I think this varies a ton by baby, because I know a ton of people who loved their swings, but that was the biggest space hog and most hated baby item by both my boys. Our bouncy chair was a life saver though.
My absolute favorite purchase was a nursing pillow.
I have a diaper genie and used it when we had a million changes a day. But at this point, with one kid in diapers and approximately one, maybe two, poops a day? I use a target bag, fill it with wet diapers and throw it out in the outside trash whenever he poops. It doesn't smell at all because it's emptied at least 1-2 times a day. I'm waaaaay too cheap to buy diaper genie refills for huge ass wet diapers that my 32lb kid has. I'd be emptying it constantly anyway.
But for the very beginning, necessary lol.
Godspeed susie lol. Just buy what you like. You'll have some misses and that's okay. Are you planning on more than one kid? We were, so I just told myself that having all the options on hand was fine because if baby #1 wasn't a fan, maybe baby #2 would like it and that has helped keep me sane.
A few things to add, just pick up a cheap $15 IKEA high chair. And don't skimp on a diaper bag. Just buy the one you really want.
Post by chickadee77 on Jul 31, 2015 6:30:52 GMT -5
Rock n play (we were never comfortable leaving her in it because of the way it forced her head down to her chest)
Swing (used twice, maybe?)
K'tan (though I love, love, love my Beco)
Newborn clothes (didn't register, but received. It was so hot when she was born that she pretty much just wore a diaper during the day and her swaddle at night).
High chair. (PITA to clean - hate it. Should have gotten one you can just wipe down and bam, done, even though most of those are either ugly or $$$$.)
Things I loved for newborns: Woombie (accept no imitations, lol. I tried to save a buck, and the knock-offs sucked).
Those sleeping gowns with the elastic on the bottom. (She went through a phase where she hated the swaddle, and these made diaper changes soooo much easier).
White noise machine. Yeah, you can use an app, but having a dedicated machine is nice so someone isn't always missing their phone.
Post by starburst604 on Jul 31, 2015 7:12:51 GMT -5
Lots of bumbo hate here! My 3 month DD insists on sitting up most of the time, so if she's not on our laps she's in the bumbo. It was a hand me down, but I probably would have bought one.
My diaper genie was also a hand me and it works great. Never smells.
She liked the swing and RNP, I use the bottle warmer to heat cold BM, but formula she takes at room temp. I love the white noise machine. We've only used the PNP with changing/bassinet attachment as a downstairs changing table so far. I use the bottle sterilizer all the time because we don't run the dishwasher often enough.
The only thing I can really think of that hasn't been useful is the Miracle Blanket. She Houdinis her arms out every time. We use the Woombie.
I haven't used the exersaucer yet but she likes the play mat with lights and little toys.
I liked the Brest Friend for nursing but have a hand me down Boppy that I've used to prop her on for feeding or just relaxing. Until she insisted on sitting up all the time.
Never needed hats or the baby gloves since she was born in May, and she never scratched her face.
Oh and baby wearing has been a fail. She's not a big fan and I just find it awkward.
Based on opinion and recommendations in here, I tried not to buy new for several things in case my babe didn't like it.
Bought bouncer at consignment - both kids loved it Borrowed a swing from a friend- used infrequently Borrowed exerssaucer from friend - one babe used, the other couldn't Used jumperoo
I also didn't use wipe warmer, bottle warmer or diaper genie.
Bouncer. I only used it a few times. Also the ktan. I should have just started with the lillebaby.
Do you have the lillebaby now? How do you like it? I'm thinking about getting one.
Just wanted to chime in. I love my Lillebaby airflow. It fits me so much more comfortably than the ergo and is made of mesh fabric so it's much cooler.
I think I'm in the minority but 100% the Snap and Go. I hate that thing, and I just don't think I realized you could do stuff that made way more sense like buy a car seat adapter for a good stroller.
We didn't buy a lot of "common" stuff, either, because we were in a condo and wanted to see how things went. So we never had a swing, any type of jumperoo/exersaucer/etc.
Oh yes, the snap n go! I did not like it at all. It does not steer well and I was much happier when I just used the car seat adaptor on our city select for the girls. I ditched the snap n go with the girls right away.
So much. If I could go back in time and tell myself that most of the baby stuff only lasts for a month or two I would have saved so much money!!
Our pack and play was basically an expensive diaper holder. Totally didn't need it. The bouncer was okay and we used it but it wasn't a necessity. The boppy never got used. None of the three baby carriers I bought worked well for us. Little girl just wanted to be held. All day. The swaddleme's only worked for about two weeks. Now, the miracle blankets were amazing. Hooded bath towels. Baby bathtub.
Those are the major ones. Basically the carseat, stroller frame, regular stroller, jumper, swing, and the rock and play were the only essentials other than bottles, diapers, wipes, and a crib.
Me too. I was just coming in to say that I can't think of anything when I saw this and was reminded of these things. I probably forgot them because I never used them, lol.
I think Brie said it well. And good for you for buying second hand. I try to do that as much as I can and when something doesn't work out it's nbd because I bought it used and will sell it again and usually recoup about 80% of my cost.
