Baby essentials

[papie]

A baby carrier if you don't have one. Something like a moby is great because it is easy to use and not to expensive, and soft and cuddly for newborns. There were days where it was the only thing that calmed my kids down.

[jane6672]

I bookmarked this thread ages ago: forums.thenest.com/discussion/6322993/baby-registry

[hopecounts]

You sound pretty well set.
Waiting on the breast pump is fine unless you want it immediately for some reason.
Swing/bouncy is extremely kid dependent. DD loved the swing and it was the only place she would let me put her down for the first couple months. She hated the bouncey seat. We were able to borrow both from friends so it wasn't an issue.
I do recommend miracle blanket or Aden and Anais swaddling blankets to get a tight snug swaddle to encourage sleep.
baby carrier/sling/ergo/moby

[pierogigirl]

I liked having a baby bath tub.
Burp cloths - cheap cloth diapers work best.

[Jalapeñomel]

Besides a baby carrier, I would wait to see what you need.

In the MOTN, all you will need is burp clothes, pillow and diapers/wipes.

[EmilieMadison]

All you REALLY need for the baby that first week are diapers, some onesies/sleepers, and a carseat (if you have a car). Truly, you will not need anything else prior to the baby arriving. Your DH (or anyone) can pick up anything else any time after you come home. 

[janiejones]

breast pump- wait. But for later, I has a medela swing and it worked nicely for me. I also have the manual medela, and wasn't able to get much milk with it until very recently.

Nursing tanks/bras- I really liked the stretchy Bravada (Bravado?) nursing bras. I had sized out of most easy retail brands (seriously they need to get bigger cup sizes than DD for engorged BFers). I wear an ON perfect tank or basic mossimo ribbed scoop neck tank daily. I can nurse very easily in these plus they are cheap.

Someone gave me a nursing cover which we used at the start, I have also used bigger gauzy scarves. I don't cover up unless I'm around kids in a restaurant or my dad/FIL/MILs BF.


Medecine- saline nose drops.

Sleeping- white noise might be helpful. There are apps, but we are sleep sheep fans. Do you have a monitor? We can hear the baby from our room, but it's nice to have for daytime when it's harder to hear over regular house noise. Plus we opted for a motion sensing one which calmed my nerves early on.



Clothing- I was dumb and forgot my kid needed pants. We had to go buy leggings/soft pants for him in the first few days. I guess I thought babies were either in sleepers or onesies.

[littlepeanut]

Download a free white noise app on your phone. This really helped us early on with car rides or weeks 6-8 when absolutely nothing would soothe him.

[rupertpenny]

I would get a manual pump to have on hand. And maybe a bouncer or a swing.

Generally I think the lists of MUST haves are usually a little overboard. I ended up with plenty of stuff I never used and it was never that hard for one of us to just go to target or place an amazon order.

[underwaterrhymes]

I can't remember. Do you live in the States? If so, your breast pump is covered by the ACA. Don't buy it. Just call your insurance company and ask them the process. Ours gave us a list of stores they worked with. After I delivered, we called the closest one, they asked for our insurance number and they delivered it right to the hospital. We paid nothing (and we told them which one we wanted. I have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. Love it.)

[speckledfrog]

Mar 9, 2014 20:12:28 GMT -5 bricco said:

We've had all of our showers and have been working on figuring out what stuff we still need to buy and what stuff we are better off playing 'wait and see' on.

Tell me what you think is necessary to have on hand!

diapering
We have been given: changing pad, changing pad covers and liners, lots of different brands and sizes, wipes, and diaper creams--desitin, butt paste, aquaphor

What else do we need? Looks good to me.  If you are circumsizing your hospital should give you some vaseline and gauze pads.

feeding
We have been given: a few different types of bottles (tommee tippee and dr browns), one container of formula, disposable breast pads, milk storage bags (came in a sample kit), a boppy+cover

I'm intending to breastfeed, but am a bit on the fence so I have not invested in a breast pump.  Insurance does not cover it.  Buy in advance? Play wait and see? I EBF and just pumped an odd bottle here and there.  I found the Medela Swing to be just find for my needs.  I would wait and see.  You won't need to pump until about 6 weeks or so (to introduce a bottle)

What about nursing bras/tanks?  How do I figure out what size to buy right now? How many?  I got a Bravado orginal and a body silk to begin with.  They are pretty forgiving as far as boob size goes.  After the first few weeks you can get more fitted (and pretty) bras.  I would get a couple nursing tanks (I didn't like them for regular usage, but great for the beginning) and probably the original Bravado and then go from there.

What am I not thinking of?  More breast pads, lanolin or other nipple cream, a water bottle (if your hospital doesn't give you one), extra boppy cover, burp cloths (we used a few to begin with and then zillions later on)

sleeping
We have been given: a crib, RNP, and PNP with bassinet.

