Help Single Mom-to-Be with Registry :)

[brainysinglemom]

Hi all! I'm a generally a standard alternative type - (hoping for an unmedicated birth, plan to breastfeed, use cloth diapers, use "alternative medicine" before western medicine, shop at farmer's market, prefer organic, etc.), but don't feel militantly about it. I live in a one bedroom apartment, and have a great job with a non-profit (at non-profit wages).

I would LOVE help with my registry list! I've been reading the archives and got some great ideas from someone else who received help with her list. Y'all rock! I feel like I've been a bit piggish with my registry (I already have SO much on it!), yet I think I need even more. My friends assure me that people want to help, so I am open to putting more on. The link to my registry is here, and at the bottom, and here are also some specific questions:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/re...=2HXP6Z13ZFDNF

1. Clothes. So far all I've registered for is organic onesies and swaddle blankets. I've read that some folks prefer using gowns (I'll have a November baby in Southern California, so think 45-75 degrees-ish). The organic gowns are super costly. Should I just register for a bunch of non-organic gowns (is that what the baby will live in? Are onesies not warm enough for her to live/sleep in)? I don't care about "going out clothes" -- meaning clothes that look like clothes -- I just want her to be comfortable, and I am fine to take her out in whatever will make her comfy. So what clothes should I ask for so that I'm pretty set for the first six months?
2. I didn't register for a health/grooming kit. Is one better than another? Is there something a little more 'alternative' in this genre? Should I just register for the crucial items and not the kit?
3. Are there any car window shades that actually work (reviewers on Amazon seem to hate them all)?
4. I have swing/bouncer questions will I will ask on a different post (if you want to answer, it's basically: Which swing does Karp or Karp followers like best? Does one need a swing AND a bouncer? If so, which bouncer?).
5. NOT yet on the registry is a sling/wrap because I need to go to a baby wearing workshop first and see which one fits me best (I'm a big girl with huge breasts); also cloth diaper covers because I want to check them out at a cloth diaper store; and, a glider, changing table/dresser, and high chair, which I plan to just buy myself, used on craigslist, etc.
6. Anything else I should add that I don't have? Either big things, or funky, cool little things you make, or have found on Etsy, or that surprised you by how useful it was?
6. Finally, what should I take OFF my registry?

I cannot thank you enough in advance for any help you can give!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/re...=2HXP6Z13ZFDNF

Best,
Julie

[ARedheadedMama]

1. When my daughter was that age, she lived in front-button onepieces layered over a onesie or t-shirt. Except for when we went out out and I dressed her in dresses or something. We had a few gowns but I didn't like putting clothes over her head until she was a little bigger.

2. The health kit was unnecessary for us. She was born in a hospital, and they gave us a brush and comb and a nose sucky bulb syringe thing. At her baby shower, she got some nail clippers. But I didn't use them until she was over a year. She also got Tylenol at her shower. None of that was on my registry.

3. Never tried any. I have tinted windows, so I'm no help here.

4. We had both, both were borrowed from my cousin who had both. Totally not necessary. If I were to buy one, I would just choose the swing.

I didn't get to actually look at your registry but homefully somebody here can share some helpful info with ya!

[brainysinglemom]

You're awesome; thank you! Uhm, what exactly is a front button onepiece? How is it different from a onesie? Doesn't a onesie go over the head, or does it depend what kind you get? See -- I really don't know anything! , Julie

[~Christina~]

1. LOVE gowns. I don't worry about organic clothing, but that's just me. I always have them sleep in gowns and change them into a light sleeper during the day. Honestly, I don't think it matters what you ask for, people will buy what they want for clothes. At my first shower I got so many tiny little uncomfortable outfits that I had to take back and exchange for things I could use.

2. I'd just pick a pair of nail clippers and a nose sucker (although for a hospital birth you'll get one there) I didn't use the clippers until the babies were somewhere between 4-6 months b/c just biting their nails while nursing them was way easier! LOL My midwife gave me the tip and I've done it with all my kids.

3. Never used them.

4. Answered your separate post However, just remember with Karps theories not all babies will need/like all the S's. Before you spend money on a swing I'd take baby to a store and try them out. And Happiest Baby on the Block gets 2 thumbs up from me. I've seen Karp speak in person and work his magic on babies. He's amazing.

5. I think a Moby wrap would work great for you. They are basically just a really long piece of fabric. They are awesome for the newborn stage b/c they keep the baby mostly covered up away from people who can't resist the urge to stick their hands all over a brand new baby. Diaper covers, I loved Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, but don't have much expirence with other brands.

