March Mamas, Aug 29 - Sep 4

[welldone]

Thought I'd take my turn at getting our weekly thread going.

How about a topic this week? Let's talk about what you hope to buy for the new baby (or receive as gifts). For those of us who've been through this before, what do those first timers really need for their baby - and, more importantly, what DON'T they need?

Serina's "What Babies Need" List
Mama's breasts
Breastfeeding pillow (I recommend My Brest Friend)
A cozy place to sleep near Mama
Clothing
Diapers (I recommend a simple cloth system)
Baby sling
A good carseat
Love

Serina's "What Babies Don't Necessarily Need" List
Infant carrier bucket - take baby out of the carseat when you're done driving!
Stroller
Swing
Bouncy seat
Videos
Pacifiers
Harsh commercial baby shampoo
Their own room

These are just my first thoughts...many of these things are arguable. (For example, there was a stage during my daughter's infancy when I had her sleep in a swing because she slept longer. I just don't like them as baby entertainers when they're awake.)

[Patchfire]

I'm hoping to get another sling. I had a padded sling at first with dd and hated it, and then finally decided to try an unpadded sling - MUCH easier, for me. So I'd like another one, so I can just keep one in the car, and one at home.

I had a breastfeeding pillow and got so fed up with the thing, lol. I think it's a YMMV issue. The bouncy seat, however, was a lifesaver from the first day after dh went back to work - within 30 minutes, I had spitup in my hair and had to take a shower, and so dd sat in the bouncy seat while I showered.

Because dd's infant seat was in a wreck, we have to get a new car seat. We may have to get more clothes, depending on gender and size. Thankfully we don't have to get much other stuff.

Oh! Lap pads! Thos rubberized flannel squares. Those were wonderful and very flexible. We used them to catch spit-up and for sleeping on just in case there were leaks.

We also liked this little portable bassinet that folded up - that way she could nap in the same room as us, and also we took it when we visited people.

[cholderby]

Great topic! I am a planner, at heart, and I am trying to figure out what I will need.

Serina -
What do you recommend instead of baby shampoo? Just water? And would you believe that I've already been given baby shampoo? Gees, I'm only 13 weeks. And, knowing the genes this baby has, it probably won't even have hair for a year after its born!

[Ravenmoon]

Needs~cloth diapers(am already working on a stash of NB and Smalls)
need new sling(traded away last one)
co sleeper or small mattress next to bed for toddler so newbie has a place in our bed
clothes
carseat(britax would be my first choice if money allows)
New glider since my old rocker has fallen to pieces!


dont need~bassinets and cradles only last for a few months and then what do you do with them?
pacifiers(i feel guilty)
formula( i am a SAHM mom so no need for me,but i do understand for people that don't have a choice)


Possibles~baby bouncer(the only way i can shower)
baby swing(it is nice to have a bit of a break)

So i am now 14 weeks.Yay!Second trimester.I see the midwife today.

Is anybody up for a trade among us for a baby shower/pampering type gift?Let's do something for mama now and then something for baby trade later down the road.We could set a money limit or we could do handmade.

[Ravenmoon]

I use California baby shampoo or Burts Bees.Yum!

[EllieB]

This is our 3rd and we have a boy and a girl already so I think we need......nothing! Except probably some extra diapers/onesies that kind of thing. I really miss that first time around when I felt like I could go out and do all the shopping! All I really need at first is a sling, diapers, clothes, and a carseat though we do have a swing and a bouncy seat which I think will definitely come in handy with 3 kids under 5.

[weebitty2]

Needs : dipes. Already have 5 nb FMBG's, but no covers, no prefolds, et c, and we didn't start cd'ing older DD until 8mo .. so we've got med's and larges covered. *lol* , a new sling (not really a NEED, I have two but would love a fleece one for the winter lol), car seat, car that fits three boosters and three car seats (6 y/o and 5y/o still in boosters because of their weight/height, 2y/o and 1y/o of course still in car seats )

already got : mama's nummies, nursing pillow, mama's bed, swing (needed because DD had reflux and slept better in it the first couple mo.), clothes of any and all gender/size (might need more boys stuff if it's a boy though)

[rad]

There's only a couple things I need for this baby. I'd like some newborn and small fitteds. I used PF on Chandra, but really prefer the fitteds now. I also need a new infant carseat and eventually aother convertible carseat. other than that, I've got pretty much everything else.