Do I need anything else?  What helped your baby sleep the best? White noise machine

soothing
We have a rocker recliner and are being given a wooden glider.  We do not have a swing or bouncer.  How necessary? We didn't use any of the above.  This is really dependent on you and your kid

We have a few different types of pacifiers (nuk, wubbanub, other random ones?).

Anything else that you can think of that we need?  What calmed your baby down when s/he was inconsolable?   A swaddle blanket, either swaddle me or miracle blanket.

clothing
We have a few (maybe 8?) outfits/onesies/etc in NB size and a bunch more in 0-3.  We have 1 halo sleep sack, and 1 swaddleme.  Do we need more?  We don't have any socks-- I think we probably need to get socks. Is there any specific TYPE of clothing that I should make sure we have?  Anything we should make sure to have on hand? Sleep sack is great for when they are done being swaddled.  Save that for later.  Clothing sounds like a good starting set.  W was born in Feb and we didn't do socks until the fall.  He was almost always covered with a blanket or a sleeper.  I liked gowns for middle of the night changes, but MH didn't love them.  Some people love zippers (MH), some people like snaps (me).  Don't go crazy on clothes until he's here and you can see what you like.

medicine
We have infant tylenol, gas drops, and gripe water.  What else do we need to have on hand?


anything else?
What am I not thinking of?  I want to try to combat crazy stressed out MOTN freak-outs about needing some particular thing, but I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff I don't need. 

THANKS!

[thatgirl2478]

As for socks - most of the time they can't keep them on anyway... but our solution was for DD to pretty much live in her sleep n plays for the first several months .

We never had a swing or a RNP, only a bouncy chair & an exersaucer (used much later when she could hold herself better). She liked the chair well enough, but was mostly content hanging out with mom or on the floor on a blanket. She really liked her play mat with dangley toys .

I'd say you're good for now. If you find that you LOVE any one particularly great product for your needs, get more of that.

[cville]

Mar 9, 2014 20:17:23 GMT -5 jane6672 said:

I bookmarked this thread ages ago: forums.thenest.com/discussion/6322993/baby-registry

Excellent. My work here is done.

[jane6672]

Mar 9, 2014 20:30:11 GMT -5 cville said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:17:23 GMT -5 jane6672 said:

I bookmarked this thread ages ago: forums.thenest.com/discussion/6322993/baby-registry

Excellent. My work here is done.

It's been a privilege, sir.

[thatgirl2478]

Mar 9, 2014 20:28:40 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I can't remember. Do you live in the States? If so, your breast pump is covered by the ACA. Don't buy it. Just call your insurance company and ask them the process. Ours gave us a list of stores they worked with. After I delivered, we called the closest one, they asked for our insurance number and they delivered it right to the hospital. We paid nothing.

It's supposed to cover breast pumps, but some insurance plans are weaseling out of that coverage some how...

[underwaterrhymes]

Mar 9, 2014 20:31:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:28:40 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I can't remember. Do you live in the States? If so, your breast pump is covered by the ACA. Don't buy it. Just call your insurance company and ask them the process. Ours gave us a list of stores they worked with. After I delivered, we called the closest one, they asked for our insurance number and they delivered it right to the hospital. We paid nothing.

It's supposed to cover breast pumps, but some insurance plans are weaseling out of that coverage some how...

They really can't, though. You just have to talk to the right people. I talked to three different people at my insurance company before I found someone who knew the process.

[speckledfrog]

Mar 9, 2014 20:23:32 GMT -5 EmilieMadison said:

All you REALLY need for the baby that first week are diapers, some onesies/sleepers, and a carseat (if you have a car). Truly, you will not need anything else prior to the baby arriving. Your DH (or anyone) can pick up anything else any time after you come home. 

These are very true words of wisdom.  I was so worried about clothes before the baby came because I was caught up in getting everything ready for when he arrived, but the stores aren't going anywhere and you'll be making tons of trips after the baby is born anyway.   

[jssymom14]

Only thing is since you are due in April make sure you have footed sleepers in both cotton and fleece since it can still be really cool. We didn't have any long sleeve onesies (or maybe 2) and couldn't find any since they had switched over to spring/summer except clearance ugly ones.

[hopecounts]

Mar 9, 2014 20:32:38 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:31:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

It's supposed to cover breast pumps, but some insurance plans are weaseling out of that coverage some how...

They really can't, though. You just have to talk to the right people. I talked to three different people at my insurance company before I found someone who knew the process.

They are required to pride a pumping device, my insurance covers a manual hand pump only. ?

[rupertpenny]

My insurance only covered a manual

It's better than nothing, but I'm so jealous of everyone who gets a free double electric.

[jssymom14]

Mar 9, 2014 20:31:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:28:40 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I can't remember. Do you live in the States? If so, your breast pump is covered by the ACA. Don't buy it. Just call your insurance company and ask them the process. Ours gave us a list of stores they worked with. After I delivered, we called the closest one, they asked for our insurance number and they delivered it right to the hospital. We paid nothing.

