[Persephone]

But the MIL is already wanting to go buy stuff for us. And other family members have started asking too. So I made this list in lieu of a registry (cause where can you get dsq prefolds and wool soakers at Babies R Us?? :LOL ) so people would be able to get us stuff we actually need. Do you moms who have gone before think it's complete? Is there anything serious we're missing? Anything extraneous on there? I really just want to have the absolute basic neccessities on there, nothing more.

Here it is: http://www.geocities.com/eponine49/babyshowerlist

 

[AngelBee]

Ok....are you doing cding or ec. If cloth I think you need more dipes. Don't be afraid to put more then one size on there.

Did you have pins and snappis? Maybe a minishower for the dipes? Wet bags? Wipes?

Also maybe some soft leather shoes like at www.buskins.com There are many types but I love them and use them alot instead of socks! So cute too!

Maybe some longies...

If there is anything like highchair, exersaucer, bouncy seat, etc that you may want.....I would add a section of stuff you would like used. Better for the environment and if you don't like them you can pass them on to another family!

Also maybe some wooden toys and playsilks!

I am so excited for you!!! Congrats on your baby!

 

[AngelBee]

PS I love your idea of having a list like this!!!

 

[AngelBee]

Also....sorry.....Liz cloth hemp wipes are great! They are on your list at www.diaperware.com I own aton of them (we use them for TP also) They wash great and soft. She is a sweetie too!

Another great site for wipes is www.preciousdignity.com Yummy velour/sherpa wipes $.75 each! I

them! Eventually want to get more to use as wash clothes. I ordered orange ones.....so bright and beautiful! Great WAHM!

 

[AngelBee]

Also maybe other slings, pouches, or wraps.

 

[Persephone]

Oh yes, I'm ECing. Prolly not til after 6 weeks, but maybe earlier. I wanted to get things that were useful for the first year only, we can get stuff for older babies (like shoes) later. Pins, snappies, and a minishower are on there!

I won't be wanting any of the bouncy chair type things.

You really don't think an Ellaroo is enough? It's so versatile!

I didn't put any toys on there, cause I figured most people would get them anyway. But perhaps I should put a few special toys on there. Oh! I did want a mobile to go over our family bed!

 

[hottmama]

I think 3 dozen diapers and 6 covers is plenty. We had 3 dozen diapers and 3 covers when Julian was little (this time we'll have way more because I'm on an ebay spree right now!). I don't think a mini shower is necessary, it seems like a waste of money to me. Also, it seems a lot early for a baby potty, unless it's used for EC? For wipes, I made my own out of cheap 3-packs of receiving blankets that were given to us. I never used more than my 3 favorite blankets to swaddle Jules, yet we have a whole box overflowing with baby blankets- people seem to think you need a lot, I don't understand why. I also doubt you'll need a medicine dropper, most medicines come with their own dropper, and chances are, your babe won't get sick as long as s/he's EBF. Organic baby wash/shampoo is really nice, and a baby bathtub is good for having baby in the tub while you shower.
One nice thing I got, that I didn't ask for, was a fancy Moses basket. I used it to lay Julian in for naps and such at home and when we were out, and carried him in it (much the way some use carseats). It is so pretty and comfy, he napped in it wherever we were until ~6 months.

 

[gethane]

Did you have a bassinet or co-sleeper on there? I have co-slept with all 4 of my kids so far and I know I really really liked having a bassinet I could wheel from room to room when the baby was small (<2 months). I lost the bassinet between 3 and 4 and only had a co-sleeper for 4. It was nice enough for those early nights when they are still so tiny you are afraid you might break them

.

A moses basket, like the previous poster suggested, though, would likely be just as good

.

I didn't even set up the crib (from #1) for numbers 3 or 4, but I still did like having a bassinet for the littlest time.

Edit: Oh a boppy pillow. I don't think I saw one of those. I found pillows for my first 3, and a boppy pillow for my 4th, to be so helpful.

 

[Persephone]

Yep, we're ECing, so the potty will be used early on. The boppy is on there! I had been wavering over getting a moses basket or not, so it seems like there's a consensus there. I'll add it.

(Oh, I'm totally keeping the mini shower! It's going to be great for postpartum, and it's a heck of a lot better than dunking and swishing diapers in the toilet!)

 

[LolaEight]

I say yes to the bassinet too. (Is that spelled right? Geeze, pregnant brain..)

I know you want bare necessities, but a bouncy seat came in really handy for me to have a safe place (since I had another little one around) when I was in the shower, or cooking and needed two hands (even in the sling I kinda kept one hand on the baby when I was cooking) and just needed to stick the baby somewhere for a minute or two. The kitchen and bathroom floors just weren't a good place to put them.

We realized with the second one that he had reflux, and needed to sit up rather than lay down, so unless we were holding him, he was in the bouncy. Really helped him keep the milk down.

