. This is a life saver when we're in the other room. It has stopped us 100x from creeping in to check on him AND getting him up too soon when if we leave him, he'll settle back to sleep. But we can watch him so we know exactly what he's doing.
    • FYI I read a recent article about movement sensors (that keep track of how much your baby moves and alerts you if not moving) and how babies have been strangled by the cords
Crib
  • Use a bassinet in your room for the first few months; you will sleep better if you can hear them breathing. (We moved C out at 3mos)
  • Crib sheets: at least 2 (4 is probably too many)
  • Crib mattress: a firm side (for infants) and a soft side (for toddlers) so that we didn't have to buy a new mattress later. 
  • Teething rail guards (on the top rail): I made these myself out of fleece around 7mo (he could stand by then and would chew on the rails)
Comfortable chair: we have a plush rocking and reclining chair. When nursing, be sure to keep things like chapstick and water within reach.

 Changing table: my cousin recommended the Badger Basket Diaper Corner Changing Table and we like it.

 Pack N Play: Good for travel, nap at grandmas, etc... 
  • At least one friend used a Pack N Play instead of a bassinet; said the changing pad made midnight diaper changes very fast and easy. 
Sound machine: we've used MyBaby by Homedics SoundSpa since day 3 with C and I think it helps, especially when we transitioned him from our room to his, and on vacations. Plus I don't feel like I need to creep around when he's napping.

On the Go

 Car seat
Friends warned: make sure you put the car seat in your car early; you never know if baby will come early always make sure you have plenty of gas in your car. FYI the Bend Fire Dept will ensure this is installed correctly; they claim many people do it incorrectly. The nurses at the hospital are required to walk you to the car and ensure you have a car seat but I think they won't necessarily help you fix it.

 * Children are supposed to be rear-facing (even if they are a little crunched legwise) until at least 2yrs old, then in a forward-facing harnessed seat, then in a booster seat. Initially, you can get an infant "bucket" seat or a convertible seat. FYI Lucie's List has good reviews on seats.
  • We have an infant "bucket" seat-- the Graco SungRide Classic Connect Infant Car Seat 30, meaning it's good up to 30inches tall or 30lbs (C is big for his age and at 9mo, we're just getting to the height limit; apparently it's common for them to outgrow seats on height than weight). 
    • What I like most about this carseat is that it snaps into the Graco stroller (I think it's called a "travel system"). The stroller can be used on its own or with the car seat. SUPER HELPFUL because C often fell asleep in the car seat, so then we could transport him without waking; plus the car seat gets heavy to carry.
    •  We also bought 2 extra classic connect bases, so we had a base in each car (plus my mom's, which we didn't use much). Then we just click the car seat in place; super fast and easy.
  • One friend said she only really used it for the first 9 months (when he started walking), so I don't know that it was the best use of money. If I were to do it again, I would think about more "transition" type equipment--car seats that will go forward or backward facing, and can be used as they grow. Another friend said if you are blessed with big babies, make sure your infant car seat is for babies at least 30 lbs. because her son outgrew his 20lb at 5mos.
  • Our Sassy Go-Go stroller toy is also a life saver for us. It used to distract C from fussing. Plus we used to click his pacifier to it. We hung it from the handle of the car seat. That was awesome because we could easily find his pacifier when he spit it out, and when he finally was old enough to reach for things (maybe 4-5mo), if he dropped his pacifier, he could find it again.