[TOmomma]

Need:
Diapers & covers - I have lots of L since we started ds late but only a few infant pfs and a handful of tiny contours
Bouncy chair - It saved my life last time
Maybe a few girly clothes if its a girl
Infant carseat
Sleep

Don't need:
Formula (I'm a milk machine )
Stress

Going to see the midwife today!!!!

[cholderby]

What kind of slings do you all like?
I don't think I'd want to wear the blanket type around (too hot) but it might be good for BFing on the down low (the inlaws would have aneurisms if they saw my breast).
I've seen some whose shape and material appeal to me, but the colors all seem either very hippy or very baby (being neither a hippy nor a baby myself, I'd prefer something a little more conservative. Does Ann Taylor make slings?).

[crayon]

Hey mamas, I am glad we have a topic this week- I am feeling better, we have decided to move back to MI Oct 1st!!!! I am excited and scared to leave my mom. So all the hormones are kicking in again! lol.... I am feeling HUGE- I go to the MW today and I am sure she is going to hear 5 HBs.

So my must haves and must not gets!

Must haves:
-Big Full Breast!!
-A news slection of cloth dipes- I am making my own this time around and cant wait to get sewing on them!
-a nice sling- we didnt have a good one with DD and it was so sad
-Warm clothes, we are moving to tons of snow! Even in March!
-You MDC mag collection!
-A good stroller- we use our jogger in the woods becasue it has a pivit wheel and we would be lost without it. I know somepople dont like strollers, but it is a lifesaver for us!
-A good back pack- I would prefer my babes on my back, but I really need to invest in a good back pack- well really 2 because we will have 2 small ones
-A new breastpump- but I never used it with DD (maybe 5 times) and she never had a bottle, just put it in a sippy for the car or something, but it was nice on long car rides with breast that were leaking
-cloth breast pads, must make a ton!
-coth menstural pads for all the heavy bleeding after the baby is born, I cant put disposables on my tender area


Never gets!
-A crib- I have one that my IL's and my parents said I HAD to have- it is used as a hamper-lol
-baby bath- it was a waste of money for us, Rainey has just always taken showers with us or a baths- I think we used it 3 times
-pacifiers- they are nasty and not natural
-Formula- Need I say more! puke!

*****
I just asked DP and he said "a few cloth dipes, some boob and a warm house. You dont need anything else!" lol....

[welldone]

Good discussion! I knew you ladies would help me remember some things...

In terms of baby shampoo alternatives, try your local health food store/Whole Foods Market-type place. Read the label. If it sounds chemical, it probably is. Try to avoid added colors and fragrances Many work-at-home moms make gentle baby soap with no extra yucky stuff. I like the Burt's Bees Baby Bees bars, but some will be sensitive to their fragrance. Try Dr. Bronner's soap bars--they have an unscented Baby Mild one that's great, and affordable.

I agree with the mamas above on these things:
Waterproof pads (for floor, laps, and mattresses--I leaked all night!)
Britax carseats (like the Roundabout or Marathon)
Mothering Magazine/MDC
Backpack (we like the Ergo Baby Carrier; for framed, try the Tough Traveler)
A good breastpump (like the Avent Isis - quiet, convenient, portable, manual!)

Sling Recommendations (from someone who has a ton):
Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch
Mom & Me Creations Pea in a Pod hemp fleece adjustable pouch (she's closed to orders because her son is very ill; try finding one used, as I'm trying to do!)
TaylorMade Slings
EllaRoo (any of their slings are great)
Didymos (if you want a wrap--it's pricey, though)

Hmm...that's all for now!

[cholderby]

What about sleeping arrangements?
Will you use a cosleeper? One that attaches to the bed or one that butts up to the bed or one that is placed in the bed? Or maybe a bassinet next to the bed?

This is a great thread! I'm pretty much the first of my friends to have a kid (and I'm 30. They really need to get a move on). Anyhow, keep the info coming!

[Patchfire]

With dd, we used a portable bassinet next to our bed until she was six months or so - yes, past the recommended age. Ooops. Then she was mostly just in bed with us. We considered a co-sleeper but rejected it then based on space considerations.

Now... we already have a kid in bed with us! And while she's moving towards sleeping in her own bed, that's one area I could definitely see her 'regressing' on. So we probably will get a co-sleeper this time. Everything I've read suggests it's probably just not as safe to have a sibling next to a newborn, and I don't want to take any chances. Then once the baby's older, we'll move it to the middle of the bed - and I suspect that by that point, dd would be at least 5, and more likely to sleep in her own bed sometimes.

I second the Avent Isis... I was pumping for dd when I was in school and thought 'maybe I should get an Ameda or a Medela so I can pump more'... so I bought a Purely Yours... And I got just as much or more with the Isis, and it was so much more convenient.