Could not live without
rnp
swing- both babies loved it actually
breast friend
k'tan
city mini with carseat attachment
ergo- and actually I hated this when I tried it when dd was small. I only started to love it when she was bigger and hit 7m old. I wear her all the time in it now though. So just because something doesn't work at first, I would keep it for a while to try again later.
Don't waste your money-
bouncer- some kids love them though. Glad you got one for free!
Sophie
bedside sleeper- rnp worked best for us
bumbo- thunder thigh kids do not fit
jumparoo/exercauser- dd1 loved, dd2 hated. Glad I got it second hand.
And not all skip hop bags suck- I really like my versa. It has a zipper and it expands.
And expect to spend $100 at first trying out bottles, pacifiers, etc.
Oh, and do you know about camelcamelcamel.com for amazon price tracking? I use this a lot on things I know I will need in the future and have time to track the price. You can set up a price alert on an item and you will get an email when the price hits the price you indicate. I ended up getting my skip hop versa for $49 because I was alerted about a price drop. It definitely saves me money on baby stuff/xmas gifts, etc.
Do you have the lillebaby now? How do you like it? I'm thinking about getting one.
Just wanted to chime in. I love my Lillebaby airflow. It fits me so much more comfortably than the ergo and is made of mesh fabric so it's much cooler.
Thanks Christie! That's the model I want. I'm hoping to find it in something other than black though!
Just wanted to chime in. I love my Lillebaby airflow. It fits me so much more comfortably than the ergo and is made of mesh fabric so it's much cooler.
Thanks Christie! That's the model I want. I'm hoping to find it in something other than black though!
Not sure if it's still available there or not but I got the raspberry colored one on amazon a few months ago.
Just wanted to chime in. I love my Lillebaby airflow. It fits me so much more comfortably than the ergo and is made of mesh fabric so it's much cooler.
Thanks Christie! That's the model I want. I'm hoping to find it in something other than black though!
I just got a gray one from bed, bath, and beyond online. They have several colors and you can use a 20% off coupon. It was free shipping too.
Ditto Brie 100%. Space was a big consideration for us when we were registering-it's how we ended up with the generic BRU bounce and sway seat instead of a larger swing. If we had found AJ needed more motion then we would have bought one secondhand but the bounce and sway worked just fine. We kept the PnP downstairs in our family room so we'd have someplace to change him or put him down when we were down there (which was fairly often for the first couple months) and had the play mat and bounce and sway upstairs on the main level. Some don't see the point to the RnP but it was a godsend for the two months we used it, since the PnP was too big to fit in our bedroom.
Our own personal loves/hates:
Loves-Pack and play, Rock and play, diaper genie, Moby wrap and mei tai carriers, Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano mat, white noise machine, video monitor, snap and go stroller.
Didn't love/need-Bumbo, travel system (stroller ended up going to my parents', once AJ was big enough for a regular stroller we started using the umbrella or the jogger), bottle warmer, wipe warmer.
I got a lot of stuff secondhand which helped a lot.
I stocked up on various $$ nipple creams and those gel pad things after reading so many people talk about how much nursing hurt, and I never needed them.
Ditto, Sophie the Giraffe. DS LOVES Sophie, but then I read some reviews about babies choking on the legs and was too afraid to leave him alone with it.
DS was a winter baby and all he wore for like 3 months was zippered sleepers. We were given a lot of cute outfits he never wore.
Most importantly, just register with places you can return stuff, and don't open it until you want to use it. I returned a lot of things I registered for like swaddles, bottles, and other small things.
For both my kids, the old school fisher price rainforest bouncy seat was a savior. Whether it was witching hours or needing to take a shower we got tremendous use out of it. The swing was very helpful for DD because she was colicky. The swaddleme swaddles and A&A blankets were great for babies born in the heat of the summer and kimono style bodysuits. I hated putting anything over their heads.
Things that we didn't like: K'tan (DS hated it and I switched to the ergo with the receiving blanket in the bottom by 2 weeks) The carseat adapter for the city mini. I used it once maybe? The snap and go was so much more convenient. We even too long walks with it. Bottle warmer, neither kid cared about milk temperature. Hats Ergo infant insert (never used it, I just put a A&A blanket in the bottom of the carrier)
Post by catsarecute on Jul 31, 2015 9:44:48 GMT -5
I could NEVER figure out the Moby Wrap. I tried to use it multiple times and just couldn't get it snug enough. Now, I have a almost never used wrap sitting in my house because I CAN'T SELL IT.
Post by mainelyfoolish on Jul 31, 2015 9:51:53 GMT -5
I really liked my Skip Hop diaper bags.
There is almost no chance that there won't be something you buy that your kid ends up hating. Unfortunately, every kid hates something different, so you'll never know in advance which things to avoid.
My best baby gear advice is not to sacrifice functionality for style. Baby gear is temporary. Colorful plastic is always easier to clean than upholstered wooden creations.
Post by shellbear09 on Jul 31, 2015 10:19:30 GMT -5
For us the bumbo was very short lived so just ok (chunky baby), no to breast friend. Our #1 best thing was the bouncer. I would wait on a swing until you think you might need it since they are big and expensive. And then buy secondhand if you can. I also didn't love my skip hop diaper bag and if I do it again I would splurge on something nice.