Baby Carrier: lots of opinions here
  • we had a cheaper brand like the bjorn or ergo; Matt likes it but after about 3mo, it hurts my back within minutes
    • we did get the Ergobaby Infant Insert and that was very helpful when C was small. In fact, he'd fall asleep in the carrier but I could slide him out still in the insert and put him down on his pack'n'play without waking him (ok, they advise against this because theoretically he could roll and suffocate but I was right there in the room making dinner, etc, plus he didn't start rolling til 4mo)
  • Moby Wrap-- I really liked it. You can tie it in several different ways depending on the size and age of baby. But it's A LOT of fabric to wrap around.
  • Baby K'tan-- one friend recommended this as an alternative to the Moby Wrap, same concept but less fabric. I don't like it as well, not as comfortable and more complicated for me to get on.
  • Bjorn-- friend said: you can carry your baby facing out or in. But I found that it killed my lower back to carry my kids in it once they were over 12 lbs. For that reason I wouldn't recommend it.
  • Ergo-- friend said: Seriously, LOVE it. Would recommend for sure. I use it almost daily.
Strollers
  • We have the Graco FactAction travel system. I loved using it with the car seat and have it used it alone too, but it's not as light as an umbrella stroller. We have an umbrella stroller too now for quick things and travel because it takes up less space.
    • friend said: we had a jog stroller, an umbrella stroller and the stroller that you snap your infant carseat into. I ended up selling the later because we never used it. I use my jog stroller most of the time. It is a bit large for shopping and what not, which is where the umbrella stroller comes in handy. 
    • another friend said: I would suggest one bigger stroller or maybe a jogger if you think you will be doing lots of walking/running with baby.  BOBs are the best out there for that but are SUPER, DUPER expensive. 
  • Jogging Stroller: honestly I haven't used one yet 
    • friend said: I got a great jogging stroller off craigslist; it's nice to have one with large tires, (especially with a swivel-front tire so you don't have to pick up the front end as you run). Takes a bit to find one that would be comfortable to run with. Think about height while shopping.
  • Travel/Umbrella Stroller
    • for later: friend said: I would also suggest some sort of “travel” (or umbrella) stroller, one that is easy to get in and out of the car, good to travel with, lightweight, etc.  You can’t put newborns in these so it is something you can wait on but now I only use my travel stroller.  I finally invested in a really nice one and it was def. worth the money. 
      another friend said: Love our Peg Perego. But one feature I highly recommend (regardless of brand) is having a single bar that parent pushes rather than 2 handles. That way you can steer/push with 1 hand and still have the other free to hand new bottle forward, text, get a drink, etc. The ones with 2 handles: MUCH harder to do that!

Feeding
Have bottles and formula around just in case, even if you are planning on breast feeding; you never know what's going to happen!

(should you choose to breast feed) 
Breast Pump:  DON'T WAIT ON THIS. But do see if you have the option to rent one or borrow one to try out. I planned to breastfeed exclusively and wasn't planning to pump for months BUT my milk didn't come in very fast so the lactation consultants recommended pumping (at day 6) to boost my milk production.

Some insurance companies will pay for a pump or subsidize it. Some hospitals will also rent out pumps. FYI they do not recommend buying a used pump because you cannot buy replacement tubes (and they claim that milk CAN get into the tubes; my opinion is this is WAY overly cautious and I bought a used pump from a friend).
  • Medela Pump In Style--  
    • I bought extra shields and extra valves/membranes so I didn't have to wash everything all the time. A friend got extras for work so she sterilized when she got home. The sterilization bags can be steamed in the microwave and are super helpful. 

