I know how many questions I had when I first found out I was pregnant and it all just seemed SO overwhelming! I couldn't believe all the information that was out there and I just had no idea where to begin. So, I turned to some of the best resources available... MOMMIES!! Yes, I turned to my girlfriends/co-workers that already had kids and I am SO happy I did! I TRULY believe you can read, read, read, but there is no better knowledge then that of first-hand experience!
Trust me, I will not bore you with all my "findings" but one area I feel most expecting mothers seem to go crazy over (I know I did!) is creating a baby registry! I could not believe all the options of baby supplies on the market... It was BEYOND overwhelming! All the different brands, colors, styles, textures... everything! CRAZY! An emotional pregnant woman should not have that many options available! A high school friend of mine (Kathrine) sent me a list of things she recommended and it was a god-sent to say the least. Such a great way to start my research! I like to hear what others think, why they liked about a certain product and most importantly, why they didn't like something.
One of the biggest lessons I learned through the entire baby registry process was GO WITH YOUR GUT! Don't get me wrong, I like nice things and name-brands, but they are not ALWAYS the best choice. Now that I am a mother and I quickly realized life is no longer about ME, I want things that make life easier, faster, make the baby happy and most importantly help me get through each day. (the most expensive does not ALWAYS fit this bill! Some times the least expensive = the BEST)
It's amazing how quickly babies go through "stuff". What do I mean by stuff?? Clothes, diapers, bibs, bottles, changing pad covers... everything! I feel like one day Jameson was wearing a brand new outfit and the next time I tried to put it on him it did not fit.
It's amazing how quickly babies go through "stuff". What do I mean by stuff?? Clothes, diapers, bibs, bottles, changing pad covers... everything! I feel like one day Jameson was wearing a brand new outfit and the next time I tried to put it on him it did not fit.
With that said, I thought I would put together a little "list" of a few favorite baby items and a few (in my opinion) must-have items! Also, a couple thoughts on things to possibly not register for and a few to possibly splurge on.
Sleep Sack - AMAZING! I actually did not register for these, but I have to say, they were one the best gifts we received. We originally heard of these while Jameson was in the NICU. **quick side note We did not swaddle, but there are sleep sacks out there that allow you to swaddle if you choose to do that** The nurses in the NICU praised them! Not only did they keep the baby warm, they were a SAFE way to keep a baby warm. When we first brought Jameson home and through the first couple cold months of winter I would still put a small blanket over the sleep sack because in my mind, I thought he would get cold or was cold. BAD IDEA! I now understand the "safe" sleeping after that experience. As Jameson got bigger, he would grab the blanket and pull it up to his face. (That is one way to freak a mom out!) So, needless to say, Jameson is a sleep sack baby and I HIGHLY recommend them! No blankets needed in the crib and the baby is perfectly warm in just PJ's and the sleep sack.
**Sleep sacks come in all different sizes, colors, fabrics (light weight for warmer nights and micro fleece for those cold winter nights). They also come in a variety of prices, but the cheaper ones work just the same as the expensive brands!**
Co Sleeper - Wow! This is the BEST invention in the world! First of all, a HUGE thank you goes out to Jim and Joanne McKenna for this amazing gift. Originally we were planning on using our pack n' play as the bed we would put in our room for baby. Jim and Joanne were so gracious and sent us an Arm's Reach co-sleeper to use. I can not believe how amazing it was to have this. The co-sleeper gave Jameson his own secure space for sleeping, but it was attached to our bed at eye level. This allowed me the luxury of turning over and looking/checking on J without getting up and disturbing Jameson or Luke. This is also great for nursing mothers. One feature of a co-sleeper is the fact that you can nurse your baby while in bed. Now, this did not work for us due to the fact nursing was not on the "normal" scale for Jameson and I, but I will definitely try it with our next baby.
