Must-Have Items for New or First-Time Mothers

[ratmist]

Okay ladies, I need your help! Help me figure out what I need to get for my kid, lol.

I've seen lists online for what we need to pick up to prepare for the baby. I'm curious what must-have items Specktra Mamas think are essential.

(Obviously, I don't mean the buggy/pram, crib/cot, carseat, diapers, etc.)

I'm thinking of things like:

The Miracle Blanket if you're planning to swaddle the baby (I am, and I thought this product looked good - any swaddlers out there with product recs??)

Baby Grobags (Sleeping bags for babies, supposed to be a very good alternative to normal blankets)

Baby bouncer/vibration chairs (I've been told these often soothe babies when nothing else will)

Help me out ladies! What were your 'must-have' items that really helped keep your young babies happy when nothing else worked?

 

[rbella]

I'm not a mom, but I take care of my baby nephew and those miracle blankets suck. I'd get a lot of really big receiving blankets that you can use to swaddle. Also, the Grobags are difficult b/c your child is still able to flail his/her arms about which will wake him/her up while trying to sleep. I'd have a nurse at the hospital teach you how to do a good swaddle and keep it at that. It saved my sister and my brother in law from losing it many times.

Also, the vibrator chair is awesome as well as a baby swing. When times get really bad, we would put him in the carseat and on top of the dryer while it was running. (A tip we got from a mom website).

OH-and if your child is crying constantly for days on end, ask your doc about reflux. Once we got my nephew treated for that, it was so much better. We would put him on a wedge to sleep at night.

Oh, one more thing, if you are going to have to bottle feed (even bottle feed with breast milk) the best bottles are the Dr. Brown bottles. They prevent excess gas build up.

HTH! Good luck to you!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

 

[pretebrowneyes]

Hmmm, it's been 9 yrs since my last baby....so let me see if I remember, lol

a baby sling- i loved this when I had my last to babies. It let me have my hands free for my little ones and keep the baby close all the time. the Original Baby Sling can be used all the way until the toddler years, if you're still carrying the baby around. I used mine daily. Nojo Original Baby Sling

sound machine- they make those teddy bears with womb sounds, but I used the Homedics machine with white noise, rain sounds, and a heartbeat....puts them right out. Amazon.com: HoMedics SoundSpa: Health & Personal Care

nursing pads- I believe you said you were thinking about nursing...and there is nothing more embarrassing than walking around the mall; hearing a baby cry; and then LEAKING ALL DOWN YOUR SHIRT! I had washable pads and disposable ones to keep my shirt dry, you do NOT want to run out of these, lol Nursing Pads

That's all I can think of for now...I'll keep trying to remember what I used for ya....a new mommy needs to be as prepared as possible...even though it's hard to get it all together, lol. HTH

 

[Shenanigans]

My son didn't like the vibrating chair, he preferred the swing. All babies are different, so there are no right answers, and all you can do is try things out! =) You'll do fine!!

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella I'm not a mom, but I take care of my baby nephew and those miracle blankets suck. I'd get a lot of really big receiving blankets that you can use to swaddle. Also, the Grobags are difficult b/c your child is still able to flail his/her arms about which will wake him/her up while trying to sleep. I'd have a nurse at the hospital teach you how to do a good swaddle and keep it at that. It saved my sister and my brother in law from losing it many times.

Can you tell me why the miracle blankets suck exactly? I've seen almost only-positive reviews of them online so it'd be good to know why you didn't rate them highly. (Not saying you're wrong for not liking them - I just want to know what your experience actually was so I can get a good idea of why it might not work for me.)

Also, some people have told me they've had a hard time using normal receiving blankets because their kid escapes the swaddle. I'm not sure if it's a technique issue or not.

Anyway, I was planning to swaddle then put the baby in the grobag. That way the baby can't freak itself out with flailing arms. Friends of mine highly rate the grobag, and there seems no reason why swaddling + grobag wouldn't work.... I dunno.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella Also, the vibrator chair is awesome as well as a baby swing. When times get really bad, we would put him in the carseat and on top of the dryer while it was running. (A tip we got from a mom website).

Yeah, apparently it worked for me as a baby too. Unfortunately we don't have a dryer; a lot of people don't use them in the UK. We line-dry either indoors or outdoors. So I think we're pretty sold on at least trying the vibrator chair. If the kid hates it or it doesn't work, then we won't have lost much on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella OH-and if your child is crying constantly for days on end, ask your doc about reflux. Once we got my nephew treated for that, it was so much better. We would put him on a wedge to sleep at night.

Will definitely keep this in mind. Thank you for the tip. My friends' baby had colic and had a 78 hour crying jag once, poor thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella Oh, one more thing, if you are going to have to bottle feed (even bottle feed with breast milk) the best bottles are the Dr. Brown bottles. They prevent excess gas build up.

I'm not sure if I can get them in the UK, but I'll see. Others (the one that had a baby with chronic colic) have recommended the Nuk bottles for the same reason. I'm just glad there's something on the market to help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella HTH! Good luck to you!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

Thank you!

