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Getting Ready for Baby Lists

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As the big day approaches, I have been starting to get ready for the baby’s arrival.  I’ve had a few lists passed on to me of things that other moms have written up of items they found to be useful.

Design Mom – Preparing for Baby

Babble– Baby Registry Guide

Liz’s Baby Basics

FOR MOM

  • Maternity Jeans – spend some money on these – you will live in them over the weekend
  • Maternity Pants – Gap made some really cute ones
  • Maternity Tops/Sweaters – don’t even need to buy them – just buy larger sizes at inexpensive stores like H&M, Limited, Gap
  • Nursing tank tops
    • The absolute best are Gilligan & O”Malley (Target carries them).  I swear by these.  They look just like a regular tank(black, white, pink or gray) and you can wear them under a cardigan. I wore these every single day while on maternity leave. Much easier than a nursing bra.  Never even bought a nursing bra.
  • BellaBand
    • This is a band that can extend the life of your pants.  You can wear pants unbuttoned and put band over to create seamless line.  Also great for when shirts/sweaters become too short b/c you just see the band which looks like a t-shirt underneath the shirt.
  • Disposable Lansonihl nursing pads
  • Lansonohl breast cream (purple tube for breasts)
  • Email list – put together mass email list for baby’s arrival announcement
  • Birth Announcements
    • Print labels before baby is born and select announcement so ready to go (I didn’t send mine out until baby was 6 months – wish I had done sooner)
    • Tinyprints.com – great selection of announcements
  • Monogrammed thank you cards – If you are really organized and know the baby’s name, you can order personalized thank you cards in advance b/c you will need them as soon as baby is born.  TinyPrints and PeekabooPumpkin have good selections.
  • Breast Pump ( Medela Pump in Style – borrow one if you can b/c you may not take to it)

FOR BABY

  • Swaddles (Kiddopotamus Velcro or any brand) – we used for first 3 months
  • Basic white tees (get the ones that have side snaps rather than ones that have to be pulled over head)
  • Basic onesies
  • Sleep Sacks or gowns – great for newborns b/c much easier to change diaper in middle of night
  • Zipper Footy PJs – once a bit older, I recommend PJs with zipper b/c easier than buttoned pjs to change in middle of night
  • Bibs (velcro on the side of neck is best b/c doesn’t chafe back of babies neck when being bed in cradle position)
  • Cheap burp clothes
    • I preferred the inexpensive ones b/c they were softer.  The cuter ones with patterns were too stiff to wipe babies mouth, so never used them.
  • Bottles (BornFree)
  • Nipples (Level 1 to start….at 3 months go to level 2 and at 6 months go to level 3)
  • Formula (Enfamil is good, so is Nestle Good Start or Similac)
  • Powdered formula containers (3 of them snap together and you can premeasure formula so all you need to do is pour into bottle of water – great for middle of the night!)
  • Pacifiers (try a few different brands to see what fits baby’s face)
  • Diapers (Pamper’s Swaddlers)– Size: Newborn
  • Wipes (Pamper’s Sensitive)
  • Travel size wipes for diaper bag
  • Thermometer (traditional is better – ear is not accurate read for babies)
  • Grooming kit (just basic with curved scissors, hair brush, toothbrush)
  • Changing pad (to put on table – all brands are the same)
  • Changing pad cover
  • PeeWee’s Disposable Multi-Use changing pads
    • These are essential.  If the baby goes to the bathroom while being changed, you don’t need to wash changing pad cover – just throw away disposable pads. I use these every day.
  • Sassy Diaper Bags – blue scented bags to throw dirty diapers in
    • We do not have a diaper genie and don’t even need one with these bags.  We never smell anything once diaper is in these disposable bags.
  • Dishwasher caddy (to put bottle parts in for washing)
  • Mustela Shampoo, Lotion, Bath Gel
  • Baby Tylenol/ Motrin
  • Saline nose drops (for when stuffed up/has cold)
  • Diaper ointment (A&D, Balmex, Mustela – any are fine)
  • Small/ soft washclothes ( not full size b/c too big for newborns)
  • Hooded towel for after bath