6. A suggestion I had a Medela pump I used with my first two kids b/c that is the kind of pump everyone told me I had to have b/c it was the best. So, I went and spent the $250+ on it. With my third I borrowed a friends Playtex Embrace Electric Pump, and it kicks my Medela's butt! and it's way cheaper. The cones have the massaging inserts over them like the Avent Isis and aren't just hard like the Medela cones. I found I could letdown and get way more milk with those kind of cones. And, the Medela bottles fit the Embrace so I could still use those for storage.
http://www.amazon.com/Playtex-Embrac.../dp/B0000TYHD2

7. For me, I've never used a bathtub. I got one of those big teddy bear sponge things and put it right into the sink or big bathtub. I would take them into the tub with me as well.
you don't need a sterilizer. The bottles will come sterilize and washing them in hot water after use will do the trick.

That's all I can think of for now!

[brinalicious]

I looked at your registry and am happy to give you my *opinion*. But it's just that, and opinion, and you should take it or leave it. The "baby bucket" style carseat that clicks in to the car base and the stroller is a waste. The carseat and the stroller become totally irrelevant after a year, when most babies have outgrown the seat anyway. You can get a very high quality seat that will fit a baby from 5lbs to 40 or 50 lbs, and that can be used both rear and forward facing. I have loved the Britax brand, but I have heard good things about other brands too. Then, you can also get a better stroller than the ones that the buckets fit into. I don't have any specific recommendations in this area, in fact, my DH and I are still trying to decide on a stroller and this is our 3rd child.

Second, I saw your breast pump and bottles, and assumed you are planning on pumping at work. You may need an electric pump, but you might not. I have used the Avent manual pump with two kids so far, and was in school full time after the second was born. It worked GREAT!!!! It's much smaller, so very portable, and you don't have to worry about trying to find a place to plug it in. I will be working full time after my baby is due in October, and I am planning to only use the Avent again. As far as the bottles go, you can just follow your preference, or wait and see what kind of nipple your baby prefers. My kids did just fine with the nipples that came with the Avent bottles.

Otherwise, I think your list looks fine. Good luck with car shades. I think they are all terrible. We actually just had our windows tinted rather than deal with them because they really do nothing. I liked gowns a lot with my kids, but hated anything that had feet attached to them. My babies would always bring their little legs up and they would fall right out of the feet and legs of the sleeper, or whatever, and then they would get stuck and be mad. I really liked the little jumpers you had on your list. As for onesies. I don't like the ones that snap in the crotch because they don't fit right over cloth diapers, so I just buy the shirts that button on the side, like this. I had a ring sling that I have used for both of my kids, and will use again this time. Mine is a Maya Wrap, and I LOVE it. My friend, who is also heavier and has very large breasts had one too, and also loved it.
I hope that helps a little bit. Good luck to you.

[jillmamma]

Originally Posted by brinalicious

I looked at your registry and am happy to give you my *opinion*. But it's just that, and opinion, and you should take it or leave it. The "baby bucket" style carseat that clicks in to the car base and the stroller is a waste. The carseat and the stroller become totally irrelevant after a year, when most babies have outgrown the seat anyway. You can get a very high quality seat that will fit a baby from 5lbs to 40 or 50 lbs, and that can be used both rear and forward facing. I have loved the Britax brand, but I have heard good things about other brands too. Then, you can also get a better stroller than the ones that the buckets fit into. I don't have any specific recommendations in this area, in fact, my DH and I are still trying to decide on a stroller and this is our 3rd child.

I think as far as carseats go, one advantage to the "bucket" style is that they really do fit newborns better than a lot of convertibles. A few convertibles that do fit newborns well are the Radian, Truefit, or Evenflo Triumph advance. Britax convertibles have their bottom slots a little too high for most newborns where they could slide out. I am lucky this time around in that my neighbor who has a baby a year older than what this one will be gave me her Graco Snugride for free (that was her last baby). And since I know her well, I know it is safe and has never been in an accident. If I had not gotten that, I probably would have gotten a Truefit for this baby as it also has a tall shell that can last them till booster age (and may still get that after the baby outgrows the bucket).

Other than that, I would probably skip the Dr. Brown bottles as I have heard that they are a major PITA to wash, and if you are doing that every day after work/daycare, it might be easier to just use regular ones. Many of the regular (not Avent) fit right onto the Medela PIS so you may be able to just pump right into the bottles you use for feeding. I also agree on skipping the sterilizer too...unless your water supply is questionable, you really don't need to do that anymore. I used to just run them through the dishwasher on the top rack, and that got them plenty clean.