Monitors - I know the video monitors can be a little more expensive (depending on the brand) but I would highly recommend "splurging" on this purchase! I can't begin to tell you how many times I was saved from going into Jameson's room to check on him just by looking at the monitor. The picture below is the model we have. (Samsung SEW EzView) I LOVE IT! The hand-held monitor tells me the temperature in Jameson's room, notifies me if it gets too hot or too cold (vibrates or beeps), allows me to turn a nightlight on, I can talk back to Jameson through the monitor, displays in color and black and white and most importantly, I can SEE him rather than go into his room and wake him up. It also notifies me if there is noise in the room (beeps or vibrates).
Sleep Sack - AMAZING! I actually did not register for these, but I have to say, they were one the best gifts we received. We originally heard of these while Jameson was in the NICU. **quick side note We did not swaddle, but there are sleep sacks out there that allow you to swaddle if you choose to do that** The nurses in the NICU praised them! Not only did they keep the baby warm, they were a SAFE way to keep a baby warm. When we first brought Jameson home and through the first couple cold months of winter I would still put a small blanket over the sleep sack because in my mind, I thought he would get cold or was cold. BAD IDEA! I now understand the "safe" sleeping after that experience. As Jameson got bigger, he would grab the blanket and pull it up to his face. (That is one way to freak a mom out!) So, needless to say, Jameson is a sleep sack baby and I HIGHLY recommend them! No blankets needed in the crib and the baby is perfectly warm in just PJ's and the sleep sack.
**Sleep sacks come in all different sizes, colors, fabrics (light weight for warmer nights and micro fleece for those cold winter nights). They also come in a variety of prices, but the cheaper ones work just the same as the expensive brands!**
Co Sleeper - Wow! This is the BEST invention in the world! First of all, a HUGE thank you goes out to Jim and Joanne McKenna for this amazing gift. Originally we were planning on using our pack n' play as the bed we would put in our room for baby. Jim and Joanne were so gracious and sent us an Arm's Reach co-sleeper to use. I can not believe how amazing it was to have this. The co-sleeper gave Jameson his own secure space for sleeping, but it was attached to our bed at eye level. This allowed me the luxury of turning over and looking/checking on J without getting up and disturbing Jameson or Luke. This is also great for nursing mothers. One feature of a co-sleeper is the fact that you can nurse your baby while in bed. Now, this did not work for us due to the fact nursing was not on the "normal" scale for Jameson and I, but I will definitely try it with our next baby.
Monitors - I know the video monitors can be a little more expensive (depending on the brand) but I would highly recommend "splurging" on this purchase! I can't begin to tell you how many times I was saved from going into Jameson's room to check on him just by looking at the monitor. The picture below is the model we have. (Samsung SEW EzView) I LOVE IT! The hand-held monitor tells me the temperature in Jameson's room, notifies me if it gets too hot or too cold (vibrates or beeps), allows me to turn a nightlight on, I can talk back to Jameson through the monitor, displays in color and black and white and most importantly, I can SEE him rather than go into his room and wake him up. It also notifies me if there is noise in the room (beeps or vibrates).
Sophie - The BEST baby toy on the market! We received Sophie as a shower gift (Thank you Maria and Susie Sorrentino!) and I have to say, SHE IS AMAZING! I can not believe how one toy can be so entertaining. We can't go anywhere without Sophie! Why I love her so much... Sophie is a chew toy, squeakier, easy for baby to grab, bendable, soft, easy to clean and most importantly, she is small enough to fit in the diaper bag and go with us everywhere!
Burp Cloths - there are SO many fancy, fancy burp clothes on the market. They catch every mom's eye with their patterns, colors, and cuteness. (and yes, I was sucked in and bought some "cute" cloths as well) but the all-time BEST burp cloths on the market are: CLOTH DIAPERS! Yes, that's right... diapers! They are simply amazing! A diaper is designed to absorb some nasty "stuff" so when used as a burp rag it's like magic! Spit up is cleaned up in pretty much one swipe. They are so easy to clean and you don't have to worry about ruining a "pretty" burp rag when baby is messy. (Oh and I am pretty sure you can get a 10 or 12 pack at places like Target and Wal-Mart for somewhere around $8-$10!!!)