Nursing bras
  • friend said: have 3 nursing bras; 1 comfy night time one that is easy to undo and 2 day time ones; another friend said: when your boobs grow out of your current bras while you're pregnant, buy nursing bras--they are stretchy and you can use them after (rather than buy bigger bras you will never wear again). 
  • so I mistakenly bought not awesome bras so read this:
    • One friend said: Def suggest getting the “sleeping bras” to wear in the hospital during labor/post baby. Super comfy and better than a hospital gown! I had a wrap nursing sleep bra that was comfortable for sleeping. You're going to want some kind of bra at night because of 1- leaking and 2- sensitivity (my nipples rubbing on anything was quite painful). But this wasn't enough support for me to wear all day.
    • for daytime, buy a SOFT bra. I originally bought a demi underwire bra that unclips so you can fold the cup down to nurse. But the fabric was so stiff, it just wanted to roll back up into place so it kept hitting C in the chin. Very irritating. A sports bra style or a wireless are better options. You can wear actual sports bra and just push them up (a friend does that) but I don't like having my belly or side exposed by pushing up my shirt and I thought it'd feel uncomfortable. Try on the bra and practice actually rolling it down and tucking it under the band to see how that feels.
      • Just to compare sizes, I was a 36B before pregnancy but wore a 34D nursing bra.  
  • also my recommendation (because I didn't feel comfortable hiking up my shirt to bf; it's breezy, brr): sleeveless clip-down nursing tanks/camis are the way to go. You can wear them under other things or alone in the summer. Super easy to just clip and fold down to nurse. I also tried faux-wrap tops & pulldown tops (that are really elasticy so you just pull down the neckline) but the clip-down tanks were my fave. Esp with an open-front cardigan (I could just use that to hide C while he nursed)
    • of course, you could wear really anything if you want to lift it up/put baby under. And/or anything with a flexible neckline or scoop neck. Really just depends on your comfort. But my recommendation is not to buy maternity clothes that won't work well for nursing if you plan to do that. I bought a lot of crewneck shirts and sweaters that then I couldn't get to work for me post-pardom.

Nursing pillow
  • Boppy is the popular one. It's also good later for baby to sit up against. But... I found that as C got bigger, the pillow would slip out from under him.
    • get at least 2 covers
  • I loved My BreastFriend so much better than boppy because it clips around you so it doesn't slide out. Once I got the hang of nursing, I could even cinch it tight, rest C on it, and hold it and him with one hand while I moved locations (like couch to dinner table).
    • again, at least 2 covers (babies spit up a lot)
Nursing covers/ hooter hider
  • I liked having 2, one for purse or diaper bag and one that I kept in the living room for when we had company.
    • one friend said: If you're going to use one, start using it immediately; otherwise your baby might hate it and won't let ya stay covered while nursing

Bottles
  • One friend said: I wanted to use glass bottles, and bought a bunch, but barely used them. You can't heat breast milk up in the microwave (it destroys the proteins); you have to heat up water in a larger cup and then put the bottle in the cup until it's warm. Using glass bottles became a pain for this reason as it took way longer to heat through the glass. We often used the Madela BPA free plastic bottles. When we transitioned to formula, we used the glass ones. 
    another said: brand Dr. Browns
    another said: baby had Colic/LOTS of gas issues, we went through 5-6 different brands (all recommended or claiming best for reducing colic) but he did best with Playtex VentAire. 
  • We had luck with Nuk brand. I liked these because at 6mo, we switched to a sippy cup style so all I needed to buy were new nipples that pop into the old lids, vs all new cups/bottles.
    • If you're going to breastfeed also, you want the wide model as it is closer in nipple size to a breast. And for same reason you want to stick with the slow flow nipple always (otherwise if you switch to the bottle med or fast flow they'll get mad at the breast when it doesn't speed up)... but then C did develop a nipple preference and we had to wean breastfeeding at 5mo because he only wanted to take a bottle.
  • milk storage bags: Lansinoh
  • breast pads: Lansinoh
Formula: even if you want to breastfeed, just have some on hand, just in case! My milk didn't come in soon enough and the lactation consultants were worried so we had to supplement C a little in the first week.
  • If you register at a maternity store like Motherhood, they do give your information out so we received samples of Enfantmil and Similac. That kept us from having to go buy any for awhile.
  • Initially C projectile threw up the three types of formula we tried. (Then we were able to breastfeed so didn't do formula til around 5mo) He didn't seem to have any different reaction to Enfantmil, Similac, Similac Sensitive, or Soy-based. A good friend (whose opinion I trust) said she researched formulas very well and Costco's Kirkland brand was exactly the same as the name brands but 2/3 the price. Now that's what C drinks.
Food Prep: I want to make an effort at preparing most of C's baby food. At 9mo, we still mainly do purees because letting him only feed himself chunks (also called "baby led weaning") 1- makes me very nervous because he gags a lot, 2- is time consuming to soften and cut up small, and 3- doesn't fill him up because he drops most of the pieces.
  • baby blender - not sure our brand but it works well
  • Green Sprouts EcoFriendly Silicone Freezer Tray - blend the food then what you're not going to feed immediately, pour into a freezer tray and freeze. Once frozen, because it's flexible silicone, it's easy to pop the cube out. I stack in ziplock bags, label the bags and put on a shelf in the freezer. When it's time to eat, I open various bags to mix/match food (if I didn't mix before freezing) then just microwave less than a minute. Done!
  • reusable food pouch- this seems to be a new rage. I have some but haven't gotten in a good groove. But C does seem to enjoy eating the store-bought food pouches.
    • there are also spoons that screw onto these pouches you can buy, but now that C has teeth so I don't worry about the rough plastic spout rubbing on his gums, he can just suck the food out.
  • I tried these fresh food feeders but it only worked well with really ripe mango and pear; everything else wasn't juicy enough to keep him interested; haven't used them in months. 