I really liked having hooded towels for babies after the bath to keep them warm and easier to dry hair/head. I never used a baby bathtub either...just put a hand towel in the bottom of the kitchen sink and bathed them in there till they could sit up and then did the regular bathtub.

I found a nursing pillow like a Boppy to be helpful too, or you could just use sofa pillows.

When the baby is older, I like the chicco lightweight umbrella stroller for pushing around toddlers who are getting heavy and want in and out all the time.

Do you plan to cosleep? If not, or if you just need a place for the baby to safely nap during the day, a pack n play is useful.

Congratulations and good luck with everything!

[Bluegoat]

Originally Posted by brainysinglemom

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/re...=2HXP6Z13ZFDNF

1. Clothes. So far all I've registered for is organic onesies and swaddle blankets. I've read that some folks prefer using gowns (I'll have a November baby in Southern California, so think 45-75 degrees-ish). The organic gowns are super costly. Should I just register for a bunch of non-organic gowns (is that what the baby will live in? Are onesies not warm enough for her to live/sleep in)? I don't care about "going out clothes" -- meaning clothes that look like clothes -- I just want her to be comfortable, and I am fine to take her out in whatever will make her comfy. So what clothes should I ask for so that I'm pretty set for the first six months?

My babies didn't like gowns. You might just try one, and see how it goes, rather than get a lot of expensive things that they won't like.

2. I didn't register for a health/grooming kit. Is one better than another? Is there something a little more 'alternative' in this genre? Should I just register for the crucial items and not the kit?

From a grooming kit, I used the brush occasionally, and the clippers occasionally. That was it.

3. Are there any car window shades that actually work (reviewers on Amazon seem to hate them all)?

I have never used one, I can't stand things blocking my view. I just used little hats with visors.

4. I have swing/bouncer questions will I will ask on a different post (if you want to answer, it's basically: Which swing does Karp or Karp followers like best? Does one need a swing AND a bouncer? If so, which bouncer?).

Some babies like swings, some like bouncers, some like both, others neither. All are regularly available used.

5. NOT yet on the registry is a sling/wrap because I need to go to a baby wearing workshop first and see which one fits me best (I'm a big girl with huge breasts); also cloth diaper covers because I want to check them out at a cloth diaper store; and, a glider, changing table/dresser, and high chair, which I plan to just buy myself, used on craigslist, etc.

People really differ over diaper covers, so I would start with a selection if you can. Some swear by the cloth ones, others prefer the woven nylon ones that look like traditional covers. You don't need a change table if you don't want one, on a bed is fine, or if you have a crib that works well too. You may or may not prefer a different kind of nursing chair, you might want to wait until baby arrives. High chairs - if you travel, you might want one of those small ones that attach to a chair. Also, consider ease of cleaning.

6. Finally, what should I take OFF my registry?

Pacifiers are cheap, and you might not need one. I don't have a problem with them, but sometimes they can be a pain, so I wouldn't use one unless it seemed necessary.

I would also suggest - a safe place to put baby like a pack and play (if you have no crib) and a nursing pillow. you might find a nursing stool useful too.

[elibelli]

Your list looks great! I had to add in some thoughts about the infant car seat. I'm on the other side of this than a pp I don't know what we would have done without the infant car seat. Our baby was fairly large as a newborn (9 pounds), and would have been totally lost even in one of the convertibles rated for 5 pounds and up.

Also, when you're waiting in the ped. office, and carrying the baby to and from different places, being able to carry the little one around in a carrier is a must -- I'd say you'd definitely want one as a single mom juggling so much.

I want to make it clear that I am not one of those parents that leaves her little one in the infant seat all day! That can lead to numerous problems with the head, etc. We never used a travel system, and believe in taking the newborn out as much as possible. However, most parents have infant car seats for a reason, and I think you'll be very happy with the convenience if you get one. Even though it is a bummer that they grow out of them so fast

Also, my #1 recommended baby item is an Ergo baby carrier (I believe they have an organic fabric option)! I carried my newborn-toddler aged little one in that thing constantly, and it's the most comfortable, convenient baby item in the world

[anchita]

Here are some of my thoughts... For reference, I have a 2 yr old, and am expecting my second one in late October :

1) Instead of receiving blankets and the different types of swaddling blankets, I'd ask for a set of Aden and Anais swaddling blankets. The regular swaddling blankets just turned out to be way too small to be useful for us.. The A&As are larger and you can get them in double layered or single layered, depending on the warmth needed. They are really soft, and much more versatile. If you find that your baby likes to be swaddled -- 'coz some babies don't! -- but can make his/her way out of the A&As as he/she grows, you can probably switch to the Miracle blanket, 'coz that seems to work the best in preventing that.

