Inspired by a post that my sister-in-law penned a good while ago when her little was littler, I thought it might be useful to make a list of some of the items that I've found most helpful in our first six months of child-rearing. So, uh, here goes!
My Favorites
This "co-sleeper" is obviously not the kind of co-sleeper that one would use to sleep with a baby in their own bed - it is a free-standing bassinet that butts up against mommy's side of the bed so that baby is within "arm's reach" all night. It's fabulous for breastfeeding - you just sit up and pull the baby into bed, nurse, and lay him back down. You can enjoy some of the convenience of co-sleeping without the dangers of actually co-sleeping. As long as you're getting up to change diapers at every feeding (during the early weeks) it doesn't really make a difference what bassinet you use since you're having to get up anyway, but as you move into the phase where you're not changing a diaper at every feeding overnight, it's wonderful not to have to get up ;-) Plus, while you're super-paranoid, it's much easier to see into this bassinet from bed than one with higher sides that you'd keep further from your bed (you know, for those middle-of-the-night breathing checks)!
First of all, a travel system is the way to go - you save a lot of money by buying the car seat, base and stroller together. Now, why this system specifically? Most importantly, the Graco SnugRide car seats get top-notch safety reviews. This one comes with a SnugRide 30, which will hold infants up to 30 pounds. In my experience, you're not going to want to lug this thing around with any 30-pound infant in it, so this is PLENTY of weight limit. The padding is nice, the harness system is very easy to use, and it's relatively lightweight (I mean, you don't want the seat protecting your child in a crash to be too lightweight!). The main reason I recommend this system is for the stroller. I. LOVE. THIS. STROLLER. Easy one-hand fold, automatically locks together once you fold it (so you can pick it up without having to hold it in the folded configuration), very roomy storage basket underneath (I can fit several bags of groceries in there!), the car seat clicks in, the handle height is adjustable for people of different heights (like myself - 5'3" on a good day - and my husband - 6'3"), it's very easy to maneuver, and I LOVE the braking system - it's one lever along the bar that runs between the back wheels that you push to one side to lock it and the other side to unlock. Let me tell you something - little things like how it folds and how the brakes work can drive you BATTY if you use it a lot. Do yourself a favor and go to the store to test-drive these puppies before you make your choice!
Video monitors are where it's at, people. It may seem excessive or unnecessary to some, given the popularity of the old tried-and-true audio monitors, but these are awesome for many reasons. First of all, when you're feeling paranoid (particularly in the beginning), you can check to see that your baby is breathing without disturbing him. Yes, it's that clear - even in the dark. Secondly, when your baby is crying and you're trying to wait him/her out a little (ie. when you're sleep training!), you can know for sure that he's safe and unharmed. You would otherwise worry that maybe he really did need you - that he had kicked a leg through the rungs of his crib, or had worked his way into a corner and was bumping his head or something.
I won't belabor this again, as I have already posted several reviews of our cloth diapering experience, but we love these things. They are practical, user-friendly, easier on the environment (and your wallet), and not nearly as scary as you think! I may follow up this post with a "Cloth Diapering Essentials" post in the near future...
This little gem is super-handy. We used it mostly for feedings and diaper changes, but it also has a button for sleep and a miscellaneous button that you could use for anything else you might find yourself needing to time, like a medication dosage for example. Anyway, you just hit any of the buttons on the right and the timer to its left begins counting, so you can always check back to see how long "it's been" since you last fed, changed, etc. In the beginning when you're doing these things so frequently (and you're so sleep-deprived) that it all runs together in your mind, this item is a must-have. It also has a button that makes the screen glow for nighttime use, as well as a bright night light that you can switch on and off to quickly see what you're doing (like when you're struggling to help your baby to latch in the dark in the middle of the night!). As if all that wasn't helpful enough, it also has a little toggle switch at the bottom that you can slide back and forth to remind yourself of which side you fed on last. It seems easy enough to remember something like that, but let me tell you... when you're feeding that frequently, nursing sessions begin to run together in your mind (not to mention the fact that it isn't "easy enough" to remember anything for the first six weeks or so of your child's life)!