Just a thought!! You could definately hold off and run out and get one if you see that you need it....

 

[Jennifer Z]

The first thing I see is something I am doing with this one. I am not using wool soakers until they get past that "poop every time they nurse" stage. You will be needing to do a LOT of handwashing those early days if you have a bunch of wool soakers because those early poops are messy and frequent and almost always hit the covers. I would get a few nylon or plu covers for the earliest days. The brand we liked best with our last one was Bumpy, but I will probalby get some Bumpkins for newborn since I remember them being more lightweight and breathable than prowraps and cheaper than Bumpy. (also, prowraps are better for skinny legs, imse vimse Bumpy are better for chunky legs)

You might add some wool care to your list...like Euclen. Also, things like baby oil (we love Burt Bees here), tea tree oil, baby wash/shampoo

Another sort of weird thing is a fleece blanket. If you don't put covers on them all the time, it is nice to have a fleece barrier between them and your clothes. (a friend of mine is making me some fleece pillowcases to stuff with a prefold for this purpose) Also, if you have a diaper leak in bed, a fleece blanked over the puddle will allow everybody to go back to sleep without having to redo the entire bed.

Also, those first months go by FAST...you might also ask for things that you will need down the line a bit. (clothing, dipes) Do you have equiptment to make baby food easily (obviously, you can just use a fork to smush things up, but a hand blender or strainer is nice too)

You will find that you either love or hate onesies. If your baby is long waisted, they are almost pointless, especially if you cloth diaper. Also, they tend to wick from the diapers more than any other clothing type and need to be changed each time, and are one of the more difficult items to change on a floppy infant. However, they are easy one peice dressing if you don't feel like putting pants on them.

Congrats! I think I might be copying your idea if you don't mind.

 

[LoveMyLil'B]

You asked about the slings. You can never have too many slings! I have several, and I switch around with whichever one is my current favorite.

I also 2nd the boppy. My 14 month old is laying on it right now as I type (2 handed - go me!), nursing to sleep!

I know I'm about to ask a dumb question, but what's ECing?

 

[Persephone]

Elimination Communication. Its also called Infant Potty Training. It's where you use timing, signals and intution to learn when your baby needs to use the bathroom. Less diapers to wash that way, and you get really in tune with your baby! There's a whole forum about it in the diapering forum.

 

[LoveMyLil'B]

Aaah, gotcha. My MIL started doing this with my ds around 6-8 months. She keeps him 3 days a week while I'm at school. She did it with my SIL 20 something years ago and I thought she was crazy when she told me my SIL was using the potty at 8 months. But then she showed me one day when she was over here, and I thought it was really cool so I bought a potty seat to fit over the regular toilet seat, and he does this everyday now. I just never knew it had a name! We don't catch all of them, but I really like sitting him on the potty while I run the bath so I'm not chasing turds around the bathtub! My mom has even started doing this when he's over at her house.

 

[My Three Boys]

I was thinking about this last night and realized that one of the most-used gifts I received with my first was a nursing nightgown. I know it's not a necessity, but it sure was nice to wear during those first couple weeks - all day long!!

Couple other things that aren't necessities, but might be nice - nursing clothes and a nursing bathing suit (assuming you swim). I like to wear dresses to get dressed up and you just can't nurse easily in them unless they're specifically made for it. I also like to wear my shirts tucked in. Pulling the shirt out every time my baby wanted to nurse was a pain! Nursing shirts made that easy.

Again, not necessities, but things that may make life a little easier!

Jennifer

 

[MamaTaraX]

Nice list! Reminds me of what I do at the holidays for family/friends for gifts forthe kids/us. Almost everythingon our list isWAHM made or at least from a WAHM store. Since I'm due in January, I have a feeling that when I arrive at family Christmas celebration hugely pregnant people will want to give us stuff, so I was going to make a list too. I like your list a lot! OH, and whoever said "you can't have enough slings!" is right. At one time I had fivethough I've loned out three of them

(slings and ellaroo included). I also second bouncy seats. I don't mean for all-day use. Mesh slings are fabuloustoo for showering with baby and swiming too. I have no idea what a minishower is, I must see this now!
Namaste, Tara

 

[because]

Brilliant!!

I wish I had been better about directing my people to a list like this instead of doing the mainstream registry and buying all the "weird" stuff ourselves!

Since there are a few mainstream things that you could get at a regular store, why don't you do a registry for the health stuff, nursing stuff, and clothing essentials? You can do on-line ones where people can shop online or in stores at many places. Add the link and info to your web list. This would make it easier on your less computer savvy family and friends to buy for you. Just a thought.

As far as stuff to add: I agree to consider stuff you'll need later because time flies in these first few months. Maybe a convertible car seat? Some parenting books?

If you want to add other equipment like highchairs or whatever but you want to find it used, add that section to your web list so people can garage sale during the peak season (now!). Make sure to put very clear details on what you want.