Burp Clothes: Have lots of burp rag! Seems like I'd go through at least 2/day. The thicker the better!  The old fashion cloth diapers work great for burp cloths.

High Chair
  •  many friends recommended Bumbo. It didn't work for us. C was too slumpy to use it before 4mo and by around 6mo was too squirmy; he can almost flip it by trying to twist out.
  • my mom has something like the Fisher Price SpaceSaver High Chair, which straps to a chair or can sit on a counter or floor (like the Bumbo). The chairback can recline. Before C could sit up on his own (around 4-5mo), he LOVED this chair.
  • we have a Graco High Chair. The chair can come off the base to strap to a chair. The base folds. We really like this.

Bibs: you don't really need bibs until you start solids (which we did at 4mo), then you need LOTS of them! Like 2/day. Also nice when teething starts because C drooled SO MUCH!!! (that was around 6mo)
  • pick soft bibs though because they are more absorbent; you can use them to wipe baby's chin. I have a few of the waterproof bibs with the pocket at the bottom but these aren't very helpful so far (they just bunch up)

Diapering (should you choose disposable diapers over cloth)

Diapers 
  • Babies grow so fast that I wouldn't have more than 1 box of diapers on hand; if you do, then next thing you know they have out grown them and you’re left with a half a box of diapers that won't work.  
  • We used Pampers Swaddlers for the first few months. They fit well and we liked the moisture indicator strips; as new parents, it was helpful to be able to tell when to change his diaper than just the squeeze test. We recently switched to the Costco brand because they are something like $0.18/diaper instead of $0.34/diaper. They do leak more quickly and now we use a 12-hr Pampers diaper for nighttime.
    • Before he was born, I bought: 1 pkg Pampers Swaddlers, 1 pkg Pampers Sensitive, 1 pkg Nature Bab Care, and maybe one other type. C didn't have any reactions so good for us.
      • A friend recommended Nature Baby Care diapers-- they are the most earth friendly, made from non-toxic products, and are often cheaper as they don't advertise (Diapers.com). I tried cloth diapers, G-diapers, trying to find the most earth friendly route, but settled on biodegradable, disposable as a working mom has less time for washing diapers 
      • Another friend said: 
        I wouldn't recommend stocking up on a particular brand until your know what fits your baby. I also know lots of babies who have had skin reactions to diapers and wipes. For example the Costco brand diapers are too narrow for my kids... so many leaks. I like Huggies. You should have newborn diapers ready before baby is born. Plan for diaper change every 1-3 hours for the first couple weeks, then it slows down. They seem to grow fastest in the first 2-3 months so you end up changing diaper sizes frequently. They seem to be in size 3 diapers for a long time. If you are going to register for diapers, include a variety of brands and sizes so you can try them out.
      • Another friend said:
        I have mainly used Huggies.  I like Pampers but only for the newborn diapers.  Not sure if this is true or not but I have heard people say that Huggies are better for boys and Pampers are better for girls (because of the way they fit).  It might also just depend on your kiddo.  I would suggest you hold off on buying massive quantities of diapers or wipes just in case there is an allergy issue.  
  • FYI you'll need around 10-15 diapers per day!
Wipes
  • Tons of wipes!! At least 2/diaper change, so you're looking at 20-30 wipes/day (add 1 more per change if you have a boy to cover for spray). Plus wipes are great for wiping hands, spitup, etc. 
  • We use Pampers Natural Clean Unscented Baby Wipes and these have been great for us, but probably more expensive than Costco's Kirkland brand.
    • one friend warned:  I find that the Huggies wipes irritate the bums more (they smell like they have more perfume in them) but the Kirkland brand hasn’t caused my kids any issues.  Either the Huggies wipes or Kirkland wipes are super easy to travel with too.  Huggies wipes come with a travel case and the Kirkland wipes are easy just to throw in your diaper bag, car, etc