If you're like me and hate the way the cloth breast pads bunch up in your bra (I never could find any I liked, they all felt way too bulky) - I should've bought stock in Johnson & Johnson, because I loved their disposable nursing pads. I know, not terribly crunchy of me, but they fit, were thin, and I never had any problems with them holding wetness next to my skin.

I love our Britax Roundabout... but I do want an infant carseat, just because I don't think the car can handle two Roundabouts in the backseat! Does anyone know much about Britax's infant seat? It's sooo pricey for something that gets at most a year of use (as opposed to 3+, so far, on our Roundabout).

[crayon]

Originally Posted by cholderby

What about sleeping arrangements?
Will you use a cosleeper? One that attaches to the bed or one that butts up to the bed or one that is placed in the bed? Or maybe a bassinet next to the bed?

This is a great thread! I'm pretty much the first of my friends to have a kid (and I'm 30. They really need to get a move on). Anyhow, keep the info coming!

Our DD has slept with us from day one! And I would not have had it any other way. She, still sleeps with us with a futon next to our bed and when we move we will have 2 doubble size beds that we will put together so we will have lots of room. Then Rainey and the new baby can spread out if they like!

[Ravenmoon]

Our 2 year old is sleeping with us.I am going to get her a mattress for next to our bed so both of them can sleep there or in our bed.

My last sling was a New Native and i loved it.Not sure what i'm getting this time.I have 3 Kelty backpacks.I love them.

Today was my midwife appt.I measured at 15 weeks(but just started my 14th)and heard the baby's heartbeat which was 148.Everything is going well.

[RedWine]

Intro

Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place to post...but I'd like to introduce myself.

My name is Trish, and I am pregnant with #2 (due mid-March 2005).

Happy to join y'all!

[eminer]

cholderby,

Re: slings, I like the kind that tie. I have an Ellaroo and a rebozo, and both are actually quite cool, despite looking very much like blankets. :-) The Ellaroo is new, and I'm completely in love with it! I can elaborate on that if you want (it would involve an in-depth description of how the weave behaves). Tying slings are versatile and especially appealing if you like to be able to manipulate things (I'm also fond of flat diapers and finger-style guitar).

Re: sleeping arrangements, I think a bassinet or co-sleeper is a great choice for anyone who is uncomfortable sleeping with a baby. It's important to realize, though, that they are significantly different from sleeping with a baby. Uncontrolled co-sleeping, when mom is comfortable with it, tends to settle into mom and baby sleeping on their sides facing each other. Nursing can happen very frequently without either one fully waking up. You are in physical contact, functioning as a unit.

----

Re: the topic, I need a bunch of EC stuff! My dd wore almost nothing but those sleepers with a million snaps, so I've been buying some shirts and pants. Also making polar fleece pants and Poquito Pants, and I bought a bunch of new flat diapers (yum!). I still feel a little insecure imagining myself using all this stuff, which is kind of a random glob of the various things others said they found useful. Oh yeah, and knowing myself and sewing, when I say I'm "making" Poquito Pants -- the pieces may still be sitting in my closet in February.

I pretty much used a lot of the same stuff you all have mentioned: sling, pump, clothes, carseat. The only thing that no one mentioned is extra, absorbant baby blankets to put under myself at night. I leaked like crazy, but would have found nursing pads and a bra a real pain at night, not to mention an extra layer between me and dd (and dh, of course ). So when I finally woke up in shivering in a puddle, I would change the blanket.

[cholderby]

Hi Trish!

My husband "actively occupies" about 75% of our king sized bed. He can't keep from rolling around with just me in there, so I really don't think it would be safe for the baby to be in our bed (although, I have seriously thought about NOT cosleeping with my husband, he is just too fidgety a sleeper!).

[TOmomma]

Originally Posted by Patchfire

If you're like me and hate the way the cloth breast pads bunch up in your bra (I never could find any I liked, they all felt way too bulky) - I should've bought stock in Johnson & Johnson, because I loved their disposable nursing pads. I know, not terribly crunchy of me, but they fit, were thin, and I never had any problems with them holding wetness next to my skin.

Me too! I went thru zillions of those things.

I plan to co-sleep for a while, but it depends how the little monster behaves. I planned to cosleep with my son for ages, but he was/is such a restless sleeper, I couldn't stand it. He was constantly squirming and kicking me all night long until finally I booted him out of bed at 4 months so I could get some sleep. That seemed to work well for everyone.