FOR BABY’S ROOM/ FURNITURE

  • Bambi Baby (www.bambibaby.com 877-882-2624)
    • I bought my baby furniture here and they will beat ANY price you find.  They beat Buy Buy Baby, Babies R Us, and other smaller local stores in price by a few hundred dollars.  And their customer service is fantastic.  You deal with the same person every time you call.
  • Glider – Microfiber Upholstered Glider (color: Sage) $379
    • We tried every chair and this one is SO comfortable!  The sage color goes really well in a boy’s or girl’s room and the chair is very comfortable for a man or woman.  Highly recommend.  Carried at Babies R Us…and I think Buy Buy Baby
  • Foot Stool – I found this to be very comfortable when feeding.  I still use it.
  • Co-Sleeper/Moses basket/bassinet
    • I loved the co-sleeper – nice to have baby right next to bed for first month or so before you move them into crib
  • Matress – any brand that meets regulations is fine (some people prefer Organic)
  • Waterproof mattress pad covers (for under crib sheet)
  • Mattress pad sheets
  • Crib Set
  • Hangers
  • Clothes Hamper (I like Kids Line Folding Hamper)
  • Trashcan (If you do not do Diaper Genie, which is not necessary, recommend just buying a SimpleHuman can that you can open with foot.  If using blue diaper bags, won’t smell in room at all.)
  • Baby Monitor (Fisher Price) – don’t need if live in an apartment
  • Nightlight

BABY ACCESSORIES/ TOYS

  • Stroller and car seat

o      Graco Snap & Go is great – definitely the easiest for city living

o      I’d recommend getting car seat for up to 30lbs so that you don’t need to trade up to larger size so quickly

  • Rain cover for stroller (any brand is fine)
  • Head positioner – put in stroller/car seat so head doesn’t bobble all around
  • Bundle Me – will need lightweight and fleece one for winter
  • Sun Shade for stroller – This is a must.  Protect-A-Bub Single Canapy is good and works on any stroller.
  • Stroller Caddy (recommend Joovy Cool Essentials on amazon.com)
    • This fits across handle bars of jogger strollers and is the best. You can put your wallet, phone, blackberry, keys, etc in it.  I wish I had bought this sooner b/c I hated having to put all this stuff in the carrying area below the baby.
  • Toy bar that attaches to stroller bar (for jog type stollers)
    • Kids love this – will play with it and kick at it as you walk
    • Recommend anything like Sunshine Kids AG Twirly Whirly or Whoozit Activity Spiral
  • Once you graduate from Snap & Go (which can be used up until 9-10 months depending on size of baby), recommend Phil & Ted’s if looking to do long walks or MacLaren for around town
  • Britax Car Seat – highly recommend for when baby is 1 year old
  • Bouncy Chair that vibrates (highly recommend Fisher Price Rainforest )
  • Swing ( never used one, but people swear by the Fisher Price Papasan)
  • Baby Bumbo chair (don’t need for first couple months)

o      Great for before they can sit up on own b/c gives them different vantage point – also great to use when feeding little babies before they graduate to high chair)

o      I got a different brand than Bumbo that I really liked – had a tray that attached with a toy that babies love

  • Activity Saucer
    • Highly recommend Evenflo 3-in-1 ExerSaucer Triple Fun
    • This is for babies about 4 months up – they LOVE it
  • Mobile for crib

o      Highly recommend Tiny Love Symphony or Delux Symphony in Motion

  • Boppy Pillow – for breastfeeding
  • Activity mat with overhanging toys (Recommend Gymini 3D or Baby Einstein- all babies love that at some point during first 6 months)
  • Pack and play and sheets for it (any Graco is fine – no need for most expensive….but it is nice to have the changing table)
  • Baby Einstein DVDS
    • These are priceless!  Babies love these from 2 months on.  You can buy entire boxset of 24 DVDs online for $95….or individually for $20/each
  • Bathtub
    • Any of the newborn ones are fine (I liked one that fit over kitchen sink)
    • The BEST one to buy once baby outgrows first tub (around 4-5 months) is the Primo Eurobath – it’s the only one to buy!
  • Leap Frog Learn & Groove Musical Table – this is for when they begin pulling themselves up on things…this is fantastic – hours and hours and hours of fun for baby
  • Highchair (Peg Perego Highchair is the Mercedes of highchairs – it’s a must)

THINGS WE DIDN’T LOVE OR NEED

  • Baby Bjorn – people swear by it, but we thought it was difficult to use
  • Bottle Warmer – baby doesn’t know difference and if you always do room temp, they will be fine with it.
  • Jumper for door way (I never used this – thought it was hard to put baby in/out)