Diaper Bag
  • Get something color neutral that your husband won't be embarrassed to carry around.
  • I have something like this and I like that you can access the wipes from a front pouch. I have way too much stuff in mine so it's really cramped and heavy.

Diaper Creams
  • Def baby dependent.  I prefer Balmex.
Diaper Pails
Most diaper pails require specific ‘bags’ but a friend said there are a few diaper pails that just take regular garbage bags (I couldn't find them); we have Arm & Hammer. 

Diaper clutch: ONE OF MY FAVE THINGS! Seriously a life saver. Obviously there's a diaper bag but... at least my diaper bag tends to be bulky. I put changes of clothes, lots of diapers and wipes, etc in it. The diaper clutch fits into my bigger purse (essentially making it like a little diaper bag). This is one of the best things I have. I use it daily.

Other: Peepee teepees for boys-- they are cute but they just slide right off. We just used an extra wipe to cover.

Clothing
EVERYONE told me- don't buy many!! Everyone loves to give baby clothes. Plus different brands fit differently (I heard that a super lean baby fits well in Carter's onesies).

One friend recommended: I'd only aim for about 2-3 outfits per day per week because you'll be doing lots of laundry anyhow and they grow out of them very quickly the first yr!!
Another said: They will only be in newborn outfits for about a month at the most so there is no need to buy more than 10 outfits.
  • C was 8lbs 6oz & 21in tall and he fit in NB size for at least the first month, maybe 8 wks. After the first 2-3 wks, he also fit the 0-3 mo size, which I actually bought more of because he didn't have much. He went through the 3-6 mo size SUPER fast. He tends to be able to fit the next size by the time he's a month or longer out (e.g. he could comfortably wear 6mo clothes around 4-5mo).
  • Get LOTS of 6mo size. Seriously. There was SOOOOOO much drooling, some days I'd have to change C after only an hour because he was drenched in drool around the neck (and I think that must feel cold and clammy). He averaged 4-5 outfits a day!
    •  I also received a lot of t-shirts for 6mo (it was summer), which were good because they are easy to change when he drooled through, but also I didn't like how they slid up (as opposed to onesies) when he was crawling because his belly rubbed on the ground. Just something to think about.
  • 6mo pants or onesies with long pants; C started crawling at 6mo so I always had to put on pants to protect his knees. 
  • Newborn hats-- apparently newborns are supposed to wear hats whenever they go out of the house for awhile
  • Sunhats (size depending on birthdate) because we were told to keep him out of sun for the first 6mo 
  • A friend said: I used the long sleeved plain white onesies; my daughter threw up a lot so we went through maybe 5/day. As she got older, she still wore them under other clothes, which kept her warm. 
  • snaps are the way to go, in my opinion
  • Jackets/sweaters that snap, not zip (the zippers get bunched up when C sits and it digs into his chin), esp for newborns
  • Swaddling-- I heard Woombie is a good brand, and better if they wiggle out of swadders too easily. Apparently not all babies like swaddling but C HAD to be swaddled to get him to sleep. 
    • The Halo SleepSack saved my life!! His arms could be free or not. It zips from the bottom so I could do diaper changes without unwrapping him. I had it in fleece (for my Feb-born baby) and it was awesome! I almost cried at 3mo when you're supposed to stop swaddling (because they can start rolling and might roll onto tummy and not be able to move arms free).
  • PJs-- a friend said: My favorite thing for when the baby is little are foot pj’s that ZIP.  Zippers are key for late night/early morning feedings... UNLESS you swaddle, because then you have to completely unswaddle to unzip. For that reason, I preferred the snap-up pjs combined with the Halo SleepSack = minimal undoing for diaper change. I rationed that I'm already up so how hard is 10 more seconds to snap than zip.

