What baby items did you find to be the most & least useful?
Friday, July 30th, 2010 at
12:14 am
We just spent 2 hours in Babies R Us registering for my baby shower and we have over 200 items. I know I’m not going to get everything, and it was mainly just to show various gift options, but what items are absolute musts and what items can wait? This is my first baby so I haven’t been able to test anything out yet. Thank you! =)
Filed under: Baby Clothes
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well, u can go to babies r us website and they have a list for ppl who are going to register..of course it has a lot of things on there that you don’t need, but if you weed through you can get what you need out of it…the things i liked;found most useful, etc……
.i would def recommend:
a diaper genie 2; idk why ppl don’t like them, there is NO smell in my dd ‘s room
changing table..will save your back, good for diap changes, clothes changes, sponge baths, etc and you have shelves to store your new baby must haves….i have canvas bins on the shelves to store things that are good to have in reach or easily available…
monitor–i like the graco imonitor, recently bought a second one for another room in the house bc i liked the other one so much, it has been working well for over 8 mos now, and it has good range, battery life, and i can hear EVERYTHING; never any interference….it works great..
boppy pillow with cotton covers, soft ones don’t fit as well for some reason
lots of baby hangers, and baby hangers with clips to keep outfits together
primo euro bathtub
prince lionheart diaper depot and wipewarmer; ours works well and the wipes are still very warm when we get them to out dd’s bottom; and she doesn’t freak out when we are out and they aren’t warmed, but seems to appreciate it when they are..
health kit: brush, comb, thermometer (not an ear one, not as accurate), nail clippers, etc.
baby meds, generic is just as good and a lot cheaper…desitin(or plain zinc oxide if you can find it)..not creamy, has less zinc ox in it….infant mylicon and tylenol
lots of diapers , make sure wherever you buy them will let you exchange them for a diff size if you need to even after the return period…brus let me do that, and buy a small pack of a couple brands to see which you prefer before you open the big boxes…wipes, lots of them, without alcohol or fragrance! we use swaddlers diapers and pampers sensitive wipes; no rashes, no reactions to their ingredients, diapers hold a lot when they have too and the netting tends to keep the wet off her bottom…
lots of baby washclothes, you may have to use them on baby’s bum if it is really sensitive and gets a rash….and baby towels, but you could use your reg towels if money is an issue
swing, pref swings two ways and plugs in instead of batteries
bouncy seat
infant travel system! easy, easy, easy–we got the graco tour deluxe; it is great, folds with one hand, several seating positions, lays flat for sleep; has a big basket underneath and cup holders for mom and dad, one for baby , place for snacks for baby, and a ‘pocket’ up top for keys, cell phone, whatever you wanna put there…
play yard, get one with bassinet feature if you want to, easier to keep baby in your room for a while before putting them in crib in their room=we have chicco discovery and it is awesome, has more padding than most, easy to wash..machine wash, most are wipe down…very sturdy, has nightlight, vibration, etc and a flip up change table, has wooden slats that slide in under mattress for support…not that much more exp than the others and much better in my opinion
passys–she loves soothies and that is all she will take..
baby wash, again frag free, dye free
frag free , dye free laundry detergent
clothes hamper or basket
lingerie bag for socks, mittens, anything little so they don’t get lost in the wash…
something to put baby toys in
extra toy links
lullaby cd and small cd player; my dd has come to love white noise, she naps with a fan and a womb bear; sleeps at night with a fan….
oh, mosquito cover for your infant carrier..it’s where you can see in , baby can see out, but strangers cant just walk up and touch your baby, and they will!!!!!
all i can come up with now…LOL
diaper bags; big one for everything you may need, leave in car unless you will be somewhere a long time, and a small one to stick what you will need for a short run in so you don’t have to haul the bigger one
if ffing:
avent formula dispenser; has better review than the ones made by sassy, and convert to a snack cup later…i loved it so much i bought a second one!
bottles–really liked playtex ventaire advanced when she was young, more pieces but it’s easy to get them clean when the top and bottom comes off…and they vent through the bottom instead of the nip so no bubbles or foam going back up into baby’s milk; they will leak if you don’t put them together correctly, but we have had no probs with them and have never had to replace any parts on them..if u decide on them and have leaks, email me and i will explain how to keep them from leaking…:O)
bottle and nip brushes–i really like the ones by munchking that don’t have a sponge on the end of the brush, they come in diff colors mixed with white and have a great nip brush in the handles….
drying racks–again, i really like munchkins…
formula mixer: i like dr brown’s formula pitcher bc you don’t shake it it is only abo
Well putting crib and carseat aside.
Most useful: Swing.
Least useful: Wipe warmer.
Most useful: I know a lot of people swear that they are pointless, but I got a TON of use out of the changing table. We have a small house, and it was just as easy to carry her to the bedroom to change her as to set up ‘changing stations’ all over the house, or carry a diaper bag around with me.
Least Useful: Receiving Blankets. I got a ton of them and had NO clue what I was supposed to do with them. (I used cloth diapers, so those doubled as burp rags, and I didn’t swaddle.) Daughter used them as doll blankets when she was a bit older. I also got some bottles which I NEVER used. (Exclusively breastfed.)
A lot of little gadgets are a waste of time and money. Sure, they seem practical at the time, but in the moment, you probably wont need them.
Some things that are really handy though are a bouncy chair, a boppy pillow, a swing and a diaper bag.
Most useful: slings, boppy, bouncer
Least useful: changing table, swing, baby bath tub… they just never got used and took up space.
