Article: The only baby gear you need

[mama1803]

What do you think of this list?


http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home...y-kids_parents

[MamaSpruce]

1. car seat
2. boobs
3. cloth diapers
4. boobs
5. love

[annettemarie]

Moving to Life with a Babe

[kittywitty]

Must haves-bottles and formula? Whatever. Bouncy seat they even say is unnecessary but: "But it sure is nice to have someplace to put your baby while you're mixing bottles". And about a crib: "Even if you decide to co-sleep with your newborn, you'll eventually want him to snooze behind bars. "

What a worthless article.

[MamaJenese]

The only thing I used on that list was the car seat.

[mama1803]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Must haves-bottles and formula? Whatever. Bouncy seat they even say is unnecessary but: "But it sure is nice to have someplace to put your baby while you're mixing bottles". And about a crib: "Even if you decide to co-sleep with your newborn, you'll eventually want him to snooze behind bars. "

What a worthless article.

I agree! As a co-sleeper who didn't use a crib at all, I was a bit irratated by the crib bit.

[Xavismom]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Must haves-bottles and formula? Whatever. Bouncy seat they even say is unnecessary but: "But it sure is nice to have someplace to put your baby while you're mixing bottles". And about a crib: "Even if you decide to co-sleep with your newborn, you'll eventually want him to snooze behind bars. "

What a worthless article.

DS is 6 month, we dont have a crib, and wont buy one either. We did have a bouncy seat, but he hated it. I dont even have anything to say about the bottles!

I think the minimum newborn item list for me would be:

Boobs
Car Seat
Stretchy Wrap (moby or similar)
A few soft blankies
Cloth diapers
Clothes

[mamadelbosque]

Yeah, the only thing I agree with is the car seat and eventually a stroller is nice. Bottles? Formula? Bouncy seat? Why??

[Angelorum]

meh. We don't have 2 of those items (crib and stroller), and I don't even miss them! Okay, I admit to occasionally wishing that I had a crib for him to nap in so that he couldn't wake up and start crawling around the bedroom getting into things before I heard him, but getting a baby monitor solved that problem. It would not be worth buying a crib just for the couple of times I thought it would be handy. I completely expected to want a stroller, we just didn't have the money for it right away and when he was tiny it wasn't a problem to wear him everywhere. At 9 months he's no longer tiny, but it's still not a problem to throw him in one of my carriers and walk to the park or the library. I may want a stroller later, as he gets bigger, but thus far I've never been in a situation where I wanted one.

As for bottles, I have 2 nipples that fit on the cups that go with my breast pump. I didn't have them until he was 5 months, and I think he's used one once. He prefers drinking straight from the cup or with a straw. Definitely not a necessity. And obviously neither is formula!

I did lurve my bouncy seat! I didn't use it as a place to set him while I mixed bottles though

[RiverandJulie]

I do like the idea of less stuff for baby, I have received sooo much baby stuff that I really didnt want or need. I am somewhat of a minimalist.

I am writing a similar list for a friend who is pregnant and doesnt have much experience with babies, or support where she lives. It includes:

Moby (or other wrap)
cloth diapers
slip on shoes for mom (shoelaces are a pain when you are wearing your little one)
car seat
granola bars for when you are hungry and the baby has other plans
Internet for mdc to reassure you that every baby goes thru that =)

ANything I am missing?

[Blueone]

My 5
1. Car seat (obviously)
2. Baby carrier, ergo for me
3. Bottles/Formula (we ended up formula feeding early on due to the many low supply issues I had and the depression it created for me).
4. Cloth diapers
5. Blankies

We didn't use a crib very often, and if anything I eventually gave up trying to get him to take a nap in it. However, now at 10 months I will use one because we are slowly weaning him from co-sleeping and if I leave him before he's fully asleep when he looks like he is he crawls off and revs himself up again making it harder to get him to sleep.

[beebalmmama]

I don't have many of those and didn't with ds 1 (now 4 yrs).

carseat
boobs
diapers
wrap or other good carrier

Bottles and formula (if your exclusively breastfeeding and not needing to pump if you work). Not necessary in IMO.

I do have a bouncy and it is nice to have a place to put the babe down.
I have a pack n play for naps, but honestly ds 1 never slept in it (he slept in the wrap on me) and I'm only getting use out of it now with ds 2.