Bath
  • We tried the baby bathtub; first on the sling, he just seemed cold, but he was too small to be able to situp in the tub. When he was very small, we just used the kitchen sink (but it was porceline, plus we often had dirty dishes, plus we'd have to bring the soap, towel, etc into the kitchen each time...)
    • We briefly tried a bath seat; first he was too slumpy and would just slide down it, then he was too squirmy. Fail.
  • Good ole cheap bath sponge worked best for us.
    • C is VERY squirmy in the tub now. We just sit him on a rubber mat. But we've heard either using a laundry basket in the tub or an inflatable tub in the big tub.
  • I also heard it's good to get them used to a toothbrush or fingers in the mouth so around 7-8 mo, when he actually had some teeth, I got him a rubber toothbrush and we try to do that after bath.
  • Lotion or oil after baths in Central Oregon because we have such dry weather
  • First Aid kit
  • baby tylenol or other brand, in case baby gets a fever

Play Time

Baby swing: apparently not all babies like swings so friends recommended to borrow if you can or have someone buy for you!
  • We had a hand-me-down like this take-along swing and it was the BEST. I loved that it was so easy to carry from room to room or out onto the deck. He fit really well in it and would swing to sleep for naps, or just chill while we did housework. 
  • We had borrowed a larger Graco swing but it seemed way too big initially then we just never really used it.
Bouncer: If you have a swing, I don’t think you necessarily need a bouncer too. One friend said: I liked it for when the kids were itty bitty and the bouncer is also much more portable than the swing.

Activity Mat: great for tummy time; a blanket on the floor works too but C liked the little mobile things. He enjoyed it up to about 5mo, then he was too active.

Baby Jumper: C LOVES his jumparoo! We got a hand-me-down. Not needed before 4-5mo.

Pacifiers: if you choose to, we found it helpful; we use mainly Nuk brand. I resisted it and was hoping he'd suck his thumb, which he didn't figure out for several months. The pacifier definitely soothes him and helps him sleep. Get a bunch; they get lost easily for us. And get a leash for them, whatever that's called.

Books: friend recommended: Baby Signing time; I feel that it cut down on a lot of communication frustration. We started about 6 months or so...

 Toys: honestly don't need many for the first 6mos; C still isn't interested in that many- mainly teething/chew toys and balls. He's barely interested in the few stuffed animals he has. He really liked a friend's Sophie the Giraffe Teether and also LOVES this vibrating teether.


Other

Laundry detergent: friend recommended: Lots of moms like to use Dreft when the baby is little; in my opinion, just use the laundry detergent you use and the baby will be okay with it.  Obviously some babies are more sensitive than others so it might just depend…


In the hospital:
  • Don't forget your cell phone charger. 
  • Pack snacks in your bag both for you and your husband; the hospital kitchen is closed for a few wee hours of the night and/or you may get hungry while waiting for your order and/or want comfort snacks.
  • Friend recommended a wrap nursing bra and a light cotton robe; I forgot that and wore a nightgown, which made it super tight trying to get him in there to do skin-to-skin.