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pretebrowneyes Hmmm, it's been 9 yrs since my last baby....so let me see if I remember, lol a baby sling- i loved this when I had my last to babies. It let me have my hands free for my little ones and keep the baby close all the time. the Original Baby Sling can be used all the way until the toddler years, if you're still carrying the baby around. I used mine daily. Nojo Original Baby Sling sound machine- they make those teddy bears with womb sounds, but I used the Homedics machine with white noise, rain sounds, and a heartbeat....puts them right out. Amazon.com: HoMedics SoundSpa: Health & Personal Care nursing pads- I believe you said you were thinking about nursing...and there is nothing more embarrassing than walking around the mall; hearing a baby cry; and then LEAKING ALL DOWN YOUR SHIRT! I had washable pads and disposable ones to keep my shirt dry, you do NOT want to run out of these, lol Nursing Pads That's all I can think of for now...I'll keep trying to remember what I used for ya....a new mommy needs to be as prepared as possible...even though it's hard to get it all together, lol. HTH

Yay for slings! I really want to try those when the baby gets here. I've been warned that some babies hate some types of design and like others. My husband and I will be relying on bus networks and walking to get around our city so a sling is absolutely essential for us. One sling I saw that I really liked was the Bushbaby Cocoon. Apparently you can dis-attach the kid from the sling without disturbing them and put them straight into a carseat. That appeals!! www.bush-baby.com - cocoon front carrier - Front and Back carriers for your baby, babies, kids, children, toddlers and infants. Along with clothing and waterproofs.

I'd never heard of the sound machine before. I'd be interested in trying that, but we're using an Arm's Reach Co-sleeper (one of these suckers: The Mini : Arm's Reach Baby Bassinets - Baby Bedding, Furniture, Cribs, Co-Sleeper&reg Baby Bassinets) so I'm wondering if a sound machine would keep us awake.

Oh, and someone gave me a gift box with nursing pads, lol. I'm very pleased about that. I thought it was a great gift.

 

[SkylarV217]

Those night gowns with the elastic at the bottom... Those we Wonderful for sleeping b/c when you wake up in the middle of the night 3 - 4 times you are still 1/2 asleep sometimes. You just pull it up and change the diaper and then pull it back down and your are good to go rather than unsnapping and re-snapping.

Dr. Brown Bottles are great ... they are pricy but the cut down drastically on the about of air that gets into babies belly and cut down on gas

I got a vibrator chair that both rocked and vibrated ... separately or at the same time... My little man had mood swings and would like one one day and the other the next.

I thought the diaper genie was a crock and we just had a trash can with a lid that popped up and you could drop the diaper in it also had a place for and air freshener inside, but we took the diapers out frequently.

Believe me you don't have to go out an BUY a TON of clothes ... Mine didn't wear 1/3 of what he had .... and it all went to waste ...

 

[rbella]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist Can you tell me why the miracle blankets suck exactly? I've seen almost only-positive reviews of them online so it'd be good to know why you didn't rate them highly. (Not saying you're wrong for not liking them - I just want to know what your experience actually was so I can get a good idea of why it might not work for me.)

I just remember being in shock that the baby could still get out of the blanket. It doesn't really hold the arms in that well and there is so much extra room inside the actual blanket that they can still kick about. I learned how to do a really good, tight swaddle from a video my sister had. I'll ask her what it was and get back to you. I do remember them being rated highly, some might have just had better experiences. My sister's child was a real kicker and puncher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist Also, some people have told me they've had a hard time using normal receiving blankets because their kid escapes the swaddle. I'm not sure if it's a technique issue or not.

Ya, it's definitely hard to do with a regular receiving blanket. We ended up getting some thin, but large sized blankets and using those. We got them at Target, but I don't think you have a Target where you are. If you do, let me know and I'll send you a link to what the blankets looked like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist Anyway, I was planning to swaddle then put the baby in the grobag. That way the baby can't freak itself out with flailing arms. Friends of mine highly rate the grobag, and there seems no reason why swaddling + grobag wouldn't work.... I dunno.

That would probably work great. Doing both would solve the issue with the arms and the grobag would hopefully keep the swaddle together. That actually sounds like a good idea.


Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist I'm not sure if I can get them in the UK, but I'll see. Others (the one that had a baby with chronic colic) have recommended the Nuk bottles for the same reason. I'm just glad there's something on the market to help. Thank you!

You're welcome!! If I think of anything else I'll let you know!!

 

[Shimmer]

Onesies. Lots of Onesies, and you can get little pants and/or long sleeved onesies for cooler weather.
Don't buy binkies (if you plan on using them) til after the baby's born because every kid has a preference and you won't know what it is until the squibbet is here.

 

[TUPRNUT]

My daughter loved her bouncy seat - a great investment! We stocked up on batteries, because if you use it like we did, well, you'll need lots of batteries.

If you plan to nurse, you'll probably need more breast pads than you can imagine. So, I stocked up on those as well as diapers and wipes... so I wouldn't have to run to the store when we got home from the hospital. I also got a few nursing bras ahead of time so I could have those at the hospital with me.