I sold the crib my brother handed down to us along with the changing table on craigslist, never used crib and changing table less than a few months.

We have a jogger stroller that we started using when ds was around 1 or so. But a nice lightweight stroller (umbrella type) is nice to throw in the car when heading out to summer festivals, events where LO's get tired of walking and it's too hot for wearing them long.

[mum4boys]

that list cracked me up. The only thing on it we used was the car seat.

[MsVyky]

Wow, what a ridiculous article.

1. boobs
2. baby carrier
3. cloth diapers
4. clothes
5. yoga ball (for bouncing and rolling, and later on throwing and playing)

[akind1]

I do thing bottles are a top 5 item; I am a working mom, and am in the office 2 days a week. I know you can teach baby to drink from a cup or use a sippy. we've found bottles just to be handier (and when he is with nana or someone else unskilled in helping w/ a cup, bottles are a no-brainer)

diapers - of whatever sort

carseat - though i will interject here that an infant bucket seat is NOT a must have. there are good convertibles you can use from birth. we love our Combi Cocorro.

I agree a carrier is more of a must have than a stroller, though I often bring both and use the stroller for shopping bags, diaper bag/purse, etc. I use an ergo now, but the moby was great at first. I would still use it, but the ergo is far faster to put on and easier to lug around.

rather than crib: somewhere for baby to sleep - make your bed co-sleeping friendly, get a co-sleeper, or use a crib (you can sidecar the thing and still co-sleep)

bouncy seat was wonderful for us. the swing we've rarely used.

I think the greatest "non" essential we have is a diaper caddy - holds diapers and wipes and has a little drawer for small things, like rash cream or powder. we can tote it wherever we are in the house. who needs a changing table?

[lolar2]

Any of those lists are silly. We used bottles and formula mostly (couldn't bf) but otherwise, so much of what you need depends on:

-the layout of your house
-whether you have pets
-parents' body type/ issues (like if one parent has a bad back, a stroller is more useful, as is a changing table)
-whether you walk and/or take public transportation and/or bike and/or drive when you go places
-whether there are other children in the house

And other factors I probably can't think of.

[Pepper44]

We use:

-car seat
-wrap and ring sling
-clothes (lap t's!)
-cloth diapers and wool pants/covers
-light blankets/receiving blankets
-bouncy seat, so I can strap baby somewhere safely when I need to do something for a minute...that way DD can't try to carry her around.

[staceychev]

1. Car seat
2. Baby carrier (mei tai in my case)
3. Diapers
4. Something for baby to wear
5. Something to sop up the baby puke
6. Blankets--I actually like receiving blankets (plus, they fulfill #5)

We actually have a bouncy seat and swing. Nice to have, sure. Necessary? Heck no. Could totally live without them. Have a stroller, too. Have used it twice or three times since DD was born... and I walk DD1 to school every day!

[laohaire]

I saw this yesterday too. What's funny is, the first item is car seat and I'm thinking "yeah but that's assuming you have a car and the author didn't even mention that assumption."

And then the list went downhill from there. Way downhill.

Now we do have a car, so the car seat was indeed on our must-have list.

Nothing else on the list was a must-have, though, for us. We didn't even HAVE any of those except the stroller, which my mother had a bug up her butt that we should have, but we've used it maybe twice. Maybe. (And didn't "need" it either time.)

My must-have list:
- Car seat
- Ergo

Um. I'm trying to think what else. It's about "gear" and the author specifically mentioned that clothing isn't on the list.

I have to say the kid's toilet seat we have is a must-have for me, our toilet is way too huge for my 4 year old to comfortably sit on. But that isn't baby gear.

OK, that's all I got.

[MeepyCat]

My kids are (so far) both exclusively breast fed to 7 months and extensively breast fed past that, and we use bottles every day. Unless you are going to stay with your baby all the time (which I understand some people do), bottles are really handy.

The rest of the list gets a big "eh" from me too. We have strollers, but find it's often easier not to use them. We've never had a bouncy seat, and have no problem putting the baby down on a blanket or the carpeted floor when we need a break from holding her. In a pinch, she has no objection to hardwood or linoleum. I find the crib useful, but I can envision going without it.