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

  • What to Expect in the First Year (great)
  • Baby 411 (this is a MUST for every mom!  Includes answers at a glance to every question you will have in the first year.)
  • Baby Wise, The Baby Whisperer or other sleep book

Jill’s Baby Registry List

Bathtub and accessories:

Bottles, etc:

  • I don’t know anything about breast feeding and related accessories
  • I use Avent BPA free.
  • Avent sterilizer – if you have the counter space, this is awesome.  Also great for traveling because it makes it easy to clean bottles even in a hotel http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14909168&RN=7065&
  • You need a drying rack – there are traditional ones but the Skip Hop is more attractive
  • Bottle brush (with built in nipple brush) http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14990852&

Crib and bedroom:

Stroller, car seat, play, travel, etc:

Stuff:

  • Pampers swadlers (Diapers.com)
  • Pampers sensitive wipes – get refills and one box of Huggies sensitive wipes (Huggies has a better box but Pampers makes better wipes) (Diapers.com)
  • Grooming kit http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15131730&
  • Dreft (Diapers.com) and Shout gel (to clean stains)
  • A&D (day time ointment), Balmex (night time ointment), Aquaphor (Diapers.com)
  • Alcohol and baby q-tips (to clean around umbilical cord)
  • Cotton pads to clean for the first few weeks before you start using wipes
  • Saline nasal spray (to use with nasal aspirator – they usually give you the nasal aspirator at the hospital)
  • Thermometer
  • Cloth diapers to use as burp clothes, and pee diapers (cover boys while you change them because they pee upward).  http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15010193&.  You will get nice burp clothes as gifts but can register or buy some as well http://www.buybuybaby.com/searchSKU.asp?order_num=-1&SSTR=burp+cloths&go=1&
  • Musela products (register or get at Diapers.com)

o      Derma cleansing body and hair http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15097752&

o      Body lotion http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15034700&

Mom readers, what baby items did you find to be incredibly useful (or useless)?

-m

5 Fun Bridal Shower Gift Tips

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With bridal shower season around the corner, I have started to think about different ways in which I have presented gifts at showers.  Since the actual gift itself is usually not a surprise to the recipient, I try to give gifts with a creative spin.  By presenting your gift in a fun manner, you can create a conversation piece and make the shower a bit more fun (admit it…it gets boring fast to watch someone open gift after gift for hours upon end).  Here are five gift/packaging tips:

1.  In most cases, stick to the registry.  Unless you have a really great idea for a particular bride, people create registries for a reason.  If you end up going off the registry, you are often creating more work for someone as they may not need that particular item.  People often think that giving off the registry is too impersonal, but you can make it more creative and personal by packaging it in a nice way.  You can also supplement gifts from the registry with some small non-registry gifts (more below).

2.  When you are wrapping a gift, you don’t need to necessarily use wrapping paper or the common white wedding gift bag.  If you are buying off the registry, the gift likely won’t be a surprise so you don’t need to necessarily conceal it under layers of wrapping.  For one shower, I bought a few sets of plates off the registry and tied them together with a piece of thick, white satin ribbon.  I had just been to another wedding the previous weekend and had won the floral centerpiece for my table, so I took a few of the roses from the flowers, cut the stems down to size, and tucked them into the ribbon.  If you have a large garden, you could also use some floral clippings from your own yard.  If you were giving a cooking-related gift, a fresh herb cutting like rosemary would also add a nice touch tucked into the gift packaging.

3.  When searching through the registry, try to find a good “basket” and smaller items to fill it with.  The basket does not necessarily need to a be a basket per say, just some type of container that could hold other related gifts.  For example, for one shower, I bought a colander and filled it with smaller cooking related items.  I bought items on the registry like a pasta serving spoon, spatula, and garlic press, as well as a few non-registry items such as a gourmet olive oil, pasta sauce, and pasta.  I have also seen a gift combos such as a flatware tray filled with flatware and serving spoons from the registry (tied up with tulle) and a basket filled with rolled-up towels.

4. Scope out a registry early before all the good gifts/gift combinations are taken!

5. Try to stick to a theme.  If you are buying wine glasses, add a bottle of wine or wine opener.  If you are buying a cooking pan, pair it with a pair of oven mitts. Try to avoid going through the list and picking a random selection of items to get to your price point (a salt shaker, vacuum replacement bags, a bowl, and a pillowcase would make for an awkward gift!)

What are some gifts you have given at showers that you feel presented well?

-m

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