Oh, and receiving blankets, never used them, didn’t swaddle.
Useless: crib
Critical: sling
Much of this depends on what sort of mothering you want to do…
Most useful: Boppy pillow
Least useful: Fuzzy decorative blankets
I didn’t bother registering for anything he needed after about six months of age. But then it really wouldn’t have mattered what I registered for because for some odd reason I got almost nothing off my list. It was almost like no one even looked at it!
Hi, I have twin girls and when they was little I loved there swings. They would sit in it for hours and not cry. Both of my girls hated there bouncy.
diaper bag, diapers, bottles, car seat, crib, receiving blankets (I used them ALWAYS, my son is cold natured and loves them), stroller, wipes, burp clothes, baby nail clippers, onsies, pacifier, head support for car seat, extra crib sheets, aspirator. Those are the must haves!
Like to haves – swing, bouncer, bassinet, boppy, extra base for your car seat.
No use for – the many many bottles people bought; I had specific bottles I used and they were not the one purchased.
Most
Diapers
Nipples and Bottles
Clothes
Formula
Baby Food
Bibs
Spit-Up Cloths
Pacifiers
Bottle Wands (Bottle Cleaners)
Clothes
Diaper Bag
Crib
Blankets
Sheets for the crib
Wipes
Car Seat
Lots of Toys for the car and home
A Walker
A Rocker
Changing Table
Patience and Sleep
Least
What color the babies room should be
Having 20 of everything
Spazzing Out
Least useful-thermometer pacifiers. My oldest took a pacifier, but when we tried using the thermometer one it was really hard and she wouldn’t suck on it.
Most useful- swing (depending on the baby, my oldest loved it, my little one hated it.)
Bassinet-when they were first born the crib was way to big.
You can find use for anything but what we found to be a waste of money was a wipe warmer, bottle warmer, rain guard for the stroller.
Most Useful: Tie between Swing and Bouncer… but probably the bouncer
Least Useful Pacifiers
I think a lot of your choices depends on what kind of parent you want to be. Are you a hands on, attachment parenting mother? Then you’ll need a good sling (not sold at Babies R Us), a co-sleeper, and a carseat. If you’re a crunchy sort of mom, look for a potty bowl, a tiny potty (IKEA!), breastfeeding supplies, cloth diaper supplies. If you’re a mainstream "gotta have what the media tells me" mom; carseat with matching stroller, playpen, bouncer, swing, highchair…even though baby can’t be in more than one item at a time, LOL.
I don’t have a baby myself but I nanny for children from 4 months to 2 years old. I’ve found that the happiest babies have space to move around. For example, set off a room or corner of the living room with colorful mats when they start crawling. Of course put a variety of toys around the edges of the mat so they can move to each toy. The baby will try to leave the mat so a "fence" or gate around the mat is useful too. You can find them in babies r us.
Also, get your child started on story time early. Read books, It’s a good distraction in the later months during teething or separation anxiety but if they’re not accustom to it they won’t take to it as easily.
A dry erase marker board is very handy. Put it on the fridge and record when and how much the baby has ate and what time they’ve pooped. It’s good to be organized. ( also keep lots of cleaning supplies, wipes, and hand sanitizer around the house. )
Things like wipe warmers, bottle warmers, and a music player for bed time are nice but not necessary.
Lastly, one of my favorite gadgets is the baby monitor that has a screen and records the baby when they’re sleeping. So you could be down stairs and look at the screen of your baby monitor and see how your baby is doing!
congrats on your first baby!!
Aside from the LARGE items like crib, stroller, dresser etc… some of the inexpensive little lifesavers I found were:
*Gripe Water (for gas ~ It’s natural & safe for small babies)
*Teething Tablets (another natural one that works!)
*Disposable Diaper Bags (little biodegradable trash bags that work great for nasty diapers or even clothes that get spit up on that you need to throw in a bag before getting home)
*Heartbeat Bear
*Baby’s Bliss Diaper Cream (you have to get it at New Season’s or online babys-bliss.com)
Most useful: changing table (if you have a small table with lots of stuff everywhere else). swing, rocking chair, boppy pillow, bath tub (that holds water and not just the bathing chair), white long-sleeve charter bodysuit, play gym, value pack bibs
Least useful: drying rack, bassinet (did not get much use bc baby just didn’t like to sleep in it), baby towel (just use a regular towel that can wrap the baby up more), overpriced cute baby outfit that they outgrow too fast, baby positioner,
Least useful were the changing table(which I never even had one except for the little station that came on the playpen–which I used like 2 times), the diaper cream & powder which are BAD for them; and the baby bathtub which is really just a pain in the butt(& the big bathtub is more fun).
The most useful for me was the boppy pillow–NOT for nursing, but for sitting on & putting in between my legs to ease episiotomy pain; for lying & sitting on during pregnancy to ease back pain; for lying baby inside it to play or sleep.
Also very useful is the playpen; I have always used it as his bed(when he got too big to co-sleep because we were too crowded!) & have never needed a crib. It keeps him out of trouble when I need to go to the bathroom or whatever.
Carseat/stroller are must haves obviously.
As far as items, I would say swing and bouncer were both must haves as a newborn, I could move Ryan around the house in his bouncy seat, if I was cooking, laundry he could be in the same room with me.
Tip- We got a bassinet at our shower but we also bought a pack and play as we travel often. It would have been way cheaper to just use our pack and play as our bassinet.
Least needed- Wipe warmers, diaper genie, etc.
Most useful: Swing
Least useful: Electric Milk Pump