Shopping

Amazon: friends recommended:
Once baby comes you get a 10% off discount off anything remaining on your registry (& you can add things to it right up until you use the discount code they'll send you once baby's born :) Also on Amazon join Amazon Mom - gets you extra discounts and free prime shipping for up to a year but don't activate that until baby comes along since it's only good for one year and you'll likely order more once babe is there than you will beforehand so no reason to use up your 1yr free prime shipping sooner than necessary.

Order diapers through Amazon Subscribe & Save program: saves 15% on each order. Even if you only get one shipment before switching sizes, you can cancel that auto subscribscription and subscribe to the next size up. 

Most will give you a registry completion discount once baby arrives of 10-15%.

Target: Best prices on Pampers & has regular sales. Plus if you get too many of a size and then find that they need the next size up but you still have some left of the smaller size, Target will exchange an unopened package for one of the same price. The really big boxes are the best deal & coupons come out all the time for them.

Diapers.com for baby stuff. Shipping is usually free and comes within a few days. It's definitely convenient but I'm not convinced they have best prices.

Costco has best deal for wipes and diapers.
TO SUMMARIZE:

 LIFE SAVERS/ DAILY USE/ G's BEST RECOMMENDATIONS:
  • muslin swaddle blankets 
  • car seat sized blanket 
  • Summer Infant video monitor
  • Pack'n'Play
  • MyBaby by Homedics SoundSpa  
  • Graco travel system car seat & stroller
  • MobyWrap (or whatever carrier suits you) 
  • ErgoBaby Infant Insert
  • stroller cover
  • Medela breast pump (if you plan to bf)
  • soft cup nursing bras & sleeveless clip-down nursing tanks/camis (if you plan to bf)
  • BreastFriend (if you plan to bf) 
  • Hooter Hider
  • bottles & formula on hand (even if you plan to bf) 
  • (4mo or later) baby food blender & Green Sprouts EcoFriendly Silicone Freezer Tray
  • lots of bibs (for 6mo +, like 1-2/day, depending on how much you like to do laundry)
  • lots of burp clothes (though we don't use now at 9mo) (like 1-2/day, depending on how much you like to do laundry)
  • a variety of newborn diapers but not a lot before you try out
  • lots of wipes
  • Balmex diaper cream
  • diaper clutch
  • Halo SleepSack
  • bath sponge 
  • first aid kit
  • baby tynelol
  • portable baby swing (or bouncer)
  • tummytime activity mat
  • jumparoo
  • teething/chew toys and/or vibrating teether
  • other advise: 
    • http://kellymom.com is a good bf resource
    • In all aspects, choose what makes your life liveable for you, your baby (& your partner). No one else is there with you at 3am, no one else knows what it is to experience your life, so do what works for your family! I struggled in the beginning with wondering "how will I know what's best for my son?" You learn together. It's trial & error. Honestly as long as you're keeping your baby safe and nourished, the rest is just choices (like with a marriage- if you choose to have separate finances, okay). Parenthood is tough so do what works for you!! (E.g. for the first few months, my son napped in his car seat, a carrier, a swing or in my arms because he otherwise wouldn't sleep; now he naps in his crib. I made sure he was safe. Maybe that wasn't recommended -- surely BabyWise advised against it -- but that's what worked to keep me sane. E.g. I totally respect people who use cloth diapers; I think it's great for the environment and part of me wishes I wanted to try; it just won't work for us.) And I bet you can't tell which of your adult friends took a pacifier and which didn't, or which had formula and which didn't.

GREAT SHOWER GIFTS (Need to give a gift? Here are some helpful items): 

 DON'T BOTHER WITH: 
Posted by at