2) Same thing with the feeding bottles... I wouldn't buy a set of the same type of bottles, as you may realize that baby (or you!) have different preferences. Mine never took any type of bottle, though we tried different kinds by getting one of each type.

3) For the bucket seat, I agree that even though babies grow out of it too soon and whatnot, it is a great convenience to have for the first few months. They just fit better in it when they are wee, and it is wonderful to be able to carry them in it for a bit if they fall asleep in the car. I'm a babywearer (wrapper to be particular) but I would hate to transfer a sleeping baby from the carseat to a wrap (or a stroller) in a parking lot, especially in the winter.

4) As for a carrier, definitely try out different things if you can. I started with a Moby, and it was great for the first few months, after which it got too saggy (and we switched to woven wraps.) I believe wraps are the most versatile carriers, but they do have a bit of a learning curve... It is worth learning though! This time, I'll probably just start out with a woven, since I'm in love with -- and addicted to -- them

5) I would opt for the side-snapping Ts instead of the onesies. I agree with a PP that things that snap on the side/front are so much easier on a tiny, floppy baby, rather than those that go over their heads. We had/have long sleeved side snap Ts by Carter's, but I know Under the Nile makes organic ones as well, although they are quite a bit pricier. We paired them up with bottoms/wiggle pants. I also have a few side-snapping one-pieces by Baby Soy, and hopefully we'll like them. I know many people LOVE the footed one pieces, but DH refuses to have his babies dressed in anything that would have a foot covering attached, and I kinda agree with him.

6) If you are planning to be outdoors with the baby, and depending on how cold the weather gets, you might need a warmer hat plus booties (if you're not going with footed stuff). I've heard good things about Zutano booties; the cozies version might be good for the winter.

7) If you're planning to breastfeed, I'd recommend a feeding pillow also. It is not a necessity, but I LOVED mine, and I think it contributed to our BFing success in the midst of several problems we initially had. I had the brest friend, and I liked it over the Boppy because the former is firmer and more supportive.

[Mom2M]

I just looked at your registry and your stroller/car seat was what I had and it was awesome!!
I am planning on getting it again (sold it already, unfortunately) because it is the easiest thing to use.
The stroller frame is so light and fit right in the back seat of my small car and I really think the infant seat is necessary over a convertible.
We actually started with a convertible and then bought the snugride because she just didn't fit right in it at all. We ended up using the infant seat until she was a little over a year old and I missed it after that!

For me, I loved the boppy pillow. And I second the Moby wrap and the Ergo. Both were great.

I used the bouncy seat especially for stuff like getting a shower, doing stuff in the kitchen (I can't wear and cook, just didn't work!)
We tried the swing but she only used it for a tiny bit and then didn't like it.

I loved footed one piece outfits in the winter but no feet in the summer because socks never stayed on when she was little. I never had a problem with her feet coming out of the foot/leg part of the outfits.

Definitely the mirror for the car too. I loved it.

Good luck,

Deb

[IAMommy]

Your list looks great. The bucket seat/stroller frame will be great. This is what we used for those early months, and we were lucky to be able to borrow the frame. Our DS only used the bucket for six months, but it was wonderful to have because tiny ones fall asleep so frequently in the car and it's so difficult to move a sleeping baby.

I'd recommend a My Brest Friend nursing pillow. Having used both Boppy and a MBF, the Boppy doesn't stay where it belongs, but the MBF has a buckle (don't get the old style with the velcro) to hold it in place. It also has a pocket that is pretty useful.

I'm not sure what you're planning to do for a changing table, but what has worked for us is just getting a dresser and putting a changing pad on it. Saves space and money.

As far as baby stuff in general goes - borrow anything you can. They grow so quickly. Also, we have a lot of consignment-type sales here, e.g Mothers of Multiples. I'd check with moms in your area or on your local newspaper's website to see if you can find anything like this. Don't spend too much money on clothes smaller than 6-12 months. This is the size where they start to slow down some and wear their clothes for more than a few weeks.

Good luck!