First things first: If you're going to breastfeed, don't let anyone tell you that you won't need your own pump. Even if you aren't planning on ever going back to work, there are a zillion reasons you'll need a pump, not the least of which being the extreme discomfort of the engorgement that you will deal with over the first week. You are not going to want to deal with a cheapy hand-pump at that particular juncture, nor are you going to be able to handle a cheapy electric pump that hurts you when you're already sore from the abuse your nipples have taken while your little one is getting the hang of things. For those reasons alone, I strongly advise that you GET A DECENT PUMP. Even if it's not this one, spend a little money on it. And get it BEFORE you have the baby. You'll want it unpacked and ready to go when you get home - trust me. You will also need it in order to store up breastmilk for mixing rice cereal and such when it's time for solids (if you want to continue avoiding formula), for date nights and other outings where you may leave your baby for a few hours, and for those occasions when you'd really like to be able to have a drink or two. Plus it's generally just good practice to store breastmilk. What if you're involved in a car accident or some other emergency and are incapacitated and unable to nurse for a day or more? You'll be relieved to know that whoever is caring for your baby has a stockpile of breastmilk to pull from. So, why this pump specifically? Well I can't comment on any other pumps (except the hospital pump which pinched like heck), but this pump has never hurt me, pumps efficiently, can pump both sides at once or just one, is very portable (comes in a carrying tote and has an a/c adapter as well as a battery pack), and comes with an insulated cooler pack for keeping pumped milk cold. It's everything you need in one little tote :-)
Your baby could hate it, but ours LOVES this thing. We chose to go with a jumper rather than a regular exersaucer (though we may get an exersaucer too just to switch it up), but it's a similar concept - a stationary entertainer. It's very stable and sturdy, the toys are interesting enough, it plays music in response to the bouncing (or constantly - there are two settings), and best of all it allows the baby to bounce safely (as opposed to swinging in a doorway, which always seemed like a terrible idea to me...). It's really helpful to have a safe place where your baby is well-entertained for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. These things get fabulous reviews on Amazon (including one written by yours truly!). And we picked ours up in like new condition from a consignment shop for less than half the price!
This is just an adorable, fun toy. Eli particularly enjoyed it when he was first learning to reach out for things. It's composed of several different fabrics, crinkly wings, a little mirror, teethers than dangle, a baby owl that squeaks, a bell inside... lots of sights, sounds and textures.
Pieces of CRAP
Carters Cuddle Me Musical Bouncer
Cute, right? That's about all it is. Cute. The toys hang at a very frustrating height until the baby is almost too big for the bouncer - Eli is just now reaching them, and he weighs 20 pounds (the weight limit is 25, and I don't know that I'd trust it to 25 pounds having seen how it acts right now). The vibration feature, which is the most important feature when they're too small to make it bounce (which is the first several months), functions about 50% of the time. Yes, I've tried changing the batteries. The toy bar is VERY easy to remove - it literally just rests in the slots that hold it - and Eli regularly pulls it out now that's bigger. When he was smaller, he wouldn't pull it completely out but would regularly knock it down so that it was laying down by his feet. It's just WAY too flimsy.
Medela Nipple Shield
For the love of GOD, please don't let a well-meaning friend or lactation consultant convince you to use one of these God forsaken things. First of all, in my experience I had a lot more pinching with this thing than with direct latching - it didn't by any means "protect" me. I started using it at the suggestion of the lactation consultant (who was otherwise a LIFE SAVER - I still love her!) because I was quite engorged in the hospital, which made my nipples rather flat and made it difficult for him to latch. It took me til about 8 weeks to get him to latch directly to me because long after we stopped "needing" it, he was so used to the plastic feel and easy latch that he'd just cry and refuse if I tried to go bare. "Why not just keep using it?" you might ask... Because it's a pain. It fills up while he's nursing and then he flings an arm or something and knocks it out of place, splattering milk everywhere. It has to be cleaned after every feeding. It pinches. It's stupid. Avoid it at all costs. Be patient and give your baby some time to learn to latch properly - it's a learned skill and it may take a few days, but it's worth your patience!
Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers
We changed our baby at least once every two hours - we had the ItzBeen timer to keep us on track - but we had the worst time with these diapers! I can only describe it as an explosion. If they got too saturated, the diaper would release zillions of teeny tiny beads of gel - what I can only assume is the absorptive material - which were then stuck ALL OVER my baby's bottom. And they didn't wipe off easily, they'd just slide around his skin as we wiped, getting into every nook and crease. We'd be standing there all hunched over the changing table manually picking little bits of this gel crap off of our newborn, who would, of course, invariably pee or poop during this extended diaper-less period. Maybe they just couldn't handle that much liquid (well, obviously they couldn't), but any diaper that has to be changed every hour on the hour in order to avoid that kind of issue isn't worth your money. Save yourself the trouble and get some Huggies Little Sungglers. You won't be sorry.
Though it may have been exhausting to read through all of that, I'm sure it's far from an exhaustive list. I'm sure there will be a part 2 post some day, as I come up with more items that I just have to add to the list! For now, please feel free to chime in with some of your must-haves and the items that you hated or never used - I'm sure we could all benefit from our collective experience!