It's supposed to cover breast pumps, but some insurance plans are weaseling out of that coverage some how...

Some ins companies can be "grandfathered" into certain clauses I believe but keep calling and asking!

[littlepeanut]

Mar 9, 2014 20:28:30 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:25:37 GMT -5 littlepeanut said:

Download a free white noise app on your phone. This really helped us early on with car rides or weeks 6-8 when absolutely nothing would soothe him.

I like this idea, because J .... also didn't like white noise (surprise surprise!) 

I did use her bear to help ME sleep a few times though. lol

Ha!  Me, too.  I swear I heard every breath for weeks until we started using the noise. 

[thatgirl2478]

Mar 9, 2014 20:32:38 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:31:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

It's supposed to cover breast pumps, but some insurance plans are weaseling out of that coverage some how...

They really can't, though. You just have to talk to the right people. I talked to three different people at my insurance company before I found someone who knew the process.

I just know what I found while reading.  A couple of articles about companies getting out of it, only covering manual pumps, etc etc etc.  I know our insurance company only covers 2 varieties of the same brand. There seems to be a lot of confusion/misinformation about this part of the ACA.

[underwaterrhymes]

Nag the shit out of them.

They don't have to cover electric necessarily, but it's worth pushing them. They have to cover either a rental or a purchase.

My insurance company was like, "nope. don't cover it," when I talked to them the first time, but I knew they were either not informed or outright lying. So I called back and the second person was like, "nope." So I asked to speak to a manager who gave me the list of companies in the area they dealt with. She said they were working on educating their team on the new benefits, but I also think it was an excuse because I'm sure a lot of insurance companies are relying on people not realizing that this is a benefit.

If your insurance company is grandfathered in, they have to disclose this to all of their participants. And it's still worth pushing the issue because many grandfathered insurance companies are at least offering some benefits in this regard.

And this mom's insurance company only covered manual, but after she pushed the issue they changed their stance and now offer electric.

www.hygeiainc.com/breast-pumps-and-insurance-one-moms-story/

[underwaterrhymes]

Mar 9, 2014 20:40:32 GMT -5 bricco said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:35:56 GMT -5 jssymom14 said:

Some ins companies can be "grandfathered" into certain clauses I believe but keep calling and asking!

This.  Our plan has been grandfathered in because they have changed NOTHING (our premiums and all benefits have stayed exactly the same) since ACA went into effect.  As soon as they choose to change ANYTHING in the plan, they'll have to get on board with ACA regulations.  Until then, they are required to do nothing.  The pump is definitely NOT covered.

Does your insurance company have an appeal process? I would push this.

[jenna]

E lived in sleep n plays as a newborn. No socks to worry about, and I didn't have to pull anything over his head. I used the zipper and button up styles.

If you formula feed, you may want a formula dispenser. You can pre measure your formula for quicker feeding in the middle of the night. We used room temp water, and made each bottle to order (as opposed to premaking + refrigerating them.)

www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Powdered-Formula-Dispenser-Colors/dp/B000RFCXIK

Bottle Brush?  Bottle drying rack?

We used the:

OXO Tot Bottle Brush with Nipple Cleaner and Stand
Boon Winter Grass Countertop Drying Rack   -- could hold all those tiny pump parts


Hands Free pumping bra? 

[hymen]

Lanolin, heavy duty pads for you, dermaplast. It's much better to have this stuff on hand prior.

As long as you can get the baby home, feed the baby, have some place for baby to sleep and something for him to poop in, you should be fine with baby stuff for the first few days.

[hymen]

Also, if you don't have a swing/bouncer/etc., see if you can find someone who recently had a baby (like in the last few years) that could loan you one before you spend $$ on a new one. We had a swing that never really got used because DS didn't like it. I'm going to try it again with this baby and hopefully he will like it, but it ended up just being a space waster the first time around (luckily it was travel sized).

[underwaterrhymes]

Mar 9, 2014 20:37:40 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Mar 9, 2014 20:32:38 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

They really can't, though. You just have to talk to the right people. I talked to three different people at my insurance company before I found someone who knew the process.

I just know what I found while reading.  A couple of articles about companies getting out of it, only covering manual pumps, etc etc etc.  I know our insurance company only covers 2 varieties of the same brand. There seems to be a lot of confusion/misinformation about this part of the ACA.

I was wrong about the grandfathered companies being exempt from this. There are parts they are not exempt from (e.g. kids on the insurance until they're 26), but this is not one of them, unfortunately.

However, I still think it's worth pushing the issue and appealing.

[MamaMaui24]

For you - pads, iron supplement (while bleeding), stool softener (colace)

Pump - rent one from the hospital for one month. Take it home at discharge.