Wishing you all the best!

 

[jenntoz]

Here is a big cheer from me for the bouncy/vibrating chair!!! It is the only thing my daughter would sleep in for her first 2 or 3 months unless she was being held.
I also agree with the nursing pads for leaks AND I wore nursing tank tops all the time...slept in them too cause I would leak in my sleep & didn't want to sleep in a bra but I needed something to hold the pads in place while I slept. So day & night I lived in a nursing tank
Also these things...
Especially For Baby Flannel 6 Pack Lap and Burp Pads - WS Trading LTD - Babies "R" Us
They are great to lay on the changing table or on top of what ever you are changing the baby on to avoid getting leaky poop or pee on the nice changing table cover or your bed or the floor. They are also great to keep in a diaper bag so when you're out you can lay the baby down on them to change a diaper & they don't take up a lot of space in a baby bag and in the washing machine & its a lot easier than taking apart a whole changing table or balanket or whatever. I promise, stock up on them, they are great!!!
Good luck!

 

[urbanlilyfairy]

THe moby wrap ..its a wrap style carrier you can use in diferrent carrying styles...it is reasonable at about 40 bucks. There is a fancy schmancy one called the metro mamma wrap heeh that is like 90 bucks or more. U can get the The Moby wrap on Amazon.com

A BOPPY PILLOW !!!!! for feeding, nursing, tummy time for baby ..

The swaddle techinque. So liek get lots of large reciveing blankets and learn to swaddle baby tight.

thats prolly the most essential in my opinion hehe.

GOOD LUCK

 

[nursee81]

1. A baby swing is a MUST have trust me!!!!!
2. I also really like the Born Free bottles they are BPA free.
3. Lots of onesies.
4. desitin diaper ointment it doesn't smell so good but its the best one out there

 

[hollyca]

I swear by the Miracle Blanket! That and a sling would be the top two things that are must haves. We tried all the other swaddle blankets and she literally could break free with in seconds. (But that video/book is called the Happiest Baby on The Block) And the vibrating bouncy seat is nice to have too.

My baby would not sleep unless swaddled, and would not sit in a car seat. So if I wanted to sleep or leave the house, I needed the Miracle Blanket and sling. hahaha

 

[Lapis]

My kids HATED to be swaddled even at the hospital after birth, but dd who was a Dec baby those fleece bag sleepers were awesome!! put the baby in a short sleeved onesie and put them in the bag and you can change them easily just unzip.

Carriers- I can't carry dd anymore but I loved them thebabywearer.com is a great site to get more info on them, I loved babyhawks, dh loved his ergo, as a newborn she cuddled while he typed in a pouch carrier

JJ Cole bundle me- the problem is that it voids the carseat manufacturer's warranty, but for those cold days where between the house and the car were cold as hell I took the risk, and you can always use them in the stroller

if you plan to nurse lanolin!!! it saved my nipples, and "So that's what they are for" the writer's name is Janet Tamero (?) I may be off on her last name spelling

I sold the rocker/vibrate thingy by the time she was 7 months she hated it, total waste of money for us

 

[M.A.C. head.]

swing or bouncy seat
boppy pillow
diaper genie
lots of onesies
lots of diapers
lots of wipes
cosleeper
booties or socks [unless you live in a hotter place]

 

[Corvs Queen]

When you read this you will think that it's a no-brainer but a lot of Mom's and Dad's to be overlook it when buying a crib. Get a crib with Adjustable sides. Makes life so much easier when they get bigger and you need to drop the mattress down. I hope you know what I am talking about.

Also, a baby monitor. Not much explanation needed for that one.

And something that I couldn't live without is a baby sling. But not the one that's just a big piece of material. It's more like a backpack for your front that you put your baby in I think mine is called a Snuggli .

I hope that helps a bit and if I think of anymore then I will post them.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

Wraps are better for the baby and mother compared to Snuggli type gear. FYI

So if anything, OP, I would suggest a wrap or sling.

 

[Corvs Queen]

^^FYI! I never said one was better than the other. I just stated what I had. I like the Snuggli better because it just straps on and it's more convenient. You don't have to have an extra set of hands help you with it on.


Geez. You need to give it up. I was just stating what I had.


To the orginal poster, something to strap your baby to you is a must.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvs Queen ^^FYI! I never said one was better than the other. I just stated what I had. I like the Snuggli better because it just straps on and it's more convenient. You don't have to have an extra set of hands help you with it on. Geez. You need to give it up. I was just stating what I had. To the orginal poster, something to strap your baby to you is a must.

Since you included ^^^ I'm going to assume that you're talking to me.

Well, I wasn't talking to you when I said that, so YOU "need to give it up" because you're the one jumping the gun. If I'm speaking to you, I'll quote you.

I was talking to the OP.

I agree it's nice to have something that leaves you hands free, but Snugglis and the like put pressure on the babies spine because of the way they are structured; which is why I'm suggesting something else for her.