Stroller - This is an obvious MUST HAVE when you have a baby, but I would highly recommend "splurging" on this purchase. Again, so many on the market... Different sizes, weights, functionalities... You know how it goes. BUT, I was told about our stroller brand by a very great family friend (Thanks Jamie Muellenbach!) We decided to purchase a City Select stroller and let me tell you, Luke and I BOTH remind each other how much we love it. It's light weight, folds flat, there are multiple attachments (bassinet, car seat adapter, etc.) The other amazing thing about this stroller is it can convert into a DOUBLE stroller! I love the fact that it fits in my trunk and I still have plenty of room to put groceries, suitcases, basically anything else we need to haul. It's easy to clean and easy to use! (what mother doesn't love that?!)
Stroller with the seat it comes with:
This is EVERYTHING this one stroller can do:
Resources - Ok, I started this post off by saying I went to Mom's for my questions and not books... Well, I did follow one particular book (pretty closely) as my professional reference while I was pregnant (and still use it!) No, I was not a What to Expect When Expecting mommy-to-be. My doctor highly recommended I read and follow the Mayo Clinic: Guide to A Healthy Pregnancy. I loved this so much because it was a week by week reference for information on how I should be feeling, information about each stage the baby is at, what the baby developed that week and so much more! It then continues through childhood. The main reason I really enjoyed this book was the fact that it never made me nervous or panic if I did not meet a specific milestone or if I felt I was ahead-of-the-game. It gives a "this is what is typical, but everyone is different" approach.
My two cents on what NOT to register for:
So, as soon as you decide on which stores to register at, that store(s) will give you a list recommending products to register for and how many. I did my best to check as many items off of the list as possible so I was "well-rounded" when it came to baby supplies. What I didn't think about was all the gifts we would receive once the baby arrived.
1. As much as I love soft, cuddly baby blankets (and actually use a TON of them each and everyday) I would highly recommend either not registering for any or just very few. You will be surprised how many you will get once baby arrives. They make great personalization gifts for a newborn and the gender specific ones are so eye catching when you are deciding on that perfect gift for that new baby.
2. One thing I can say is, you can never have too many clothes for a baby... BUT... that is pretty much the majority of what you will receive once baby is born. Also, it truly is hard to buy too much ahead because you never know a) how big baby will be when they are born i.e.: will you need newborn size, 0-3 months, etc. Jameson fit into ONE newborn outfit and that was it... and b) how quickly they will grow... Jameson was wearing 6 month clothes at 4 months old. He is now in 12 month clothes and 8 months old.
3. Diapers will be a hot commodity once baby arrives! One hard lesson we learned (and actually was told this ahead of time, but I tried to beat the odds and go with my own opinion) was buying too many before baby arrived. Couple issues: 1st, sizes... We had newborn diapers and NEVER opened one box of them. 2nd, brand... I had no idea this was such an issue.. We registered for Huggies... Well known brand, common in all stores, came in all different counts... perfect... right?? WRONG! Unfortunately Jameson peed through each and every Huggies diaper we put on him. It is a trial and error game, but we found out the only diapers that worked on J for the first two months were Pampers Swaddlers. I tried Huggies again as he got bigger and no such luck. The only diapers he can wear are Pampers and Luvs. Again, we had a pretty good supply of Huggies diapers and had to either give them to friends with babies or donate them. I know you will need diapers when you get home from the hospital, but my suggestion would be to NOT stock pile until you try a few brands (most hospitals use Pampers, so you will get a good idea if they work or not even before leaving the hospital - and you get to take the extras home that were not used during your stay!!!)
4. Pacifiers - This is not an expensive purchase, so having a few on hand is ok.. but again, this is a trial and error game. I registered for Softies, but Mr. Jameson did not like those! They worked for a couple days while in the hospital, but after many purchases later we found out only the Nuk brand worked for us.
Ok, ok... I will end my "rant" on baby items, but I hope this helps a little! I am more than happy to share more of what worked for us and what did NOT work for us if you have any questions.
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