Comments on: Baby “stuff” sure does add up

By: 99 days to go (give or take a few)

99 days to go (give or take a few) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:17:54 +0000

[…] We still need to get pretty much everything we’ll need for the baby. […]

By: Kristin

Kristin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:38:25 +0000

I’m a mom of 2 boys whose breastfeeding needs were total opposites. Since you’ll be home with the baby you may never need a pump. But you could have a baby who doesn’t latch properly for the first 4 months or so like my SIL did. So my advice on the pump is don’t buy one. Wait until you see how the baby breastfeeds. If you make it a few months with no issues and you want to pump so you can leave for periods of time then purchase a cheaper one. If the baby has issues you’ll need the expensive one. This is one purchase I would not make ahead of time. Especially if breastfeeding long-term is important to you.

By: Angie

Angie — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:32:09 +0000

One of the greatest hints someone gave me was to buy and sell on craigslist, as you need things. For example, buy a swing on craigslist, (use it,take care of it), and sell it as soon as he grows out of it for the same price you paid. You’ll always be able to find one on craigslist in the next few years when you have a second child. Living in an apartment, this one piece of advice was a life saver.

I also LOVE my snap in stroller piece. Nothing big and bulky about it. Folds and sits behind a door, easily and fits in the trunk easily too. We didn’t use it much except for walking at the park, which you probably won’t do much of in the winter. At the store we put our “baby bucket” in the cart, and otherwise, we put her in a sling or bijorn.

You can rent baby cloth diaper sets for newborns for about $16 a month (Texas rates). Great way to try them out and return them when they grow into the next size. It’ll cost you to rent a set for 3 months about what purchasing 3 diapers will cost.

You can also rent a breast pump. BUT, I would say… if you plan to breast feed for all of you kids… Don’t skimp on it. I wouldn’t buy one until after you go home. You won’t need to use it for a few months after the baby is born. Hopefully you’ll get some giftcards to help you pay for one.

The best bulb syringe (as mentioned above) is the one you get at the hospital when they clean the baby after birth. Your insurance is going to pay for it… you may as well take it home.

One last thing. We didn’t know what kind of bottle to buy. You’ll see at Babies R Us a whole wall full of them, and how do you know what to buy? Just DON’T buy any of them. People will give you a few with shower gifts, and if you breastfeed you won’t need one right away. Try the ones that people give you first, then buy a different type if they don’t work. We wasted a good $50 on bottles that we never touched.

good luck.

By: Becky P.

Becky P. — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:21 +0000

What things can’t you do without?

For me:

Clothes and various towels (hooded), receiving blankets, a place for the baby to sleep, and diapers and wipes. I breastfed, so no bottles–pump was useless to me, and I switched right to cups with sipper seals.

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:32:20 +0000

I just stumbled across your website. I am cloth diapering my second, we do it part time for him because that is what works for us with my work schedule, etc. My daughter was more like 95% cloth. With my daughter I tried everything and ended up using pockets, it just worked best. With my son I had to get new ones as the pockets were out of elastic, velcro, etc. I started using Grovia when he was around 6 months. They are the best. Less laundry, lots of options. They would be great for using an AIO/2 and prefolds because you could use the covers and then buy less stuff. Anyway I swear by them and I have sold all the rest of my stash to buy Grovia’s it is what has kept me CDing with my second. Good luck! Oh and craiglist is great for baby stuff too.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:40:47 +0000

I recommend JBF sales, just search for one in your area. I got a swing for $20, and tons of receiving blankets for just a few $. I also bought baby and maternity clothes Besides it’s being green shopping second hand when you can. We bought a nice glider rocker from local store but borrowed a stool that I just slipcovered.

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:48:52 +0000

Baby wearing was the biggest thing I wish I had known about with my first kiddo. Moby Wraps can be made really inexpensively or you can buy one. It’s totally worth it! You can use it all the way through toddler hood, wearing your kiddo in front or back. It was my life saver with kiddo number three. Seriously, look into it. There’s tons of info on the net on how to make one yourself (without sewing too!) and how to wrap and tie them. The baby carrier/car seat isn’t so bad. It’s a little bulky, but really helps out a lot. :-) Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to email me!

By: Ginny

Ginny — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:21:20 +0000

Actually, I love my strollers. I’m very particular about them too. Drink holders are key. My second daughter was born in Feb. and the car seat/carrier/stroller combo was perfect. We had a warm cover, so I didn’t have to mess with a coat, and we never had to wake a sleeping baby to pull her out into the cold. The car seat carriers do get really heavy really fast, so the fact that the snap onto the stroller is key.
With #3 on the way, I’ve been clearing out the non-essential gear (baby bathtub, boppy, etc.). I’m realizing that we never needed a changing table or even a changing pad… a folded towel on the dresser works fine and is easier to clean.
One of my favorite “extras” was a pack of size dividers for hanging clothes in the closet (from One Step Ahead). They change sizes so quickly and I love those!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:40:46 +0000

Karen – Besides the obvious benefits to the environment, what made you decide to do cloth vs. disposable diapers? Did you do a cost comparison? If so, do you have the actual figures?

I’m still working on “selling” my husband on cloth diapering – specifically gdiapers.

Thanks!
Andrea

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:14:50 +0000

My baby is almost 3 months old. She is exclusively breastfed, so I don’t really need much of a pump- I have a good Medela hand pump, but since I’m not going back to work I don’t need anything fancier. We’ve found the bouncy seat to be absolutely awesome and I love the Moby wrap too- it took some getting used to for me, but it has been great. Here there are tons of consignment shops for clothes, cloth diaper accessories and things like strollers- my parents bought us a Peg Perego Pliko P3 (expensive stroller) for less than $100 from a consignment shop (they go for well over $200 new).
I found the one thing I really didn’t need when we first brought our baby home was a crib! It seems like what everyone gets a crib, but we haven’t used one at all (actually we don’t have one), but the bassinet (lent to us by my former boss) has been great! I don’t know how you feel about co-sleeping, but it can be a great option for many families.